Bridesmaid Basics
- Bethany Murphy
- Sep 29, 2022
- 1 min read
Bridesmaid alterations are important to learn and be able to do fast and efficiently due to there usually being multiple bridesmaids with one customer. The alterations that are most likely to be needed by a customer are shoulder lifts, front hems, and bust adjustments. I have been doing these alterations repetitively with the high demand for fittings, however, this has helped a lot when it comes to time management and I get much faster with every dress I complete.
Shoulder Lifts
Shoulder lifts are the most common alteration needed by a bridesmaid and this is a quick adjustment made by unpicking the original top stitch to shorten the strap and then securing it by re-sewing in the top stitch as shown by these images.
Flutter Sleeves
These flutter sleeves are a beautiful way to add extra coverage for customers that don't feel confident with the original thinner strap. They are created from the chiffon shawls that come with the bridesmaids so the colour match is always exact. The shawls are cut from the flutter pattern piece then pin hemmed all the way around to create a clean edge, then sewn to the strap leaving it open underneath for movement.
If the customer is wanting some more coverage the sleeve can be doubled and bagged out to create a more opaque look.
Pin Hems
Another popular alteration is to have the front hem done as the dresses can often be too long, this can be taken up all the way around however it is nice to have a small train on these dresses. These hems are done with a simple pin hem on both the lining and chiffon fabric.
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