Letting out a kameez: how much seam allowance is there?

How to check your seam allowance

Turn the kameez inside out and look at the side seams from underarm to hem. You are looking at the strip of fabric between the stitching and the cut edge.

• A wide, flat allowance, around 2 cm (three-quarters of an inch) or more, often pressed open: there is room to let out.
• An overlocked edge right beside the stitching, with 1 cm or less: very little to release. This is typical of ready-to-wear.
• A French seam or bound edge: neat, but usually narrow, and more work to open.
• An allowance that changes width: many kameez have more at the waist and less at the armhole, or the other way round. Check the whole length.
• Darts: a bust or waist dart can be let out a little, though the old stitch line may show.

Doing the maths, and what limits it

Each side seam has two layers of allowance, front and back. As a rough guide, releasing an extra 1 cm from each edge of both side seams adds about 4 cm round the body. Measure the allowance with a ruler, and compare it with how much more room you need.

Even where there is fabric, a few things can limit the result:

• Old stitch lines: on crisp cotton, silk and dark fabrics, the line of the old seam and its needle holes can stay visible. Pressing helps on some fabrics, not all.
• Fading: fabric hidden inside a seam has not faded like the outside, so on a well-washed kameez a let-out seam can show as a brighter stripe.
• Print and embroidery: a border or print that stopped at the seam will not continue across the new width.
• Slits and hems: letting out moves the side slits and may mean refinishing the hem.
• The armhole: side seams add room at the bust and waist, but the armhole and sleeve have limits of their own. Our armhole and shoulder guide explains why.

When the allowance is not enough

If the room is not there, fabric can be added instead.

• Side panels: a strip set into each side seam from underarm to hem, in matching fabric from the trouser piece or dupatta, or in a contrast that looks deliberate.
• Underarm gussets: a small diamond or triangle of fabric under the arm adds room at the bust and armhole.
• Piping or a band: a contrast strip in the seam adds a little width while looking like a design detail.
• Restyling: a kameez that is much too tight can sometimes become an open-front jacket over a plain kurta. See restyling an old suit.
• Keep your leftovers: matching fabric is the hardest thing to find later, so keep spare pieces from any suit you have stitched.

Asking a tailor, or starting fresh

For the alteration itself, take the kameez to a local tailor who can see it and pin it on you. Before you go, check the side seam allowance with a tape measure and work out how much more room you need and where. Ask the tailor what is realistic for your kameez, whether old stitch lines are likely to show, where any panel fabric would come from, and what it will cost before anything is unpicked.

For a new kameez you expect to wear for years, it is worth asking for wider seam allowances at the sides when you order; we’ll confirm in your quote what the design allows. Altering existing garments is not one of our services, so if you need a lot more room, or would rather have a kameez that fits from the start, we can make a new one to your measurements: see custom stitching or start a quote. Our guide to when an alteration is not worth it may help you decide.