I HATE ALTERATIONS!
I absolutely love to sew, but I do not enjoy alterations. However, they are a way of life if you want your clothes to have a good fit and present an appearance of being well-cared for. But the use of a seam ripper, sore fingers, strained eyes, stiff back, not to mention the multiple requests from my “non-sewing friends”… (Oh my! – I really do have a bad attitude). So, over the years I have tried to figure out ways to make my alterations as painless as possible. Below are a few thoughts.
- Buttons: Make sure your buttons are always sewn correctly and knot the ends of the thread, so you do not lose a button or must constantly re-sew. Also, check buttons for security before laundering; fix it now or later you may have to replace all the buttons.
- Zippers: Putting in a zipper is something I can do easily. However, I have adjusted my thoughts on the placement of a zipper to avoid having to remove and re-sew one; thus, creating an easier alteration. Some time ago, I quit sewing my zippers on the side of the garment. In slacks or skirts, I always put them in either the front or the back(depending on the style). So, by using this theory, when altering a side seam, I do not have to remove the zipper. Am I lazy or innovative? Hum…
- Waistbands: My weight has fluctuated so much over the years it is rather insane. But to alter skirts or trousers at the waistline and hips has now become an easier task for me. It’s the split waistband method. Simply I just splice the waistband in line with the side seams of the garment. Sew the front waistband to the front of the garment and sew the back waistband to the back of the garment. Now I can sew both the side seams of the garment and the waistband at one time. Next turn under the edge of the waistband to encase all raw edges and seams. Tack and press as needed. Now when my weight fluctuates the alteration is piece of cake as the waistband does not have to be removed. The seams in the waistband match perfectly to the side seams so their presence appears normal. This does take a little more work in the beginning, but I believe it saves a big annoyance when an alteration is called for.
- Side seams. Do you struggle with having to alter the fit of a blouse(or dress) at the bust line? I have a suggestion for this as well. After the shoulder seam is completed (do not stitch side seam), lay the blouse out with the curve of the entire concave opening of the sleeve lying flat on work surface. Now run the gathering threads in the cap of the sleeve and pin the sleeve cap to the bodice at the sleeve curve. A couple of bonuses in doing this, is when the sleeve is extra full or it is a day of “I’m all thumbs”, this method is quite agreeable. After the sleeve is sewn in, trimmed, serged, and pressed, is when you would sew the side seam of bodice and underarm of the sleeve at the same time. Now any future alterations to the bustline will no longer involve removing part of the sleeve.
Happy Sewing and be sure to share your comments!
Submitted by Karen H