Do you ever find yourself sifting through a rack at a thrift store and see a cute vintage dress, only to think, "If only it was shorter..."? This happens to me ALL THE TIME. I suppose if I had a sewing machine and more skills in that area, this wouldn't be an issue. Due to these lack of skills, I have about six dresses in my wardrobe that I love but haven't worn because they need shortening. However, I have found a way to hem these dresses that requires minimal sewing skills and materials. All you need is thread, scissors and a sewing needle. I'll explain how for those of you who, like myself, are challenged in the ways of the needle.
Fold the skirt of the dress in half, being careful to line up the edges as neatly as possible.
Fold over again.
Fold over again. I usually fold it over twice, but the number of folds may vary dress to dress.
Cut the excess material to your liking, as straight as you can. You may want to use a ruler or pins to achieve a perfectly straight cut.
I usually use this stitch to hem the dress afterwards because you can't really see the stitches on the other side.
I should probably warn you that sewing the hem can be really time consuming. I watched a couple of episodes of Dawson's Creek getting it done! Alternatively, you could use hemming tape. I've never used it before, but I've heard it's super easy - once applied you just iron it, and it permanently seals the hem.
Here's how it looked afterward.
Alternatively, you can use hemming web tape, which is so quick and easy. I bought mine for about $4 from BigW. It works best on non-stretchy fabrics and you just iron it down and it melds the fabric.
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