New straps for an evening gown

I've been sewing for most of my life; I have more than 20 years of sewing experience. I always knew how to repair clothing, and have frequently altered my own clothing as well, so I have built up quite a bit of experience doing repairs and alterations. I believe in having good quality clothing and keeping it in good condition so that it can be used for many years, which is why I repair my own and my family's clothing. I've never bothered to take pictures, but I'm beginning to realize just how valuable it is to be able to do seemingly simple alterations and repairs that I've always thought of as unimportant and utilitarian. I've patched many pairs of jeans and shirts for my uncle over the years, maintaining my grandmother's frugal tradition, and I'm really proud of keeping my uncle's work clothes in continued use until they fall apart and can't be mended anymore. 

I have also altered and repaired fancy clothing, such as prom gowns and bridesmaid dresses, and lately I have been doing more of this type of sewing as a friend has entrusted me to work on some of her evening gowns. Here is a really dressy evening gown that I worked on last week. The dress originally had unusual straps that went around each arm and did not hold the top very securely. My friend had altered them to make the straps cross in the back, but the straps were very narrow and had too much stretch, making them rather flimsy and not stable enough to secure the bodice close to the body. We discussed different ideas for how to change the straps, and we decided to use slightly wider elastic, which would be more sturdy, as well as using two sets of straps to make an interesting design, but more importantly, extra stability. 

The alteration was relatively easy, but required careful handling of the delicate fabric. I used a ballpoint needle since I was sewing through elastic and stretch knit acrylic. I carefully sandwiched the elastic between the fashion fabric and the lining and sewed it from the inside so that the ends of the elastic and the stitching would be hidden. I used sliders and rings on the straps to make them adjustable.

The front of the dress sits very high and close to the neckline. I attached the tops of two sets of straps at the same points on either side at the top edge.

Here is the back of the dress after I finished adding the new sets of 3/8" wide straps.

The back of the dress

Full back view

This picture shows the original 1/4" wide straps, which were too stretchy and flimsy.

Original straps before the alteration

I am very pleased with the end result of this project. It was not difficult, though I took my time with it to make sure I produced good quality results. I am very happy that my friend will be able to wear this dress comfortably and that (hopefully) I have fixed the fit issues with these new straps.

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