Friday, May 30, 2014

An Awesome Alterations Website

A friend brought this bridesmaid dress over on Wednesday. The shoulder strap needed to be taken up a couple of inches since the bodice was way too loose and gaping open. 

I had never attempted something like this and would've said 'no' to the request but my friend was desperate and the wedding is this Saturday! She also said she didn't care how it ended up; just so it fit! I took pity on her plight this time!

The bodice was of course fully lined requiring a lot more than just adjusting a strap! 

A quick Google search led me to this awesome tutorial at Sew For Dough. While the strap I was shortening was constructed a bit differently than the one featured in the tutorial, it was easy to follow and helped me tremendously! 

I couldn't figure out how to sew the side seams of the shoulder back together on the machine so I handstitched that part.  It ended up a little puckered on the underside but the front looks good.

Anyways, my main point of this post is to direct you to Sew for Dough if you need help with alterations. She has tons of detailed tutorials for just about any alteration project you might need to do! Lots of helpful hints for mending and knowing how to price your services if alterations are your thing and you'd like to turn it into a business too. 

I definitely prefer constructing new garments to doing alterations. We've taken Andy's suit jackets and pants to a local shop for alterations; I consider it money well-spent! But it's also nice to know how to do some myself if needed!

What about you? Do you alter everything yourself or pay for someone else to do it for you?

Thursday, May 08, 2014

Embellishing A Stained Shirt

One of my shirts got a stain on the front that I couldn't get out after multiple washings. 

I don't know what the spot even was but it does look a lot like snot, doesn't it? 

This shirt was a $1 yard sale find a couple of years back so I could've just tossed it. I really like it though so I decided to try to salvage it. 

It hung in my closet for a while before I finally came up with a cute solution. 

I got a handful of pink crocheted roses for 25 cents at a yard sale last Saturday. When I got home, I realized how cute one of those roses would look sewn onto the shirt to hide the stain. 

It took only a few minutes to sew sone scrap fabric leaves and the rose to the shirt. 

I love the results and I can keep wearing this shirt!  

Frugality and resourcefulness at its finest!