After measuring to see how much shorter I needed to go, and making a note of that measurement, I opened up the lining at the wrist to take a look at what was inside. I marked the length to shorten to as mark #2 all the way around. Mark #3 was where to cut for a 1 1/2" turn, and Mark #1 was that same 1 1/2" turn to align the cut edge.
Next I cut a long 1" wide strip of iron-on interfacing to press just above my hem line. This step does double duty: it keeps the leather from stretching out over time, and it makes a crisp turn line. Alternately you can glue in a strip of any non-stretch woven fabric for the same effect.
I used a roller to smooth the hem into a tight crease. Any burnishing tool, bone folder, or back of a spoon would also be useful for this step.
~Kari
i bought this dress at the salvation army a few weeks ago, and though i loved the fabric and general shape, i had a couple of issues with it:
the band of dark fabric at the bottom seemed too wide, and strapless bandeau-type tops aren't the most flattering on me. so i figured out a way to solve both problems in one fell swoop.
then i measured from the top of the dress to where my neck and shoulder meet, and based on that, drew a rough pattern of a halter strap, which i pinned to the fabric i had cut off:
i used a double layer of fabric, for two reasons: 1) i thought it would look right beside the thick elastic-filled top of the dress, and 2) i hate to hem. so i ended up with 4 halter strap pieces, which i sewed together at the middle and then along the edges...
...then turned inside out. and i made a boomerang! thanks for coming, next time: fabric nunchuks! hee hee.
to attach them without the stitches showing, i sewed them to the edge of the interior seam at the top of the dress, where the elastic band met the main fabric:
then i hemmed up the bottom edge, and ended up with a dress that i love!
- cakehouse
Here is my dress form. Unsurprisingly, it has great proportions and a very standard figure. Very few people in the world will find their measurements to be the same as their dress form, no matter how fabulous we all know we look!
At this point, it is time to make direct comparisons. Take thorough and accurate measurements of your over-bust, bust, under-bust, waist, high and low hip, and those of your form. This is not the part where we flatter ourselves. This process is meaningless without total honesty. Establish where you and the form differ and by how much. In my example, the form and I are the same except for the waist.
You'll need various forms of padding (e.g. shoulder pads, bust pads, and batting) to pin onto your form. The most effective way to pin them is by using straight pins with the length nearly flat to the form, and the tip pointing towards the center of your pad.
Here is an example with padding added to the breast using a commercial bust pad.
This one is for adding a little extra lift to the butt area to extend the hip measurement using two shoulder pads with flat edges together.
Here are the steps I took in my own case. First I used two thin shoulder pads in the small of the back. Then two sets of thick shoulder pads to either side. The tapering edges of the pads help smooth out the shape to keep from having big jumps in size.
Next I used a folded piece of batting directly in the waistline to help bulk it up more. Then I used a single layer of batting to assure the smooth transition to the rest of the form.
The measurements all matched at this point, so I added a ribbon to mark the new waist. Using a Sharpie, I extended my center front and princess lines onto the padding.
The form is now precisely my measurements and will make a dress that fits my body. By fudging the placement, the added bonus is any clothes made on this stand will be well proportioned, which ultimately makes me and my projects look even better.~Kari
Shhh. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m cheating. Yeah. I just signed up for this project in March, but I’m going to show off a project that I finished 3 years ago. I’m letting myself get away with this because it’s in keeping with the Wardrobe Refashion pledge and because ultimately it turned out beautifully. I get more compliments on it than almost anything else in my closet!
The story of this shirt begins with me getting lucky at a stoop sale a few years ago. I found 3-4 fanstastic vintage patterns (including one from the 20s!) and a beautiful vintage linen blend tablecloth for a very good price. The tablecloth had a few small stains, but was otherwise in good shape. I’d recently been eyeing some expensive vintage fabric with a similar look and decided that this was a better deal.
I decided to use this pattern because the illustration had such a summery picnic-esque feel and that made sense with the big flowers on the tablecloth. I had to be creative with the layout because my fabric was squarish rather than the typical rectangular yardage that is shown on pattern instruction sheets. I took the pieces I needed, stretched the fabric out flat in a single layer on the floor and started shuffling the pattern pieces around. I wanted to make sure that I captured as many of the big flower bursts and birds as possible. I also wanted to keep the grain of the fabric lined up properly—not on the bias—but I honestly didn’t pay that much attention to whether I was aligning pieces to the lengthwise grain or the crosswise grain. Mostly I was looking for visual impact. I did have to compromise. The shirt front on the pattern is cut out on one piece. I chose to fold it in half, add a seam allowance, and then cut and sew two pieces together to make this one piece.
The sleeves also have a bit of a “Frankenstein” touch. I wanted to make the long-sleeved version of the shirt, but I didn’t quite have enough fabric. However, I did have some heavy white linen and some pretty ribbon, so I pinned the top half of the sleeve pattern piece to the tablecloth fabric and cut it. Then I measured the amount of fabric that I still needed and cut that from the linen. I unpinned the pattern piece, sewed the linen to the tablecloth fabric (the bottom of the sleeve), covered the seam with my ribbon, top-stitched the ribbon, and then repinned the pattern piece to my new, longer fabric and cut out the bottom part of the sleeve. And then I flipped the pattern piece over and did it all again. Whew. I also used the white linen for the facing of the color. Once I had everything cut out I just followed the instructions to make the shirt.
Now it’s done, right? Well, yes...and no. In the process of getting big crazy flowers and birds from the tablecloth onto my shirt I also got some of the small stains/discolorations on it, too. So, I grabbed a needle and some embroidery thread and went to town. These motifs are all basically freehand...I did anything that I could think of to make it pretty and fill space.
So there you have it! It was time-consuming, but totally worth it. Occasionally people tell me it looks like I am wearing a tablecloth, but I know that wherever I go, no one will ever be wearing the same shirt as I am!
Though in retrospect, it probably would have been easier to have just turned the tablecloth into a skirt!