How to alter a baby dress?

I take it that returning it for a larger size is not an option?

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

--------------

Since your baby is only 10 months old, and babies have a tendency to grow rather quickly, she just may not be wearing that little dress long enough to bother fixing it. If there is absolutely no way to exchange it for another size (which even if you did you'd be back to the same problem in a few months) you might be able to harvest some fabric from the bottom of the skirt to alter it. I'm not sure what kind of hem or how deep it is but you may be able to cut the bottom off the skirt, just above the hem stitches. re hem the dress- take out the side seams of the cut off hem and remove the hem stitches- slice the back of the dress open- stitch each length of cut hem down the sliced back, place the cut edge of the hem to the cut edge of the dress back so when you fold it over after sewing the hem crease will be the center back and the edge of the hem that was folded over when originally stitched will fold to the underside of the dress back slit. You can either stitch in the ditch or hand stitch this down. Do the same on the other side and you'll have finished off the raw slice down the back and also have enough overlapping from both sides with your newly attached harvested material to put in little buttons or snaps. The skirt will obviously be shorter but that probably won't be a problem. You could always put on a cute pair of ruffled diaper covers (rumba panties) or something like that.

I've reread this several times, I hope it makes sense to you.

Val

"Liz" wrote in message news:StNkh.14789$ snipped-for-privacy@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

What's it look like? If it's a solid, almost any contrasting fabric would do to provide a back opening facing. If it's a print, pick up something that coordinates with it in a solid color.

And, as someone else mentioned, she'll be growing tomorrow...

HTH

--Karen D.

Dear Liz,

A continuous lap opening can be put in the back, and you don't need a seam; it'll be invisible when done. Use a contrasting or matching color from your scrap box, preferably from a tape selvage edge. Draw a straight line down the back of the dress, the length you want the opening to be. Stay stitch with tiny stitches 1/4 inch from the line, tapering to the line at the bottom, two stitches across the bottom, then taper back up to 1/4 inch on the other side of the line. Slash along the line right down to the two tiny stitches across the bottom--be careful not to cut through the stitches. Cut a piece along the selvage edge two inches wide by twice the length of the opening (I usually allow a little more). Using the selvage edge as the "raw" edge, put the right side of the strip on the wrong side of the fabric, and sew on top of your original stitching. Straighten out the dress when you get to the bottom of the opening, so that you are sewing in a straight line. Press the layers towards the strip; press in 1/4 inch along the length of the strip; Fold the strip in half lengthwise, so that the pressed edge just covers the previous stitching; sew in place. The left side is folded to the inside and secured; the right side stays open, so you can add a button or snap. As the last, finishing touch, you can miter the bottom fold of the opening to keep it from popping out.

Teri