Wedding Alterations!

A friend who was getting married earlier this month asked me to do her wedding dress alterations.  It was a three part job: hem the front skirts shorter, create a 5-point bustle for the back, and shorten the shoulder straps.  The hemming was basic, and the bustling routine, but the shoulders were interesting, and would make a good tutorial. 

SHORTENING SHOULDER STRAPS ON A LINED AND BEADED GOWN

First, while the bride was wearing the dress, I found the shoulder seam at the top of the shoulder, and started my pinning there.  I pinned the excess fabric out, until it fit properly. 

Then, later, I used red thread to trace the place where my pins were.  When I took the pins out, the red lines showed me my new seam lines. 

Next, using a seam ripper and small scissors, I unpicked the shoulder seam.  There were three layers of fabric that needed to part: the lace top layer needed to be cut; the satin seam needed to be unpicked; and the lining seam needed to be unpicked.  There was also a strip of gummy non-slip stuff sewn over the edge, which I had to cut through. 

Once the shoulders were entirely separated, I pinned the outer layer (satin and lace) together at the new seam lines, right sides together. 

This picture on the left shows the multiple layers.  Right now, I'm only interested in the outer layers; I simply pinned the lining fabric out of the way.  I don't yet remove the red tracing thread. 

And here's the newly-sewn seam!  I remove the red thread just by pulling it, or snipping it where it got caught in the seam.  It's easy to see against the white. 

Finally, I turn the shoulder inside out, tuck all my seam allowances away neatly, and close the lining with slip-stitches, by hand. 

Two important notes.  First, when I cut the lace which overlay the original seam, I had to also cut through the threads sewing some beads and sequins on.  I gently pulled the sequins and beads off so they wouldn't bulk up the new seam allowances, and tied off the threads so the beads still on the gown wouldn't fall away.  Second, I didn't trim the seam allowances down, because a future bride might have a longer torso, and the future seamstress might need those seam allowances to make the shoulder straps long again!  For the same reason, I put the leftover sequins and beads in a little baggie and kept them with the dress. 

THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE