How difficult is it to tailor your own clothes? - Page 2

Agreed with other posters above that hemming pants, narrowing legs (especially if you don't need changes to the top block or upper thighs), and hemming/slimming shirts can all be done with a little practice.


That's a really interesting guide, but realize that following that method is not going to produce a clean, finished shirt the way taking one to an experienced tailor would. Hemming shirt cuffs they way they recommend, for example, is going to have a different look than a correctly constructed cuff would, since there will be extra bulk due to multiple layers of turned over fabric (and interfacing, probably), which is different than any method that would have been used for the original construction of a shirt cuff.

Not at all trying to hate on your links (the separate collar conversion actually looks like it would be fun to try), just keep in mind that some aspects of this method make it more of a fun DIY project than a way to cleanly alter a shirt. (Darting in the back to slim a shirt and hemming the front & tails as indicated should work pretty well, though.)


There are lots of decent options. Craigslist is often better than ebay since these are heavy, plus you can do some testing in person even if you don't really know how to sew yet. Vintage all mechanical machines are my preference. Depending on the model, older Singer, Necchi, Elna, Pfaff, and Sears/Kenmore can all be pretty good. In my opinion, the less plastic you see, the better. I typically see these for ~$25 at thrift stores, often with manual & accessories. PM me if you want more nerdy details.

Good post, are there any online sources/books you would recommend if one plans on doing things like darting, slimming shirt sleeves, etc.?

adadan, great info. Very much appreciated. And please, feel free to point out any drawbacks to the method in those links or anything else. I wouldn't know any of that unless you said it (I see what you mean, by the way). I'm a total novice, so even basic info is helpful. I have taken a sewing class, but the teacher sucked so it was useless to me. I may eventually take you up on that offer to ask about some of the nerdy details on a machine, but for now I'll check out craigslist and see what I can check out in person.

very true, except the pants are possible if you can judge how much to leave on the rise. I change a fat crap rise pants to a RRL sized pair (officer chino)

Check this out if you are really feeling good.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...iela-waistcoat

You know, for tailoring/alteration, I don't know of any really good sources. There are some good general sewing blogs and stuff like that.

I do a lot of thrifting, and have picked up a LOT of older sewing books, but sewing (and caring about the fit of clothing, for that matter) is historically such a female area of expertise that there is often minimal useful information on men's clothing in sewing books. Sometimes there is a short section on sewing for "men and children" or something like that. Even so, you can learn quite a bit from a basic sewing book if you read the first few chapters, which will cover different types of seams, different stitches, etc.

I also have a more recent book, "Shirtmaking," by David Page Coffin, and that covers men's shirts in detail, but it is pretty advanced and I haven't gone too far into it. It does have a lot of info about the shapes and seams that make up a shirt and proper fitting.

I thought I was the only one who noticed this. It's very difficult to find information even with google or whatever on how to properly alter things like men's shirt-sleeves =/

So on an impulse I picked up an old 1954 Singer sewing machine for $20. It's the kind that folds out from its stand, and it's the same model as this one (notice that stupid price). It was the cheapest option I found, and appears to work just fine. For anyone who has experience with sewing machines, what do you think: should I keep it, or should I pass it on and look for something else? I'd only be doing simple alterations, so I doubt I'll need any elaborate stitch options. Will it be any more complicated to use than a modern machine?

So it is definitely a model 66 like the ebay machine? (There are a number of Singers that look really similar from that era.)

I've never owned that exact model, but I've used machines in the same general family. That's a straight stitch only, "class 66" drop-in bobbin machine. If it is working well, it is probably a good machine to start learning on. Did it come with the instruction manual?

Yeah, it's a model 66. I looked up the serial number on Singer's site. No instruction manual with it, but I downloaded a pdf of the manual from Singer. It was incredibly dusty (it had belonged to the seller's grandmother and it sounded like she died long ago). I spent more than an hour cleaning it yesterday, and with the dust gone it's actually in really great shape. It also came with several bobbins and a packet of brand new Organ needles. After looking at the manual it looks pretty straight-forward. No zigzag stitch, but since the point is to save myself some money with hemming (and just mess around with some old shirts), I didn't really feel the need to go looking for it. As I understand it basically just means I have an extra step to make sure the edge doesn't fray. I was looking at past work my tailor has done and he has only used a single stitch, so I'm not too worried about it. Any advice you have on where to start would be great.

Cool, sounds like you're in business.

The first machine I had was a Singer 15-91, which is straight stitch only and similar to what you have (except gear drive rather than belt and a different bobbin arrangement). A nice thing about straight stitch machines is that there is less to adjust (and less to go wrong), which is a good thing when you are first learning how it all works.

The only thing you might wish you had a zigzag stitch for is doing bar tacks, but that's not really a necessity. Other than bar tacks you would typically use a zigzag to overcast a cut edge to resist fraying as you mentioned (which I pretty much never do), to sew knits (I've actually used it quite a bit to mend sweaters), or to make buttonholes without needing a special attachment--none of which you really need for doing alterations of shirts/pants.

As far as a starting point, take this with a grain of salt, because I'm by no means an expert. There are basically two things you need to learn: one is all about how your machine works and how to adjust it to get the correct results on different fabrics. The second is how clothing is put together, so you can figure out how to change things in ways that look correct without disassembling a garment completely. What you've already done, reading the sewing machine manual and looking at your tailor's past work on some of your clothes, are both good ways to start thinking about these things.

Have you wound a bobbin/threaded the machine/sewn on scrap fabric yet?

Haha. I had to look up what bar tacks are. I don't think I'll be doing any of that stuff, at least not any time soon, so I guess I'm good to go. I've used a sewing machine before, just not this one. I haven't had a chance to play around with it yet and probably won't for some time since I'm going out of town at the end of this week, but I've got a bunch of old shirts that I'm going to start fooling around with when I get back. If I do anything that's not a total disaster I'll post pics.

Right on. If you've used a newer sewing machine in the past, you'll probably find the old Singer very simple and easy.

Other than the bobbin winding and threading diagrams, look for the page in the manual on how to properly adjust tension. There will be a drawing that shows correctly balanced tension of top/bobbin threads, then one with top too tight/bobbin too loose, and one with top too loose/bobbin too tight. You might wanna keep the page with that picture open next to you when you start practicing stitches.

Also, you probably already know this but the next most important tool for tailoring/alteration after a sewing machine is a good iron.

Depends what you'll be doing with it. For just shirting and lightweight fabrics, anything will do (you may want features like buttonholes, zig zag, etc.), but for heavyweight stuff like denim I would suggest getting an old school machine with all metal guts, most newer household models can't handle it. Granted, when you get one of the beastly machines it takes a lot more skill to operate or it'll turn your fingers into lunch For jeans waists, the only things you can really do are pleats and recutting. And sweaters are tricky, most established tailors won't touch them Go get it tuned/oiled and it'll probably be fine, just remember that it only goes in a straight line, so any complicated stitches are going to have to be manipulated by hand I'm a very decent sewer and I still won't touch any of my nicer stuff. A few bucks vs. having to buy a new $xxx shirt if I make a small mistake. Hems and tapers are simple and doable, the rest I do only on cheap shit I don't care if I mess up. Thread reminds me that I need to buy a new machine though

As a matter of fact, I just printed out the manual at work today. Keeping that page open is a good idea. I know the tension determines how tight or loose the stitch is, so it's obviously pretty important in making the stitch durable and clean. I know learning this is going to take a lot of trial and error. I think it'll be mostly a matter of patience. But hopefully will eventually lead to


I found myself looking through my closet today and wondering how long it would take before I could properly alter a very nice shirt I have that happens to be too long. Then I thought about what would happen if I messed up. Then I thought about how much it would cost a tailor to do it, and I was suddenly very thankful for my tailor.