Easy Alterations

How often do you find something to buy, or order something online, and it isn't quite right?

Or you wear and wash a dress three times and the hem falls down?
A friend says it's definitely three times: that's the magic number that denotes the falling of a hem.

I don't buy garments anymore that require anything other than minor alterations like the ones below. You don't want to spend $100 on a dress only to spend another $100 (including materials and hours of your time) making it wearable. 

If I buy clothes online, I will buy a size larger because it is always easier to take something in than it is to try to add to it and make it bigger. I'm also a size bigger on the bottom than the top, so no dress will fit me perfectly.

I also live in a hot climate, promoting me to buy natural fabrics like cotton and silk to wear rather than polyester. You can cook eggs on the roads here when it's hot, what do you think that does to the plastic you're wearing? Avoiding adding layers to clothes is a must.

My most common alterations are:

• taking pants up
• hemming dresses
• sewing buttons back on
• putting darts in the tops of dresses
• shortening straps on dresses
• closing openings on blouses to make them more modest
• adding lace to the bottom of a dress to make it longer

This is my messy (aka creative chaos-stricken) work space at home. 

I am set up so that my machine and overlocker are always out, as well as the dressmakers manikin. The ironing board is hiding in the corner (though I hate ironing, I will do it for quilting but not clothes!) and there are projects everywhere.

But having everything set up means that I can do quick alterations as needed. Particularly helpful if something breaks half an hour before you want to walk out the door!