Crafted Couture : Silk dress alterations

It has been a while since my last clothing blog, so here is a simple alteration for a dress that no longer fits. 

Alteration know how is a very handy skill especially in vintage stores when the fit decades ago differs from the shapes we are today.

 

Common alterations are taking up hems and making garments smaller, but what can be done when something is too tight?

 

I found this beautiful pale pink silk and lace dress in the charity shop for £5, it was tight enough to strain the seams which would eventually have ruined it.

 

 The first thing to look at when making something bigger is inside the garment.  How much of a seam allowance is there to play with and make bigger...in this case, none! 

 

The next thing to decide is where the garment needs made bigger, in this case down both side seams. There was no extra fabric here as they were French seamed.  So extra fabric had to be found from elsewhere. This is where the waist tie belt came in.

 

 

So this is how I added an extra size into the dress...

 

Turn the garment inside out and with a sharp pair of shears trim away the French seam.

 

 

The belt is thick enough that if I make it half the width I can use the other half to add into the dress side seams.

 

Trim close to the belt edge cutting away the stitching. This saves time unpicking.

 

 

The belt is now split in half, and happens to be the exact same length as the side seam!

 

 

Press the belt fabric and join it to the side seam, making a new French seam. 

 

 

 Second stage of the French seam.

 

 

Close up of the finished French seam which has given me an extra few centimetres each side.

 

With the original tie belt now half its width, put the right sides together, sew a straight seam and then pull through with a safety pin as shown.

 

 

Turn it all out the correct way and press.  Its the same length as the original belt, but now half the width.

 

 

Room to breathe.

 

 A very discreet alteration in the side seam.  And it now fits perfectly.

 

 

Till next time

Christine

 

 

 

Mannequin making - Sleeves

Its Thursday, my favourite day of the week, and I'm up early and posting my 2nd blog in a week...am I feeling ill?!

I'm not fully back to work yet so am making the most of having free time by bulk cooking and freezing meals so I have food to eat after a long day at work. 

One of the projects I got up to at the end of last year was more Mannequin making, but this time focusing on one particular limb, the arm.

It came about as I was finding it difficult to make a lining pattern for a jacket I was altering.
I teach Dressmaking in Belfast Met on a Monday and borrowed their detachable arm one evening, returning it the next day. A strange sight was a rigor mortis arm tucked sticking out of my backpack while cycling home.  It was a wonder I wasn't stopped and questioned. 

 

I needed to recreate this arm.  I find thinking always a lot easier with a cup of tea :)

 

 

I love the old dress stands and parts, stains and all. They are so expensive though!

 

 

I cut some calico (cotton) fabric on the bias (stretch cross grain).  The bias makes it easier to mold the fabric over the arms curves.  I marked where fullness needed removed around the elbow with a dart.  The armhole socket and the wrist were traced onto calico forming 2 circles.

 

 

By pinning the fabric in place it allowed me to make final alteration so I could achieve a very close fit.  I made a paper pattern, adding 1cm seam allowances and re-cut out. 

 

The dart was made and the sleeve was machine stitched in place.  Then stuffed tightly with polywadding until the amount of firmness needed was achieved.  I forgot to take photographs of these stages! 

 

The end circles were handstitched firmly in place and the arm was given a good steam with an iron to make it fit and sit.

 

 

 

 

Side view.  I pinned my arm to my stand using leather pins.  The pins need to be strong and secure the arm in place when using to fit a garment.

 

 

Front view.  A view lumps and bumps, but sure haven't we all!

 

 

I was now able to create a sleeve lining pattern a lot easier than before as this fabric was really soft and didn't hold a sleeve shape on its own.

 

 

Finished jacket.

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the post and it encourages you to make your own. 

 

Until next time

 

Happy Creating!

Christine x