Letting out

1. Unpick the side seam and the lining.
2. Mark the new line inside the margin; press out the old line with steam.
3. Stitch, try on, finish.
4. If old holes show on silk, steam lightly and rub gently with a fingernail along the grain.

Taking in at the darts

For a blouse loose under the bust, deepen the darts slightly rather than the side seam.

Shortening sleeves

1. Remove the border or finish.
2. Mark the new length; cut, leaving a hem allowance.
3. Re-apply the border or a new one.

Restyling

• Deepen a back and add a dori.
• Remove sleeves for a sleeveless blouse; face the armholes.
• Add a sheer yoke to raise a neck.
• Add a band to lengthen into a crop top.

Planning an alteration

1. Ask what is wrong and where: tight at the bust, loose at the waist, sleeves too long.
2. Fit it on the wearer; never alter from numbers alone.
3. Read the margin, the embroidery and the lining.
4. Explain the plan and its limits to the wearer before you unpick anything. If old lines may show on silk, say so.
5. Work in order: shoulders, then sides and darts, then sleeves, then length and finishes.
6. Record what you did on her measurement card.

Control

• Unpick with a seam ripper from the inside, cutting every third or fourth stitch and pulling the thread, never sawing the fabric.
• Re-stitch exactly on the chalk line; alterations show when lines wander.
• Press out old creases before marking new lines.

Upcycling and repairs

• From an old saree: cut a blouse from the pallu or border of a saree you no longer wear.
• From an heirloom: keep a grandmother’s blouse border and set it into a new blouse.
• Underarm wear: replace the underarm area with a gusset of matching fabric.
• Small holes: darn, or cover with a small embroidered motif.
• Tired lining: replace the lining; the outer often has years left.

• Photograph the inside before unpicking.
• Mark the old line with tacking thread before unpicking, so you can return to it.
• Alter both sides equally unless the body is uneven.
• Blend new lines into old ones gradually; sudden changes make pulls.
• Keep margin even after taking in, for next time.
• Save fabric cut from a sleeve; it can patch or make a band.
• Use the old border to hide a let-out gap.
• Steam old lines from the wrong side.
• Professionals alter the lining first to test the change.
• Ask about the next event: alter for how the body will be then (pregnancy, weight change).
• Re-sew hooks last, at the final fitting.

Old stitch lines show after letting out.

1. Steam and gently rub the holes closed along the grain.
2. Cover the line with piping or a border.
3. Prevention: let out only on fabrics that recover, and warn the customer.

The blouse pulls at the armhole after taking in.

1. Release the new seam near the armhole.
2. Blend the new line more gradually.
3. Prevention: take in mostly at the waist and less near the armhole.

The embroidery no longer meets at the seam.

1. Add matching embroidery across the gap.
2. Cover with a narrow border.
3. Prevention: check the embroidery position before letting out.

There is no margin to let out.

1. Add a side panel of matching or contrast fabric.
2. Insert a gusset under the arm.
3. Prevention: order blouses with margin.

The lining no longer fits the outer.

1. Alter the lining to match.
2. Replace the lining.
3. Prevention: always alter both together.

The neck gapes after deepening.

1. Add a small dart at the edge.
2. Ease onto a new facing or stay tape.
3. Prevention: stay-stitch the new edge at once.

The shortened sleeve looks too plain.

1. Add the old border or piping.
2. Add a small frill or lace.
3. Prevention: remove and keep the border before cutting.

• Cotton: forgiving; old lines usually press out.
• Silk: needle holes and pressing lines may show; warn the wearer before letting out.
• Brocade: frays fast once unpicked; finish raw edges at once.
• Velvet: marks easily; press from the back over a towel and avoid letting out where the pile is crushed.
• Stretch blends: use a stretch stitch for new seams.
• Padded: remove the cups or move them with the alteration.
• Katori and princess: spread a change across several seams rather than one.
• Heavily embroidered: alter at the plain seams; never cut through work.

Left-handed?

Unpick with the seam ripper in your left hand, working away from yourself. Everything else is the same.

Mistakes

• Altering without a fitting.
• Forgetting the lining.
• Cutting away all the margin.
• Altering one side only.

Myths

• “A tight blouse can always be let out.” Only if there is margin.
• “Alterations ruin a blouse.” Careful alterations are invisible.
• “Necks can be raised.” Only by adding fabric.

1. Take in: take in an old blouse by 1 in in total.
2. Let out: let one out using its margin.
3. Shorten: shorten a sleeve and re-apply a border.
4. Restyle: turn an old blouse into a sleeveless one.

As a hobby: restyling old blouses is thrifty, creative and sustainable.

For earning: alterations are steady studio work all year. Explain what is possible honestly before starting.

For teaching: alterations teach how blouses are built better than starting from new.

• Finish every new seam edge.
• Press with a cloth on silk.
• Note the alteration on the customer’s record.

• Do you read the margin first?
• Do you alter the lining too?
• Do you blend new lines into old?
• Can you name three ways to restyle a blouse?

• Taking in / letting out: making smaller or larger.
• Margin: the seam allowance kept for alteration.
• Blending: joining a new line smoothly into an old one.
• Restyling: changing the design of an existing blouse.

• General alteration practice.
• Teacher to check: how much margin to keep, and the order of work used in D&D’s studio.