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Member since 9/23/06
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Posted on: 4/5/12 9:19 PM ET
I altered a Burda princess seam dress with a round neckline to a gentle v-neck. Immediately after cutting I stay-stitched the neck edges. Before binding with self-fabric bias strips, I trimmed the neck edge to 1/4" (inside the stay stitching). Attached the bias, made the little pleat at the point of the vee, tried it on--yikes, all stretched out, especially on the right side of the vee.

Any suggestions for fixing this? The dress is otherwise looking good. I suppose I will need to remove the binding and put on a new sort of neckline, but I am worried that I trimmed away so much seam allowance that any new neck treatment will be too low cut. I was thinking of making a facing applied to the inside and the outside (kind of like on the Hot Patterns Sunshine top, though that's not a vee).

What do you think?
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Virginia
http://asewinglife.blogspot.com
  
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Posted on: 4/5/12 9:20 PM ET
In reply to Ripple Dandelion
Quote:
I altered a Burda princess seam dress with a round neckline to a gentle v-neck


To clarify, I altered the pattern first and then cut out and assembled the dress. I wasn't altering an existing dress.
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Virginia
http://asewinglife.blogspot.com
  
Member since 12/28/04
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Posted on: 4/5/12 10:22 PM ET
In reply to Ripple Dandelion
It helps if you have a dress form to put your dress on, but here's a possible save for you. First, I would have used light fusible interfacing on the neckline, double the sas width. Here's what to do. Use lots of pins, and pin the excess one tiny pinch at a time then sew the seamline to a stay tape. I do mean a lot of pins for this. Then steam shrink it. A v neck is bias and you have opposite, and differently behaving bias edges. They will stretch if you look at them. Stay stitching made it worse. Some fabrics are so unstable that just taking them off the table will stretch them out.
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www.nancyksews.blogspot.com
  
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Posted on: 4/5/12 10:44 PM ET
I'd probably try what Nancy K suggests.

You might try making a template of the original size and shape of the neckline and lay the neckline on that and steam it back in to shape.

If you lay it face down you might be able to apply stay tape or narrow strips of interfacing along the seam/staystitching line.

You could do the facing if the neckline isn't too low. Or you could reapply the binding once you've stabilized the neckline.

If you could find foldover elastic in the right color that might also be an option (but wouldn't help with a low neckline).
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blog: goodworks1.wordpress.com
  
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Posted on: 4/5/12 10:45 PM ET
As Nancy said, you may be able to rescue this dress but it will take a bazillion pins. Here is an article from threads magazine from a few years ago with photos of what you need to do. This was done by an expert, probably the world's expert, on bias necklines: Charles Kleibacker working with bias.
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Fictionfan
  
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Posted on: 4/6/12 2:11 AM ET
A couple of thoughts. First try to steam it back into shape as best you can. If the cloth is still stretched out, reshape the neckline lower down. A scoop curve might be easier to construct than managing a V neck on fabric that has stretched and could again.

If the neckline becomes too low, I suggest some styling ideas. Wear your dress with a camisole that you'd be happy having the neckline peeking out. Wear a beautiful scarf and drape in nicely. I wish you the best with this.
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Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. Andy Rooney

Pfonzie- my honey Pfaff Creative Performance and Pfaff Passport, Bernina 930 and 830, Evolution and Enlighten sergers
  
Member since 2/12/06
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Posted on: 4/6/12 3:02 AM ET
How about pulling up the loose fabric and adding a multi-layer bias ruffle to the neckline? Both function and style there.
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susiM
  
Member since 9/23/06
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Posted on: 4/6/12 6:45 AM ET
In reply to Nancy K
Quote:
First, I would have used light fusible interfacing on the neckline, double the sas width


Thanks for that tip, Nancy. I hadn't somehow thought of an interfacing applied to the neckline itself.

Interesting that stay stitching made it worse.

I am starting to understand why I don't see this type of neckline treatment in a soft woven more often.

Thank you so much for your advice.
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Virginia
http://asewinglife.blogspot.com
  
Member since 9/23/06
Posts: 324
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Posted on: 4/6/12 6:47 AM ET
In reply to goodworks1
Quote:
If you could find foldover elastic in the right color that might also be an option


Good idea! I have a big stock of FOE in a lot of colors and this could just be an easy fix.

I will report back on whether I find a matching color.

Thanks so much for your input.
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Virginia
http://asewinglife.blogspot.com
  
Member since 9/23/06
Posts: 324
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Posted on: 4/6/12 6:49 AM ET
In reply to Fictionfan
Quote:
This was done by an expert, probably the world's expert, on bias necklines: Charles Kleibacker working with bias.


Thanks, Fictionfan, for the link. I remembered the Threads article but it was helpful to go back and look at it again. I should have searched it out before trying to sew this dress!

Thanks so much for your input.
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Virginia
http://asewinglife.blogspot.com
  
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