Increase Garment Agency through Clothing Hacks and DIY

Clothing Hacks Insta: @HackYourClothes

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Kirin Makker, Grace Hammett, Ethan Leon, & E. Ainsley Rhodes Summer 2019

Generously Supported by Pressman Funds, the Department of Art & Architecture, and the Program in American Studies at Hobart William Smith Colleges

Instagram: @HackYourClothes

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Hacking promotes agency, a deeper understanding of one's body, environmentally conscious practices, economically friendly alternatives, creativity, personalized clothing, and heightened self-conďŹ dence. You will also gain a personal connection to your clothes and have a greater appreciation for their life. - Grace

Today’s introduction to one simple hack made me feel so accomplished.

Later, at the thrift store, I felt liberated without being tied to just one section of sizes. I can also feel myself beginning to look at clothing and MY clothes in an entirely new and exciting way. My newly found skills and interests will be instrumental in leading a more practical lifestyle, mentally, economically, environmentally‌ -Ainsley

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Clothes Hacking...is what exactly?

Garments are our most immediate shelters. As such, they should support our needs and preferences just as buildings do. While we are quick to remodel our homes with DIY spirit, we do not approach our clothes the same way. This booklet is a call to start looking at our garments differently. Basically, the term “clothing hack” suggests a way of thinking about clothes as venues for the study of self, society, and space. If we “hack” our clothes, we can question they ways that they are designed and intended for our bodies and further. We can question standards of sizing; definitions of comfort and fit; conceptions of beauty and body image; how capitalism fuels consumption in the unsustainable fast fashion industry; and more.

Clothes should conform to our needs and support humans based on our unique bodies, lifestyles, and styling preferences. We often consume apparel and accessories as if they are precious in their retail-sold forms, as if we cannot make an impression on them through personal alteration. We might assume our body is at fault rather than the garment. But often our clothes are at fault by not fitting, functioning, and flattering us in the ways we need and want. Clothing Hacks help us increase our agency in our apparel by giving us the skills and knowledge to remake our clothes so that they fit, flatter, support, and function the ways we want. Clothing has always been about self-expression. Clothing Hacks amplify that practice into a much more active one, infused with DIY spirit.

Ultimately, we think we should expect more from our clothes (how they fit and flatter us) and our clothes should expect more from us (how we work on them to sustain them). This booklet contains several hacks, each personally done by one hacker on a garment from their personal collection.

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Types of Hacks Most clothing hacks involve a combination of adjustments in three areas:

Fit - hemming and shortening, lengthening, adding room, taking something in, making something ďŹ t and atter your body’s unique attributes.

Repairs and Mending - making clothes work again Personalizations and Functional Improvements customization based on personal styling and functional needs (adding or improving pockets, adding trim such as ruffles or a decorative edge, embroidering, dyeing)

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Tools needed for basic hacking ❏

Scissors

❏

Seam Ripper ($1 or $2 and so worth it)

❏

Pins (+ pincushion, case, or magnet to hold them)

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18” or longer ruler

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Chalk (sharpen a regular piece in a pencil sharpener; for marking dark fabrics)

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Pencil (for marking light fabrics)

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Sewing needles

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Sewing Thread

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Embroidery Floss or Crochet yarn for decorative stitching

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Iron/Ironing board (hair straightening iron/folded towel will work for many hacks)

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Sewing Machine (not necessary for most hacks)

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The Sewing Machine

www.sewingschool.org

Despite all the fancy terms and labeling, sewing machines are very simple mechanical devices that are made to be easy to use for home-sewing. Don’t be intimidated.

You can learn how to use a sewing machine through online tutorials. Just do an online search for tutorials for the brand/model of your machine and ďŹ nd one or two that suit. If you can convince a friend to give you a personal introduction and lesson, even better.

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Some How-To’s from other peeps...

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Some How-To’s from other peeps...

https://www.axandtwine.com

We recommend hunting for instructions that suit your learning. There are diagrams, photo-based tutorial, and video tutorials for hand and machine sewing online.

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Woven Fabric

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hacks

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Fitted Jeans Hack

Tools ● ● ● ●

Chalk Pins Long Ruler Sewing Machine

Materials 1.

Pair of jeans that fit in the waist and butt but not in the legs.

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1

Turn your jeans inside-out and put them on

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Determine the “decorative side seam” vs. the “non-decorative side seam” of your jeans You’ll want to take in the side seam that is the least textured and thinnest, in order to create the most unobtrusive tacking seam

non-decorative

decorative

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Once you’ve determined the side that you will be sewing, pin the leg into your desired fitted shape, based on body measurements and styling preferences.

Make sure that you are pinning through the two layers of fabric. Pin so that the pins are running parallel to your leg 13

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Take the pants off, taking care not to stab yourself. Still inside-out, lay your pants flat and connect the center points of your pins with a pen or chalk outline

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With your jeans still inside-out, take the legs in by sewing along your pen outline with a sewing machine

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Turn them outside-in and try them on. If you like the fit, turn the back inside-out and cut off excess fabric along new seam, ⅜� from edge Take that excess fabric and use it as a pattern, placing it on top of the other leg to repeat the same new seam line on the other side

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Making buttons work again

Tools â—? â—?

Needle Thread

Materials 1.

Buttondown shirt with loose button holes

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1

Begin whipstitch ~⅛” above buttonhole

2

Continue whipstitch ~⅛” below the top of the buttonhole to decrease the size of the hole

3

Repeat steps on the bottom of the hole as well

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Fitted cap sleeve

Tools ● ● ●

Scissors Needle Thread

Materials 1.

Blouse with sleeves to alter

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1

Cut off the bottom seam of each blouson sleeve leaving the sleeves billowy

If your shirt is longer than elbow-length, consider cutting off additional length

2

Roll up each sleeve twice to cuff, or until both are at desired capped sleeve length

3

Tack each capped sleeve to hold in place with pins. Iron to ensure hold

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Stitch the capped sleeves into place by sewing a seam ~⅛� from the top of each capped sleeve. Securing the sleeves can be done either by hand or on a machine and with any stitch style desired 18

Puckering shirt fix

Tools ● ● ● ● ●

Scissors Chalk Pins Fabric that matches your blouse Sewing Machine (or needle and thread)

Materials 1.

Buttondown that puckers in the bust

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1

Locate the seam on your shirt that runs from the inside of the arm down the side

2 Open seam. Although the amount of the opening will vary depending on body measurements and styling preferences, start the opening about ½� from the bottom of the arm seam and continue the opening until you reach the bottom of your bust line

3 Try on shirt and adjust opening allowance as necessary. If your shirt still puckers, extend the opening in both directions Note the shape of the opening while the shirt is on 20

4 Noting the shape of the openings while your shirt is on, cut out additional fabric

Additional fabric 5 Close the seam by securing the additional fabric with a sewing machine

Exterior view

Interior view

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Making an old friend new

Tools ● ● ● ●

Scissors Fabric that matches your friend’s fur Needle Thread

Materials 1.

A friend in need of mending

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1

Pick a scrap of fabric that is big enough to cover the tear (something that is soft and compatible with your friend’s fur)

2

To cut out a heart, or other symmetrical shape, fold fabric in half and cut along the fold line

3

Attach the fabric to cover the tear by hand, using a ladder stitch

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Tools

Perfectly Snug Jeans

● ● ●

Sewing Machine Pins Thread

Materials ●

A Pair of Jeans that need to be adjusted

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Pinning a New Seam

1.Turn

the jeans inside out.

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2.Locate

the non-decorative seam on your jeans. (Typically located on the outside of the jeans, rather than the seam running along the inside of your leg)

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3.Having

a friend assist you, have them pin your jeans to match your body measurements.

4.Check

that the new desired seam transitions into the existing seam in order for the seams to be sewn together smoothly.

3 5.Take

off jeans.

6.Draw

a line along the path of the pins with chalk or removable ink. This will be your the path for the machine to follow.

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7.With

the pants still inside out, sew along the line to make the new seam.

Note: If there seems to be extra fabric now, do not cut it. Assess fit and only cut excess when jeans fit perfectly.

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Calf Dart: For an Extra Tight Snug (Note: for this specific hack, this technique will allow you to have more control over the tightness of the cuff around your ankle)

1.With

the jeans inside out, targeting the calf region, pinch some fabric and begin pinning an upwards pointing triangle shape going down from the calve. This should not be super wide.

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2.At

the tip of the "dart," it should smoothly transition into the pre-existing fit of the jean. This will allow the dart to not be noticeable while wearing the jeans.

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3.Once

you have determined your desired fit, pin the dart line you created and sew the dart line starting from the point. This creates a crisp line down the middle of the calf.

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3

Tools

Outlining a Pant Cuff with New Fabric

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Pins Needles Thread Scissors

Materials ●

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A Pair of Pants that will be outlined New fabric for cuff

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Step 1: Preparing Pants and New Fabric 1.Put

on pants and determine the new desired height of cuff.

2.Cut

excess fabric.

2 3.With

new outlining fabric, cut strips for the cuffs. Make sure these strips are double the height of the desired cuff since the strip will be folded in half along the x axis (Suggested height is around an inch, which is about a standard cuff size).

4.Dampen

strips with water.

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5 5.Using

an iron or hair straightener, iron the strips in half along the horizontal axis.

6.Now

fit the pants leg seam in the fold of the new strips, and pin the new fabric onto the pants (Note: make sure you start and end the strip at the seam so the stitches from the next step blend in).

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Step 2: Back Stitch Note: This stitch is best in terms of securing the fabric.

1.About

1/8� away from the edge, begin to do a stitch all the way through both sides of the new fabric.

2.Then

do a stitch on the inside of the pant leg back to the outside (same length).

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2 3.Now

do another stitch on the outside, but go backwards to fill the missing stitch on top

3 4.Repeat

5.When

steps 1 - 3

both ends meet, you should make sure they are sewn securely to the pant leg. You can do backhand stitch here too, of you can do a design.

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Tools

Shrinking the Waistline to fit you

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Pins Needles Thread

Materials ●

A Pair of Pants that needs to fit around the waist

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Preparing Pants to Fold 1.

Put on Pants without a belt

2.

Determine how many inches you want to removed

3.

Distribute the excess amount to 4 different points along the waist band

4.

Fold fabric on top of itself at four desired points and pin it

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5.

Assess feeling of pants and tighten (if necessary)

6.

Take off jeans

7.

Now just secure this fold by sewing three stitches on the front and on the back

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Tools

Take your skirt in, so you can take your skirt out

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Pins Thread Needle Sewing Machine ○

Optional

Materials ● A skirt that is too large and does not fit you to its fullest potential.

Example: pattern, so large your hip

You love the but the waist is that it sits on bones!

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Step One: Analyzing Overall Fit 1.

With the skirt on inside-out, pinch and fold the waistband at the place you would like to take the skirt in.

Have a friend pin the waistband fold and remove the garment.

2.

Keeping the garment inside out, lay it flat and measure the distance from the edge of the skirt to the pins you have just placed.

3.

Continue pinning vertically down the dress based on the measurement taken. While pinned, try it on again to ensure desired fit.

4.

If satisfied with the fit, take the garment off inside out and

draw a

vertical line down the skirt through each pin; the vertical

line will

become the new seam of the skirt.

Step Two: Taking in Body of Skirt The body of the skit that we have just taken in will be sewn on a machine, but we will be hand sewing the waistband.

This

is because sewing the waistband is harder to do well on a machine and easier to do well by hand.

1.

With the garment inside out, and using the sewing machine, sew a vertical line down the skirt where you have just pinned. Do not sew the waistband yet.

2.

Now that you have sewn in the new skirt seam, try the skirt on, right side out, one last time. We can always remove stitches, but we cannot bring back fabric.

3.

If you are satisfied with the fit of the skirt, cut a vertical line down the skirt leaving a quarter inch for stitch integrity.

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Securing New Waistband Step Three: Securing via backstitch 1.

With the skirt right side out, fold the waistband in on itself with the seam you have just sewn, aligning the stitches on the first layer of the fold with the stitches on the second.

2.

Using a backstitch, secure the waistband. The back stitch is the best option because it is the most substantial. See basic stitches section for directions on backstitches.

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This project was inspired by my desire to alter my mother’s maternity dress. The dress is handmade out of beautiful fabric, so I wanted to alter the bust of the dress to where I could incorporate it into my everyday wardrobe. Before hacking, the entire dress hung off my body in a shapeless manner because the bodice had no bust darts to give the garment a shape that conforms to my

Giving New Life To Old Clothes with Darts

body’s shape. However, I was able to transform the dress by implementing vertical bust darts along the front and side darts at an angel. The darts not only fit my natural bust nicely, but also accentuated my waist.

Tools ● ● ● ●

Needle Thread Pins Scissors

Materials A dress or top that does not flatter your body in the ways you would like.

These do not have to be large alterations, tiny darts are equally fantastic!

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Step One: Interrogate the Fit and Establishing the Bodice Darts In simplest terms, a dart is simply a folded wedge of fabric that is sewn closed to help a flat piece of fabric hold volume. Darts create shape; you will now want to add darts to everything! This is normal.

1.

With the dress on inside out, analyze the fit along your bust. We always work

Location of darts

with clothing inside out because it allows us to see the construction of the garment, how various seams create shape and details.

2.

Following your bust’s form, introduce two darts, one running slightly horizontally from the armhole to just shy of the apex of the form (in this case, the nipple) and the second one running from the waistline up to just shy of the apex.

3.

Have a friend pin in a vertical line down bust of the dress following the pinch/fold desired.

Try on the dress

to ensure fit of the darts and they are placed where you want them and accentuate the shape you want.

4.

Carefully take the dress off inside out and trace a line down the pins. The line you have just drawn will become a new seam.

Usually there is asymmetry; we

recommend going with one side’s measurements and making these darts symmetrical across the bodice.

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Constructing waist tie Step Two: Front Darts 1.

With the dress inside out, sew along the lines of the darts you have drawn using a backstitch. See basic stitches section for instructions on backstitch. The backstitch is recommended because it is the most substantial stitch and will withstand all the ways in which your body moves throughout the day.

Step Three: Hemming Skirt + Harvesting Fabric for Making Waist Ties 1.

Standing in front of a mirror

with the

skirt on right side out, look at the length of the skirt. Determine desired length and have a friend place pins at the location you will cut.

2.

Take the dress off and cut along the

that was cut off as it will become the ties for the waistband.

EQUAL

pins. It is important to keep the fabric

You will need

at least 1� of fabric for a Ÿ� wide tie.

3.

Fold the bottom of the dress in on itself and either hand stitch or use a machine to complete the hem.

4.

Put the dress on right side out and with the fabric left over from heming the dress, determine the length needed for the ties that will be added to each side of the dress.

5.

Cut to desired length and fold in half, lining up the edges with another. Use an invisible stitch or ladder stitch to secure the edges. See basic stitches

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Tools

Dye-ing A Garment

● ● ● ● ●

Large Pot Dye* Non-iodized Salt Cooking Spoon Access to Washing Clothing

Materials ●

Garments that could use a color change

*we suggest looking at Dharma Trading http://dharmatrading.com to find a dye for your project.

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1.Gather

a large pot and fill it with enough water to fully submerge clothing

2.Place

pot on the stove and let water warm

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3.Add

Dye and stir until fully dissolved

4.Add

clothing and then non-iodized salt. Let soak for 50 minutes

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5.Stir

every ten minutes and keep the water at a simmer while the clothes are in the pot

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6.

When complete, wash garments in washing machine and dry accordingly

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Glossary [from https://charlottekan.com]

Bias Bias refers to the diagonal direction of a piece of fabric, drawn at an exact 45-degree angle to the selvage or grain line. A woven fabric has the greatest amount of stretch in this direction even when it is a non-stretch fabric.

Bias Binding Strips of fabric cut on a 45-degree angle to the selvage. In this direction, the fabric is stretchy and it adjusts well to curves, making it a great ďŹ nish for necklines, (curved) hems or armholes. The strip is used to encase the raw edge of a hem or a seam. By using a contrasting or a patterned fabric you can add a pop of colour to the inside of a garment.

Bobbin A small spool that goes into your sewing machine to supply the bottom thread in your stitches. It's loaded into the bobbin case and then inserted into your sewing machine.

Darts Darts are used to shape the garment around the waist, bust, shoulders and sometimes sleeves. They are often shaped like triangles or diamonds and they may a at piece of fabric have volume.

Feed dogs The feed dogs are the teeth that transport the fabric through your sewing machine.

They are located under the presser foot and can be dropped when you are sewing buttons on your sewing machine.

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Glossary Facing Facing is a way to ďŹ nish the raw fabric edges, stabilize, add structure and strength.

They are a partial lining often made from the main fabric and are used on necklines and armholes.

Facing can be a separate panel or cut on facing. Cut on facings are part of the panel they are facing. Cut on facings are often used in a waterfall neckline or a button band. Facings are often used in combination with interfacing Fusible interfacing Fusible interfacing can be permanently fused with the wrong side of the fabric to add strength and structure to your garment. It's often used in button bands, button hole areas, welt pockets, collars, cuffs but it can also be used in entire panels.

One side has a glue on it that will fuse with the fabric, you should be able to feel small bumps where the glue is. The fusible interfacing is fused by applying heat and pressure for a certain amount of time, this depends on the type you bought.

Gather Gathered fabric is used to create fullness or rufes. You sew one or two lines of gathering stitches just inside and/or outside the stitch line.

Use a long stitch length (5mm and up) on your sewing machine and loosen the top tension on your sewing machine for easier gathering. Anchor the thread tails on one side around a pin, and carefully hold the loose (top or bottom) thread tails and slide the fabric you want to gather along the thread.

Grain / Cross grain Grain describes the direction of the warp and weft of a woven fabric.

Hem The bottom edge of a garment often folded up towards the inside of the garment.

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Glossary Interfacing An additional layer of fabric that is used to stabilize, add structure, "crispness" and strength. It lays between the lining / facing and the outer fabric of a garment.

Knit Fabric / knits Knit fabric is a very stretchy material and it's made by a series of interlocking loops.

Knit fabrics are made in the same way as a scarf is knitted but much finer threads and needles (EXTREMELY TINY).

Lining A layer of fabric on the inside of a garment to hide construction seams and details, add warmth and make it more comfortable to wear and easier to put on.

Notions Buttons, hooks, zipper, ribbon --- the stuff that finishes off the details of a garment.

Placket A partial button band / button closure. You see these plackets in sleeve cuffs, polo shirts, and pop over shirts and anoraks.

Presser foot It presses the foot against the feed dogs of your sewing machine while you sew.

Raw edge The raw, ravelling and unfinished, cut edge of fabric.

Right side / Wrong side The right side of the fabric or the face of the fabric, is the side you see on the outside of the garment.

The wrong side is the backside of a fabric and the inside of the garment. Sometimes they look the same; in that case pick a side and stick with it.

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Glossary Running stitch A simple hand-sewn stitch that weaves up and down through the fabric, creating a dashed line of stitches. Use this for basting or gathering fabric.

Seam The line where you sew together two pieces of fabric. There are different seams Seam allowance The fabric between the edge of the fabric and the stitch line.

Seam ripper A small tool to unpick a row of stitches.

Selvage A selvage or selvedge is a "self-finished" edge of fabric, keeping it from unraveling and fraying. The term "self-finished" means that the edge does not require additional finishing work, such as hem or bias tape, to prevent fraying.

Serger / Overlocker A specialized type of sewing machine that can trim and overlock raw edges all in one go. It has 3, 4 or 5 needles and creates a stretchy seam finish, making it very suitable for knits.

Straight stitch The most basic machine stitch, that produces a single row of straight, even stitches.

It's used to construct a garment and for topstitching.

Stitch length Length of a stitch as adjusted on a sewing machine. The length will depend on your fabric, project and the purpose. For clothing construction 2.5 mm is a good starting point. When you are working with thicker fabrics or 3 mm is a good starting point.

Always do a little test to see if you like how it looks.

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Glossary Topstitch topstitching is a line of stitches on the outside of a garment. Can be decorative or for reinforcing.

Woven Fabric (also see diagram in following pages Woven fabrics are made by weaving together many threads. There are lengthwise threads (warp) and crosswise threads (weft). The most basic weave is a plain weave; where each weft thread travels through the warp threads by going over one, then under the next, and so on. Then on the next pass it will repeat the same pattern but alternate threads, producing a checkered surface.

Woven don't stretch unless they are used on the bias or an elastic is woven into the fabric, like elastane.

Wrong side The back of the fabric and usually the inside of the garment.

Zipper Foot When attaching any zipper, you need to sew very close to the edge of the zipper teeth and a zipper foot will help you do just that.

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About the Authors Kirin Makker is Associate Professor at Hobart William Smith Colleges. Grace Hammett, Ethan Leon and Ainsley Rhodes are former students of Makker.

Together, the four undertook the production of this booklet as part of a HWS Research Internship during summer 2019.

Insta: @HackYourClothes

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