patrickronipetezza

[patrickronipetezza]

Text: Sometimes in the dead of night on the way to the kitchen for a glass of water, I see an extra door in the hallway, black and imposing. 

[patrickronipetezza]

Upsizing clothes! There are a million upcycling tutorials for clothes that are too big, but so few on how to make too small clothes you still love bigger!

Thank you for your suggestion! We all go through weight fluctuations in life, so it stands to reason our clothes should be able to fluctuate with us.

Resizing your clothes used to be a very common practice before the advent of fast fashion. Fast fashion sizing is extremely flawed, especially when it comes to plus size fashion, and we're stuck with a lot of vanity sizing, so it's a good skill to have regardless of whether you're looking to mend something old or buy something new.

How to upsize clothes:

Introduction:

There are many different ways to make a garment larger. The following list is not exhaustive, just a few ideas to get you started.

Grading patterns:

If you're making your own clothes, it's always useful to know how to modify a sewing pattern. The easiest way to adjust a pre-existing pattern to your size is slash and spread grading. First, you need to define which spots on the pattern need extra space. You then cut your pattern in that spot, and slide the resulting pattern pieces away from each other until you've got the size you need. Use paper to fill in the gaps. To ensure the resulting pattern makes for well-fitting clothes, make a mock-up and add, move, or remove darts where necessary to adapt it to your body type.

The image below shows potential slashing lines on a set of standard pattern blocks. Each line is a spot that allows you to add extra space. To read more about this process, check out the corresponding article by Threads Magazine.

(Image source) [ID: a diagram of slashing lines on a pattern block for a dress, bodice, skirt, sleeve, and a pair of pants.]

To make your clothes easier to let out in the future, make sure to provide ample seam allowance when cutting out your pattern pieces. This surplus fabric has several different uses, including giving you some wiggle room for when you need to size up your garment.

Now, let's take a look at pre-made garments.

Lengthening clothes:

A garment that's too short on you is easy to modify. Just add more material!

If it's a skirt or a dress, add ruffles to the bottom. Ruffles are easy to make by hand or with a sewing machine. You could also add lace, or wear the item with an underskirt.

For pants, let down your hem or sew on a new cuff. If this isn't enough, maybe consider turning your trousers into capri pants or shorts.

As for shirts, sewing an extra layer to the bottom edge is the easiest way to go, too. You could even combine two shirts into one to get an extra long shirt.

Another option is to cut your item in two and insert extra fabric between your separated garment parts.

(Image source) [ID: a pair of blue pants with cuffs sewn onto the bottom of the legs to lengthen them. The cuffs are made out of a fabric with a blue and brown geometric print.]

(Image source) [ID: a before and after picture of a red t-shirt that was lenghtened by adding in a patch of colourful fabric at the waist.]

Letting out seams/darts:

Remember how we made sure to have ample seam allowance earlier? When a garment has surplus fabric in the seams and you only need a little extra space, you can undo the seams of your garment and sew them back together again, this time with a smaller seam allowance than before. The Spruce Crafts has a pretty good tutorial on how to let out seams. You won't be able to make major size changes using this technique, but if you only need a few centimetres, this is a good way to go.

A lot of garments also have darts. Darts are fabric folds that are sewn down in strategic places to help the fabric follow the body's curves. If a dart doesn't fit you the way you want it to, then unpick the dart and try on the garment. Either leave the dart open, or pin the dart in place however you want it, then take off the garment again and sew the dart back together.

Be careful not to rip the fabric when using a seam ripper. Also note that removing entire darts may change the garment's fit.

You can also add custom darts to achieve a better fit, but that's a topic for another time.

(Image source) [ID: twelve different types of darts on a feminine bodice block.]

Adding extra fabric to your garment:

If we need to add more room than seam allowance or darts can provide us with, we need to add extra material. Remember those slashing lines we looked at earlier? If you're working with a pre-existing garment rather than a pattern, those are the perfect places to chop up your clothes and add in extra fabric.

Check your sewing stash for fabric that's similar in weight and material to your original garment, or go thrift shopping for an item you could use to upsize your garment. Long skirts and maxi dresses are a great source of fabric for alterations like these!

Lace inserts are also a fun choice to add some room, and if you're working with a knit item, you could even knit or crochet your own custom insert.

Define the area where you want to add extra fabric on your item, and measure how much you need. Draw a straight line on your garment with chalk/soap. Make sure the line doesn't cross any important structural or functional parts of your garment like darts or button holes: refer to the slashing diagram we saw earlier if you're not sure what spot to pick. Cut the line open (or unpick the seam if it's situated on a seam), and add in your extra fabric. Finish off your new seams so they don't unravel later on, and you're done!

You can add straight strips of fabric for extra width or length, or you could use flared panels or even godets to make your item flair out.

Want to see this technique in action? Check out this video by Break n Remake:

Some ideas:

This Pinterest user cut a straight line down the front of a t-shirt and inserted a lace panel to add extra width in the front of the garment.

(Image source) [ID: a blue t-shirt with a panel of dark blue lace added in at the centre front.]

Busy Geemaw cut open the side seams of a shirt and used flared panels to add some extra width in the bust and hip area.

(Image source) [ID: a green and white long-sleeved shirt with a striped flared panel in matching colours inserted at the side seam.]

This person added a panel to the sides of a pair of jeans to give them more space in the hip area. You could easily use a long straight panel or a panel that flares at the bottom to resize the entire garment instead of just the hips, or use a wide piece of elastic for extra stretch.

(Image source) [ID: a side view of a pair of light blue jeans with a dark blue wedge-shaped denim insert running down from the waist and ending above the knee.]

This person added a godet in the back of their shirt in order to get more space in the back.

(Image source) [ID: a blue and white plaid shirt with a white lace godet inserted in the back.]

Blue Corduroy enlarged a pair of shorts by opening up the side seams and adding in strips of fabric.

(Image source) [ID: blue denim shorts with a floral fabric insert at the side seams.]

You don't need to resize the entire garment if you don't want to. For example, One Brown Mom turned this ankle-length skirt with a too small waistband into a well-fitting knee-length skirt by taking advantage of the skirt's flared shape.

(Image source) [ID: a woman wearing a black shirt and a brown tartan knee-length skirt.]

Conclusion:

Throughout our lives, our weight will fluctuate and our bodies will change. There's no shame in this: it's just a fact of life. Therefore, knowing how to upsize an item that is too small for you is a useful skill to learn.

If you want more inspiration, check out these projects by Confessions of a Refashionista, One Brown Mom, and Thriftanista in the City.

[patrickronipetezza]

inspired by the gay ikea couch 🌼

[patrickronipetezza]

“you know, the one in the dirty trench coat who’s in love with you” he was actually. in love with him.

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[patrickronipetezza]

ofmd stands for oh fmy mfucking dgod

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the cw: hey latin america, did you dub the unrequited love confession from castiel for episode 18?

latin american network: …unrequited what?

the cw: you know, when cas dies after saying ‘i love you, bye dean’

latin american network: yeah, ‘i love you’, then bi dean

the cw: bye, dean

latin american network: bi dean

the cw: BYE, DEAN

[patrickronipetezza]

look idk whats gonna happen in the last two episodes but ill say this. we are never gonna get a story like this again. theres been so many jokes abt how this is the last great american queerbait bc its true! supernatural is a relic of a very specific type of story and no show started after abt 2013 will ever be able to capture a something like this ever again because it grew organically from itself over a decade huge narrative and societal change

the fact that supernatural has a hugely misogynistic and homophobic past is directly entangled with why destiel works so well as a bait; the lack of fleshed out female characters means that male bonds are prioritised and homophobic jabs are thrown in for humour which just pushes it over the top. but bc nowadays its passé to murder all ur women and make weird homophobic digs at ur characters just means that u cannot make a show like that anymore.

cas’ confession scene could only happen and have this much impact in a series like supernatural where its been on air long enough that the cultural conversation abt gay ppl has changed enough to the point that this is possible. which is what makes it such an incredible thing to watch bc it couldnt have happened in season 5 or 8 or 10 like it could only happen now. and it could only happen in a season with a narrative dedicated to loosing the main characters from the constraints of their own fictional universe. if for nothing else its a genuinely crazy and facinating cultural moment and i do think its fucking cool to see that play out in real time

[patrickronipetezza]

ok im sorry but dean’s reaction to seeing lucifer is the funniest thing i have ever seen on the cw’s supernatural

[patrickronipetezza]

thank you to everyone who hasnt unfollowed me while i act like a possessed 15 year old from 2012. its just so fucking funny.

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people calling destiel ‘bury your gays’ as if dying and returning from the dead isn’t dean and cas’s fuckin love language

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If it turns out this has all been part of an elaborate Groundhog Day plot and I’m going to wake up in 2012 tomorrow, I’m going to be so pissed.

[patrickronipetezza]

Happiness isn’t in the having. It’s in just being. It’s in just saying it.

[patrickronipetezza]

the aftermath

[patrickronipetezza]

please don’t unfollow me for reblogging so many destiel posts i cannot articulate enough how this is the funniest thing that has ever happened

[patrickronipetezza]

Look I get that it’s queerbaiting and bury your gays and all sorts of bad shit but I’m not claiming it’s good. I’m claiming it’s important to me and a lot of other people who found solace in our brain candy show. Let me be cringe. Let us all be cringe and enjoy being acknowledged as an important part of the fan base. As something worth acknowledging.

We’re not pretending it’s perfect. Just that we’re excited and happy that we got something after hoping for so long. And that with two episodes left and SPNs history of undoing deaths in the finale that we will get something more.

2020 is already so awful. Can we just have this without being cringed into the dirt? Please?

[patrickronipetezza]

shout-out to everyone else whose high school hyperfixations just came rising from the grave tonight