Yes. As with any other pants, it is possible to tailor sweatpants. An experienced tailor can make the necessary changes to your sweatpants without damaging them.
In reality, it is possible to tailor anything. Connected with the material of the clothing, tailoring may require a unique technique.
For example, tailoring jeans is not the same as tailoring sweatpants because these are two different fabrics.
However, if the tailor removes the cuff and damages the sweatpant, then it may not be possible to wear.
So, if you want to have your joggers tailored, try to find an experienced tailor who knows how to work with different fabrics (cotton in particular).
Many people wear sweatpants while working out. So if you work out hard enough, then after some time, your sweatpants may be very loose on you.
If they are dear to you and you don’t want to throw them out and invest in a new pair of quality sweatpants, you can have them fitted again.
Below you can read all the important information regarding how sweatpants should fit, how you can tailor them, and what the possible ways for altering are.
How are Sweatpants Supposed to Fit?
Sweatpants have an overall loose fit compared to e.g. tights. They are considered as one of the most popular and comfortable items of clothing. That is why when sweatpants are too tight, it means that they don’t fit well.
There are a couple of essential questions that you should ask yourself before buying sweatpants.
- Where am I going to wear these sweatpants (gym, home, or maybe everyday life)?
- What is my budget?
- Have I researched different brands and types of sweatpants?
The last point is essential, because if you are a tall man, it may be hard for you to find sweatpants.
That is why you need to determine which brands produce sweatpants for tall guys, to not waste your time searching at stores.
Below are a couple of essential aspects to which you should pay attention before and when buying sweatpants.
Quality
Try to find cotton sweatpants. A growing body of evidence shows that synthetic fabrics are harmful to your skin and body. So it is better to spend more money on high-quality products than hurting your health, right?
Shape
Another important aspect of choosing the right pair of sweatpants is the shape of the apparel.
When you try sweatpants on, pay attention to the thighs and pockets. If you can see that the pockets are outlined, and your thighs are fitted like a slim fit, then the sweatpants are not your size.
Sweatpants should be free and not skinny so that you feel relaxed while wearing them. If they are too tight, then it will seem like leggings.
To get the right length for your joggers, they should rest right around your ankle and above your shoes.
I would also recommend you to choose sweatpants with cuffed legs. It will add some extra shape and fit to your look.
Although there are high waisted sweatpants, usual sweatpants sit on your hips. Avoid the stretched look around the crotch that is achieved by pulling up the sweatpants too high.
Can Sweatpants Be Altered?
It is possible to alter sweatpants, and it’s usually done by a tailor who makes changes to the waist size, as it’s harder to change the overall fit of the clothing.
It depends a lot on what you need to alter. For example, a tailor may not make your sweatpants longer because finding a fabric with the same colors as your original sweatpants is not easy.
A better example is to alter the waist of the sweatpants. A too loose or too tight is fixed by either adding or subtracting width from the waistband.
Usually, the waist of sweatpants has an elastic fabric with drawstrings. It means that you can make the waist smaller as you want. However, if you need to pull or release them too much, the shape of the sweatpants will suffer.
If you don’t want to add drawstrings, the tailor may make the waist smaller by cutting it. On the side, it can be cut and sewn back.
How can I Make My Sweatpants Tighter?
Yes, and it’s done by decreasing the width of the inside leg.
One of the easiest DIY ways is to
- Turn your pants inside out
- Sew up the inner left leg seam, around the crotch, and down to the inner right leg seam.
- Don’t cut the fabric from the beginning. At first, pin it and try it on, and see if the new size is right for you.
- After that you cut away excess fabric and sew the leg together.
I would recommend you to leave at least a 1 inch seam inside the sweatpants. Don’t cut the whole seam away.
Usually, tailors leave seam as an allowance, so that maybe in the future, you want to make it a little bit bigger again.
Can I make my Sweatpants Slimmer Without Sewing?
It is possible to shrink the size of the sweatpants, but this is not a recommended option.
The reason is that, while tailoring, you can try it on and see whether you like it or not.
The tailor listens to your needs and professionally does the job. This is a much more controlled way to alter your sweatpants than shrinking them with heat.
However, if you desire to do it yourself, you can shrink your sweatpants by washing them hot.
Sweatpants are most often made of cotton for the most part; hence when you wash them, the sensitive fabric changes size.
When you wash them hot, the masks will shrink and leave you with tighter, shorter sweatpants. However, the fabric will also feel different and more compact.
How to Make Sweatpants Longer/Shorter
It is possible to make your sweatpants both shorter and longer after you’ve washed them.
The simple idea is that the fabric is soft after a good wash. If you stretch your sweatpants then – or let them hang right – you’ll end up with a pair of extended sweatpants when dry.
You can also take them to the tailor and pay him to make changes to the length and width.
But as I have already mentioned above, making the sweatpants longer by tailoring may be challenging. First of all, it is hard to find the same color of fabric. And secondly, the stitches may be visible.
Making sweatpants shorter is easier. You just cut the spare part on the end off your sweatpants and then make new stitched finish to the shorter legs.
If there is a cuff on the bottom, you or the tailor will gently cut the cuff, make the adjustments and sew it back on.
Can I Repair a Hole on My Sweatpants?
It depends on the size of the hole. If the hole is small, then you can stitch it.
You can do it inside out so that stitch marks remain on the inside part of your sweatpants. It will be less visible, and you can continue wearing it without any problem.
In the case of bigger holes, the tailoring is not as easy as it was with the small ones. You can’t just stitch it because it will be come very visible on the farbic.
What you can do in emergency cases is to use a stabilizer so that the hole stops from growing.
Put the stabilizer on the other side of your sweatpants, then stitch it. Try to find a similar fabric to your sweatpants, and sew it on.
The color may be a little bit different, but for big holes, this is the only way to repair them.
You might even go for a fun piece of fabric and make it a “style” to repair your own clothes with this pattern or color.
Sweatpants are trendy among all age groups nowadays. And when someone finds a perfect pair of sweatpants that is comfy and beautiful at the same time, it is hard to just toss them.
That is why these tips exists and why some people will go to great lengths in order to repair their sweatpants in stead of just throwing them out.
However, if you are buying a pair of sweatpants, try to find something that will not need tailoring.
Because after buying your sweatpants, you will have to spend some amount of money to alter it.
It may be a good decision to spend some time researching, rather than buying the wrong pair of sweatpants.
I recommend checking out my list of high-quality sweatpants in longer lengths.
References:
How Joggers Should Fit: https://www.thread.com/us/tips/men/fit-guides/how-joggers-should-fit/
How to Buy the Right Sweatpants: https://www.gq.com/story/how-to-buy-the-right-sweatpants
How to Repair Sweatpants: https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-repair-a-hole-in-polyester-track-pants
How to Shrink Sweatpants: https://tallsome.com/sweatpants-shrink-dryer/
What do you think?