How to Make a Shirt Smaller, Perfect Fit FAST!

Learn how to make a shirt smaller. Finding the perfect shirt and discovering it is too big is so frustrating. You want the shirt, but it is bigger than an oversized baggy one should be. Should you go ahead and buy another? Are there ways to reduce the size of the shirt? Luckily the answer to all those questions is YES. There are several ways to make a shirt or t-shirt smaller.

How to Make a Shirt Smaller 3 Ways

Here are three tried and tested methods of making a t-shirt smaller.

1. Shrinking the shirt in the wash.
2. Stitching down the sides to alter the shirt.
3. Cutting off the sleeves and reassembling.

You may read about other non-sew options of tying the shirt or using ribbon to reduce the size, but these three stitching methods are the most popular. They are the best permanent options to transform an oversized shirt into one ready to be worn.

Resizing Shirts vs T-Shirts

While my sample photos are of too big t-shirts, the methods for making shirts smaller is exactly the same. The only thing that is different is the stitch type and hemming, both of which I discuss in this tutorial.

1. How to Shrink a Shirt

This method is ideal for knits and shirts that are new and made from natural fibers such as cotton or linen. Here is how to shrink a new shirt made from cotton:

Step 1 – Identify the Fibers

Establish what kind of fabric your item is made from. Polyester, Lycra, stretch nylon or spandex, and nylon fabrics do not shrink easily. Pure cotton and linens shrink more easily. Shrinking may also not be successful on a shirt that has been washed before. 

Hot water shrinking is ideal for a plain cotton t-shirt you have just purchased, and it is ready to go into its first wash.

Step 2 – Wash the Shirt

Wash in hot water either by hand or with your washing machine. If your shirt is made from cotton or other natural fabric, this results in shrinking a size or two.

It is good to add a color-safe washing product or salt to the water to stop the fabric color from bleeding into the water in the future. A commercial product known as a color catcher can be used in the water simultaneously as the item shrinks. The color catcher will do the job of absorbing any colors that bleed into the water.

Wash colors separately until you are sure they are color-safe, as the hot water causes the fibers in the clothing to open up and release the dye. That is why it is crucial to check color-fastness before washing with very hot water. 

Step 3 – Dry the Shirt

Dry in a clothes dryer and set the machine to the hottest setting. Stop the drier occasionally to see how much shrinkage has been achieved. Do this several times until you reach the desired size.

Step 4 – Ironing

Iron with a hot steam iron if further shrinking is required.

2. Make a Large Shirt Smaller by Sewing

Step 1 – Compare Another

Use a shirt that fits you properly as a pattern. Lay the one that is too large down on a table nice and flat. Smooth out to keep all the edges straight.

Then place the shirt that fits perfectly on top of the one you plan to alter. Lay both inside out. Smooth the top over the bottom oversized shirt, and check that the center of each matches and the shoulders are together. 

Step 2 – Pin and Mark

Pin along the seam edge. You will pin from the bottom up to the sleeve and turn the corner to reach the sleeve edge. Mark this line with tailor’s chalk if you like, or turn your pins to be horizontal, not vertical. This is the seam stitching line you want to make the shirt fit comfortably.

Step 3 – Stitching

Stitch the sides from the bottom to the end of the sleeve. Remember to start with a backstitch and use a machine stitch most suited to stretch fabrics like a very small zigzag. 

A good tip is to stitch the seam with a larger stitch to check that the shirt fits just the way you want it. A larger-length stitch is easier to remove if you feel it is not fitting the way you would like it to. Then when you are happy, sew a second time with a smaller stitch.

Stitch both sides and return the it to your cutting table. Your t-shirt should fit, and you have altered it by stitching from the bottom to under the arm and edge of the sleeve in one go. If your seam looks like it will fray, serge the edge.

Step 3 – Trim Excess Fabric

Measure a small seam allowance and cut away the extra fabric. Take care to cut the corner where the sleeve seam and the seam meet accurately, cutting at an angle to follow the corner created by the fitted sleeve.

Step 4 – Hem

You can sew stretch fabric on your sewing machine with a wide zig-zag stitch that covers the edge of the fabric. This will prevent the hem seam from popping. Alternative hem methods are using a blind hem stitch or a twin needle.

Cotton fabric hems can be done by pressing the raw edge on the wrong side over twice. Then sew across with a straight stitch.

Give the bottom of the shirt a final press to make it sit nicely. Your big shirt is now a smaller shirt! Sewing the sides and hem is a quick fix.

3. How to Make a Shirt Smaller by Cutting It

Some t-shirts need the third method suggested here because the sleeve alteration will not be accurate without removing the sleeve. This method is best suited to huge t-shirts or converting a men’s t-shirt to a woman’s size.

 Step 1 – Compare Another Shirt

Lay out your oversized shirt on the table and lay the smaller one you want to copy on top. Check the center points of the shirts are matching, and the design will not be compromised by reducing the size.

Step 2 – Marking and Cutting

Use a removable fabric marker to draw the shape of the pattern from the small t-shirt onto the bigger one. Fold the sleeve inside to reveal the sleeve seam on the edge. Draw the seam edge at the sleeve using the ridge of the sleeve as a guide.  

Cut off one whole side from the shoulder around the sleeve and down to the bottom. Follow the marks you made down the side, but add on a seam allowance. You can pin or mark your seam allowance. Now, you have a cutting line and a stitching line.

Fold the oversized t-shirt in half down the center fold and match the shoulders and the bottom. Cut the other side, and now you have the body of the pattern. 

You should have three pieces – two sleeve parts and one main body part.

Step 3 – The Sleeve

Make the sleeve alterations by using the sleeve you cut off. Take the sleeve from the t-shirt that fits and lay the hem part of the sleeve onto that of the sleeve you are preparing to alter. Match the hem and the fold of the sleeve. Cut off the excess at the head of the sleeve and down the side seams. Keep the hem intact as that looks authentic and saves you from hemming the sleeve again. Cut out both of the sleeves to make two new sleeves.

Step 4 – The Body

Open the body to have the whole shirt open front and back. Then pin in the new sleeve you cut out. Match the sleeve with the armhole putting the right sides together. Start with a center point. 

Pin the center and then the top and bottom of the sleeve. Ease in the rest of the sleeve fabric to let the sleeve fit into the armhole space. Stitch with a long stitch the first time to be sure the sleeve will fit. If you are happy with the stitching, sew a second time with a smaller stitch. Repeat the process on the second side.

Step 5 – The Sides

Sew up the side seams from the sleeve edge to the hem edge. Pin horizontally and be sure to match the hem edges perfectly. The matching hem edges will make all the difference to the finished look of your altered t-shirt.

How to Make a Shirt Smaller with Handstitching

There you have three basic alteration ideas for your extra-large t-shirt. The option to hand sew the shirt is a solution, especially for smaller sizes. Use a backstitch to ensure the stitching is secure, and a double thread will give added strength to the seam.

In Conclusion

The enthusiastic thrift store seeker will be able to alter any size vintage find, and that is a very satisfying option if you find the perfect vintage shirt. Knowing how to modify an extra-large t-shirt allows you to buy from the end-of-range sale rack and downsize an extra-large shirt or buy something trendy from the men’s section with a favorite logo. Knowing how to change a shirt like this works for any size.