Chiffon Dress Altered

[mingus107]

I recently purchased a lovely dress on ebay. When it arrived I was surprized to see that it had been aggressively taken in. It was not disclosed in the auction and the alterations are very well done. That being said, I want to let the dress out, back to it's original state. My question for all of you amazing, knowledgable people- If I remove the stitches (machine & hand work) how will the chiffon survive? Will "ghost stitches most likely show? I do love the dress & I paid a fair price for, it but the alterations need to go. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Living*Doll*Vintage]

If holes remain from where the needle pierced the fabric you can spritz with vinegar and then iron - using low setting and a pressing cloth. This should 'close' the holes.

I have had success with this method when removing stitches from other fabric~

Good luck!

 

[mingus107]

Thanks, Sharon! I've never heard of that trick. Do you think this would be safe to try on chiffon?

 

[MyVintageCocktail]

I agree with Sharon--the hardest part (tedious, maybe not hard!) is picking out the stitching very carefully so as not to increase the size of the holes! But the white vinegar (very lightly spritzed on chiffon) and pressing on appropriate setting for chiffon should do the trick once the alterations are undone.

I'd, were it me, let the seller know about the alterations, although stressing your satisfaction with the dress. I've had this happen a few times with things I've bought on eBay, and while sometimes it's not a problem, I've had two dresses that were so butchered from alterations (of course, not disclosed) that I sent one back, and the other seller--who did not realize that bad alterations had been made, gave me a more than satisfactory discount. I'm unsure why some sellers don't think alterations need to be disclosed, especially such obvious ones! Sometimes one can't tell, of course, but in cases like this, I think sellers need to know that such things should be noted!

 

[mingus107]

I really do like the dress and was disappointed when I saw the alterations. I wanted to contact the seller, but I'm such a wuss! Maybe I will email her and see how she responds. The alterations are very obvious- the shoulders were taken up so high, the arm holes are the size of baseballs! The are very professionally done though. I think I will take the stitches out (very carefully) and try the vinegar technique. Thanks so much for the advice, ladies!