Sew on the dress case. The dress is small. What to do? Original ideas with photos

By purchasing ready-made clothes, many women quite often face the fact that the product seems to like it, but at the same time it sits on the figure far from being perfect. It is not possible to put on such a new thing right away, because first it needs to be “put” on the figure. If the cut of the clothes is not too complicated, it is possible to sew a dress according to the figure on your own.

First of all, you need to put on the purchased item and pay attention to how it sits on the figure. Perhaps somewhere it will seem free or even large. Perhaps something in the product you want to change altogether. So, for example, the considered elegant women's dress it turned out to be a bit wide in the hips, too big in the chest, I wanted to remove the finishing frill altogether, and change the shape of the neck from round to V-shaped.

At the first fitting, with the help of pins, the places where it is required to “remove” the volume were stabbed, and a new line of the neck of the shelf was also outlined.

If the product has a lining, you should pay attention to whether it flies or not. If the lining is detachable (that is, not sewn on the bottom of the product), as in the photo, then getting to the wrong side and the seams of interest to the product will not be difficult. If the lining is stitched, you will have to cut a small hole in one of its seams so that you can turn the product on the wrong side.

On the wrong side of the product, along the laid needles, you need to make marks with chalk or soap, along which the excess width should be taken.

This applies to the area in the hip area (the shelf and back will be climbed evenly), as well as in the chest area (in this case only part of the side part of the shelf will be climbed, while the central part will remain unchanged).

On the chalked lines you need to lay running lines. It is necessary to remove excess volume in the product simultaneously on both sides, that is, on the right and left hips, on both parts of the shelf in the chest area.


For the second fitting, in addition to the seams, you also need to prepare the neck. To do this, the product must be chipped into a basing, that is, folded in half inside out, combining shoulder and side seams, as well as sections of the neck, bottom, armholes.

On the laid needles, first with chalk, and then with a basting thread, lay a new neck line.

After these preparatory operations, you should try on the dress again, paying attention to its fit and new form necks.

If the corrected product, after 2 fittings, will sit perfectly, and everything in its appearance will please and suit, then you can proceed to the final stage of its fitting to the figure - processing all the nodes that have undergone adjustment.


The neck of the shelf should be ground, deviating from the intended line of the finished look by 5-7 mm (allowance for turning with a lining).

To prevent the neck from stretching out, it must be duplicated with an adhesive gasket. It will be enough to glue strips of adhesive 1 cm wide along the cut of the neck.

After basing the top of the dress, you need to adjust the lining. The product must be put on a mannequin or figure and the lining is stabbed along the established neck.

At this stage, it is important to pay attention that the lining lies naturally, does not tighten anywhere.


Excess lining should be trimmed flush with the neck of the top.


On the side and embossed seams products need to be machine-stitched, seam allowances overcast and ironed.

The lining of the dress must be folded with its top face to face, equalizing the cuts of the neck. For convenience, the layers of the dress can be chipped or swept away. After that, it is necessary to grind the neck with a seam of 5-7 mm.

The pins or running line must be removed, the corner in the ledge of the neck should be notched.


The dress must then be turned inside out. front side. The seam allowance of turning the neck must be fixed by stitching it on the lining (the so-called fluffing of the seam).

IN ready-made the neck of the dress must be ironed from the wrong side.


The purchased dress now fits the figure perfectly, which means it's time to think about where to wear it.

If the dress suddenly turned out to be not enough for you, you can give it new life. Don't know how to do it? We will advise you!

It happens that a dress appears in the wardrobe, which for some reason suddenly became small. There can be only two reasons: you have gained a little weight, or the fabric has shrunk after washing. Do not rush to give the outfit to a friend! We'll give you some ideas on how to fix the situation!

The dress is small. What to do?

Option 1 - lose weight

Nutritionists will simply advise you to lose a couple of pounds and fit into your favorite outfit. But what if for some reason you can't do it?

Option 2 - add lengths

Often the problem is short length attire. You can fix it various methods depending on the image and style:

  • sew frills to the hem to get a beautiful elegant dress for the celebration;

  • add a strip of material similar in structure and color. The insert can also be made at the waist, opening the seams of the transverse type;
  • you can add a lace insert at the waist or at the bottom;
  • an unusual effect is achieved with a bright fabric strip that contrasts with the base material;

  • from below, you can simply sew on tassels and fringe, beaded elements. So you get a playful and fun dress for the summer.

An evening dress can be corrected with guipure or mesh, which will make the image mysterious and magical. Satin with silk is also suitable.

Option 3 - how to alter the dress if it is small

First, you need to decide what you want to get in the end. And, of course, it all depends on the design of the dress, which is subject to alteration. If it is with numerous seams, reliefs, coquettes, this even simplifies the situation. You can simply insert any material between the seams. But in any case, the dress will have to be torn open.

After that, iron the seams well. Carefully remove all the threads from the previous seams. Next, decide on the material that you will use as an insert. You can use a similar basic one in texture or color, or you can play in contrast.

For example, take guipure or some kind of mesh. This will help not only solve the problem of size, but also add femininity and sexuality to your outfit. If you are afraid of exposed areas on the body, try using a double material. Now it is very fashionable to put mesh fabric on top of satin or silk. The flesh-colored fabric goes well with black guipure. You can take the fabric red and black. The effect will be just amazing!

If the dress has become small in a certain place, try to work it out. For example, for the chest, it can be advised to simply deepen the neckline or insert ribbons into the seam, intertwining them beautifully. If tight in the hips, you can try to insert wedges (triangular pieces of fabric). But if the dress is small at the waist, most likely, you can’t do without the help of a professional!

What to do if a new dress is not enough

If the dress is still new, or barely worn, you can simply rip open the undercuts and slightly reduce the seam allowances. Believe that due to such simple manipulations, you can significantly increase the dress in size.

To increase the length, you can sew an original frill to the bottom or cut it along the waist line and insert a strip of fabric into this place. Moreover, it may not be at all similar to the main material. The same fabric can be used to trim the sleeves or bodice of the product.

Remember that before sewing new fabric, it must be washed or ironed, be sure to steam it. This is done so that after finishing work new material did not shrink and did not spoil the whole appearance dresses.

Before starting work, be sure to carefully calculate all the patterns, taking into account allowances for seams and freedom of movement.

If you see that all your efforts do not bear any fruit, there is no need to suffer. You can just buy a new dress, no matter how much you love the old one. Another option is to take the product to the studio of a skilled craftsman. Surely you will be satisfied with the result! Perhaps you have original ideas in your arsenal of what to do if the dress is small? Share with us!

What if the dress has become large (small), its model is tired or outdated, the length has ceased to suit? Is it worth it to buy designer items in the wrong size or slightly outdated style at sales? Any dress can be altered, giving it a new life and beautifully fitting it to the figure.

Fitting the dress

Most clothing manufacturers, when tailoring, are guided by the standard range of volumes adopted for size. If a woman does not have a figure from this " standard set”, then there may be problems with the fit of the clothes. Which, however, are easy to fix.

To plant a dress simple cut it is enough to perform three actions on the figure:

  1. taper the side seams
  2. in problem areas, make tucks deeper
  3. carefully steam the darts.

A dress with a complex cut, which is distinguished by the presence of curly details, stitched shelves, peplums, is more difficult to alter. The algorithm of action here has four positions:

  1. rip dress
  2. details iron and steam
  3. scale down every detail
  4. stitch the seams again.

Attention! Silk, thin T-shirt knitwear, linen do not respond well to repeated stitching in the same places: holes may appear on the seams or loops may come down.

How to alter an old dress

If the fabric of the product is still strong, then the principle of altering the old thing is the same as when fitting new clothes.

If the dress is damaged, washed repeatedly, then more difficult work will have to be done. The main rules here are:

  • the item must be washed and ironed
  • places with damaged or thinned fabric are not altered
  • Threads and needles are used according to the type of fabric.

The options “collected” from several old or new dresses look interesting. Particularly interesting combinations of fabrics different texture. However, in order to correctly select and sew materials of various textures, you will need the talent of a fashion designer and certain technological knowledge. It will be easier to use the services of a professional tailor.

How to increase the size of the dress

The easiest way is to dissolve the side seams and darts. You need to rip very carefully so as not to damage the fabric. It is best to use a special tailor's tool. Then the threads are selected from the seams, and the fabric is carefully steamed with an iron. This is required to completely remove all traces of the old line. After, stepping back from the edge by at least 0.5-1 cm, the product is built up again. These centimeters will give an “increase” of 1-2 sizes.

And if you add new decorative details to the embroidered dress: side stripes, transparent cover from lace or mesh, undercut shelves, you can get a completely new thing.

Do not rush to throw away or give away old dresses. The current fashion is cyclical. Adding just a couple of modern details, you get a stylish designer piece.

If you are not confident in your abilities or do not have sufficient skills in altering or fitting a dress, you are welcome at the Mobile Tailor studio. Thanks to our service "", in your wardrobe every season there will be a lot of fashion novelties. And the cost of updating the wardrobe will be much less than if you just go shopping.

Admin 2012-07-12 at 2:22 pm

Dear beginner dressmakers, sometimes we have to solve such a problem: how to take in Wedding Dress , or how sew in a baby elaborate dress with lining and fluffy skirt. So you sit down and think about where to start? How and what? From this article you will learn how to solve this issue without wasting time. The whole job took me 4 hours.

Such dresses are made with the use of rigilen in the seams and at first glance it seems that it is difficult to alter this dress. Let's look at the steps, schematically, where to start, what you have to rip, which nodes to specific example, to fit the dress properly .

True, the dress will be for children, but the principle of its tailoring is also used in some wedding and evening dresses.


This dress the client asked to take in 6 cm in width in the total volume. What did we decide? Sew in the side seams, as this is the easiest and solves the problem of extra width along the lines of the chest, waist, hips. Where do we start? Of course, with unraveling.

Turn the dress inside out. You see the lining in the photo petticoat. Lift it up and you will see the stitching seam of the underskirt lining and the two layers of overskirt mesh.

Open the lining of the skirt and top skirts from the corset part of the dress, but not the entire skirt, but sections of about 10 cm in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe side seams.

And unzip the dress at the top, under the armpits. Also 10 cm.

Unlock the rigillen from the reserves of the side seams. IN this dress it is sewn to the stock of seams, without drawstrings, it will be easier for us to sew it in later.

Turn the bodice of the dress through the ripped seams of the skirt so that the entire side seam becomes accessible. draw with a simple pencil a new line of the side seam at a distance of 1.5 cm from the previous one and sew on the machine. Do the same with the lining.

Cut off excess from the side seam.

The neckline smoothly goes down from the chest to the back. Because of this, in side seam there was a slight mismatch top cut. What to do? From the chest to the back along the neckline, cut off the excess seam by folding the two side seams together for symmetry.

Now sew the rigillen in the same way as it was sewn on before. Iron the side seam.

The dress has decorative pleats on the chest. Pin them with pins so they don't warp.

Sew up the ripped sections along the neckline, continuing the intact lines.

Re-stitch the seam margins towards the lining with a seam width of 1 mm (you must also take into account