help with drapped bodice dress modification

Dear Robb,

Are you talking about a bias-cut draped bodice? If so, I don't think you're going to have much luck pinning out fullness. If I could take you through the steps to create the pattern for this style, you'd see that it essentially amounts to spreading the center of the bodice pattern, so that the shoulders are wide apart. The bodice is then cut on the bias, and drapes in the center.

Try putting a weight on the inside of the bodice, hanging from the center of the facing. The weight can be tucked into her bra to keep it from gaping. The weight can be made of drapery weights, covered with fabric and sewn to a ribbon.

Teri

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Hello, Thanks Teri.

wow you have it quite right, the drapped wrapping part is indeed cut on the bias 8}

I had not even payed any attention to the fabric orientation at all.

I'll try the weights see if it works for DW.

The idea of changing the style of the bodice raised DW's brow and kindled a little too much hope or maybe it was desire and expectation. Anyways, i may need to bite my tongue before launching early ideas next time :)

thanks again, robb

I'm new to this forum, so I don't know if you can post photos or not. If so, I would love to see a photo of the dress as is so I might be able to make suggestions. Love to alter clothing from original to unique!

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This is a Usenet newsgroup, and you can't post photos here because it's not a binary newsgroup. Read here to see what Usenet is:

drywatergal, are seeing it on a web page because Sewgirls has a feed to the newsgroup from their web site.

Robb, Sounds like there's too much droop in the drape, that about right? Something to *try*.... This won't change the style of the bodice, but it will sometimes work, even on a bias neckline, if it's not a knit fabric. (I'm assuming it isn't a knit since you said it's lined. And keep in mind you will have to do the same thing to the lining.)

If the back fits her fine, you may be able to open up the shoulder seams. Then move the shoulder seam on just the bodice front. What you will be doing is moving the neck side of the shoulder seam down the bodice. You will need to trim then you will need to even out the neckline when you're finished.

Have her put on the dress. Then (geez I wish you could see the hand gestures I'm making it would be soooo much easier to explain) pin the bodice front at the neck edge of the shoulder seam on the bodice front only. You know how a dart is shaped right? OK. Think like you are making a dart that goes from the neck edge to about halfway across the shoulder seam. (widest part at the neckline) Pinch up what you need to and pin it like it's a dart. If that fixes the fit, then moving the shoulder seam will work.

You can also just do some tack stitching on the bodice where the two front pieces cross over each other. I do that when I make a surplice style bodice for myself. That way things don't droop open when I lean forward. ;) If there is topstitching on the neckline, it's easy to hide some stitches to hold the top closed more. Just line it up, and then stitch over the topstitching very carefully. No one will ever see it.

Good luck!!

Sharon

> DW brought me a dress that she wants **altered/modified**.

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hello,

Thanks for the reply and offer to help.

I finally succumbed to registering to an online photo bucket here is a link to a photo of the dress

was thinking of changing to a faux shirt style by .... splitting the seam at front waist, then find center the two pieces, estimate overlap add seam allowances and sew it all back together. I suppose i could try just a simple center seam to avoid all the other stuff but DW liked the idea of shirt style.

The only trouble i anticipate (i am amateur) is the fact that the drape was cut on bias so one side is bias cut and the other is not ?? and a bust dart is needed on the drapping part since it will not be drapping any more and of course that dart should will now come solely from the drapping wrapped side as i have no allowance on the existing waist seam etc...

thanks again, robb

BTW : i do not care much for flickr as i think their should be a way to organize photos into sets and sub-sets like

• Sew_projects_set > dresses_sub_set > > lizc_alter_project > > pink_princess_seam > pants > > kids > > mom > upholstery

• Trips > safari > bermuda

• Family

• etc and flickr seems to be a photostream bucket which you can just associate groups of photos with some set name. So there is only one level of set name groupings and the photostream which contains all uploaded photos.

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Thanks Sharon,

yes, the dress used to fit well now it seeems it does not (DW was nursing and has finished for many months) so now DW says dress does not fit so good.

yes, the dress is woven.

we did not try any altering to the neck and shoulder side so i''ll add that suggestion to my list.

i tried tacking the seams at the "V" cross over but DW did not like the alteration as it causes bulking and other un-sightly bagging and pulling problems.

thanks again for the ideas, robb

Robb,

I have to say I like Sharon's ideas for your wife's dress alteration.

The other suggestion I'd make (now I've seen the photo) is turning the dress into a skirt. Hack off the bodice, leaving 1 to 2 inches of it still attached to the skirt, with which to make a waistband, open up a side or centre back seam to insert a zip, interface new waistband, sew it all together. Add button hole / other closure to finish waistband.

I've done this a time or 2 for my Mum, can't say I've enjoyed it particularly, but it is feasible, and probably saves a lot of hassle.

HTH,

Sarah

It looks like the facing is top stitched. I would undo the top stitching on both sides of the neckline, then hand tack some elastic on top of the seam allowance cut to the length of each side minus two inches, and resecure the facing. On a hanger, the neckline will be puckered because of the elastic, but on the body it will draw in and cling.

Dear Robb,

Now that I've seen a picture of the dress, I take back my suggestions for alterations. I was picturing a true draped bodice.

I nursed my two kids, so I know how much a person can change shape after weaning. I'm assuming that there is droop at the fullest part of the bust. But this is not where the alteration should take place. Try pinnng the shoulder seam before you do anything. Pin out as much as necessary at the neck edge of the shoulder seam, tapering to nothing at the shoulder edge. See if that does the trick. If this is a traditionally cut surplice top, the straight grain should be along the straight, open edges of the fronts. Pinning out at the shoulder should get the droop out.

Teri

The usual way to illustrate a Usenet post is to put the picture on the Web and post its URL. Example:

or:

(The angle brackets keep browsers from splicing adjacent characters into the URL. Think of angle brackets as like packing material: not necessary to the function, but they improve the odds of safe arrival.)

If you haven't a site of your own, there are several Web sites that let you put up pictures free. If all else fails, you can go to Yahoo, start a mailing list devoted to yourself, and put your picture in the files area. Make sure you don't start a members-only mailing list!

I never did figure out how to get rid of a mailing list when I was done with it, but eventually Yahoo takes it down for lack of activity.

Pictures really help....

I would take out the side seam and only take in the drapey part. You may have to do both sides.

This would only work if there was just a bit of slack in the droop.

liz nice dress