Tues Tutorial & Tips~ Shortening a Prom Dress or Anything

It's that time of year to help ladies get ready for a special moment in their life. One common problem is the length of a dress.  If you have a serger, here is an easy way to fix the problem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tuesday Tutorial & Tips

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 First, just depend on the original designer or sewer's work. Take the same amount off all around the gown. Make a straight line chalk mark, not a dotted mark. 

 

Use scissors to cut up to the chalk line so you can insert the garment into the serger. Then sew with the solid chalk mark along the edge of the serger's table so the knife can cut off the excess fabric.

My serger book suggests to use a shorter stitch length on lightweight fabrics. 

Then turn edge and stitch on machine with a 2.5 stitch length.

I switched my multi-purposed Janome Purple needle

to a size 11 needle.

 

Always give the hem a final pressing, 

especially to iron out the wrinkled warps that are likly to appear.
 

 Here is another dress:

The back was longer than the front, so I definitely depended on following the hem line to mark the new hem.

This dress was turned into what one might call a street length dress, up to about mid calf below the knee.  The damage was about 5 inches up the dress. So 5 inches was cut off with another half inch turn.  This length actually highlighted the beautiful shoes she found.
 

Be cautious to lay fabric cut on a circle flat. Many times I found it warped and my 5 inch marks landed in different places. Notice the continuous chalk mark here.  It really helps when you are following with the serger to cut on that line.

 

Cutting off excess is easier with a serger than by a rotary cutter or scissors.
 

Then turn by hand as you stitch. With this narrow foot, the hem was folded the width of the foot. So the hem is stitched in the middle part of the hem along the serger stitch line. 

 

 No need to bother ironing first. Your fingers can keep the hem flat.

 

 Most of the warp wrinkles ironed out. A few like this were still visible. 

Below is the before picture of the hem of the dress and the lining.

 

So I hope you have a serger to help make this process faster and easier.