Mary's Productions

Shirttail Hem

Removing the sweatshirt's bottom ribbing and adding side vents with facings makes a comfortable, nonbinding hem with more hip room. This alteration duplicates the hemline details found on ready-to-wear sportswear garments.

Materials Needed:

1/4 yard of woven fabric pieces of fusible web (optional)

Trace the shirttail vent facing pattern provided and cut two facings from fabric. The facings will not be visible, but select fabric to complement the shirt color or the other shirt decorations. Mark the stitching and cutting lines on the wrong side of both facings. Zigzag stitch or serge the sides and top of each facing.
Cut the bottom ribbing off the sweatshirt. A good way to remove the ribbing is to use a seam ripper to cut the threads holding the ribbing to the shirt.
Once the ribbing is off the shirt, mark with pins or a washable marker the exact sides of the shirt for the location of each shirttail vent.
Pin the right side of each facing to the right side of the shirt, matching the marked side of the shirt with the cutting line of the facing. Sew on the marked stitching lines, using one stitch across the point of the "v."
Cut along the cutting line carefully all the way to the point; do not cut into the stitching. Press the shirt and facing. Turn the facing to the inside of the shirt and press again.
A fast and invisible way to secure the facings inside the shirt is to use fusible web.
Cut 1"-square pieces of the web to insert under the upper corners of the facings. Fuse in place on the wrong side of the shirt. Now the facings won't show on the right side of the shirt.
Next measure the length of the shirt's bottom edges between the vents. Add 2" to each measurement and cut a 2.5" wide strip of fabric to sew to each half of the shirt bottom. Serge or zigzag stitch along one long edge of each strip. Place the raw edges of the fabric along the bottom edge of the sweatshirt, right sides together. Leave 1" extending past the vent edge on each end of the strips.
Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew or serge the strips in place along the shirt's bottom edge. Press the seams.
At the vent edges, trim away some of the extra fabric of each strip.
Turn the ends in to line up with the vent sides. Press each fabric strip in place on the wrong side of the shirt. Permanently attach the facings to the shirt by topstitching from the right side of the garment or by using fusible web.

Options: Use as many shirttail vent openings as you want on the bottom hemline of the shirt.

Vary the location of the vents.

Consider this alteration for sleeve hems as well.

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PO Box 87
Aurora, MN 55705
(218) 229-2804

Order Line: 1-800-562-5578 weekdays between 9-5 PM Central Time.
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