Do you think this velvet dress is salvagable?

furwise

furwise

VFG Vice President
VFG Past President
Hi, I saw this dress at the antique store during many visits. It caught my eye everytime I went in but it had damage and no label so I passed it up until this last time when it got me.

I did not pay very much for it at all so it is not a big loss if it is a loss but for the first time ever I thought about possibly either fixing it myself or letting someone more skilled fix it for me.

It looks like a 30s dress/gown to me. Please correct me if I am wrong. There are snaps along the side and the back.

I will show the dress and damage and if you can please give me your opinion. Do I chalk it up to me donating my money to the antique store for this dress or can I fix it up?

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Thanks, Caryn
 
That is lovely and definitely 1930s. I can see why if you did not pay much for it that you did not want to leave it behind.

I am curious as to what some of our expert seamstresses can offer as advice to fix the hole as that is a pretty serious flaw!

I myself would be tempted to just turn it into a top and perhaps a good seamstress could make a skirt out of the rest of it, shortened from the area where the hole is now.
 
I did not show it but there was a smaller strip like that of the collar of matching beading pinned to it. I did not know where it came from but I think maybe it could be applied there somehow.

I am glad to know my eyes are not crazy at least for being drawn to it.

Thank you, Caryn
 
Oh, and Mary Jane, I had a 30s blue velvet overblouse that was missing the dress that actually did pretty well considering so I think if a blouse might be a possibility.

I was also thinking it might be a possibility to cut out that section all the way around and resew the bottom to the top. It would be a shorter dress and probably look more like a 20s dress as the seam would look like a drop waist if you know what I mean.

Caryn
 
My neighbor is an amazing seamstress. I bet she would love to help me. She is a nurse but she went to college to sew in Poland and she is always sewing something new to put up in her house when I go over there. I might run over there and ask her tomorrow. I don't even know what to offer her. Maybe I should go get a quote first and then approach her.

Great idea Amber.

Thanks, Caryn
 
Another thought, Instead of making a blouse and skirt... why not shorten the dress? use the extra to cover the hole or create a seam at the waist? I know it may not be the best idea but there are some short gals out there who are thin and it would make it perfect for them. Just a thought. You could either cut from the bottom and fill the hole, or cut the middle out and reattach? Possibly though as I am not so sure.

If it were for personal use, I would go find modern fabric and replace the hole,,, and no embelishment to hide it. I could easily cut and stitch it into place where as it would not be an eyesore. Little things like this don't bother me for personal wear, at all! I wear flawed anf patched all the time as it adds conversation to the piece!

Jennifer
 
Hi,

I love it too. If it were mine, I don;t think I would shorten it ...that takes away from the drape of the skirt, and I suspect the skirt is bias cut so shortening it could ruin the drape. I just love the long fluid line as it is. Covering the hole is preferable to shortening the dress.

Perhaps an alteration might be possible, if you could take the area with the hole and kind of pull it up and twist it, to create a knotted effect at the side hip? Or cut into it there and make a long side slit or opening, and wear it with a long slip underneath...or cut away that entire section and make an insert along the entire vertical length of the dress.

Or maybe I am crazy....I am no dressmaker so I am probably dreaming on things that are in no way possible.

I adore the color.

B
 
I am late to this thread, but what I might do (I like to sew), is cut some of that metallic draping either off the back or the front bow piece and use it to form two new scooping ribbon details under the ones already on the dress in front and swing it to the same spot on either side, (side seam?) which would look in keeping with the design. I am thinking slightly curved and narrower to wider at the hip where that hole is. As was mentioned cutting across the hip area will be a nightmare with that bias fabric and will change the drape of the skirt. If you use the front dangle piece, you could form a sort of sewn under knot with the remaining fabric so that you do not have that fabric hanging over the bodice at all afterwards, which I think would look nice. Also, if you need to cut off the back metallic drape to get enough length you can sort of carry the remaining fabric tails at the back up and along the back shoulder edges as a wide binding. I know this means altering a little those drapes. Remember, measure twice cut once. Make sure you have sufficient fabric to do this. It looks like you do, with plenty left for those back drapes, but its hard to judge when sitting in front of a screen! I think it is fixable and it's so pretty too!

Anyway, that would be the easiest way I think and it's what I would do.

Best, Julia
 
Thank you. The skirt is bias cut. I had not thought about that. I like the idea of taking what I can from the beaded silk hanging in back to make a matching bow or something.


Caryn
 
Personally I'd look at the back of the shoulders near the top(under the tails) or the front right area under the decoration for a donor piece of fabric, this could then be replaced with something suitable that will never be seen if the decoration was artfully tacked down.
Then the donor piece could be used to fix the original hole - being very careful to cut the donor piece out so that the fabric grain will match the direction of it's new location - otherwise it will stand out all the more for the pile leaning to a different direction to it's surrounding fabric.
This would provide the best match to keep the design of the garment as intended and I would advise only giving to a very experienced sewer who has made whole dresses before or to a professional.
 
I agree with finding a donor piece and extending the line to cover the hole. It seems that would stay as true to the original design as possible. What a fabulous find!
 
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