Pin Fitting

• 1). Photograph the person wearing the unaltered garment. Save this image for comparison through the altering process.
  
  
• 2). Remove the seam stitching with a seam ripper. Remove part of the hemming stitches close to the side seams. For a skirt with a waistband, remove approximately 6 inches of the stitching that secures the waistband at each side seam.
  
  
• 3). Examine the garment wrong-side-out on the person. You will see the seam allowances that need reshaping.
  
  
• 4). Pin fit the garment sides with straight pins to mark new seam lines. For a shirt or jacket, the new seams would run from the sleeve cuff to the hem. For a skirt, the side seam can run from the waist to the hem.
  
  Some sewers prefer to mark the new seams with tailor's chalk or a line of hand sewing or basting along the new seam. Allow enough width for ease of movement. If the sleeves have cuffs, try to taper the sleeve seam leading to the cuff. If the skirt has a waistband, pin the waistband right sides together at the side seams to narrow the waistband.
  
  
• 5). Have the person wear the garment, right-side-out. Check the hang and ease of movement. Ask the person to walk and sit down so you can check the fit. If the garment shows horizontal creases or hangs unevenly, this is the time to readjust the seams before machine stitching.
  
  
• 6). Photograph the person wearing the readjusted garment. Compare this second image with the first image. This second image should show an improved fit.
  
  

Machine Stitching

• 1). Select a straight stitch on the sewing machine's pattern selector.
  
  
• 2). Machine stitch along the new seams marked by the straight pins or basting threads. Remove every pin as the fabric feeds along the needle plate. Backstitch a few stitches to reinforce the stitching. Trim the threads close to the stitching.
  
  
• 3). Press the seam line to embed the stitching and then press open the seam allowances with an iron at a setting appropriate for the fabric. Trim off the excess fabric to leave approximately a 5/8-inch seam allowance.
  
  
• 4). Finish the raw edges of the seam allowance with zigzag stitching or overlock stitching. Other seam finishing options include enclosing the raw edges with purchased seam binding.
  
  
• 5). Sew the skirt's altered waistband back to the skirt along the waist seam, if applicable. Hand-sew the hem near the side seams.
  
  
• 6). Press the entire garment.