An Exercise in Alterations

Although I am primarily a costumer and designer, I do have a background in and understanding of alterations. When one of my friends got married earlier this month, I let her know that I would be glad to help with any last minute sewing emergencies. Sure enough, one of the flower girl dresses was too big, and needed to be cut down. 

Here is the dress as I received it. It was about three or four inches too long, plus too large in the armholes. 

Due to the elaborate lace edge of the overskirt, that part of the problem couldn't be solved by hemming. I would have to remove the skirt entirely and reinsert the skirt after taking off three inches from the waistband.

This meant of course not just separating the bodice and skirt, but also removing the lower half of the zipper.

To modify the armhole, I took the side seams in about an inch on either side. I then opened up the top shoulder seam, took that in about an inch, and restitched the top fabric to the lining. This was all done by hand.

Close-up of the gorgeous embellished netting used on the skirt. The Bride's gown also used this same fabric as a similar overskirt.

Yes, this is a different picture than the first one. I had to double and triple check to make sure I was posting them in the right order. This is the finished, altered gown.

And of course after all that, the flower girl fell asleep right before the ceremony! But she did look ever so adorable. ;)