I sure enjoyed working with this beautiful bride and her gorgeous dress! Installed new sleeves and a modesty panel that extended from the front, over the shoulder and around to the back.
Showing posts with label Alterations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alterations. Show all posts
Repair Workshop
Spent the better part of my day today doing repairs. I patched holes, resewed seams, fixed tears and replaced a few zippers.
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| The invisible zippers in both of these skirts had broken and needed to be replaced. I charge $10-$15 for zipper replacement. Cost depends on if it is an invisible zipper or regular zipper and whether or not there is a lining or topstitching, or other detail work. Ashley, the owner of these skirts, loves them and it was worth it to her to have the zippers replaced. While I was at it she asked me to make a pattern of these skirts also. She is heading out on a mission and would like a few replicas made. |
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| The tie belt on this Jenny's blouse ripped out. Can you tell where? You have to look really close to see it. It was a really obvious rip before I got to it. Most small rips and tears are just $5 to fix. Some are even cheaper. |
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| The thread in the whole backside seam of these boardshorts had disintegrated leaving it open from waist to crotch. Yikes! A little time and three rows of stitching later they are good as new again and ready for the big waves. $5. |
Freshening Up Old Jeans
Kids grow so fast and clothes are so expensive. That's why I try to make things last as long as possible. I repair. I rework. I resize. Today I was doing a little of each with some old pairs of jeans.
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| These jeans still fit around the waist but had become too short. She wanted to turn them into capris. To give the new hem a little pizzaz I triple stitched the hem with three different colors of thread giving it an ombre effect. |
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| Another set of new shorts made from last year's holey school jeans. The back pair are double stitched with two colors of thread to match the topstitching around her pockets. The front pair have a fun cross-stitch look to them. |
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| These jeans had a small stain on the backside. For fun we decided to applique this heart over the top. Looks so much better. |
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| Another appliqued heart on a different pair of jeans this time covering up a tear over the pocket. |
Hems, Vests and a Formal
I am taking it slow this week as I am coming off of Girls Camp and getting ready to leave for a month on the mainland. I am altering several pairs of slacks changing hem length and taking in the waists. I am making a custom vest for Elder Henderson to wear to a Chinese wedding. And I am altering a formal dress for Miss Hea who will be a last minute bridesmaid for her cousin's wedding this weekend. The dress was ordered for someone else but they will not be able to make it. I will be taking up the shoulders and taking in the side seams.
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Do you have clothes that don't fit you quite right? Consider getting them altered. Check out my price lists for more information.
Enactus Team alterations
What is with all these orders from China lately? They all seem to be coming in poorly sized. But hey, I'm not complaining because they are giving me a LOT of business.
This week I am altering the new business suits for BYUH's Enactus Team. Some of the suits came in perfect but four of them were off, WAY OFF. I'm glad they called because now they look fantastic. Good Luck in Kansas City!
This week I am altering the new business suits for BYUH's Enactus Team. Some of the suits came in perfect but four of them were off, WAY OFF. I'm glad they called because now they look fantastic. Good Luck in Kansas City!
Bridal Alterations: Mari
Congratulations to Mari on your recent wedding! Thank you for asking me to help you with your alterations. To make the dress perfect we took in the side seams, fixed a pucker in the lace and did some work to the train and hem. Best Wishes to you!
Bridal Alterations for Stacey
I enjoyed working with the Beautiful Stacey to make her wedding dress perfect. We took in the side seams and darts, adjusted the sleeves, took up the hem and repaired a few small holes in the lace. While we were at it we decided to add a simple bustle to make dancing a bit easier. Congratulations Stacey and Best Wishes in your new life together!
Prom Alterations and a Custom Dress
I've been very busy this week spitting out Prom dress alterations and a custom dress. I have sure enjoyed working with these girls and hope they enjoy their special night.
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| Miss Kaitoku had modesty sleevelets added and the hem adjusted. |
A Young Man's First Suit
This should really be titled My Young Man's First Suit. This is my son Heath. Last week he purchased his first suit to wear to prom. He decided he'd rather spend his hard earned $250 on a new suit rather than waste $100 on a one night tux rental. Smart kid. He plans to wear his new suit to church on a regular basis and he's hoping that he'll be able to wear it on his mission. He will be heading out for that in about a year.
This is him at home before alterations. We intentionally bought this suit just slightly too big so he had room to grow into it a bit. We measured him for a 40, which would have fit him like a glove. We bought him a 42 Regular, which still fit him beautifully. The length was perfect, the sleeves were perfect, only the body of the suit needed to come in. I took that in through the center back seam.The slacks didn't need much work either. I took in the waist 4 inches and tapered that through the seat. I hemmed the slacks with a basic, handstitched tapered hem.
The suit was purchased from Nordstrom's Rack and was on clearance. It is a Steel Grey Calvin Klein.
The details: He purchased the shirt and tie also from Nordstroms Rack. I made him this beautiful vest to match his date's dark pink sequined dress. The vest has a full back, is fully lined and has hand made covered buttons. His very favorite part of the whole ensemble though was his pink pocket square, also made by me.
This is him at home before alterations. We intentionally bought this suit just slightly too big so he had room to grow into it a bit. We measured him for a 40, which would have fit him like a glove. We bought him a 42 Regular, which still fit him beautifully. The length was perfect, the sleeves were perfect, only the body of the suit needed to come in. I took that in through the center back seam.The slacks didn't need much work either. I took in the waist 4 inches and tapered that through the seat. I hemmed the slacks with a basic, handstitched tapered hem.
The suit was purchased from Nordstrom's Rack and was on clearance. It is a Steel Grey Calvin Klein.
The details: He purchased the shirt and tie also from Nordstroms Rack. I made him this beautiful vest to match his date's dark pink sequined dress. The vest has a full back, is fully lined and has hand made covered buttons. His very favorite part of the whole ensemble though was his pink pocket square, also made by me.
Kahuku Prom
Taylor
Taylor purchased her dress online through Amazon. I added over the shoulder and full back--with keyhole at center back--modesty sleevelets. I also took in 6 inches! through center back. Lastly, I steamed the dress to get out all the packaging wrinkles (the dress arrived in nothing more than a plastic bubble wrap envelope). The dress was very long for her but to avoid having to hem it she wore 4 inch heels. Wow! Doesn't she look beautiful.
Aleena
Aleena found her dress at Ross and wanted to add some simple cap sleeves. The only material should could find that was close to matching was netting. I made her cap sleeves out of three layers of netting with the middle layer being a sparkly glittery netting that really made the dress and Aleena shine.
Tiare
Tiare also ordered her dress online. It fit her beautifully with the exception of the hem. I took it up 4 inches through the waist. We chose to do the hem through the waist because the dye in the skirt is graduated and we wanted to retain as much dark on the bottom of the skirt as possible. At her request I also added some simple over the shoulder gathered modesty sleevelets. What a lovely young lady!
I have a few more prom dresses coming up for next months Kamehameha Prom. Stay tuned . . .
Prom Dress Alterations
Prom Dress orders have been coming in like wildfire this week. I've been adjusting hems, taking in side seams and adding modesty panels and sleeves for these young ladies. I will be meeting them over at the temple for pictures on Thursday and will post pics then. I'm so excited! They all look so beautiful!
Backstage Pass: Little Women
Just a few of the pictures I took from backstage. I'm hoping to get some better on-stage shots from the director soon.
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| The Hag. Costume designed by my student Shannon. Repurposed materials from other costumes. |
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| Meg's Ballgown. Sewn by me and embellished by students. |
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| Professor Bhaer. Rented costume |
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| Chorus member Tiffaney for the ball scene. All items were found in our costume closet and altered to fit. |
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| Aunt March. Costume items found in closet and altered to fit. Added dark trim to bottom and around hood. Students made the feather headpiece. |
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| Chorus members Ben and Jacob ready for the ball scene. Suits from closet. They were in bad condition and we had to fix them up a bit using a lot of Sharpie and a little thread. |
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| Chorus Member Preston ready for the ice skating scene. All costume items from "the closet". |
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| Mrs. Kirk. Items taken from closet and altered to make her look twice her size. Pocket added on apron to hold Jo's telegram from home! |
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| The troll (not yet in full makeup) Costume Designed by student Rebecca. |
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| Meg's daydress. This dress was designed to be worn before Meg is married (skinny) to when Meg is married and pregnant (pictured above), and she wears it after giving birth as well (when she looks a bit plumper than in the beginning. A fun dress to design and build. Students embellished it. |
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| Aunt March when she comes back from Paris. I designed and built this one too. The actress is giving me her best disdainful Aunt March pout in this pic but just after I shot it she twirled around, smiled, and said this is my favorite costume I've ever worn in a play. |
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| Clarissa. Costume was from the closet but was dramatically altered for her onstage stunts. She has two tear away sleeves and a tear away bustled train. She also has some alterations to make it easier for her to sword fight and we tore out several underlayers of the dress so she wouldn't trip and stumble. |
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| Jo is a very difficult person to get a picture of backstage because she is usually not there. She is onstage the majority of the play. This dress is her opening costume and was from the closet and then embellished by students. She also had a ballgown and another daydress that were both made new (by me) for this play. |
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| Amy (with Aunt March in the background) wearing her "back from Paris" dress. You can't see it in this picture but this dress sparkles under the lights. It is trimmed in pearled and sequined lace and looks so fancy on stage. It also has a big bustled butt and has such a nice silhouette from the side in her scene with Laurie.This is one of five costumes that Amy wore in the play and the actress said this is her favorite. Because she changes so often none of her costumes have real buttons they are instead velcro'd shut. |
Hemming Up Miss North Shore Oahu
Not the best pictures of my handiwork but fabulous pictures of Kahuku's own Miss North Shore Oahu. Congratulations Dezarae!
For more about the work I did on this dress please see my post Emergency Pageant Dress Alterations.
Alterations for Weight Loss
It seems to be the season for losing weight. I've been kept quite busy altering suits and trousers, shirts and skirts lately. Having your favorite clothes altered for your new size is a great way to celebrate your success!
Most clothes can be altered down at least 2 sizes. So if you used to be a size 16 ladies dress I can probably alter that dress down to your new size 12 body. If you used to have a 38 inch waist I can most definitely alter your suit pants down to a 34 and sometimes even lower.
In most cases the real limiting factor is the expense of the alterations. Taking in the dress can run $10-$20 or more. If it is a nice dress, one you love that is good quality then $20 is so worth it. Slacks or trousers will be about $20 also. Suit jackets start at $35 for taking some fabric out through the back.
If you've lost weight recently and are interested in getting your clothes altered to fit your new fit body give me a call. I'd love to see what I can do to help you out.
Most clothes can be altered down at least 2 sizes. So if you used to be a size 16 ladies dress I can probably alter that dress down to your new size 12 body. If you used to have a 38 inch waist I can most definitely alter your suit pants down to a 34 and sometimes even lower.
In most cases the real limiting factor is the expense of the alterations. Taking in the dress can run $10-$20 or more. If it is a nice dress, one you love that is good quality then $20 is so worth it. Slacks or trousers will be about $20 also. Suit jackets start at $35 for taking some fabric out through the back.
If you've lost weight recently and are interested in getting your clothes altered to fit your new fit body give me a call. I'd love to see what I can do to help you out.
Emergency Pageant Dress Alterations
I got another panicked call this week: another mail order dress that didn't fit. Mari from Kahuku received the dress in the mail on Monday and desperately needed it ready for her daughter's pageant on Saturday. We quickly pulled our calendars together and made arrangements to meet.
Her daughter looked lovely in the aqua gown but the problem was immediately apparent: the dress was 5 inches too long even with heels on! The triple layer chiffon with a specialty hem treatment was the second problem. This dress could not be taken up by the hem. We quickly decided the simplest solution would be to take it up through the waist.
So this week I took the dress apart. I totally dismantled the skirt from the bodice. I took out the zipper. I chopped 5 inches off the length from the waist. I regathered the dress onto the bodice. I replaced the zipper. And then I restitched the lining in place. Viola! It fit perfect and she won Miss Congeniality!
Congratulations Dezarae!
Mail Order dresses can be a great deal especially from reputable dealers. (Dezarae bought hers from Amazon). But even the best dresses often need an alteration or two. When ordering a dress be sure to order it early enough to get alterations if necessary. Dezarae was so very lucky I had any time to fit her in. If you have ordered a dress and need some alterations give me a call, formals are my favorite kind of work!
Her daughter looked lovely in the aqua gown but the problem was immediately apparent: the dress was 5 inches too long even with heels on! The triple layer chiffon with a specialty hem treatment was the second problem. This dress could not be taken up by the hem. We quickly decided the simplest solution would be to take it up through the waist.
So this week I took the dress apart. I totally dismantled the skirt from the bodice. I took out the zipper. I chopped 5 inches off the length from the waist. I regathered the dress onto the bodice. I replaced the zipper. And then I restitched the lining in place. Viola! It fit perfect and she won Miss Congeniality!
Congratulations Dezarae!
Mail Order dresses can be a great deal especially from reputable dealers. (Dezarae bought hers from Amazon). But even the best dresses often need an alteration or two. When ordering a dress be sure to order it early enough to get alterations if necessary. Dezarae was so very lucky I had any time to fit her in. If you have ordered a dress and need some alterations give me a call, formals are my favorite kind of work!
Upcycled Skirts: Alterations for Kids
After some playing and fussing and testing and tugging we decided that it would make a perfect skirt. It was so super easy to do. It already had a zipper down the back and was fully lined. We took advantage of these two characteristics. We cut the skirt off 2.5 inches above the gather (just under the arm holes), turned the raw edges of the shell and lining towards each other and topstitched around the top. We ended up with a nice waistband, a usable invisible zipper, a nice long skirt and even the ribbon belt from the original. She was sooooo happy with the end result. It took me a grand total of 8 minutes to complete it.
We found the cute top/shrug/necklace combo at Ross in Mililani for a grand total of $5.99. Cora was so very happy with her super cute outfit.
Afton never owned this cute skirt. It was mine. I had it out one day because I was contemplating cutting it down 6 sizes to fit my newly fit bod. She instantly fell in love with the bias cut lightweight wool plaid and insisted she needed it more than I did. So I cut it down 10 sizes instead of 6.
Because of the oh-so-forgiving bias cut we didn't have to move darts or anything for her. We simply chopped a ton of fabric off each side seam, serged the new edges, adjusted the hem at the side seam to accommodate and adjusted the waistband too. It was a 20 minute job. She topped it off with this cute top and belt combo that she found at Ross for $7.99.
Men's Suit Alterations
It's been a busy month here at Sew Laie. Not only have I been sewing and enjoying the last bit of summer with my kids but I've also been moving. We moved one block over to Moana Street, the curvy side. Our new house has a bigger yard for the kids and a larger sewing area. It is just what we needed.
Men's Suit Alterations
I don't have pictures to show but I am so happy with the work I did on a couple of men's suits. The owner lost over 20 pounds (!) and needed his suits to get him through to his goal weight of another 25 pounds down. No sense in buying a new suit when you won't be staying the same size for long.One of the suits was originally a 41 inch waist and I was taking it down to a 35. To do this the pants had to be recut. A recut is a major endeavor in which the pants are completely disassembled, cut down to the new size, and then reassembled. The other suit was being taken down from a 38 inch waist to a 35 so it only needed the waist, seat and inner thigh altered.
Though the jackets could have used a shoulder adjustment the owner decided it just wasn't worth the expense to do it. He did have the sleeves taken up and the side seams tapered and vents adjusted though and these alterations greatly improved the jackets.
Congratulations Dave (Yes, my husband) for your progress and best wishes as you continue working toward your goal. I'm looking forward to altering three new suits when you get there.
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Did you just buy a new suit? Buy a suit at a yardsale? Have you lost weight and your suits no longer fit you right? Check out my Menswear Alterations Pricing.
Online Ordered Wedding Dress Disaster Averted
This lovely bride thought her dreams were shattered when she opened the dress she ordered online from China. The price was too good to resist but what she got was a dress that was too small through the hips.
Taking in a wedding dress that is too big is quite common; in fact most dresses that come to me for alterations come in to have the side seams taken in. Letting out a dress is a bit more complicated because you are limited by the amount of fabric in the side seams.
She needed more than 2 1/2 inches added into the hipline and surprisingly I was able to meet the challenge. We lucked out with the princess seaming and bigger than normal seam allowances. It is tight but it zips and she looks fabulous don't you think?! (and she just got home from work before this final fitting)
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If you need alterations done on your wedding dress check out my Bridal Alterations Price List and contact me. I'd love to discuss what I can do to help you look your best on your special day.
Prom Alterations
- I took in the sides through the armpit, this of course includes also taking in the lining--which means I took in four side seams not two.
- Minor adjustments to the built in bra and corset.
- I redistributed the extra fabric taken in on the sides to the gathered waist from just before the side seams all the way around to the back zipper. This was also done to the lining.
- I shortened the sleeves through the back and added a hidden shoulder strap under the beaded sleeves. The straps added extra support so the weight of the beads wouldn't stretch the sleeves and make them flop off her shoulders.
- I added additional beadwork as designed by the client to the sleeves including pearls and Swarovski crystals provided by the client. This took fully half of the alteration time.
- I took up the hem on the chiffon over dress, the satin under dress and the polyester lining and used horsehair braid on the hem for added structure to the hemline. I tapered the new hemline to the existing train.
- I made a simple hidden hook bustle to accommodate dancing.
The end result was a beautiful dress on a beautiful girl. Hope she had fun!
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