Regular readers will be aware that I dislike alterations but I have in my wardrobe a shift dress that I made when first exploring jersey sewing and it was in need of some radical alteration.

The dress was originally made according to a Prima pattern APRIL 1997 designed for woven and having been washed and worn over the years was now too big. The dress bore the styling of the the eighties including shoulder pads and was very long. I have never liked the faced neckline which was a little too high and also the shoulders were too wide for current fashion.

To start the alteration I first removed the facing and re-cut a lower neckline. I removed the sleeves and shoulder pads before restitching the shoulder seam. Then I stitched new side seams, taking off approximately 1 inch from each side seam. The sleeves were then re-inserted.

I cut about 4 inches from the length of the dress and used some of that to make a neckband. I re-hemmed the dress with a 1 inch turning.

The dress is now much more flattering although it could still do with some skimming down at the hips. I will wait and see if I lose any more weight to make it worthwhile altering the dress further.

I plan to revisit this pattern in 2020 and try this different silhouette as a change from my numerous shirt dresses!

completed 28th November 2019