Small troubles that happen in everyday life sometimes leave marks on clothes. Don't worry about a damaged item, everything can be fixed. After learning several ways to lengthen a dress, there is a chance to give a second life to your favorite wardrobe item. The reasons that made you pick up a needle and scissors are not so important. The main thing is that now there is room for creativity and the opportunity to show your imagination.
In what cases is it necessary?
You always want things to fit perfectly and keep their shape after washing. Often, due to lack of time, you have to do everything on the run. A quick try-on can turn into disappointment at home, and the poor quality of your favorite item can upset you after the first time you put it in the washing machine.
It also happens that the dress you bought has become inappropriate for work in the office. The color, style, fabric are all right – everything except the length. And sometimes the texture of the material itself makes the hem of the dress rise, revealing the legs at the slightest opportunity, thus creating awkward situations. The answer to the question of what to do if the dress has become short is obvious: first of all, do not despair. It can always be lengthened.
Ways to Add Length
Ideas for lengthening a short dress will not only help solve the problem with the hem, but also decorate the item, turning it into a creative modern piece of clothing. It often seems that only a professional tailor can cope with such a task. That is why many people ask the question: is it possible to lengthen a dress yourself? The answer is clear - of course. Many options will not only save your precious budget and time, but will also allow you to show maximum creativity with minimal costs.
Using lace or flounce
One of the easiest ways to lengthen a dress with your own hands is to sew a strip of material to its hem. To avoid damaging the appearance, you need to use exactly the same fabric as the one the product is made of. If you don’t have a piece of identical material, you should play on the contrast.
A slight difference in color or texture of the material, its weave will be striking. Even a difference in one tone or another texture is noticeable. This greatly spoils the appearance of the dress.
You can lengthen the hem:
- Wide lace braid. Elegant openwork weaving is suitable for light summer dresses made of viscose, silk or other flowing materials. The color is selected to match the main shade. If you are interested in how to lengthen a short denim dress, then lace will be one of the most successful options. Its beige or white shade without shine will emphasize the color of the denim, playing on the difference in fabric textures. Dense bouclé fabrics of autumn-winter clothing also go well with such a trim, but the shade of the insert should be darker than the main material.
- Fabric flounce. By selecting a material identical or similar in composition, you can decorate any dress regardless of the season and style. In this case, you should carefully consider the choice of color. To create a more complete look, you can additionally decorate the cuffs of the sleeves or the collar area.
When lengthening the hem with lace or fabric, special attention should be paid to the splendor. To get a large volume of flounces, you need to sew on twice as much material as the total length of the hem. Puffy elements are suitable for a straight, tight-fitting knitted outfit. If you just need to lengthen the clothes, then the fabric is taken in a 1:1 ratio. Flounces can be attached to the front or inside of the skirt. When choosing a method for lengthening a short linen dress, you need to consider that the material loses shape when worn, so massive frills are not suitable for this type of fabric.
In order to sew a fluffy hem, regardless of the type of material or braid, you must first thread the piece using a needle onto a long thread, straighten it evenly along the entire length, and then sew it to the bottom of the garment.
Making inserts on a skirt
Surely many have wondered: is it possible to lengthen the hem of a dress using an insert at the bottom. They are recommended to be added along the seams or by cutting the edge of the dress. If you make wedges that exceed the length of the product by 10-20 cm, the skirt will seem visually larger. Guipure, mesh, and lace are perfect for this method. As a result of such alterations, things with an echo of Spanish culture are obtained.
When inserting wedges, special attention should be paid to symmetry. If the dimensions from the middle on both sides are carefully observed, the result looks like a factory one. If this rule is neglected, the alteration will be immediately noticeable.
Lengthening at the waist
When choosing how to lengthen a short dress, it is worth knowing that the methods are not limited to increasing the size of the hem. Many models have a seam in the waist area. If you add an insert in this place, the length of the bottom will drop by its width. By using contrasting colours, you can focus attention on the graceful silhouette, and by using different materials, you can highlight the texture. The method is recommended for sun or half-sun style garments. Lengthening the dress at the waist for a trapeze is also possible, but everything depends on the width of the cut angle.
If the insert material is similar but not quite the same as the main fabric, combining it with lace, guipure or mesh can visually hide the discrepancies.
Lengthening the bodice
The options for changing clothes are not limited to the hem and waist area. In some cases, it is possible to lengthen the bodice. This method will look especially advantageous on Marilyn Monroe-style dresses with a wrap around the bust area.
Adding fabric to the bodice area will be most preferable for styles such as sheath and pencil. When choosing a way to increase the length of a straight-cut dress, do not forget about the importance of color. A strip of fabric in a contrasting shade will visually highlight the bust. If necessary, to divert attention, you can divide the total width of the material in half and insert the first half into the bodice, and add the second to the hem.
Creating a high waist
One way to lengthen a straight dress is to change the silhouette by creating a high waist. This option is not suitable for flared styles, as the alteration of the clothes will be too conspicuous. The procedure is as follows:
- we select a suitable piece of fabric;
- cut the strip evenly;
- we fasten them with safety pins;
- we are stitching;
- we process the seams.
If you don't have much sewing experience, after pinning the wedge with needles, you should baste the pieces together from the wrong side. This is done so that the seam is even when sewn together.
Using throw-on elements
If you need to add length to dresses for special occasions, you can use throw-on elements. This option is stylistically not suitable for everyday wear, as it looks too elegant and pompous. Throw-on elements will advantageously set off models made of shiny fabrics, giving them an even greater touch of solemnity.
You shouldn't use this method on flared silhouettes. The hanging flounces will get lost against the folds of the skirt, and won't retain their shape or visual effect.
Fabrics that hold folds well, such as veils, are used for work. To make it, you need to hang the dress on a hanger, use safety pins to secure the textile with the required number of folds, and stitch it. It is necessary to strictly monitor that the flounces look symmetrical, preferably measuring the dimensions with a ruler or a centimeter.
Another option for the throw-over method is to make a single- or multi-tiered skirt from translucent fabric that is identical in cut but longer. It is usually fastened over the dress, turning it into a transformer. A transparent sheath in the form of a longer, but repeating the cut of a dress made of veil or lace looks great. This method requires more fabric, but the result is worth it.
Creating a train
Evening dresses attract attention with their style, decor and cut elements. This style is more conducive to experimentation than others. The hem can be lengthened not only with a straight stripe, but also with geometrically irregular lines. A train on such a dress looks appropriate, adding a twist to the image.
When making it, you need to be careful: a train that is too short or too long will look like a fake. First, you need to choose the right material. Then divide it into several parts - front and back. It would be best to reduce the length of the first part by half. The back part is folded in half, the elongated middle and short side edges are marked, a straight line is drawn, and then the material is cut. After that, both parts are sewn on in the same way as a frill. Short clothes, improved in this way, can be complemented with inserts on the sleeves or jewelry in the same color. If the style and texture of the fabric match, creating a train will be the best way to lengthen the dress at the back.
Lengthening a knitted or denim dress
Knitwear and denim are a separate line in the list of fabrics for everyday wear. The softness of the first and the texture of the second do not give much scope for creativity. Therefore, we lengthen a denim dress only with the help of flounces and lace. Both methods can be performed by novice craftswomen. Methods for lengthening a denim dress do not involve changing the cut due to stitching, the violation of which is immediately noticeable. For a knitted outfit, you can use inserts of artificial leather, translucent fabric in the chest and waist area.
Decorating inserts
The final appearance of the product depends on the material used for the inserts, so it is worth choosing it carefully. Stylists advise using not only plain fabrics, but also striped and polka dotted patterns, the main tone of which matches the color of the dress. Leather and imitation leather inserts are recommended as universal, suitable for any fabric texture. Finished elements are decorated with rhinestones, beads, sequins or beads if necessary. And if bright decor will not always look good on a casual dress, then on an evening or cocktail dress the elements will sparkle.
When deciding how to beautifully lengthen a summer dress or items for the cold season, you need to understand that most options can be made with your own hands. What looks like a complex designer creation is actually easy to do, spending a little time and learning the manufacturing methods. By changing the length of the dress, you can not only create a new product, but also show your creative abilities to the maximum.
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