How to Alter to an Empire Waist
Empire waistlines are one type of waistline that is perfect for many women. It accentuates your bust and can draw attention away from your stomach, hips and thighs. This type of style is frequently worn by pregnant mommies, and has grown in popularity with prom dresses and wedding dresses. Empire dresses are typically made out of all sorts of fabrics nowadays, including cotton, silk, velvet and muslin. Altering the empire waist so it fits properly is crucial to making the dress flatter the body.
Instructions
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Measuring Your Client
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1
Measure the woman right below her bust line where the waistline of the dress will be.
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2
Write those measurements down.
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3
Put the woman in the dress and see how many centimeters or inches the dress is too big or too small.
If the Dress is Too Big
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4
Measure how much bigger the dress is than the woman's waistline, mark the difference with fabric chalk on the back of the dress near the zipper.
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5
Use the scissors to take off excess fabric from the zipper line.
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6
Fold and sew the edges so that you have a straight line to attach the zipper.
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7
Reattach the zipper.
If the Dress is Too Small
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8
Measure the difference between the two edges of the zipper sides.
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9
Write that measurement down.
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10
Take fabric from the bottom of the dress and hem the bottom of the dress.
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11
Add the fabric after stripping off one side of the zipper.
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12
Reattach the zipper.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Have a final fitting and adjust any more sizing that needs to be done.
