All bridesmaids alterations are completed, delivered, and no changes needed. I’m so happy the ladies are pleased, and the mother of the bride loves her surprise – two flowers made from the fabric I had left when I shortened her outer skirt. See photos at Mother-of-the-Bride Dress Alteration.
My photos don’t show the beauty of the dress. I was never meant to be a photographer!
Challenge with Hems
Getting the hems to hang properly can be a challenge when the outer fabric likes to stretch and move while pinning. The satin underskirt is not as full as the flowing outer skirt but has issues with being shortened due to the skirt itself being tapered wider at the bottom circular cut. This was especially difficult when shortening the one dress twelve inches.
Bodice Alterations for Bridesmaids Dresses
The smaller dress also required extensive alteration of the bodice with a total of one inch taken in from each side seam. Due to a complete closed lining and working with a heavily sequined bodice the resewing was done by hand after only cutting a slim amount from the seam allowance and tucking the remaining seam inside so the dress could be returned to the standard size four in the future. This alteration also corrected the gap in the back to pull it close to the body.
The straps required a 2 1/2″ removal to fit snugly. Due to the construction of the back, it was not possible to do a simple tuck of the strap. On the larger gown a tuck of the 1/2″ needed to tighten the straps was done. This amount was easily hidden behind the closure of the back.
Only a quarter inch tapered inverted dart was required on the larger gown side seams. The back strap then fits properly eliminating gaps. Tacked down with silk matching thread, it was invisible to the eye.