Sewing

3 Easy Neckline Alterations You Can Do At Home

blue thread

Introduction

Most of the clothes that is mass-produced does not fit nearly so well as a tailored garment. One way to fix this problem is by altering your garments. Whether it is adjusting a hemline, neckline, or sleeve length, altering ready-made garments is a thrifty way to ensure that you have clothes that fit you correctly. Recently, I have had several alterations to do, so I decided to take some photos of the process and share them here on the blog.

Alteration 1: Floral Top

For the first project, I had to pick the shoulder seams apart, cut off several inches, and sew it back together to bring the neckline up. It was a slightly complicated seam, so it took a while for me to complete this alteration – plus I’m not a fan of working with stretchy material.

Floral Top (#1 of 3 Alterations)
seams picked apart and basted back together in the approx. position of the finish project
Floral Top (#1 of 3 Alterations)
seam basted together before I trimmed the excess fabric
Floral Top (#1 of 3 Alterations)
the finished product (Since the material does not fray, I decided not to finish the seams.)

Alteration 2: The Blue Sweater

This blue sweater has a cowl neckline in the front that hung a little lower than desired. The alteration for this one was quite simple – just pull the draped material up a bit and sew it in place with a few quick stitches.

Blue Sweater
left side done, right side to-do
Blue Sweater (#2 of 3 Alterations)
Before
Blue Sweater (#2 of 3 Alterations)
A few quick stitches to hold it in place
Blue Sweater (#2 of 3 Alterations)
After
Blue Sweater (#2 of 3 Alterations)
Inside look at the finished product

Alteration 3: A White V-Neck

This third alteration was a white V-neck shirt with a lower neckline. In order to adjust the neckline to the desired height, I only had to sew the V closed a couple more inches. It was a simple project that only took a few minutes.

White V-Neck (#3 of 3 Alterations)
V-neck
White V-Neck (#3 of 3 Alterations)
A look inside before the alteration
White V-Neck (#3 of 3 Alterations)
Finished! (And the stitches are hardly noticeably)

Conclusion:

Whether it is adjusting a hemline, neckline, or sleeve length, altering ready-made garments is a thrifty way to ensure you have clothes that fit you correctly. It is not nearly so time-consuming or expensive as making your own tailored piece, but it can still bring about similar results. Sometimes all a garment needs to fit right is a few, simple alterations.

P.S. You can also follow me at my other blog, Kenmore Pines 1, here.

To learn more about this blog check out my blog launch post here.

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