I recently purchased one of my wish-list dresses and it fit everywhere except in the waist. I looked into my options for altering the dress to make it larger and there are a few:
- Let it out at the seams (if you’re lucky enough to have a dress with seam allowance.)
- Add panels into either the sides or the back.
- Replace the zipper with a corset back
Since there wasn’t much seam allowance and I’m lazy, I opted for the latter and it was super easy. Almost too easy. Suspiciously easy for a complicated problem.
I watched a couple of videos to get an idea of how I was going to do this and did some amazon shopping for supplies. I considered buying a corset kit like THIS ONE but ended up going with grommets instead. After reading reviews on a few different grommet hole punches, I decided on THIS ONE and I was not disappointed.
I measured and marked where I wanted to punch each grommet first. To make the punching easier and cleaner, I suggest pre-cutting your holes especially if you’re working with multiple layers or thick fabric. I skipped right to punching in the grommets and with a little muscle, it was pretty easy.
In the end, it isn’t perfect but with the ribbon running throughout, the minor defects are hardly noticeable. Most importantly, I can wear my dress!
Thanks so much for reading! xoxo, GK
Ginger Kate 