Dont you hate it? You put on your favorite dress, look in the mirror, and horror of horrors, you can see the outline of your panty elastic through the too-tight dress. How did it get so tight? You must have accidentally shrunk it in the laundry! No matter, the task at hand is to fix it so that it will fit again, and thats no easy task, right? Wrong! Its actually quite easy to fix many dresses so that theyll now fit perfectly without a lot of sewing hassles. Whether youre a beginner or a pro you can use this technique to easily fix those tight dresses and create a whole new look for them at the same time! Although some dresses are ideal for this particular make-over some are not. Dresses which are ideal would be ones that are plain in the front without plackets or lots of embellishments. Dresses with empire waistlines can get the make-over but outfits with lace or other decorative pieces which go straight down the front arent the best choices. Decide on the outfit you want to enlarge then select the fabric you want to do so.
Its a good idea to choose fabric most like the material which the dress is already made of. For example, if the dress youre making over is a t-shirt type of material, use another t-shirt material, even if its a different color or pattern. Colors and designs dont have to match; the triangular insert piece youll be sewing can be of a coordinating color or pattern. Heavy material isnt suitable but lightweight types are perfect.
Lay the dress out on a flat surface. Remove the stitches from the hem, in the front, from close to one side seam to a few inches from the other side seam. Find the centerline of the dress by folding it in half and creasing. Begin cutting at the hemline and cut straight up the center of the dress. Cut all the way up to the neckline of the dress to enlarge it across the bust, or just to an empire-waist area to make the dress roomier in the hips and waist. After cutting the dress use it as a pattern to create the new triangular piece which will be inserted. Cut the triangle piece large, to give yourself plenty of extra room, or cut it much more narrow at the base to add a little extra room but omit the "tent" effect. Decide how much larger to make the dress, say six inches, then cut a triangle that is six inches wide, across its base. Use the slit that you cut into the dress to decide how tall to make the triangle. Cut the triangle a couple of inches taller than the slit to allow room for mistakes. You can later trim this piece down to size. There are two different ways to add the new piece to the old dress. One is to hem the cut sides of the dress first. Use seam tape or hem tape to stitch around the slice. Now pin the tape to the backside of the slit and stitch. When you get to the point of the cut be sure to use caution to keep the presser foot right next to the edge so the finished slit has a smooth look at the point of the slit. When the sides are hemmed, pin the triangular piece into the slit of the dress, then stitch the piece into the opening. When finished, hem the entire front of the dress. If needed, trim the point of the triangle down to a quarter-inch. With this method you can then add lace or other embellishments, if you want, down the new seams. Another way to add the triangular piece is to simply sew it to the existing dress. Pin the triangular piece to the two sides of the slit, with right sides together. Stitch around the entire piece, turn, press the seams, and sew the hem back in place. Be sure to press the hem when finished. With this method you can add a colorful insert that changes the entire look of the dress while giving you more breathing room. Either method above will also work to enlarge simple shirts. Many people try on dresses only to find out theyre way too small but these outfits usually just get pushed to the back of the closet. Sometime in the future, theyre often given away or thrown away, and there goes another of your favorite outfits! Dont let that happen to you. Get out those too-small dresses and shirts
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