#DIY Tailoring

[anielskaaniela]

Belt Loops: Guide to Crafting and Attaching for Beginners

In this post, you will learn how to sew and attach belt loops to your pants, dresses and skirts. Join me on a journey through the art of sewing as we delve into the world of belt loops—a small but mighty detail that can transform any garment. Whether you’re a seasoned tailor or a DIY enthusiast, mastering the technique of creating and attaching belt loops is a skill that elevates your fashion…

[rhysintherain]

Me: why is the thread tangling and breaking on my sewing machine?

My sister, professional seamstress with a degree in fashion design: what are you doing with it?

Me: altering a leather jacket with upholstery thread and a size 110 needle.

My sister: oh for FUCKS SAKE!

[samwisethestitch]

Video of the full process for my Targ dress, including the method I use to make very sturdy embroidered patches. Theoretically I could take these off and put them on a different dress or jacket if I wanted to!

[dragonflavoredcake]

I feel like everyone should be taught basic tailoring at some point because it makes things look so much better

Sleeves just a little too long? Hem them instead of letting them stack and wrinkle and make you look like a kid playing dress-up

Pockets too shallow? Rip some out of an old pair of pants and use them as extensions

Shapeless dress but it has a nice color and good pockets? Take in that waist, trim what's not needed, and bam, nice dress

Tank top sticks out under the arms? Fold it in and sew it up—voila, a well-fitting tank top

Button starting to get loose? Grab some needle and thread and loop the thread through the holes a few times. That button isn't going anywhere.

You don't even need a machine. I do most of my alterations by hand (I find the machine most useful for bigger jobs that are better done quickly, while hand stuff is better for smaller and slower jobs).

It doesn't even have to be obvious! Several of my work polos are tailored (short sleeves brushed the insides of my elbows, which I didn't like, so I shortened them slightly) and no one said a word. It's difficult to tell that the extra fold is there—the sleeves were cuffed, so I folded it up and sewed it in place by hand. When I was working, I sometimes had to compare sleeves to see which ones I'd done.

You don't even need to cut anything if the alteration is small. I didn't cut anything but thread while altering my work polos. Taking in the tank top that stuck out under my arms was my first time tailoring, so I avoided cutting anything just in case I made a mistake.

Anyway learn basic tailoring if you can

[balkanradfem]

Fixing pants with overly-tight waistband

So, I accidentally found some warm winter pants in a box under my bed! I was extremely happy to find them because I've been out in freezing temperatures in jeans, my legs getting red and irritated from the cold. However, these pants I found, there's something interesting about them; they've got their waistband completely cut off.

I have no memory of cutting that off, but I'm 100% sure it was me, because I know what my line of thinking was. The waistband was too tight, and the pants were high-waisted, so I thought, hey, I just need to cut off this tight part and then the pants will be wearable. And then, after I cut if off, I found out, that no, you can't just cut off the piece of pants that keeps them on your body. They slide off. So after that bold move I just abandoned them in a box. I had no confidence that I could fix them, but this has changed! I am not any better at sewing than I was back then, but my confidence is through the roof, I believe I can not only fix this but make them the most comfortable pair of pants I own.

I rummaged around to find some materials I could use for a new waistband, and I was purposefully picking materials that are very stretchy, soft and warm. I want a soft stretchy waistband! I ended up being specifically drawn to these 2 black sleeves; they're from a sweater, super warm and stretchy, and also durable. I also found an elastic that I ripped out of some sweatpants in the past because it was too tight.

I decided to make the elastic longer by adding a piece of cotton fabric in the middle, and I sewed that together, I feel like it doesn't matter if there's some normal cloth in there. It won't be visible anyway.Now, to make those sleeves into a waistband. I figured out I could do it without cutting them into pieces of fabric; they're already sewn into tubes. So instead I cut them to be the same length as my elastic, and sewed them together into one long tube (I made a mistake at first and flipped one sleeve on the wrong side. But I redid it and now they're good).

Now my long tube can hold the elastic in it! But then I decided, wait, I would prefer if I just folded those tubes into a new, doubly thicker tube, because I really want as many warm layers as possible on my hips (don't wanna get cold). So the tube is folded, and elastic is placed in.

So now I needed to sew these sleeves into a new tube, with the elastic inside, and I figured, hey, I could just sew them onto the pants at the same time, so I don't have to sew that part multiple times.

I lined up the tube with the pants, and you can see I very haphazardly just sewed them on with a normal running stitch; I was mostly doing that to try it out, and see how it would look like all put together. I then sewed the elastic together in a circle, and closed the tubes together as well. The waistband at this point was shorter in length than the cut off hem of the pants, so I was lightly scrunching the pants while sewing, to match the length, knowing once I put them on this will not be visible and even out. Then I tried them on, and while it looked okay, my running stitch came apart, and the waistband separated!

You can see here how half of the waistband is off. I was so focused on scrunching the pants I forgot to make the stitch adjusted to the stretchy fabric.

I know sewing machines have a special stitch that is used on stretchy fabric so the stitch itself is stretchy, but I never found out how to do something like that by hand, and I was at that point, in a room with no internet so I wasn't gonna find out. Instead, I invented my own little stitch that would do a good-enough job. In the second picture you can see how every few stitches, there's thread just going around the edge, that was my trick. This way, when I'm stretching the waistband, instead of the thread breaking, it will pull from these areas where I've wrapped it around, because it's a bit more loose in there and can be tightened without breaking. I've also sewn it in 4 sections, so its not one continuous thread going through the same waistband.

Once I did that, I was mostly done! Here's the pants mended and how they look on me.

I've converted them into sweatpant-like garment, which, yes, good. But! I was wrong about one thing. That elastic, even though I added some length on it, was still too tight, making me feel uncomfortable and tight. So. I opened up the waistband again. Pulled the elastic out. Stitched it back, and tried it on. And decided to keep it like that. This fix didn't need an elastic, I was just paranoid that my new waistband wouldn't hold without one – but it was stretchy and firm enough to hold without any issues! They look just the same as with the elastic in them. I've since worn them outside and they're great!

This entire fix maybe took an hour and now I have comfortable pants to wear all winter. 10/10 recommend trying it out.

Also this is not an official way how to fix a waistband, I've done it before by just adding extra fabric to the waistband that was already there, and it's a lot less work, however... this works too. If you've.. chaotically cut the whole waistband off. Completely salvageable.

[prince-rosalium]

the whale yukata... lives.

my obi are still in storage, but for some reason i have a datejime.

seriously love this thing

[legion-stuff]

Santa Muerte

[wastelesscrafts]

These DIY Tailoring Terms Can Be CONFUSING! (Stylish D)

[tanuki-kimono]

Could a haori be used as a top part of a two-piece kimono or it is made so different that it wouldn't work? I was planning to buy a haori to turn it into the top part and use some fabric to make the skirt of the kimono, but I want to make sure first hahaha

[my askbox is clear, if you didn't hear from me Tumblr might have eaten your ask away, don't hesitate to send it back ;)]

Hi! To be honest, I’d advise not going that way ^^; Kimono and haori might look the same, but are in fact tailored differently.

A haori will not sit right if you try closing it crossed like a kimono for example (their fronts lack okumi front panels to wrap around your body). Haori collars are also pretty different (much narrower and always sewn folded), as are their sides (which have gussets inserts).

You can check how different kimono/haori are below (pic source):

Another argument against your plan is the difference between top vs bottom fabrics. Part of the kimono look is the “unity” going on the whole garment vertically. Even patchwork like kimono keeps that idea going, see katamigawari like this or this (I am not touching boro style clothing though).

If the 2 parts is for easy dressing, your best shot would in fact be to buy a kimono and cut it in a top + a skirt. You'd also be able to lenghten a too short kimono that way by adding fabric on skirt part which would be hidden by the top one when dressed.

Otherwise, you can find online sewing tutorial as to make your own kimono :) Process is quite accessible the hardest part to figure being the collar area. I’ve not tried it yet, but Billy’s step by step is super detailed:

As for haori tailoring this video seems pretty nice too:

[thescarvedinsect]

Men's fashion needs more variety, and women's fashion needs more practicality.

[oflgtfol]

some absolute bangers on reddit today

[anielskaaniela]

How to Cut Patterns for Sewing- Beginner Friendly with Video

In this post, you will learn how to cut patterns for sewing. Embark on a transformative journey into the world of sewing with my essential guide on how to cut patterns for sewing. This foundational skill is the cornerstone of creating bespoke garments that fit flawlessly and look professional. Whether you’re a novice eager to learn pattern cutting for beginners or an experienced crafter refining…

[magpiemending]

i think sometimes people are overzealous about saying certain clothing alterations can't be done. there are definitely some things that can't be done to "professional tailor" standards but i just have "nobody will notice" standards

[samwisethestitch]

Thrifted dress that I tailored to fit better, gave new buttons, and embroidered with some pieces inspired by House Targaryen from ASOIAF. I was really excited to find a 100% cotton corduroy dress at Goodwill, but it was a little big on me and needed new buttons, so I decided to go ahead and add some dragons while I was working on it lol

I was reading Fire and Blood when I started this project, but I also took inspiration from two of Rhaenyra's outfits on the House of the Dragon show, especially the one she wears when she's declared Heir to the Iron Throne in the pilot.

I'm really happy with how this turned out!

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

I realized that I never shared a sticker that I made several months ago (one of my DIY stickers). I put it on my phone case, although this is a picture of it before I put it on my phone case. (And yes, it is still on my phone case!)

[jeanlouiecastillo]

Tailoring - blazer anatomy