Make a long one from a short leather skirt. How to beautifully lengthen a dress - the most original and simple ideas. How to lengthen a half-sun skirt - patterns and tips. How to beautifully lengthen a knitted dress

165393 03/18/2019 7 min.

And the most wonderful dress sometimes needs reconstruction: has it shrunk after washing, has it turned out to be uncomfortable to wear, has the hem been damaged (torn, stretched out, has a stain), is it something that has retained its appearance but has not had time to “grow” with the teenager, or does the style need to be remade for .

Get the outfit, material, sewing tools. Activate your sewing talent and get ready to create magic!

There is a more labor-intensive, but interesting option, when the lower part of the skirt is cut off as evenly as possible at a level of 5-10 cm from the hem. The insert is used to reconnect the cut to the main part.

Sometimes an additional scattering of rhinestones, sequins or beads is used in lace knitting. A dress with such decor may well be suitable as a dress.

Sometimes ultramini length is unacceptable - use light lace

Translucent canvas adds solemnity and gloss to the image

Playing with contrasts: an additional stripe

If you need to add about 10-20 cm to the length, use a similar fabric in a contrasting color: sew a white or bright yellow stripe to black, and black to red. You can get creative by making a canvas of stripes of different colors and widths. The simplest thing, if the texture of the product allows, is to connect thick satin ribbons.

An original way to lengthen an outfit is to wear a strip of artificial elastic leather (matte or patent leather) or translucent fabric.

As an option, make the bottom variegated, but for harmony you should add an element from the same fabric. This outfit can be ideal if you choose.

Inserts on the sleeves and along the hem look organic and interesting

The first method is at chest level:

  • make a brooch in the form of a decorative bow or flower;
  • tie an elegant scarf around your neck, like Maya Kristalinskaya’s;
  • attach a patch pocket;
  • sew buttons covered with fabric for insertion.

The second way is to transform the sleeves by changing:

  • the length of the insert, similar in color or style to the one that will be placed along the hem;
  • cuffs, completely replacing them or creating new ones;
  • style, adding patch pockets;
  • button tightness.

The black insert made the knitted outfit more stylish

We work at waist level

Changing the length of an outfit for one reason or another is possible not only along the hemline. More labor-intensive, but no less interesting work is also possible along the waistline.

When transforming a sheath dress, difficulties will arise with altering the darts. They need to be unraveled and a yoke made of fabric similar to that from which the product is sewn.

If the skirt is wide, then it can be easily pulled down. The simplest thing is to take a thick knitted fabric and sew it between the upper and lower parts of the clothing, which can be separated by a belt. It is extremely important to know how.

The ideal insert can be obtained from a piece of fabric identical to the main product

The upper part of the insert should correspond to the waist circumference. The bottom one needs to be taken a little wider. It is better to make the insert from two trapezoidal pieces. Then the item will fit well.

A yoke is not necessarily a rectangle. The central part of both the upper and lower sections is sharpened, and at the same time appropriate changes are made to the cut of the product.

Look for incredibly stylish formal dresses that suit all body types.

Shuttlecocks

Fluffy ruffles are ideal for a straight skirt or a tight knitted outfit.

The flounces and train are an excellent tandem

Shuttlecock mounting options:

  • directly along the front side of the skirt, when the cut lines of the flounces are decoratively processed and remain outside, the hem line appears under the insert;
  • The upper cut of the flounces is attached to the skirt from the inside. The hem will be on the front side;
  • the edge of the hem and flounces are aligned on the front side. The connecting seam will be on the inside.

Flounces are obtained by loosely casting the edge of a rectangular fabric onto a thread and then attaching it to the main fabric. You can make one layer or several.

Translucent case

The translucent case is sewn from the appropriate material - organza, chiffon. A rectangular cut can be stitched along the edges and sewn to a thick elastic band, which can be easily hidden under a decorative belt. But it will take more time and effort than a case.

A translucent case will transform even the most modest outfit

You can make a translucent wrap skirt with a wide belt that wraps around the waist. This will add lightness to your outfit. Particularly well suited.

The element creates the illusion of length and looks very original.

How to beautifully lengthen a knitted dress

Knitwear tends to stretch. Therefore, an outfit made of this material must be lengthened either through a cut at the waist with a corresponding insert, or through a neat extension of the hem.

The insertion method is also suitable for knitwear

It is important to pay attention to the weight of the piece being sewn: the knitwear will not support the fabric that is too heavy and will sag.

The work is performed with special needles for knitwear. Otherwise, holes will appear first, which will eventually turn into arrows.

For natural knitwear, for example, the insert fabric should also be non-artificial. In cases where only a few centimeters need to be added, elastic lace is added.

Modern craftswomen and beauties will be interested in reading about fashionable staple dresses in the Russian style.

If you are good at crocheting, you can turn the outfit into a masterpiece: using the hem threads as a base, tie the lace to the required length. If you have the skills and the design matches the model, pay attention to Irish lace, where separately knitted elements come together to form a unique pattern. Using the same materials, you can...

Short knitwear will be decorated with expressive lace

A knitted dress looks great, tailored exactly to your figure, with a light fluffy skirt made of chiffon, tulle, or organza.

Non-standard solutions will help you make your mini longer:

  • sew a piece of fabric, gathering it at the seams;
  • sew the “belt”, leaving part for the decorative knot;
  • calculate an eight-piece skirt, where instead of the waist size, take the width of the hem. Such an insert is also made into the floor. If the toilet is an evening one, add a train, making the back wedges longer.

How to lengthen the back of a dress

If there is a harness at the back, it can be played around through the wedge insert. This element can be transformed into a lush train if you sew voluminous flounces on it.

As a result of improper washing or accidental damage, products lose their original appearance. And sometimes a favorite thing simply becomes small over time. To update your wardrobe, you don't have to throw away your old clothes. Skirts and dresses can be lengthened. This can be done by lengthening the hem or adding decorative elements to the bodice and waist. Using a little imagination, you can create a new model based on the old one and emphasize the advantages of the figure.

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    Ways to lengthen a skirt or dress

    To lengthen a dress or skirt, you can use inserts made of fabric that either matches the color or texture, or looks contrasting. One of the following methods is suitable for this:

    • hem of the product;
    • adding lace to the bottom;
    • trim the hem with another fabric;
    • layering of transparent fabrics such as tulle, organza, light lace;
    • decoration with frills, flounces, folds, fringe;
    • sewing on a train;
    • adding a cape to the skirt area;
    • insert in the middle of the skirt;
    • sewing fabric at the waist;
    • inserts under the bust.

    Hem design

    The easiest way to lengthen a skirt or dress is to unravel the folded edge of the hem. This can only be done if there is enough fabric folded underneath. If the product has a straight cut or tapers at the bottom (for example, a pencil skirt), you can carefully rip the folded edge and steam it with an iron. A braid should be placed along the resulting cut or additional tape should be attached to it, which can be hemmed.

    A fashion trend is lace or fringe sewn onto the bottom of the skirt. Lace can be bought in a store or woven with your own hands. A shirt dress made from natural fabrics should be decorated using lace made from thin cotton threads or hemstitching.

    A short dress can be lengthened using another fabric with variegated colors. Material with polka dots, stripes, floral prints and other patterns is suitable. In order for the lower part of the product to harmoniously combine with the upper, you need to design not only the bottom, but also the details of the sleeves, neck or collar in a similar way, or make an insert from decorative fabric. If there is no need to radically change the appearance of the product, you can limit yourself to a pocket or a bow.

    You can lengthen the outfit using flounces, frills or folds. To do this, you need to cut a strip of fabric of the required width. The length of the frill should be 2 times longer than the hem of the skirt. This will make it possible to make the frills or folds more magnificent. To make a flounce, you need to stitch the edge of the cut, then gather it evenly on a thread and sew it to the bottom of the product. Seam cuts need to be processed using an overlocker or manually and ironed.

    Making inserts on the skirt

    You can lengthen the product by making original inserts from a different fabric. To do this, you need to cut off the hem of the skirt or dress, and from another fabric, cut out a strip of the required length and width and stitch it between the two parts of the skirt. An option in which the insert will be slightly narrower than the lower part will look more impressive. If the model has a flared skirt, then it is recommended to cut the additional fabric in the form of a trapezoid with an extension downwards.

    As decoration, you can make several inserts of the same or different widths. Additional details of different colors will look unusual - a pocket, a flower or a bow made of the same fabrics at the top of the product.

    Lengthening the product at the waist

    For this method of lengthening, it is necessary to rip the dress open at the junction of the bodice and skirt. Darts should be opened and carefully ironed. Next, you can begin making a decorative belt. From a piece of fabric you need to cut a strip of the required length and width, and then sew it between the upper and lower parts of the clothing, thus lengthening the bodice. If the dress is one-piece, you need to accurately measure the distance on both sides of the product (along the side seams at the top and bottom), set control points and make an insert.

    The original option would be to insert it in the form of a belt. To do this, in addition to inserting the main piece of fabric, you need to add an additional element in the form of a bow or fastener at the front or back.

    It is recommended to make inserts in the waist area from opaque fabrics, since the emphasis on this detail of the dress can visually add volume. To highlight the waist, you can use materials in darker colors or fabrics with vertical patterns.

    High waist

    By making an original insert, you can not only increase the length, but also change the style. A regular flared dress can easily be transformed into a Greek style piece by adding an element under the bust. To do this, open all the darts, if any, and steam them thoroughly. Next, you should cut out the insert of the desired size and carefully stitch it.

    If the width of the skirt itself is not enough for free volume, additional vertical inserts are a good idea. To do this, it is recommended to cut them in the form of trapezoids, flared downwards. Perhaps one such element at the front will be enough. This way you can expand your maternity dress. Your rounded belly will hide under your coattails, and you won’t have to spend money on a new wardrobe.

    Bodice extension

    The product can be lengthened in the bodice area by sewing a piece of fabric to the upper part. When designing, it is necessary to provide sufficient volume for the décolleté area. It can be ensured by a bow gathered in the center of the chest or a horizontal flounce with an elastic band or straps. If the dress has a straight silhouette with open shoulders, you can sew a horizontal stripe at the armpit level.

    How to lengthen a knitted dress

    If a knitted dress has become short, it can be lengthened using lace, wide braid or suitable fabric. Satin inserts will look original. Knitted products have stretch properties, so the inserts should be much lighter than the main fabric. This must be taken into account if the hem is lengthened with knitted elements. In this case, you should choose thinner threads and an openwork type of weaving.

There are several ways to lengthen a skirt that turned out to be somewhat shorter than its owner expected. The main thing that determines the lengthening method is its style and the season in which you are going to wear it.

Perhaps the simplest and most popular method is the following. The bottom hem at the hem of the skirt should be unraveled and the factory hem seam should be opened. Then you need to carefully iron the folds formed after steaming, using an iron with a steam function and a piece of damp gauze. After this, you need to sew along the hem, along the very edge, a narrow strip of fabric that will lengthen the product. Then you should bend the sewn strip so that the stitch seam (the seam that connects the hem of the skirt and the edge of the strip of fabric) is 1-2 mm from the wrong side of the hem of the skirt. The product will gain an additional length of 1 to 3-4 cm, depending on the width of the factory hem.

The simplest option for lengthening a skirt is to use contrasting fabric, attached as an extension of the skirt to the hem. However, this method is good mainly for full summer skirts, because they look better with similar length additions. It is also noteworthy that you can lengthen the skirt either with a hidden seam, or by sewing the fabric directly over the existing product, gathering it slightly and finishing the edge with an overlocker. You can sew a beautiful braid over the new seam, and add lace to the edge of the skirt. To create the full feeling that this is exactly how it should have been originally, you should sew pieces of the same fabric or lace along the edge of the pockets or make a lace belt.

You can also lengthen the skirt by creating a new yoke, increased to achieve the desired overall length of the product. Fashionistas often use old ones for this. The result will be a fashionable skirt in a boho style, which is also relevant this year.

You can also lengthen a classic straight skirt using a yoke. But in this case, it is important to either cut out a yoke from the same fabric as the skirt, or a fabric more or less suitable in color and texture. In order to make a skirt in this way, it is necessary to rip the product apart at the seams and darts. And then, focusing on the existing parts, make a yoke of the desired shape, and then assemble the entire product at the seams. At the same time, we should not forget that for this type of narrow skirt it is better to leave a small vent, which allows the owner not to feel discomfort when walking.

A skirt can also be tied on if the owner of the product is familiar with the art of knitting or crocheting. This will give the item uniqueness and can make it the envy of some representatives of the fair sex.

A straight skirt made of light colored fabric can be lengthened by sewing a flounce at the bottom of the product, which can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. In this case, it is important not only to choose the right fabric, but also the length of the flounce, so that a pretty skirt does not turn out to be a thing that, looking at it, will say that its owner has no taste.

If you like experiments, then you can lengthen the pleated skirt by sewing a corset to it instead of an elongated yoke. A thin blouse made using knitting and sewn to a skirt also looks original - and now in front of you is not an old skirt, but a new dress.

A summer skirt made of light fabric also looks elegant, in which the edge of the hem is cut off and a strip of lace or other fabric is sewn into the resulting cut, and the cut edge of the hem is sewn back on. Depending on the need to lengthen the product by more centimeters than the width of the lace strip, 2-3 such cuts are made.

There are many options for lengthening a short skirt. Your own imagination and a certain courage of the owner of the updated elongated skirt will help you choose the right one.

Every woman wants to look stylish. But fashion trends change so quickly that it is quite difficult to keep up with them. For example, today short skirts are in fashion, but in just six months their length can increase significantly.

What to do? Change your wardrobe again? Completely optional. There are quite a lot of options on how to lengthen a skirt without spending a lot of effort and money. And you don’t need any special sewing skills for this. Long skirts, photos of which are presented in this publication, are quite consistent with fashion trends and will not break a big hole in the family budget.

Ways to lengthen a skirt

There are several ways to lengthen a skirt. Photos of each option will help you clearly understand what will happen in the end. Here are some common methods:

  • lace processing;
  • seam stitching along the hem;
  • adding stripes of contrasting fabric;
  • placing the skirt on the yoke;
  • execution of shuttlecocks;
  • fringed skirt design;
  • addition of a train;
  • layering of transparent fabrics;
  • inserts in the middle of the product;
  • belt extension;
  • making an additional petticoat.

Each of them is quite interesting and has the right to life. Each fashionista will decide for herself which method to use.

Hem processing

If you don’t know how to lengthen a skirt and don’t know how to sew very well, you can use the simplest option. It will make the product a couple of centimeters longer. You just need to rip open the folded edge of the hem and steam it thoroughly. If there is enough material, you can turn the edge over a little and stitch again. The skirt will become 1-2 cm longer. When there is little fabric and even a small hem is impossible, you can trim the edge with braid. You can also sew additional tape to the hem to create a hem.

An interesting way to finish the edge is fringe. Firstly, the bottom will look quite original, and secondly, such processing will add a few more centimeters to the product.

Don't know the skirt? Sew a beautiful flounce of variegated colors along the hem. Finishes with polka dots, stripes, floral or geometric prints look great. Making a shuttlecock is very simple. To do this, it is enough to cut a strip of material 2 times longer than the hem. One edge of the cut needs to be stitched, departing 0.5-1 cm from the cut, and then, pulling one of the threads, gather it evenly, forming beautiful folds. The finished flounce is sewn to the hem, and the cut is processed with an overlock or zigzag stitch.

If you need significant length, you can sew a mesh base to the hem of a short skirt. And then place the finished shuttlecocks on it in several rows.

Inserts

Here's another way to lengthen your skirt without much effort. It's a little similar to the previous one. In this case, an additional strip of material is inserted into the middle of the product.

Cut the hem of the skirt, retreating 5-10 cm from the hem. Take a strip of fabric of a different color and stitch it between the two pieces. Finish and press edges.

To make the skirt look more impressive, the insert needs to be made a little narrower than the cut off part of the hem. If a significant increase in length is required, several additional inserts of different colors and widths can be made.

Mesh, guipure or other translucent fabric looks very beautiful as an insert. It will add elegance and sexiness to your skirt.

Waist inserts

To lengthen the product using this method, you need to remove the belt from the skirt. Darts, if any, must also be opened and carefully steamed. From a material suitable in color and texture, you can cut out a new belt, wider than the previous one, and put the product back together.

A special elastic band 10-15 cm wide can also serve as a belt. It can be purchased at a fabric store. True, this option will look advantageous only if the skirt is quite fluffy and made of light fabric.

The next method is suitable for those who can sew quite well and have at least a little knowledge of patterns. This is how the length of a straight skirt or pencil style is corrected. Between the belt and the skirt you can insert a strip of suitable width made of the same material. You will get something like a coquette. Only the darts will need to be re-laid on it. Decorate the junction with a beautiful ribbon or braid and decorate with a bow.

Attention! Do not use lace for this purpose. It will visually add a few centimeters to your hips.

If the skirt is full enough or has pleats, it can also be placed on a yoke. Moreover, depending on its width, you can get completely different styles.

Second layer

How to lengthen a skirt with your own hands, without ripping out an existing product at all? Recently, tulle skirts have come into fashion. This is what we will use.

Take a piece of tulle or thin guipure of the required length and width 2 times the hem of the original skirt. Sew the end pieces together. You should end up with something like a “pipe” of transparent fabric.

Now fold the “tube” at one end and stitch it directly onto the miniskirt near the waistband. Ready. All that remains is to process the edge of the tulle.

Working with leather

How to lengthen a skirt made of leather? After all, this is a fairly delicate material, on which holes from a needle or ripped seams are very clearly visible. There are several options here.

Leather goes perfectly with mesh, thick guipure or rigid tulle. To prevent the holes from the opened seam from being too visible, it is best to apply decorative stripes on top.

Carefully, being careful not to damage the fabric, open the hem. Place the decorative element and carefully stitch, trying to get the needle into the existing holes. A decorative insert can also be made in the middle by cutting off the hem by a few centimeters.

The option with a yoke is not suitable for working with leather. Indeed, as a result, unsightly holes from a needle may form in the most visible places. It will be difficult to hide them. But the skirt will look very stylish if you decorate its hem with long thick fringe. And leather goes well with thick lace running along the hem. By the way, in this case the machine may not be needed at all. The lace is easy to glue with special glue.

This method of lengthening a leather skirt is suitable for those who know how to handle a crochet hook. Carefully open the hem at the hem, and then simply tie the skirt to the desired length, choosing a beautiful pattern. In exactly the same way, you can lengthen a short denim skirt. It will look very good.

Lace is always in fashion

Sometimes nothing else comes to mind but to lengthen the skirt with lace. This is a very simple and effective method, because chic woven patterns never go out of style. Weaving can be chosen to match or focus on contrast.

The job is very simple:

  • rip apart the hem and carefully steam the edge;
  • we process the cut using an overlocker or zigzag;
  • We place the lace strip on the front side of the fabric so that 1.5-2.0 cm is on the product, and the rest hangs freely;
  • We attach the decor along the hem and steam it.

Lace can also be stitched under the hem. In this case, you won’t even have to rip anything apart. The lace insert also looks nice.

Stylish train

Here's another rather interesting way to lengthen a denim skirt. The photo below will demonstrate the principle itself. The skirt can be absolutely anything, not just denim.

The essence of the method is that you don’t have to touch the main product at all. You just need to take a light fabric in a matching or contrasting color and cut out a beautiful train from it. Place it on a stylish belt and then simply fasten it at the hips over the main skirt. This way you get a two-in-one option. At any moment you can unfasten the train and again enjoy the trendy and modern mini.

By the way, you can make several trains from materials of different colors and textures and change them depending on your mood.

As you can see, lengthening a skirt yourself is not that difficult. There are a lot of options, and only you can decide which one to choose.