After a heavy session of window shopping for a dress I had no occasion for, I kept coming  across a number of clothes that were damaged. Not severly damaged, just a button missing here and there, a loose thread or a dirty mark.  Normally I wouldn’t look twice at damaged goods, but then up until recently, I wasn’t writing for the Style Diaries…

I’de like to think that it was my charm and great haggling skills that got 30% of the most gorgeous sequin and chiffon dress (see above)…but alas, it wasn’t! Apparantly it was already discounted on the ticket I’de missed. Damn!

My point? Don’t be put off by that missing button or dirty mark. It takes 2 minutes to sew a button back on, stitch the hem back up or bung in the washing machine. Some shops will already have it discounted for you on the ticket, but if you spot the damage first you are more than entitled to ask for those all important pounds off!

And every little helps!

What’s the point in spending £3 on a dress when it’s a) going to fall apart after one wear b) going to be worn by everyone else on Saturday night and c) just doesn’t fit!

I think I’m quite lucky in that I can walk into a budget shop, (mostly a charity shop or Primark) pick up a bargainous item of clothing I like, and vision a million other possibilities for it! I’ve acquired the technical skills to alter, shorten, reinforce and if needs be, completely pull apart and start again. Hopefully over time, i will show you all you need to know to do this yourself!

I’ll be honest with you, my tips aren’t gospel. They aren’t straight from the Big Bible of Sewing! (made that up by the way), but it works for me and has made every £3 I’ve ever spent on a dress worth it!

So…. I thought I’d start with the most basic, and without a doubt, the most useful. How to hem a skirt or dress. I think with every dress I have ever brought, the moment I’ve got it home, out have come the scissors and up has come the Hemline! That or the hem just falls straight down (typically Primark), so hope this will be as useful to you as it is for me.

First things first… you need to decide how short you’d like the skirt to be. Once happy with the desired length, mark with chalk or a pin. Take the garment off and mark all the way round. pretty easy huh?
Next, using SHARP scissors, you need to CAREFULLY cut about an inch below the chalk (or pin) line. This extra inch is then folded up twice to meet your desired length. Iron the fold and pin into place!

You need a needle and thread for the next bit, so choose a thread that matches the colour of your garment.
To sew into place you can use one of two stitches…

 

Catch Stitch (above)

With this stitch you need to work left to right

• Take a small backstitch on layer 1
• Move the needle to the right and on layer 2 take another small backstitch
• Repeat!!

It’s really important that you only ever catch 1 or 2 threads on layer 2- this way it won’t show through on the right side of your garment!

Vertical Hem Stitch (above)

With this stitch you can work right to left

• The needle catches 2 threads in layer 1
• It then passes behind the folded hem and up through layer 2.
• Then bring the needle up and over to catch 2 threads in layer 1 once more
• And repeat!!