Well, as a vintage shopper I have quite a few of those. And in the past few months I've been letting go of much beloved items, that I know just cannot be tailored. I am also trying to get in gear with getting the dresses that can be altered to the seamstress, and or doing what little I can to fix them up on my own. One of my work in progress dresses, is this lovely little number... that I just imagine wearing to the beach, strolling in the sun with a wide brim hat, and wearing to walk by the Point Reyes lighthouse.
But it does need some work.
For starters it was a handmade dress, and the buttons the sew-er chose are a bit too bland. I would like to replace them with some cool looking wooden buttons.
Second, the dress is too long, but I don't want to hem it at the bottom, since I don't want to loose the seagull print there. So I need to have the seamstress take it in at the top, just at the bodice.
I tucked up the extra fabric there and tied a ribbon round to hold it in place. This is how I wore the dress yesterday. It worked but I had to sit very carefully, so as to not pull down on the extra fabric.
I hope to get to the seamstress (yet again) this week with this dress and a few other items in need. the trouble is, it turns a $7 find into $20 or more for the tailoring. How does a girl learn to be an expert seamstress?
Do you often find you hold on to items, because they are cute, even though they don't fit?
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ReplyDeleteWell... if you've got a seam ripper and a sewing machine, you can: remove the skirt from the bodice. Cut off the amount of fabric you want, then using the largest stitch on the sewing machine, sew two rows at the top of the skirt. Then pull the two bottom threads and gather the skirt until it's evenly spaced and the correct width. Reattach it to the bodice.
ReplyDeleteCute, cute dress though, got to love bird print!
I have a tendency to let my 'fixer-upers' sit around for months, but I've been super good about getting them done lately! I think it's the summer, extra day light gives me so much more energy.
Chic on the Cheap
Oh, wow. The print on that dress is amazing! It makes me think of Cape Cod, but somehow more chic.
ReplyDeleteAs for becoming a better seamstress I am still working on that myself. I find that once I finally manage to cut a whole pattern and get down to sewing the garment, I get impatient don't want to play with things like fit (which kind of ruins the point of sewing your own clothes, really).
In Boston I found one reasonable tailor I really liked and told myself that if I truly loved a piece, the alternations were worth the cost. And I wore those things SO much more! Look at it as a cost-per-wear benefit analysis ;)
I love this dress and can't wait to see the finished version!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome dress! I love the print! I would love to try and alter some of my ill-fitting vintage, but I'm always so nervous I'm going to ruin them! The way I figure, $20 is still pretty cheap for a great vintage dress--even if $7 is a little better. :D
ReplyDeleteAdorable! I try not to hold onto things I won't wear much for whatever reason, but that dress is so worth the alterations. A great dress for less than $30? Yes, please!
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