Calling Chicken Grandma......

[twishy123]

I need help CG.....shush you lot!!!

is it possible to put some new shirring elastic in the waist of a dress?

Bought a dress which is gorgeous but the elastic in the waist has gone so it's not pulling in to size,if I unpick it all can I sew some new elastic in as it is or do I need to dismantle the dress at the side seams and start from scratch?

How do I know how much elastic to use to pull it back to size? do I just stitch across the waistline and hope for the best? It's supposed to be a size 10 so I presume the fabric will have been cut to a size 10.

Never done shirring before so I've checked it out online so know how to do it in theory......

Thank youuuuuu muchly  

[ilove2patch]

Hand wind the elastic into the bobbin & stitch with a fairly long stitch. If it's not shirred enough you should be able to pull the ends to tighten it a bit. I bet there is a youe tube clip on line somewhere. You just caught me before I left. CG migh have some ideas too.

[chickengrandma-2008]

Aw, sorry twishy, I've never really used shirring elastic (apart from putting in dolls clothes!).  Is the existing elastic on the outside, like smocking, or is it just sewn round the inside?   If it's just on the inside  I'm sure you can replace it without having to open the side seams.  What I'd be tempted to do (although of course I haven't seen the dress, and I'm lazy) but would it be possible to leave there what's already in and just weave your new elastic, with a big eyed needle, through the existing elastic?  If it's on the outside then it's a much bigger job I'm afraid.  Is it pcc who does dressmaking?  She might be able to give you more advice. or someone who is more experienced than me.  Sorry.  

Have some choccy while you wait for a clever person to come along. 

[petitecalicocat]

CG i did tailoring ...would do as has been sugested already .....wind shirring elastic on a bobbin by hand & stitch using a long stitch .

Dont forget pics ...:)

[twishy123]

Thank you all......and speshully for the choklit CG...I thought it was you who did the tailoring,sorry 

Right oh I'll do as suggested and as soon as my battery is charged I'll take pics of it before and after PCC 

Ta muchlyyyyy 

[rose2008-2008]

Can i have a choklit??????????????????/ yummy yum yum????.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Don't do sewing hate it, but I love chocolate. My mother is a seamstress, I shall be ringing her later so I will ask.

[fishpieface]

@Scuse me, just testing the chokilt to make sure it's ok!  Helping out, like, as

I don't know about shirring elastic, I thought it would be nice to help in another way!

[stroppy*cow]

You can buy a lighweight mesh with the shirring elastic already sewn into it in a variety of widths - sorry have no idea what it is called. You just use a normal straight stitch to sew it in, keeping the fabric flat and stretching the mesh- it is really easy once you have try it. Depending on the width of the mesh there will be 3 to 10 rows of elastic on the mesh.

[twishy123]

Well after much cussing and the liberal application of choklit to the gob I have managed it! Quite proud of myself h'actually....

The dress is much nicer than the pics show...it's tan and navy,silk and wool blend...but the light and the photographer are rubbish...

I had to unpick all the old elastic as it had lost it's 'laggyness' and sew in the new...

Before........

After.......

Thank you to all who helped....including them wot helped me eat the choklits....

[chickengrandma-2008]

Wow!  Well done twishy, it looks like a new dress!  

[stroppy*cow]

Well done Twishy - looks good

[twishy123]

Thank you....

It's gone from a 43'' waist back down to a 22'' un-stretched waist....

Wish I could do that to mine in a day....

[stan3502]

Well done twishy

**makes mental note where to send Miss s's summer dress **

[bitsnknots]

You've done a good job on the dress Twishy.  Like the word 'laggyness'.  It even made my mum laugh.  

BTW, any chocklit left or as Twishy had it all.

[captainbovine]

chocklit left with Twishy....er I don't think so.Anyway that was a difficult sewing task so she needed the lot!!!

Can someone tell me where the day has gone??? I know I had a wee snooze at 4pm but someone has stolen some hours off me.

[bitsnknots]

I know that I was hoping that there would be chocklit left with Twishy around.  I could always hope though.

I don't know where today's gone either.  I'm shattered and I've not done much.  I think that being bored stiff playing bingo this afternoon with a room full of pensioners.  It was for a good cause though.

[chickengrandma-2008]

Well I don't know where it went.  I went out to lunch.  I left the house at 11.30 am and got back at 4.20 pm!!!    I had a great time.