White dress too tight on the arms - remedy, cut sleeves to enlarge them, dress of the day 551
Angela Lansbury wearing the white dress of the day 551, with cut sleeves.
Photo by Trevor Sharot.
I bought this dress in Singapore second-hand from the second-hand shop, Refash. Americans call buying 'preloved' items, thrifting. I had looked at the Refash price ranges. If I could not find anything in the lower price range, the best value in the upper price range was a full length dress.
Advantages Of A Full Length Dress
A full length dress is quicker when you are trying to decide what to put on, rather than trying to match up tops and skirts of different colours and patterns. The overall effect is neater. You look taller, if you are tiny as I am, in an upright oblong, rather than in two square dice shapes, whether they are the same colour separated by a midriff or belt, or different colours.
I found a lovely dress which was small. I had already rejected it on my first spinning circle around the shop because it was small. On second thoughts, I wondered if I could cut it. Maybe up and down both sides to make a tunic. It was very long. Maybe cut a strip off the hem and use this inset down one or both sides of the skirt, or top, or all the way down. Whatever. I bought the dress.
When I got home, I tried on my new dress. It needed a lot of altering. The top was too tight. The skirt was too long. The neck was too low. I didn't have the time nor the energy to do three lots of alterations.
Why Alter A Dress - and When?
A week went past. A month went past. Then I had an exciting invitation to a formal dinner, a wine dinner. So I needed a smart, long dress. Preferably a new dress, to keep my husband interested, to make me feel good, to look different from all my other photos.
I also needed to justify having spent money on the dress by wearing it, not leaving it hanging in the cupboard feeling neglected, taking up space. I did not want to be accused of 'buying clothes you never wear'.
I put on the dress. I didn't dare cut the hem. A long job, and the risk of looking untidy. I pulled up the skirt which doubled over the tummy. The major remaining fault was that the top was too tight.
I did not want to cut out the sleeves and make a tunic. No, I liked the sleeves.
The remedy was simple. Slit up the seam of the sleeves.
Cut Sleeve
I did that. I carefully cut the right sleeve. How did it look? The cut had not caused any visual harm. No disaster.
So far so good. But the dress top still felt too tight, as soon as I moved, it pulled.
Maybe I needed to cut the other sleeve as well. I did so.
The sleeves looked fine. A new style. Many garments have arched sleeves with a gap underneath.
Jacket Needed To Hide The Cut Sleeves
You could hide the under-sleeve gap. Wear a cape blazer, to show the front of the dress, my arms, and the top of the sleeves, but hide the under arms.
You can see in the picture above, that when I lift my arm, you can see the gap under the cut sleeve. However, as you see from the other arm, the dress looks normal, so long as I keep my arms down, as I will when standing, holding a handbag, or seated, holding cutlery at dinner.
Eventually, I thought, when I had time, I could finish the cut edges with hand sewing. Meanwhile, so long as the fabric was not fraying, I merely had to keep the cut part hidden.
Only one problem. The dress was still too tight. Across the chest. Across the back. As soon as I tried to move my arms. Not comfortable.
What next? I had to keep cutting. I had to continue downwards, past the cross shaped join of the underarm seams meeting, cutting through thicker material. Then, down an inch or two, cautiously down the dress side seam.
Would it split further? Probably not. The slit just had to last without tearing, a couple of hours through dinner. If I had dealt with the dress when I bought it, I would have been better prepared.
At least I had started alterations in the previous week before the dinner. A good thing I had started trying on the dress a day or two before the meal, and not twenty minutes before going out, making myself late for dinner.
My next job was to find something white to fill in the neck. My pendant was perfect. Firstly, it added to the finished look; secondly, it covered up the cleavage with no need for extra sewing.
See my previous post for a close-up of the pendant.
Clothes Details
White Dress
Brand Order Plus.
Size small.
Bought from Refash in Singapore. Made in China. 95% polyester, 5% spandex.
White Jacket
Bought on the internet.
I have a better one from Mango.
Red Sandals
Free-step. Upper leather. Size 5.
Bought on the internet from London, England.
Useful Websites
https://www.instagram.com/ordeerplus/?hl=en
More on the re-seller refash in post 530.Please share links to your favourite posts.
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