How to Make a Shirt Smaller

Co-authored by Susan Stocker

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

Shirts that have the right design but not the right fit can be a problem. Making a shirt smaller is an easy way to give a design you love another chance to fit just right. With or without sewing, you can make a shirt smaller so it hugs your curves in all the right places.

Things You Should Know

Shrink a shirt by soaking and washing it in hot water, as well as tumble-drying it on high heat.
Tailor the seams and hems of the shirt to make it a little bit smaller.
Adjust the fit of your shirt quickly by knotting the back of it, using a safety pin, or cutting off the lower half of the garment.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Shrinking a Shirt

1
Soak the shirt in hot water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop. Boiling hot water will make the fibers of the shirt contract which will make it shrink smaller. If you're looking to shrink a shirt as much as possible, high heat is the best way to go.
- Remove the pot from the stove.
- Submerge the shirt in the hot water. Use a spoon to push the shirt all the way underwater making sure it is completely covered by the water.
- Soak the shirt for 30 minutes.
2
Wash the shirt in hot water. Set your washing machine settings to the hottest water possible. Wash the shirt on a regular wash cycle. If you bought a new shirt and want to shrink it before wearing, washing the shirt on hot will tighten the fibers and reduce its size slightly.^{[1]
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- Hot water may cause some fabrics to bleed or fade, wash the shirt alone to avoid damaging other clothes.
- The agitation of the washing machine in top load machines will crinkle fabrics and lead to more shrinkage than a front loading machine.
- Remember that the type of fabric will define how much it will shrink. Cotton usually shrinks by 20% on the first hot water wash, while wool fabrics are more unpredictable.
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3
Dry the shirt on high heat. Place the shirt in the dryer and dry it on the dryer’s hottest setting. The heat will cause the shirt to shrink a little bit. With the exception of wool fibers, the dryer won't shrink clothes as much as hot water tends to. If you only want your shirt to shrink a little bit, wash it in cool water and dry on the highest setting.
- Heat will shrink synthetic blend fabrics more than pre-shrunk natural fiber clothing.
- Wool fabrics will felt in the dryer which causes the fabric to bunch and shrink as individual fabrics rub against each other and stick together.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Tailoring a T-Shirt

1
Get an old shirt that fits well. Choose a shirt that has the right fit but you no longer wear. You will cut this shirt to use as a pattern.
- Pick a shirt that fits just the way you want the new shirt to fit.
- Make sure it isn’t a shirt you like to wear because you won’t be able to wear it after turning it into a pattern.
2
Remove the sleeves from the pattern shirt. Cut along the seams connecting the sleeves to the shirt. Open the sleeves into a flat piece of cloth by cutting along the seam on the underside of the sleeve.
3
Cut the side seams on the pattern shirt. Carefully cut along the seams on either side of the shirt. You will leave the shoulder seam and collar intact to create a pattern from the old t-shirt.
4
Cut the seams of the shirt you want to make smaller. Remove the sleeves by cutting along the seam. Cut down the side seam of the shirt.
- Open the sleeves into a flat piece of fabric by cutting along the sleeve’s seam.
5
Lay the shirt out flat. Place the shirt on a table and flatten it out.
- Place the pattern shirt on top of the shirt you want to resize.
- Line up the neck holes of the two shirts.
- Pin the pattern shirt to the larger shirt to hold it in place.
6
Cut the shirt smaller. Cut ½ inch outside the edge of the pattern shirt. You will leave the extra half inch of fabric to create the new seam.^{[2]
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- Cut the sleeve to match the size of the pattern sleeve. Leave a ½ inch extra when cutting the sleeve to size.
- Cut along the bottom of the shirt to shorten the length of the shirt if desired to match your pattern shirt.
7
Pin the sleeve to the shirt. Take the flattened sleeves and attach them to the shirt using straight pins.
- Pin the edge of the sleeve to the front of the shirt with the outer side of the fabric facing the front of the shirt.
- Keep the sleeve flat to attach it to the shirt.
8
Sew the sleeve to the shirt. Use a serge or zig-zag stitch to connect the sleeve to the shirt. A straight stitch will not work on knit fabrics.
- Use a thread that matches the color of the shirt.
- Place the shirt and sleeve under the foot of your sewing machine and sew the fabric together.
9
Sew up the sides of the shirt. Fold the shirt to turn it inside out and sew up the side of the shirt. Start at the sleeve and sew all the way down the side of the shirt on both sides.^{[3]
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- Use a sewing machine with thread that matches the color of the shirt to sew the side seams back together.
- Keep the shirt inside out when sewing the seams to keep the seams on the inside when you wear the shirt.
10
Sew the bottom hem of the shirt. While the shirt is inside out, fold the bottom of the shirt over 1 inch. Fold the fabric so the outside is folded in to create a hem that goes inside the shirt when right side out.
- Use a sewing machine to create the hem at the bottom of the shirt while the shirt is turned inside out.
11
Press the seams with an iron. Use an iron to flatten the fabric along each of the new seams you created.
12
Try on your new shirt. Your shirt should now match the fit of your pattern shirt. Save the pattern shirt to use to resize additional shirts.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Changing the Fit of a Shirt

1
Tie the back of the shirt in a knot. Create a tighter fitting shirt by tying the back of the shirt into a knot.
- Pull the fabric together behind your back.
- Twist the bottom of the shirt.
- Tie a knot at the bottom of the shirt.
2
Pin the shirt with safety pins. Pinch the fabric at the back of the shirt together. Use safety pins to connect the bunched fabric together along the back of the shirt.
- Attach the safety pins to the inside of the shirt to hide them under the garment.
- Wear a blazer or sweater over the pinned shirt to hide your quick fix.
3
Cut off the bottom of the shirt. Create a sporty half tee by cutting of the bottom half of the shirt. You can leave the hem unsewn or create a new hem after cutting off the bottom of the shirt.
- Wear a tank top or t-shirt under your cut-off for a layered look or for modesty.

Community Q&A

Question

How would I make the sleeves of a shirt shorter without cutting them?

Community Answer

You can roll the sleeves inward, and then use safety pins to keep them from rolling down. Make sure to place the pins inside so that all you see is the little metal part outside.
Question

I am a large girl, so I bought an XL shirt, but when I tried it on, it was way too big. I want make it smaller, but dramatically. What should I do?

Community Answer

Tie the bottom into a knot on the front side, like you would for long shirts, or cut the bottom into two and tie it.
Question

If I do the hot water method, will it affect the prints on my t-shirt?

Community Answer

It might - depending on the kind of ink used for the print. Sometimes what happens is the shirt shrinks but the print doesn't so it ends up being a warped t-shirt.