This morning in yoga class I had a wardrobe malfunction. I looked back and was surprised to find that downward facing dog had almost turned into boobs dropping out of the neckline. This is not a pose I care to practice, never mind in public. First some background, then a simple inexpensive fix, the top in question was bought late last winter when I had dropped from an X-large to a large, I am now a medium and have been so for at least the last 10lbs of weight loss, so a large is a bit big on me now. However I like this top, it is comfortable, the fabric is stretchy, breathable and soft, and really I can't afford to completely replace my wardrobe every 3 months. The pic on the top left is of me in the top as it was. Sorry about the pic quality, but this isn’t about pics.
It looks fine when I'm standing up doesn't it. But I wanted not to worry about wearing it during any activity in my active lifestyle. So, here is how I fixed it. First I took it off and measured the neckline using a tape measure on edge; it measured about 21". Next, I cut a piece of Coats Extra Strong Upholstery thread about 12" longer than the neck opening measured. The top is green, I had blue thread, and so that's what I used. Then, I started stitching up by 1 shoulder seam, and stitched all the way around the neck opening to the other shoulder seam in one continuous line of running stitches. I stitched from the inside and only caught the inside layer and some of the seam allowance, avoiding catching the front of the top. The bottom pic is of my completed stitching. Notice I have not yet tied off the stitching, the thread is free to be pulled thus tightening up the neck opening.
With the thread still loose at the second shoulder, I put the top back on. I pulled on the loose thread tightening the neck opening. When I tightened it too much the fabric at the armholes got distorted, not enough and I still felt insecure in down dog. You bet I checked it out in down dog! When I had the neck opening just right, I tied a slipknot in the loose thread to mark how tight it should be. I took the top back off and took several small stitches to tack down the thread. Because my skin can be very sensitive at times, I tucked the thread through to the inside and tied-off, or made the knot in the seam allowance where it would be hidden and out of the way. All in all I synched in the neckline only about 1.5", less than I thought I would need to, but enough to make me feel secure wearing the top biking, to yoga, or wherever.
The pic on the top right is of me in the altered top. Notice that the neckline is now a bit higher, but the tightening doesn't really show. The top was no harder to get on over my head than before, so the synching (stitching) only altered the top for the better. Since I am relatively small crested, I have used the same trick on gym tops made for bustier women. This doesn't work with every top, but with most stretchy gym tops it works like a charm as long as you don't have too far to go. I have also used this technique to tighten or synch in gaping armholes, particularly on sleeveless summer dresses - there I start several inches above the gappiosis and end several inches past the gappiosis. I do not go all the way around the armhole.
I have altered other tops using various methods including, stitching elastic or twill tape to shoulder straps to shorten them, adding a center back pleat at the neckline and down 2-2.5” or stitching either tape or elastic to portions of armholes. These techniques won’t work for more than smallish alterations, say from an X-large to a Large or a Large to a Medium, but don’t necessarily work if your trying to turn your favorite X-large into a medium. Pants are much harder to alter, particularly if you want them to fit well. If you’re not an experienced sewer you’ll likely do better taking them out for professional alterations or replacing them. Again remember big alterations don’t generally work well, but one or maybe two sizes work just fine.