Alterations Gallery

Examples of Easy Alterations You Can Do Yourself

This page shows examples of clothing I've purchased and then altered to give you inspiration that this is something very easy to do yourself.

Banana Republic Classic Sleeveless T

Here's a top that I purchased at Goodwill for work. I love its simplicity and perfect jewel-neck collar; it paired beautifully with some checked trousers.

However, it's designed to accommodate someone more generously endowed than I am, and the top had an annoying tendency to gap at the armholes. I used a sewing machine to make this alteration, but it could also be done by hand if you don't have a machine. I simply sewed a new, tighter side seam on each side:

Here is a detail of the change:

You can see the new seam created, which merges into the original seam where the thread is visible.

Casual Floral Print Blouse with Tie and Tassels

Here's an example of a top I recently purchased that had a bow at the collar with tassels, which I didn't like:

Here's the detail of the bow and tassels:

If I were 25, I'd probably have loved the tie. It closed over a low-cut V-neck to give some modesty to a top that is otherwise revealing. At age 60, I felt that the tie was too fussy and the low cut inappropriate, so I altered it:

I cut the ties off, hemming down the raw edges to the inside of the collar, then I sewed the V-neck opening up a couple of inches, and finally I turned the collar down. Here's the detail of the change:

This is now a top that I could tuck into nice trousers and pair with a blazer if I wanted to wear it to work.

Old Navy Black Shirttail Blouse

This is such a go-to blouse for me; I fear I'll wear it out all too soon.

However, the opening down to the first button was simply too low for my taste (if you look at the photo above, you can see how low that first button is). I therefore added a snap where a fourth button might otherwise have gone:

This is the kind of easy hand-sewing project that can turn a garment from something you're reluctant to wear into one that becomes a standard piece in your wardrobe.

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Goodwill (Wardrobe) Hunting

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