How to Mend a Wedding Dress

Stepping on the train or snapping a button on your wedding dress before you walk down the aisle needn't drive you into crisis mode. There are simple sewing tricks you can use to mend your dress and make it look as good as new.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Needle
• Thread
• Moleskin
• Extra buttons and/or beads

Replace Buttons

1. Sew loosened or missing buttons onto your wedding dress by threading a needle with a double length of thread.
2. Tie a small knot at the end of the thread by wrapping the ends of the thread around your fingertip and rolling it onto itself.
3. Insert the needle into the fabric where the button should be attached and pass it through the shank of your fabric-covered button or the hole in a flat button.
4. Take 3 to 5 stitches to secure the button before tying the thread off.

Repair Stitching

5. Mend loosened seams by threading a needle with a single length of thread and tying it off at one end.
6. Take a stitch to the left of the opened seam to secure the thread. The easiest stitch to use in making repairs of this kind is a looping stitch where your needle will be always entering one side and exiting the other.
7. Repair a ripped hem by picking up only a small amount of the outer fabric. Your stitches should be tightly placed together to ensure that your heel does not get caught in the hem of your dress.
8. Keep loosened boning ends in place at the top or bottom of your bodice by stitching on moleskin to cover the opened seam. This technique can also be used as a precautionary measure, making your boned bodice more comfortable against your skin.
9. Secure a broken spaghetti strap with a safety pin for a quick fix. You can satin stitch the strap in place if you have more time.

Mend Trim

10. Replace missing beads on the bodice and body of your dress by sewing on replacements with a thread color which closely matches that of your dress.
11. Mend areas of appliquéd trim which have come unstitched by catching the edges with a looping stitch. Your stitch needn't penetrate the lining of the dress--the appliqué can be securely fastened to the outer fabric of the dress.

Tips & Warnings

• Pack an emergency sewing kit for your wedding day and include needles, pins, thread, and safety pins. You can use these tools to repair your dress or share them with your wedding party should a bridesmaid's dress require mending.
• Look for extra buttons and/or beads when you buy your dress, or ask your dressmaker for them. Be sure to take them with you to the site.