Is there anything we can do to make RTW necklines fit better and not droop to reveal a bra?
My neighbor, Rosie Two Shoes, had a family wedding to attend and she found the prefect dress except being petite, the bodice top exposed more then she wanted. You know the style, you grab the top of the shoulder seam and pull up about one inch (2 inches in total) until it sits properly.
Some seamstresses would be tempted to just take in that shoulder seam by stitching deeper into that seam and leaving the bulk inside or trimming it off…quick and easy right?
Sure, you can get away with it for one day but what about the fact it has a lining too which adds to the bulk?
There is another way to do the job that makes your neckline more flattering and comfortable so that you want to wear the dress again. Pinning out her shoulder seam reveals that one shoulder in lower than the other…so common in women. If you are right handed like me and my friend, chances are your right shoulder is the lower one as we use it to carry groceries, babies and our purses. In addition to this, the right hip will be higher if the waist seam has to be adjusted as well.
First, find the lining center back seam and open it up as this will be your entrance. Notice that the shoulder seam is gathered textured chiffon and the lining is pretty thick knit as formal clothes have these days.
Reach up inside to the shoulder seams and pull them out and thread trace the new seam line for the chiffon layer keeping the gathers/tucks. Notice the original tulle interfacing.
Do the same for the thick lining that has no gathers..
Compare the seams to make them match before stitching by machine.
Keep the small tucks and gathers as in the original.
After stitching, serge or trim off the excess for both.
Sew lining to the chiffon at armscye and neckline.
Pull the straps to the right side and notice that the lining is narrower so that it never shows when worn.
If you feel the need to replace the original understitching, it can be done by hand. It could also be done by machine but it would have been very fiddly.
Last thing to do is close the lining entrance with a serger or zigzag as the original.
You are done and ready to go to the party!
Another quick neckline fix is for my favorite Amazon rayon loose top. Sadly the front neckline is a deep “U” shape and reveals my bra, so I decided to snug it up by removing a wedge from just the front section.
By reducing the front section it actually makes the piece more on the straight of grain instead of bias = more stable.
It will keep me cool and covered as the weather is shifting into summer! For the next 7 days, our Pacific Northwest weather will be blasting out full summer temps. Good news for the tomatoes and squash but deadly for the sugar snap peas. At least the good thing is we have a 40 degree drop in the evenings to help cool the house down!
88° | 52°F
92° | 57°F
101° | 65°F
104° | 66°F
97° | 59°F
87° | 55°F
86° | 55°F
84° | 55°F
All this is a good reason to stay indoors and get some sewing projects started or finished! So stay cool my friends and drink fluids!!!