How to Alter a Hoodie That’s Too Big or Small (Helpful Tips)
A hoodie is a sweatshirt with a hood, but it is so much more than just that. It is a favorite piece of clothing for nearly everyone. It remains in the closet when beachwear takes over in the summers. Come fall, and the hoodie makes its big appearance.
With fall just around the corner, you look at your hoodie collection to only realize that some of them do not fit you. Either they are too big or too small. Some of these are your favorite hoodies, and you just cannot bring yourself to discard them. So what do you do? Simple. Alter your hoodies.
Here are some handy tips that you can use to alter your favorite hoodies:
What are the things that you will need?
Things that you will need:
- Sewing machine
- Straight pins
- Thread
- Scissors
How do You Alter a Hoodie That’s Too Big?
If your hoodie is too big for your liking, here are some simple steps to alter it.
Step 1 - Put on your hoodie, but inside out. You need to wear it inside out so that the seams face inward after you sew your hoodie. Fit the hoodie as snugly as you would like it to be. Now gather the excess fabric together and pin them using the straight pins. Start from under the arms and pin all the way to the bottom of the shirt.
Step 2 - Take off the hoodie carefully making sure that the pins stay in place. Use your sewing machine to sew a seam along the lines that you have pinned. Sew from the bottom of the shirt up to the armpit. Start on one side and then repeat on the other side.
Step 3 - Once you have finished sewing on both sides, try on the hoodie. See if you are satisfied with the way it fits. If you are happy, cut away the excess fabric at the seams. You can tighten or loosen the seams if you are still not happy with the way the hoodie fits.
Step 4 - Now that you are happy about how the body of the sweatshirt fits, it is time to alter the hood. Put your hoodie on and gather the excess fabric at the head. Pin the excess fabric just the way you did for the body.
Step 5 - Take off your sweatshirt and sew along the pinned seam. If you are happy with the fit, then cut off the excess fabric.
Step 6 (Optional) - If you feel that the arms of the hoodie are oversized and you would like a slimmer fit, you can repeat the same process. Just put on the hoodie inside out, gather the excess fabric on the arms and pin along the seams. Take the hoodie off and just sew along the pinned seams. Once you are satisfied with the way the arms of the hoodie fit, cut off the excess fabric.
What To do if Your Hoodie is Smaller Than You Like?
We agree, altering a larger hoodie is pretty simple. But what if one of your hoodies is a little tight, a little more uncomfortable around the neck. Should you throw it away? Absolutely not. It is pretty simple to loosen the neckline.
Follow these simple steps to loosen the neckline of your hoodie:
Step 1 - Lay the hoodie that is a little too tight flat on a surface, preferably a table or on the counter. Make sure that the neck is not bunched up.
Step 2 - Pull the hoodie's front in opposite directions to see where the 2 sides of the neckline meet. The fabric will form a V-shaped meeting point.
Step 3 - With a pair of sharp scissors, cut a slit in between the two layers of fabric. Cut in the same direction as the upper layer of the fabric so that the cut is not very noticeable. You may hem the slit's sides so that it does not fray when you wash and dry the hoodie.
Step 4 - Put on the hoodie to see if the neckline is as loose as you would like. If it is still too tight, you may extend the slit. Don’t cut more than half an inch at a time. Try on the hoodie again to make sure the neckline is comfortable.
Can a Zip Hoodie be Tailored?
Zip up hoodies can be super comfy and are preferred by many because of the ease of putting it on and taking it off. What if your zip hoodie is too big? Can you tailor a zip hoodie? Of course, you can.
How To Alter a Zip Hoodie?
Follow these simple steps to alter a zip hoodie:
Step 1 - Lay your oversized zip hoodie on a tabletop or counter. Now pick a hoodie that fits you well and place it on the oversized hoodie.
Step 2 - Mark the outlines of the fitted hoodie on the large one. Start on one side and repeat on the next.
Step 3 - Mark the outlines on the sleeves too. Start at the edge of the shoulders going up to the cuffs. Repeat on the other sleeve.
Step 4 - Use straight pins along the outlines to keep both the front and the back of the oversized hoodie together. Now cut along the outlines to remove the extra fabric. Remove the excess fabric from the sleeves too.
Step 5 - Start sewing the oversized hoodie. We recommend to sew the sleeves first and then close up the side seams.
Step 6 - Try the hoodie on. If you still feel it is too large, you may tighten the seams a little more.
Step 7 - Put on the hoodie and gather the excess fabric on the hood. Use straight pins to create mark the excess fabric and create a seam. If you do not want a hood, you may remove it too. Just make sure you leave the zipper alone at the top and cut around it.
Step 8 - If you want to keep the hood, sew along the pinned seam and remove the excess fabric when done. Try on the hoodie to see if you like the fit.
How To Alter a Hoodie Neckline?
Bored with your regular hoodie? Have you thought of giving it a whole new look? Yes, you can completely overhaul your hoodie by altering its neckline. V-shaped necklines are quite the trend these days.
Here is how you can turn your hoodie into a V-neck:
Step 1 - Spread the hoodie out flat on a work surface like a table or counter. We do not recommend working on the floor or bed. You may accidentally cut into the carpet or the bedspread.
Step 2 - Mark a spot according to how deep you want you V-neck to be. Make a straight cut from the center of the hoodie’s neckline to the bottom of the V-neck’s point.
Step 3 - Fold the sides of the neckline away from each other so that they form a V shape. Sew the folded fabric so that you get a prominent V shape. If you want you can also cut off the excess fabric.
However, we recommend sewing for two reasons. One, the extra fabric will not fall on your chest, and two, sewing the fabric will prevent it from getting frayed when washed and dried.
Step 4 (Optional) - To make your hoodie even more stylish, you can turn it into a laced hoodie. Poke 3 or 4 holes on each side of the V-neck. You can thread a shoelace through these holes just as you would when lacing a shoe.
You can tighten or loosen the neckline by adjusting the shoelace. Instead of a shoelace, you may even use a ribbon or a thick yarn. See what looks best on your hoodie.
How To Alter The Sleeves of a Hoodie?
If your hoodie is oversized, chances are the sleeves are pretty long too. However, you can always alter the sleeves of a hoodie. Here’s how.
Step 1 - Turn the hoodie inside out as you will need to remove the cuffs. Take a small scissor or a seam-ripper to unpick all the stitches at the cuff. The idea is to detach the cuff without damaging it so that we can use it later. Start with one cuff and then move on to the other.
Step 2 - Once you have taken both cuffs off, put on the hoodie, and mark the extra length on the sleeves. You would need to cut off the extra fabric. You may want to cut out the extra fabric on the sides of the sleeves too if they are way too big. If so, you will be better off marking the extra fabric with straight pins before you get down to cutting it off.
Step 3 - If you have cut the extra fabric from the sleeves' sides, you may want to start sewing from the bottom of the arms to the end. It is now time to attach the cuffs. Stretch the cuffs so that it lies flat against the inside of the sleeves. Time to sew the cuffs back on and you have sleeves to you liking.
Can a Tailor Alter a Hoodie?
If you are not very familiar with sewing, you may consider going to a tailor. Your tailor would be able to alter your hoodie, however, at a cost. If you do not want to end up spending some cash, you can always use the tips given above to alter the hoodie on your own.
Hoodies are soft, warm, light, and not to forget super comfortable. Take out all your favorite hoodies this fall and alter them at your own home's convenience to fit them as you would like.
