Formal Wear: Adjusting the Fit

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :)

Ah, you're in the final stages, you just successfully inserted a zipper you never want to lay hands on again, and despite all your careful measuring and practice runs....it doesn't fit quite right. Well, looks like you're going to have to start over! KIDDING! You can fix it, don't panic!

Now, it's easier to fix something that's too large than too small, but I will do my best to help.

Too Small:
1. Restitch all the seams in the area that is too small as close to the edge of the seam allowance as you can get, then rip out the original seam. This can give you up to an inch and a half depending on how big your seam allowance was.  
2. Rip out the side seams and add in additional fabric. This isn't the most attractive option, but you may be able to use contrasting fabric to make it look like a cool color blocking. You can also do this on a back or front seam and add a faux placket to hide the extra fabric added. 
3. Allow it to "ride down with wear" (bonus points: name that quote!) On one of my favorite comedic TV shows, the employees of this department store used this phrase, or variations of it, to convince customers to buy their sub-par merchandise. In one of my favorite episodes, one of the characters pushes his knee into an armhole that is too tight to pop a few stitch and make it more comfortable for the customer. The result on TV wasn't as effective, but it's actually not a bad idea. I've done it on a few of my own things that are just a tad too tight. Be cautious though, and don't pop too many stitches! 

Too Large: 
1. Take it in. The easiest way to do this is to put on the garment inside out, pin where you want a tighter seam, take it off and sew. Easy! I would suggest doing both sides as equally as possible to avoid lopsided-ness. 
2. Increase the size of darts or tucks...or add in new darts/tucks altogehter. 
3. Belt it. This is kind of the cheater way, but a good temporary fix if you don't anticipate staying the size you are, of ir you don't have time to sew. 

Too Droopy:
I have this problem in the neckline all the time! I usually just tighten the straps/sleeves (place on inside out, pin, sew) or add a few extra darts in the top of the neckline on the back of the garment. Sometimes it's not really droopy, just low cut, so I add an extra button or only wear it with a cami.

Too Long:
Trim it when you hem it. If you're hemming by yourself, use a similar garment you already like the length of to hem the new one. When people ask me to hem pants for them, I ask them to also give me a pair they like. Hold it up, measure, and we're good to go. If you're really in a hurry, go for a casual rolled look, or use iron on hem tape. (Which my mom swears by!)

Too Short:
Again, it's harder to add than take away but I'll try and help. 
1. Add an extra panel on the bottom. You can add a contrast color to make it look intentional or another panel of the same fabric. A trim, such as lace, is also a good option.
2. If you don't already have one, add a waist. Take the dress apart in the area where the bodice and skirt connect and add an additional panel. Again, contrast the colors or match it, your choice. 
3. Rethink the final look. Maybe consider wearing shorter heels, shorten it from a maxi length to a cocktail length, or add tights/leggings. For sleeves consider going from long sleeve to three quarter, three quarter, to cap, cap to strap, etc. If it's pants go from long to cropped, cropped to capri, capri to Bermuda, or Bermuda to shorty. Sometimes you can also lop off a bunch of fabric and just wear it as a top instead of a dress, or wear it as a bathing suit cover up where it's more socially acceptable for it to be too short. 
4. Use my awesome alteration tips to pass it down to someone smaller.    :D

What other tips do you have? Let us know what works, it's never fun to be stuck in a situation like this! 

~Farm Girl Teacher 

Formal Wear: The Zipper (eek!) My Special Technique!

I'm so excited about this formal wear series, inspired by my experience sewing my sister's prom dress! Check it out, here, if you haven't seen it yet. Please let me know if you have any special requests. :)

So, you've gotten almost all of the main portions of the dress done, and now you're on to the last few steps....I've gotten so many emails about this topic, hopefully I can shed some light...

Please note: I have always used invisible zippers and rarely branch out from this. I know not everyone is fan of this style of zipper, but I have never had one split, even under serious strain, and I don't find them more difficult to insert. This method will work on a traditional zipper and will hide it similar to the way an invisible one his hidden. If you want the zipper to be exposed I would suggest inserting it the traditional way. Also, I did come up with this on my own, but someone else out there probably invented it first, I'm not claiming to be too special. :D

The only shot I have pre-zipper insertion. I actually wound up redoing the bodice after realizing there was about a 6 inch are that was too small. :( Luckily I caught it before inserting the zipper and version #2 looked better anyway.

What makes your technique special?
Let me tell you my story first. You guys know I love to talk, so I apologize in advance if I drag on a bit. ;) I love showing off my handmade clothes, but when I say to friends, "Thanks, I made this!" the first thing they do (especially fellow seamstresses!) is check the zipper. Sound funny? lol I do it to other people too. It's one of the more complicated pieces of a garment and speaks to your talents and attention to detail. It was also one of the things I struggled with constantly before developing the technique I'm going to share with you. Believe it or not, I hated inserting zippers. I would get almost all the way done with something and set it aside for weeks because I didn't want to ruin it attempting to put in a zipper. Usually it wound up in the hands of my mother or grandmother six months later, and while it looked great, I was also just a tad bit ashamed that I had chickened out, once again. I actually had NIGHTMARES about inserting zippers. Dramatic? Yes, so I eventually decided I was going to conquer my fears the summer of 2013! (I know, only a year ago! See, I'm not a zipper god, you can do it too!) I wanted to make new clothes to begin my first year of teaching since my wardrobe had dwindled to shorts/jeans paired with a t-shirt during my college years, but that also meant mastering the zipper. I sort of developed this technique as a 'gateway' if you will, into legit zipper insertion. My mother did NOT teach me this....and thought it was a little ridiculous since it is extra work...BUT it also allowed me to successfully insert zippers for the first time, ever! I have never had to totally rip out a zipper using this method! (I do often make minor adjustments, more on that later!) I did this technique for a long time, until slowly I stopped doing it as much. My confidence grew, and I slowly weaned myself off this method and did it the 'legit' way without fear! That being said, I do occasionally revert back if I'm using expensive fabric, inserting into many layers of fabric, or if my fear gets the better of me...all three of course applied to Miranda's prom dress. :)

Should I practice first? 
Is this your absolute first time inserting a hem? Probably. Done it before, but not well? Maybe. If you already made a toile (tutorial, here) it's not a bad idea to also buy a cheap zipper of the correct size to practice. You may also want to keep a cheap zipper on hand that you can rip out and practice inserting on different toiles, types of fabric, etc. I have a zipper I use specifically for this purpose. I bought it on sale only to realize it doesn't zip smoothly so I saved it and use it on rough drafts and practice. Most of the time, inserting a practice zipper allows me to better check the fit, and sometimes I use it to practice sewing a zipper to a specific type of fabric. (With thicker fabric, like denim or leather, it's important to check that your needle is strong enough to handle all of the layers)

If this is your first one I recommend practicing on a skirt. The zipper is usually shorter (7-9 inches) and you don't feel as though you've put as many hours of work into a skirt. I also recommend that you don't get too attached to the skirt....you know, just in case. :D

 When do I insert the zipper?
I get this question a lot! I don't read written patterns nearly as much a I probably should, either because I've dramatically altered the pattern, or because I can easily see how to construct the pieces without instructions. I'm pretty sure most patterns will say to insert the zipper, then the hem as the last two steps, without mentioning how to adjust fit. 
Here's what I do...I complete everything except the zipper/hem. I try the garment on the actual person (don't rely on the dress form!) to see that it mostly fits. I make minor adjustments as needed before inserting the zipper. Often, this means adjusting the straps/sleeves because the neckline is hanging too low. I also make sure that it's not too small, there's no point in doing a zipper if it's too small to begin with, it's much better to insert it knowing it's a bit too big than to insert it hoping that will somehow add a few inches. (and yes, I have done that, doesn't work!) After the zipper has been inserted, I go back and take it in where I need to. (I will explain how to adjust fit in the next post.) I always wait and do the hem last because making sure it fits well on top, and has a working zipper, allows you to better adjust the length of the hem, and means you're more likely to get a straight hem. 

Where do I insert the zipper?
The pattern should tell you, it's almost always in the back seam or in the side seam. Back is more common, but if the pattern doesn't have a back seam, or has a special back detail, it will go in the side. (Both of these applied to Miranda's.) The zipper will hide a bit better in the side seam and is easier to zip, but depending on the neckline/sleeve styles it can also be a tad more challenging to wriggle into. Generally speaking, I follow the pattern, unless I've made major changes and need to move the zipper. For skirts, I almost always put the zipper on the side. It rarely changes the appearance of the skirt and makes it easier to dress.

 Tutorial:   
Okay, I'll quit babbling now and get to the actual tutorial. For my seasoned veterans I will repeat, this is a bit more work than the 'traditional' way, however I feel that in the long run it saved me time when I was learning to insert zippers because the 'traditional' way also meant ripping it out three times. Also, the pictures I took of me doing this on the actual prom dress were lost when my SD card was damaged so I re-shot them on a dress I'm working on now. The bottom layer is a plain white cotton and it has a sheer and somewhat delicate, yet bulky, overlay. 

Materials:
- Matching zipper (skirts/pants are usually 7-9 inches, dresses are around 22)
- Garment
- Strong, matching thread. (I ditched the silky thread I used on everything else in lieu of a more sturdy thread for the zipper.)
- Any contrasting thread. 
- Zipper foot--this is really not optional, a regular presser foot will only give you a headache and an ugly zipper, if you don't already have one, invest! (It will be worth it, I promise!) If you're insistent on using the regular foot, adjust the needle position so it is either at the far left or far right, as needed, and proceed with caution...I warned you!
-Iron/ironing board
-Starch
-Seam Ripper, razor, small scissors, etc.

Steps:
1. If you haven't already, sew up the seam until you get to where the bottom of where the zipper will be, for  many patterns a dot will indicate where to stop.

2. Switch to the contrasting thread and machine sew a basting stitch the rest of the way, WHERE THE ZIPPER WILL GO. I know this is backwards, you will no longer have an opening in your garment, and this is okay for now. Hand basting will not work, set your machine's stitch length to the longest possible and use a contrast thread, you'll rip it out anyway! (Trust me, it will work out in the end!)

Left=Basting, Right=Regular

I know, my 'matching' white thread doesn't match all that well, but the blue thread broke like crazy, trust me, it does look okay on the final product. 

3.  Iron seams out, I seriously recommend starching as well. You want really sharp seams, especially in the area that will hold the zipper. It will look cleaner and be easier to rip out the basting.

4. With the garment inside out, pin the closed zipper face down over the basting area. The seam you created with the contrast thread will provide a sharp guide, you want the teeth of the zipper directly over this seam. The straighter you do this, the better. I also think it's easier to pin down only one side and pin as flat as possible.

 PLEASE NOTE: You will not be opening the zipper until the very end, in order to avoid weird stitching around the zipper pull, I start about an inch below that, when I'm completely finished, I will go back with the zipper open and fix that area.

Check and double check alignment now!

5. Switch back to the matching thread and a zipper foot. I did the right side of the zipper first (the side without pins) so the needle is set closest to the teeth of the zipper, and the foot is on the outside of this. You always want the needle closest to the teeth. Stitch down the pin-less side top to bottom, routinely checking that the teeth are in line with the seam. 

CAUTION: Because you don't have an opening of a decent size in the dress anymore, be extra cautious that you don't accidentally sew through another part of the dress as well, you don't want a sleeve to get caught up into the zipper! (But if you do, don't panic, rip out that section of stitching and redo it.)

6. Remove all the pins (your new seam will hold the zipper in place) and stitch top to bottom down that side of the zipper, needle closest to teeth.  When you get to the bottom go back and forth over the teeth a few times to secure. Go slow, this is where you're most likely to break a needle.
 

The left side is a little wonky, luckily this fabric hides it well.

7. Now the zipper is in, but you still don't have an opening so, using a razor, small scissors, or a seam ripper, rip out the contrasting basting stitch as you unzip and double check the zipper's functionality and appearance.

8. Make minor adjustments to the zipper itself as needed. I finish the area where the pull was, and occasionally I rip out an inch or two where the teeth weren't lined up well and touch up that area. I also double check that the seam that goes up to the bottom of the zipper looks good. Sometimes there's still basting stitches down there where the regular seam didn't go high enough and I restitch it to avoid seam splitting down the road. Add a button or hook/loop to the top and, voila!

Congrats! You just inserted a zipper and you still have all the hair on your head! :) If that doesn't deserve a pat on the back, I don't know what does! :D

Come back soon and I'll help you adjust the fit and throw in a hem! 

~Farm Girl Teacher