MoH dress problem...

astimmel

So in February an unexpected medical issue came up that has resulted in me losing a significant amount of weight (25lbs) in an abnormally short amount of time. We ordered our dresses before this happened. When the dresses came in (like, 2 months ahead of schedule) I had already started to lose weight, but the dresses ran small so it still fit great. Fast forward one month to our first fitting (last week), and by then I had lost 21 lbs. The dress was loose, but it wasn't too bad and the bride told me she was fine with how it looked as is. The only alteration any of us needed was to shorten the straps (which the bride offered to pay for). We agreed not to take in my waist or anything because at that point I was getting healthier and the rate of weight loss had slowed, so we figured it would be ok.

 

That was a week ago, and our second fitting is on Monday. It turns out it hadn't slowed down as much as I thought and I've lost another 3 lbs and now it will be noticeably big. With all the medical bills coming in, I truly can't spare a dime right now and the bride won't pay (I didn't ask her to and I wasn't planning to ask her, but she preemptively told me she wouldn't). Financially, I'm out of options. My parents are helping me pay my medical bills and I can't ask to borrow money for this as well.

Sorry for the long backstory - I just wanted to explain that there's a good reason why I'm resorting to asking this question:  Is there a good method to safety pin or sew portions of the dress together to make it fit a little better? Like under the arm so it isn't visible? This isn't really a form-fitting dress. It has a fairly fitted top, but it blends into a poofier skirt. It would be easy to hide a safety pin in the skirt portion, and I'm thinking I could do another one or two under my arm so it's not visible.

Has anyone done this before? Are there certain types of pins or placements that work better than others? I know BMs are supposed to pay for their own dresses, but the past few months were such a surprise that I couldn't have planned if I tried.

bunni727

@astimmel, can you sew? If you can, you might be able to do it yourself. I alter my own clothes all the time.

What is the fabric? Types of pins/needles/thread/stitches will all really depend on the type of fabric. Fabric glue and hem tape also only work well with certain fabrics.

If you could post a picture of the dress, a picture of you in the dress, and say the fabric type, I could probably give step by step instructions.

bunni727

Wait a minute, isn't she the bride that offered to pay, and then watched you guys write the checks anyway, or are you in two weddings?

If It's the first, I thought they were already paid for.

astimmel

Sorry, I tried to post a picture of it last night but it wouldn't let me for some reason.

Yeah, this is the same bride. She did offer to pay for the alterations but it was an ordeal just getting her to follow through for the strap adjustments (I still haven't gotten a check from her). So I think it would cause a lot of awkwardness and bad feelings to ask her to also pay for an unexpected alteration. Plus when we were talking about whether I would need a 2nd alteration, she flat out told me her offer only extended to the cost of the straps.

The style is discontinued, but this one is pretty close, except the skirt has an outer layer of chiffon to give it a little poof. It's dark eggplant and the pleats go all the way around and the zipper is in the back. Thanks for the help!

astimmel

Oops, here's the picture.

bunni727

It looks like some kind of poly-satin blend. Is that right? I don't think fabric glue or hem tape would be the way to go.

Can you sew?

The dress will look better a little too big than it would sewn poorly, and chiffon is probably one of the least forgiving fabrics to work with. Don't attempt if you've never used a sewing machine.

Taking it in from the sides shouldn't be a problem if you can. The best way to do so would be to put the dress on inside out, and have someone pin the excess along the side seam. If you pin it yourself, the layers will not match up correctly.

Another way would be to take measurements of the dress and subtract your own measurements. The difference is how much you need to take the dress in, but divide it by 4 before you start pinning. For example, if it is 2 inches too big, you'll want to pin 1/2 in from each side seam.

For a less complex top, you could just lay a dress that fits well on top and trace a pattern, but I wouldn't recommend that with this one because of the pleats and fabrics.

Anyway, you'll want to take it in about the same amount all the way down, so as to not distort the shape of the dress. Don't forget to take in the chiffon overlay, too.  A universal needle should be okay, so long as it is fine. Good cotton thread is a must. Make sure any needles or seam rippers you may use are sharp.

Does that help?

ETA: I can't stress this enough: don't forget to sew it inside out. As elementary as it is, it's an easy mistake to make.

astimmel

That helps SO much! Thank you thank you thank you!!

bunni727

You're welcome. I alter my own clothes all the time, so it's not a big deal to me. But I could see it being a total disaster for someone who didn't have any experience.

Good luck!

astimmel

Just want to say thank you again for your help! The dress turned out perfectly! I left it a smidge loose so I'd have full range of motion to do the bride's corset and train the day of, but it no longer looks like a potato sack and it flatters my waistline.

[Deleted User]

I loved reading this post. I mean you story was not a good one but it was so awesome to see that another knottie was able to give you advise that helped save the day. Gives a nice warm feeling.