Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lucy Aguilera on January 27, 2013 at 2:18pm

Hello there, I would suggest taking it to a local dry cleaners most have alterations available and some are more affordable than bridal shops. Hope this helps.

Permalink Reply by Jen Robinson on January 27, 2013 at 3:00pm

Do you have a pic of the dress? Without seeing it, I can say that you want to do is a significant alteration, so you're going to end up spending at minimum $100 or more to change it to a strapless dress if you pay someone else. Probably closer to $250 at a minimum, taking into account supplies (fabric, boning, other notions) and time. If it needs taking in anyway, I wouldn't suggest doing it yourself - just have them do that when they remake the bodice - otherwise you're going to end up taking it apart to take it in and if you're not familiar with this type of construction, I wouldn't do it.

Without seeing a photo of the dress, I can't recommend any pattern that would be suitable. When you say beginner, what kinds of sewing have you done? As someone who has made gowns, I can tell you that it's not exactly a beginner-level project to do one from scratch and to alter a dress is often far trickier. Depending on how much you paid for the dress, it may very well be worth the investment for you to have someone else do it for you. As far as recommendations for fabric, it would totally depend on what the original dress is made out of and what type of construction you use. If you post a pic of the dress, I'd be happy to look at it and give you recommendations for a pattern and for fabrics. Are you saying that you want to ditch the original bodice altogether and just use the skirt portion? Or do you plan to incorporate the original bodice fabric into the new bodice?

-Jen

Permalink Reply by Alex Razo on January 27, 2013 at 5:43pm

I was told that what they were planning to to was make a new bodice with a zipper closure and attaching the existing bodice of the dress on top of the new one. I'm attaching a picture of the dress

Attachments:

• image.jpg, 1.4 MB

Permalink Reply by Jen Robinson on January 28, 2013 at 6:15pm

Okay, so you've got a couple of things going on here. I assume you bought this dress because of the lace and that's a good call because it looks like it might be hand-done. There are a couple of reasons you need the inner support - the first being that the lace is heavier than average. I can't tell from the pic but it doesn't look like it's sewn directly onto the lining, in which case you can't just cut off the lace at the top and hem it as Soozi Qu suggests. If the lace were lighter and cheaper in quality then you probably could get away with that. As it is, the reason the bridal shop wants to charge you so much is that this is going to require a TON of hand sewing. Lace is ALWAYS hand sewn when it comes to gowns and overlays like this because it requires something called appliqué seaming in order to match the lace properly and not give you giant wonky seam allowances, which would look really crappy. Because of the way this lace is made, if you cut it straight across with no regard to the motifs, it will fall apart and then you're left with a shredded dress and I suspect you don't want that kind of a look. :) Taking the dress in yourself at the sides will be a pain, too, if you're not familiar with appliqué seaming and were thinking that it could be easily done on the machine.

It's also unclear from the photo what type of closure, if any, there is at the back, other than the buttons. IS the lace secured to the under layer? If not it will probably make it easier to alter. I personally would leave the button back, rather than use a zipper in this lace. You can have a zipper in the foundation (boned under-bodice) and the opaque layer.

Your foundation needs to be made with a good firm type of interfacing - preferably hair canvas and a high-quality lining fabric like Bemberg rayon, since that will breathe. I use Bemberg or China silk/silk habotai for foundations and linings in my gowns, since both fabrics breathe well. They're pricier but you'll be glad you spent the cash. Polyester will seem like a bargain but you'll sweat a lot. You'll need plastic boning for the support. If you plan to go with making your own foundation, remember that after you cut the boning into the appropriate lengths, you absolutely need to use an emery board to round the cut edges so they won't poke through the casings. I use a nail file designed for acrylic nails. I find that Vogue patterns have really good foundations in their formal dress patterns. This one is rated average difficulty:http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v1174-products-11082.php?page_id=861.

Now the big issue: not knowing your measurements, I have to tell you that the 4 major pattern companies (Vogue, McCall's, Simplicity and Butterick) draft their patterns based on a B-cup. If you are bigger than a B-cup, you will almost certainly have to do what's called a Full Bust Adjustment. If you're not familiar with this, it can be complex to do on your own. You shouldn't choose a pattern based on your full bust measurement if you're significantly larger in cup size. The best way to choose is to compare your high bust measurement (measure around your torso under your arms while wearing a bra) and use that measurement along with your waist and other measurements to find the correct size. If you're determined to do this on your own, I would highly recommend the book "Fit For Real People" http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Real-People-Clothes-Pattern/dp/0935278656...   This book will show you just about any alteration you need, but it's really good for showing the FBA (full bust adjustment).

Having said all that, if you're really afraid to screw up the dress - and it looks beautiful, so I would be - I'd definitely try to find a dressmaker/seamstress who can work with you to do the alterations you need. You might consider looking into a sewing class that would incorporate some of the necessary techniques and would give you the expertise of an instructor. Just make sure you really shop around and get someone who knows what they are doing. I've been sewing for 30+ years and I would say this probably isn't a project for someone who hasn't been sewing that long. If I lived in your area I'd be happy to help you but, alas, I live in WA state.

Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions - I'm always willing to help,

-Jen

Permalink Reply by Alex Razo on January 28, 2013 at 9:32pm

The lace isn't sew directly on the lining. I notice the applique sewing around the collar and the sleeves. I've never done anything like it but I can follow the way it was done on those parts as examples on what the finished edges on the top of the dress should look like. 

The dress does have a button closure which is an element that I want to keep and like you mentioned adding the zipper to the foundation and having the buttons close on top of that. 

I was considering buying this and using it as the foundation to the dress so that I don't have to make one. Do you think it will work? I figure it'd be safe since I can buy it in a size that fits me. I was not gifted in the cleavage area. I am petite 5'0', 100 lbs, and a 32A, 32B on my good days. 

Permalink Reply by Jen Robinson on January 29, 2013 at 8:33am

I don't know - if this didn't have stretch fabric it might work. But it's made with powernet and that means it closes with hooks (normal for lingerie) and I'm not sure how you'd be able to sew something that stretchy into a non-stretch dress such as this. In order for the bustier to stay up, the powernet is shorter and then stretches to fit you. Because of that, you'd have to stretch the back out to its full length to meet the length of the woven fabric. Then you'd have to keep it super taut and sew it to the base fabric. The problem with this is that you'd have to use a stitch that's suitable for stretch fabrics in order to sew it to the woven and that means using a zig-zag or a 3-step zig-zag. Then after you've stitched the powernet to the woven, it's going to snap back to its regular un-stretched length, which is just like putting elastic in the back of the gown and might result in a pucker-y looking back. You might be able to hide that with the lace but there's as much risk that the lace will emphasize the puckering. You could end up with an elegant dress from the front and something that looks really home made from the back. In a wedding, people are going to see a lot of your back and you don't want them thinking how wonky the back looks. Plus, there's a risk that the power net stretching could put stress on the vintage woven fabric with potential for damage. I personally wouldn't do it. Based on your size,  it sounds like you wouldn't have to do too much altering, if any, to a store-bought pattern and made a foundation if you still want to do it yourself.

Honestly, you got a fabulous deal on this dress and if you're looking to keep this dress or preserve it after the wedding, I'd spend the $500, since purchasing a dress similar to what you want new will cost easily $800 or more. The lace alone, if you were going to buy some to make a new dress would probably cost around $80/yard and you'd need at least 5 yards minimum, I would think. Add to that the rest of the dress and the labor and the markup for profit and you couldn't buy this dress new for the price you paid plus $500. I know what it's like to be on a tight budget for a wedding and I made my own wedding dress, but I was lucky enough to get my fabric on sale for 50% off. Otherwise my dress would have cost a minimum of $500 just to make. I managed to only spend $250 but that was a total fluke. 

Permalink Reply by Yammy De on April 19, 2013 at 4:25pm

that is ann awesome dress, hope it works out for you, any chance i could get the extra buttons? i know i'm such a scab!

Permalink Reply by Alex Razo on April 20, 2013 at 8:06am

Sorry my mother in law requested that she gets all the scraps from the dress

Permalink Reply by Soozi Qu on January 28, 2013 at 9:28am

How much did you pay for the dress Alex? If it wasn't too much then I'd say have a crack at it yourself. Take the buttons off the back, cut the lace down and hem it over the bodice and the extra that needs to be taken in will be taken up with putting the zip in the back.

Permalink Reply by Jen Robinson on January 28, 2013 at 5:38pm

Except there's no way to keep the dress up without putting boning in - this kind of lace is heavy.

Permalink Reply by Alex Razo on January 28, 2013 at 9:35pm

I only paid $60 for it. I got lucky! But like Jen mentioned the lace is heavy so I do need some sort of foundation with boning to keep the dress up. I don't want to be one of those brides that is constantly pulling their dress up. 

Permalink Reply by Soozi Qu on January 29, 2013 at 12:39pm

I didn't realise you were going to make this into your own wedding dress, Alex. I'm with Jen. It's worth the money to have it done properly. This is a once in a lifetime day and if you have a daughter further down the track, she may want to wear it also. You want it done once and done properly. Spend the dough, it will be worth it.

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