Raise shoulders on sleeveless garment

Raise shoulders on sleeveless garment

Raise shoulders sleeveless garment could be for a number of reasons.

1.  The shoulders are too high, which causes the dress to hang too low at the bust.

2.  The dress is tight at the hips, and raising it at the shoulder solves this problem.

Sleeveless garments can be constructed a number of ways, however there are two main methods used, and this affects your alteration.

Front and back sections are similar

Back section is higher than the front

Pinning

Front and back sections are similar

  • Stand in front of the person and take hold of the excess fabric on BOTH shoulders.
  • Have the seam joining the front and back panels at the very top, so that when you fold it over this seam is at the top.
  • Place a pin on the outside of the shoulder with the pin facing in to the centre.
  • Place a second pin on the inside of the shoulder with the pin facing towards the centre.
  • If the width of the shoulder is more than the width of the two pins, then place a third pin in the centre between the two pins.
  • Pin the opposite shoulder.

Shoulders can always be different.  It is the most common area of the body that will be different from the other side.  The reasons for this are varied, but the most common reasons are carrying large bags.  In particular as a child we all had very heavy school bags, and most people carrying them on one shoulder more than the other.  As a mother I carried my son on my hip most of the day, and this constant weight on the right hand side caused both my hip and my shoulder to alter.  One side of our body is always going to be different from the other side, it is just the degree that it is different is the key.

If one shoulder is lower, point this out to the person because you will have to take one side up differently from the other.  Some people may decide to have physio therapy so talk to them about the problem before you do anything.

Back section is higher than the front

Most garments are easy to alter because the front and back panels are the same, however if the back panel is wider than the front, then the back section will have to be reshaped to the same width as the front.  In a few cases, you may find that the whole back of the dress will have to be altered.

Preparing and sewing

Write down the amount that you have pinned down on a piece of paper.  It is important to put down the inside and outside measurements, and if the shoulder is wide, write down the centre measurement.  This is the measurement from the top (original seam) down to the pin.  I find it works better if I do a line drawing of the shoulder.

  • If the garment is lined, begin by unpicking the under stitching at the shoulder seam join at least 5 cm (2") more on either side than the amount being taken up.  Note this is only the under stitching around the armhole.  It is not the actual seam joining the lining and the outer fabric together.  Some call it stay stitching.
  • Turn the garment inside out and pop the shoulder through so you have access to the seams.  The back section is usually bigger than the front, so I pop the shoulder through from the back section.
  • Important - Do not unpick the shoulder seam.  Always remember that you sew the new seam first, AND THEN you unpick the old seam.  This is very important to maintain the exact amount you want to take in.  If you unpick the seam and try to rejoin you are courting disaster because the panels can move on you, or you could twist the panels.  Any number of problems can occur.
  • Unpick the armhole seams on each side of the shoulder seam.  On one side this will be the neck seam and on the other side it will be the outside armhole seam.
  • You want to unpick this section just enough to take it up the amount that you had pinned.  Let's say you are taking up the shoulders by 2.5 cm (1").  That means I would unpick just a little bit more than that.  If you unpick too much you will not be able to
  • Pin the front and back panel of the outer fabric.  Always have the armhole seam fitting correctly.  If there is any reshaping needed, it will be done at the neck section.  If you do have to reshape the neck, then you may have to unpick the under stitching (stay stitching) more so that you have access to the seam joining the lining to the outer fabric.
  • Repeat this process for the lining.
  • Sew the outer and the lining, and cut excess away.  Fold the seams flat.
  • Sew the side seams in the original position if possible.  Reshape the neck section if necessary.
  • Iron shoulders on the right side when finished.

Bias binding around armhole

If the shoulders have bias binding on them, unpick the bias making sure you unpick under stitching or top stitching before you alter. I also find that the bias should not be taken in quite as much as the shoulder.  Raise shoulders sleeveless garment could also be done by stitching from one side to the other, but if you want to perform a professional alteration follow the above method.

Happy altering

Judith aka genie

2016-10-21T10:18:43+10:00 By |Categories: Clothes too big - Take In|Tags: |Comments Off on Raise shoulders sleeveless garment