Finally Back, and with a New Webpage Too!

After a short trip out of town, I am desperately trying to get caught up. My first job was to create a new webpage. It is now live. It is called:

Shorten a Pants Hem with a Cuff

Let me know what you think.

I am also in the process of rescheduling one or more of my classes. If you are thinking about coming, but haven't signed up yet, could you let me know what date you're considering? It's not a commitment, you understand. I'm just trying to figure out the best alternatives.
You'll find the sign up sheet here and the flyer with the information and schedule
here.

Thanks so much for being patient. I have lots more stuff in the works, including possible classes for those who don't live in the Cincinnati area. Leave a comment if that might interest you.

Move a Side Seam Zipper in a Dress

This dress was a little big across the top edge and chest area, but not in the waist. The front had no seams to take in, so the only option I had was to take in the sides a little. The problem? The zipper is a side seam zipper. I took in one side the standard way. I took in the other side by moving each half of the zipper slightly inward, without removing the zipper entirely. The bottom half of the zipper stayed where it was and I coaxed the top half slightly off-line in order to tighten the sideseam. The alteration was not even noticeable.

	To begin with, I took the zipper stitching out, but only about halfway from the top edge down. The dress has a facing at the top, hiding the raw edges and the ends of the zipper tape. I had to remove a few of the topstitched stitches in order to free that edge.
	I then realigned the zipper and pinned it into place. As you can see here, the zipper is moved in about ½". Then it gets tapered back into the original stitch line. I had to stitch the zipper into place using the invisible zipper techniques I explain in step 6 in the Invisible Zipper Tutorial
	I then folded the facing back down, right sides together and serged the excess seam allowance off. (The black you see here is the ribbon for hanging)
	This shows where I need to replace the topstitching. The picture is deceptive. The ends really do meet evenly at the top of the zipper!

Sometimes, messing with the zipper sounds like a scary thing to do. It may be hard to get it to look right. In this case, though it was quite easy and took very little time.

I've created a tutorial on how to replace a jeans zipper.

Replace Jeans Zipper
It is live on the site, now. Click on the link above or on your left.
There are a lot of steps. Don't be put off by that. I included them to make it clearer.
I can usually replace a jeans zipper in about 30 minutes. With practice, you will be able to also.
Don't be afraid to give it a try. There is no cutting involved, so you really can't mess up your jeans. Just rip out your mistake and start over again.
With the price of jeans these days, it's worth a little practice to save those favorites.
Let me know how you do. Email me or leave a comment and I can help you if you get stuck.

I'm Offering Classes in the Cincinnati Area

Learning Alterations Classes

Here is a link to the page with information. Click where it says to view the July Class Flyer if you want information about which classes to take. You can take as many as you like. They're all different. Don't delay, though. There's a limit of 5 per class.

Please fill out a registration form first. Then you can pay through PayPal or send me a check.

I hope to see you in July!

Taking in Gigantic Sleeves

This customer happens to be my dear daughter. Although I'd never think to charge her, she pays me back with good deeds and favors. That's a great trade-off to me!



This shirt came with the largest sleeves I've ever seen. It looked more like a Gospel singer's robe. She asked me to make it more attractive.

	To begin with, I turned the top inside out. I then pin marked the amount of sleeve I wanted to remove, leaving it wide enough to fit with the style of the dress. Look closely and you can see my pin. Ick...sorry for the lousy picture!
	Next I sewed a new seam. I started at the pin mark and continued through the side seam and into the side. Since I was not taking in the side seam, I tapered my new line into the old line of stitching.
	The shirt is ready for her to try on. If the seam is correct, I will serge off the excess, then press the seam. Not a bad investment of time to make a cute shirt wearable, huh?

Look What's Inside This Formal

I worked on a formal today that had an unusual detail. It had horizontal boning at the empire waist seam. This is something I don't see very often, so I want to share it with you. It would be impractical for a busty girl to fit into this dress, since the bustline is so form fitting. However, it does give a little extra support. Personally, I think a waist stay provides much more stability and comfort.

	Here we see the inside of the dress. The combination of horizontal and vertical boning makes that bust area very fitted. Your choice of bridesmaid bodies is definitely limited!!
	Here is the close up view at the side seam, showing how the two types of boning almost intersect.