Petite Alterations: What You Can and Cannot Fix

Let’s talk retail: So you are standing in the dressing room trying on the perfect outfit (perfect on the hanger). YOu look at the waist and it hits at a strange place. Also, the armholes are a little low and the hem is long.  Ever optimistic about your alteration skills, you dash to the checkout to purchase your latest and greatest project. No trip to the fabric store needed to stock your pile of things to work on.

At this point the outfit either gathers dust on you sewing table, or you take it head on, seam ripper in hand, disemboweling the garment into an unrecognizable state that you swear you can fix. Halfway through you realize the futility of the project and abandon it as a lost cause.

We have all been victims of of the “I can fix this!” and you sewing room stash is riddled with the remnants of lost causes. This series is devoted to what you should and should not fix and how to do it. Stay tuned for more to come. In the meantime, put the seam ripper down!