Imagine it: you've searched everywhere and you found the perfect casual dress. Fit? Check! Style? Check! Comfy? Ehhh... maybe not so much!
You might not even find out until you try wearing your new outfit for the day only to find out you're super uncomfortable! Well don't toss it in the donation pile or landfill just yet, I can show you how to fix it!
This fix is best for itchy seams in garments that already fit well. Stay tuned for other alteration tutorials!
Supplies
Fabric Scissors
Sewing machine
Pins or clips
Seam ripper (optional)
I thrifted this really cute dress online and everything is great except for a really itchy waist seam. The culprit? One of those clear elastics that's embedded in the seam as a stabilizer!
We can approach that icky elastic 2 ways: seam ripping or cutting off the seam. Cutting off the seam will mean you'll loose some fabric in creating a new seam allowance. Seam ripping will allow you maintain the same fit. Unfortunately, this elastic isn't worth rescuing because it would be perforated, meaning it would tear really easily!
This dress, while short, isn't going to be too impacted by losing a 1/4" in a seam so I opted to cut mine off. To do this, I carefully flipped the bodice into the skirt so I could easily cut the seam off from the fold. Just be careful not to catch any other fabric!
If you seam rip, take your time ripping and removing the threads. If your garment is knit like mine it can be easy to put a hole in it!
With the seam removed, go ahead and pin or clip your bodice and skirt seam (or the sections of garment you took apart) right sides together, lining up any side seams or design lines.
Sew all around, I used a overlock stitch and a ballpoint needle to match the fabric and the previous seam construction.
That's it, you're done! Fixing your clothes doesn't have to be complicated, I was able to do this fix in about an hour!
Other reasons you might try this fix:
Irritating thread
Damaged material at the waist
You want to shorten the garment without redoing the hem
You want to make the garment longer by adding a fabric panel
If you try this project, I'd love to see! Tag @Sunny_Salvage on Instagram or Facebook and follow me on Pinterest for more upcycling ideas!
Now raid your closet and fix those pesky clear elastic seams! Happy Upcycling!