Upcycle Idea: What Do to With a Blazer That's Too Small
I love to thrift flip clothing. And I love a good blazer. I thrifted a bluish-purple blazer recently but it was just a bit tight across the back and there was no room to wear a sweater under it. (I live in Canada - we wear sweaters under our blazers!)
I also thrifted a cropped hoodie which is not a garment I'm particularly fond of, but it was in good condition and toned with the blazer. If you have a blazer that's too small, here's how I refashioned mine to upsize it, using the hoodie.
Tools and materials:
- Blazer
- Hoodie
- Pins
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
1. Deconstruct the blazer
Luckily, only the sleeves of my blazer were lined. If yours is fully lined you might want to remove all the lining first, or at least open it at the side seams.
Cut off the sleeves from around the armhole, including the seams.
Chop out the side seams, from the hem to the armhole.
2. Cut up the hoodie
Cut off the hoodie sleeves, this time leaving the seams on the hoodie.
Remove the hood together with the lower seam and drawstring casing.
You'll need some rectangles of the hoodie fabric for the upsizing, so cut off the body seams to give yourself some fabric to work with.
3. Upsizing
Work out how much extra room you need in the blazer. I upsized mine by about 2 inches (4 - 5 cm) at each side.
Cut two strips from the hoodie fabric, each the width of the insert you need plus a 0.75 inch (2 cm) seam allowance, and the length of the blazer side seam.
Pin one long side of a strip to the raw side edge on the front of the blazer with the right sides together. Sew it in place.
Attach the other side of the strip back edge of the blazer on the same side, also with the right sides facing.
Repeat for the other side seam.
4. Insert the sleeves
Now it's time to add the hoodie sleeves to the blazer.
Turn the sleeves right side out and the blazer wrong side out.
Tuck the sleeve inside the blazer armhole and pin the sleeve seam to the center of the inserted strip on the blazer.
Pin the center top edge of the sleeve to the shoulder seam.
Distribute the sleeve head evenly around the armhole, gathering or easing it to fit as necessary.
Pin and sew in place.
5. Attach the hood
Open the blazer and lay the collar as flat as you can.
Pin the center of the lower edge of the hood to the center back of the blazer, inside the collar.
Pin the outer edge of the hood to the neckband where the collar meets the lapel.
If the hood is too long, add a pintuck on the front edge on both sides to absorb the extra fabric.
Sew the hood in place, making sure not to catch the drawstring in your stitching.
6. Add bell cuffs (optional)
Cut two rectangles from the hoodie fabric and join the short edges of each.
Gather one edge to fit the lower edge of the cuffs and attach it with the right sides facing.
Sew a narrow hem on the other long edge or leave it to roll naturally.
What do to with a blazer that's too small
Wow! This really came out so much better than I expected! The hood fits perfectly inside the collar and I can still use the drawstrings.
Plus there's plenty of extra room in the body for me to wear a turtleneck sweater underneath. The bell sleeves may be a bit over the top for some of you, so just leave them off for a simple hoodie sleeve.
The joy of working with hoodie fabric is that it doesn't fray so you don't have to finish any of the edges, which is always a plus in my book!
I'd love to know what you think of this project. Is your jacket or blazer too small? If so, would you give this upsize a try? Let me know right there in the comments.
Next up, check out my 2 Super Cute Ideas for Refashioning an Old Sweater.
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