How to expand a dress on the sides with your own hands?

Even the most your favorite dress may be too tight. Or you decided to sew something, but didn’t calculate the pattern.

Problems can be with the bodice or in the abdomen or hips. Correction methods also depend on the location of the problem.

Expanding the dress using seams

Any clothing is unthinkable without seams. Depending on the type of material, seam allowances can reach from 0.5 to 2 centimeters. We leave the allowances minimal, rip out all the vertical seams - the middle one along the back and front, the side seams, and the raised seams.

In this way, you can get up to 5 centimeters of fabric. The more complex the cut of the dress, the more loose material there will be due to the seam.

Advice! To minimize allowances on elastic fabric, sew it with a narrow zigzag stitch or overlock it with an overlocker.

Expanding the bodice

The bodice needs to be made up of pieces, but so that the additions do not look like patches. Make sure that the longitudinal and transverse threads of the fabrics match.

If you do not follow the direction, then in this case the seam most often lies poorly.And this happens due to the fact that the fabric does not stretch along the lobar thread, but does stretch along the transverse thread. In addition, the transverse and longitudinal directions of the threads of matter often differ in color.

The slightest deviation in the direction of the threads leads to considerable “trouble”: the darts are deformed, which means the part will fit poorly, stretch or wrinkle.

In the picture you see a variety of bodices assembled from several parts.

Yoke

Suppose the bodice of the dress or blouse is short, in this case, the most suitable option is a yoke; it can be placed either in front on the shelf or in the back along the back.

Required:

• Fabric that is as similar as possible to the material of the dress or in a contrasting color.
• Scissors.
• Edge for processing if you want to emphasize the line of the yoke.

This technique is good for a one-piece shelf without reliefs.

Progress:

• We trace our item on paper to get a pattern.
• We note the detail of the future yoke.
• We outline folds and tucks, if necessary.
• We increase the length of the yoke by the amount necessary for the dress.
• We try on the paper version, it can be swept away.
• We cut out the yoke.
• Remove the top part of the shelf or back.
• We sew the yoke.
• Ironing.

Corsage belt

If you decide to lengthen the fitted bodice, then it is not necessary to make a yoke. It is best to treat the bottom of the bodice with a stitched corsage belt assembled from pieces.

The work is carried out similarly to the previous one, but in this case we work with the lower part of the bodice.

Inserts

When is a bodice too tight?, it is most convenient to make inserts in its middle or in its side parts (mod. 6,7).

The pattern shows the locations of darts and gathers, the direction of the grain thread and the configuration of the cut of the parts that make up the bodice.

Inserts along the entire length of the dress

If there is no identical fabric, give contrasting details! To make the item look harmonious, we make inserts not only on the sides, but also on the sleeves, shoulders or the lower part of the hem.

Progress:

• We outline where we will make additions.
• Cut out the dress fabric.
• We lay out the resulting parts on the fabric of the inserts.
• We shallow it, making allowances taking into account how many centimeters we need to expand the thing.

For example, you need 4 cm, one needs 2 cm. Along each edge of the insert - 1 cm:

• Cut out, don't forget the seam allowances.
• We sew in all the inserts.
• We steam the seams.
• Let's try it on.

Selecting fabric for inserts

The correct selection of fabric in this case is half the success:

• Try to choose fabric of the same thickness and density. Even if it is lace, the approximate thickness is still taken into account.
• Fabrics should require the same care.
• If you really like the top of the dress, but it is very narrow, make a blouse out of it, and use the skirt fabric for inserts.

Lacing

For the most daring and slender young ladies, lacing on the dress will be the way out.

Advice! Products with lacing look decent only if the holes for the lace are decorated with blocks. If you have a collet tool, then making lacing will not be a problem. No - contact the studio, this is a simple and quick procedure.

Required:

• Tailor's scissors and chalk.
• Threads.
• Lace.
• Blocks (rings).

Progress:

• We outline the cuts, their depth and width.
• We outline the location of the blocks.
• We cut taking into account the allowances.
• We process the edges of the cutout with a hem seam with a closed cut.
• We break through the blocks.
• We thread the lace.
• Let's try it on.

If open areas of the body in the sections do not suit you, then duplicate them with a contrasting insert.

When the dress becomes tight, do not rush to change yourself, just change the dress slightly!