Altering a beaded Gown 101

How to ....

Helping you to understand how to alter a beaded gown is today's task , I will attempt to teach you step by step on three aspects of the process...

1.) adjusting at the shoulder with beading involved 

2.) adjusting the side 

3.) adjusting the side with a zipper

So lets begin......

This step will be to secure any beading and not to remove more than is needed....

below shows all beaded removed prior to cutting the rhinestone banding 

 I chose not to remove the center motif (or cluster of beads) 

until the stitching is in place. 

 the process on cutting the rhinestone banding is next view below,
 sometimes there will not be any banding,( in this case there was) my main concern here was to make certain I didn't cut the banding to short I want it to match seam to seam when I am finished....

Next will be to open the inside liner (on this example the dress is netting and the liner is also netting) 

Keep in mind that all the sewing  on this example will have to be by hand, I also stitched it twice through for extra strength  ( sometimes you can use the sewing machine) 

Note: if using the machine it is easy to sew over sequins or sometimes tiny seed beads but you will have to sew slow and take small stitches 

Do not let this process freak you out it really isn't hard  .......

Next step will be cutting the outside fabric or in this case the blue netting...

you will want to check to make sure your line is straight so just flip it around and view what it looks like before you cut 

ok all looks good , but note the extra sticking out that is the part we will deal with next...soooooooo

...when your happy with it snip it off leaving about a half inch ...

Almost finished....closing the liner is next.....  see I told you it was easy..

as you whip stitch the liner you will have to also secure each side of the facing on the inside of the arm and the outside just take small stitches and you should be fine..remember it's all by hand, which I feel I have so 

much more control when doing it this way....

Now we will have to add the missing beads to finish up....

I would like to note that sometimes I use clear thread for this but since the designer had used a dark blue that is what I elected to do as well...Oh and be sure to use an actually beading needle otherwise you will waist time and perhaps get upset when your regular needle don't want to go thru the tiny beads....just FYI...

This this the conclusion of STEP ONE..... and I must say it look Marvelous Darling simply Marvelous!!!!