Robes de Coeur
  • Blog
  • Quilting
  • Clothing
    • Menswear
    • Womenswear >
      • Self-Made Patterns
      • Commercial Patterns
    • Hats
    • Miscellany
  • About
  • Blog
  • Quilting
  • Clothing
    • Menswear
    • Womenswear >
      • Self-Made Patterns
      • Commercial Patterns
    • Hats
    • Miscellany
  • About

Regalia Alteration

12/21/2017

2 Comments

 
Christmas is almost here, so let's have a festive post!  And what could be more festive than dance... in a dress covered in ribbons! 

A few months back, my client was all set to go to Powwow when she realized that her ribbon dress, part of her regalia, was a bit harder to get into than she remembered.  The ribbon dress is a simple dress that is pulled on over the head.  It can be a T-tunic style, or constructed with a yoke.  The problem in this case was that the area under the arms was tight.  If you have mobility issues (like a frozen shoulder) or a little extra weight, it's hard to pull something over your head that is tight around the arms.  She wanted to be able to dress herself without getting stuck and having to call for help! 
Picture
Since the dress fit fine once it was on, I decided to simply open up a side seam and insert a zipper.  This dress has a yoke top that extends over the shoulders into cape-like sleeves.  Now, the skirt attaches to the yoke at front and back in the usual way (plus fringe), but things get interesting under the arm, where the sides of the skirt go under the cape-like sleeve. 

(I did this alteration to three dresses, but only took pictures of one.  The different fabric colors you see are a result of flash/no-flash photography: in reality, it's all one dress in the following sequence!)
Picture
First, a look at the original underarm area.  On the left of the picture (falling off my ironing board) is the yoke-cum-sleeve area. On the right you see the rectangular side panel of the skirt that is sewn all the way up to where the yoke joins the dress.  Then under the cape-like sleeve, the top of the rectangle is simply tacked to the lining.  Modesty is important in regalia: this extra tack makes the bottom of the armscye high enough to prevent indecency when the wearer raises her arms in dance. 
Picture
So I ironed the seam allowances open, then took a zipper and pinned it right over the seam.  I didn't open the seam up yet; it was still sewn.

In this picture, you're looking at the inside of the seam and the inside of the zipper. 
Picture
Then I sewed the zipper in place: down one side, reinforce the bottom, and up the other. 
Picture
Using a seam ripper, I opened the seam up, starting above where I'd reinforced the bottom of the zipper. 

Below, you can see the zipper opened and closed.  I also unsewed the tack that holds the top of the rectangle to the lining of the sleeve. 
Picture
zipper open
Picture
zipper shut
Picture
Finally, I replaced the tack with a hook and eye.  I did this to the side seam on each side, so each dress got two zippers to make it easier to don. 

Below is a picture of the dress on the hanger.  We're peeking under the arm, so you can see how the construction comes together. 

Now she can get into her regalia without a struggle! 
Picture
I had never worked on Native American regalia before; it was interesting!  And colorful! 

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!  And if you don't, well, I hope you have the day off anyway! 
2 Comments
The Sister
12/28/2017 08:02:42 am

A quick and simple solution! Nicely done, sister mine.

Reply
Karen Roy link
12/28/2017 10:18:02 am

Thank-ee very muchly! (she says, though she's totally not on the computer, because she's totally concentrating on her work!)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Karen Roy

    Quilting, dressmaking, and history plied with the needle...

    Categories

    All
    1910's
    Alteration
    Antique
    Dyeing
    Embroidery
    General
    Hand Sewing
    History
    Lacemaking
    Mending
    Menswear
    Millinery
    Modern Elizabethan
    Musing
    Other Sewing
    Philippians 4:8
    Project Diary
    Quilting
    Regency
    Retro
    Self Made Pattern
    Self-made Pattern
    Terminology
    Victorian
    Vintage

    Blogs I Read

    The Dreamstress
    Male Pattern Boldness
    ​
    Lilacs & Lace
    Tom of Holland
    Fit for a Queen
    Line of Selvage
    Mainely Menswear
    Bernadette Banner

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    RSS Feed

Blog

Quilting

Clothing

About

Copyright Karen Roy
​© 2017-2022