You find the perfect blouse for your lolita wardrobe online. The sleeves are adorable and there’s a cute row of buttons up the front. With the shirring in the back, you should fit into it comfortably. It arrives and you try it on – only to discover that the blouse gaps in the front. At the widest point of your chest, fabric stretches tight, creating an awkward gap in the buttons. Sadly, you put blouse immediately in your “to sell” pile.
Has this ever happened to you? Well, my frilly friend, I’m here to tell you the story doesn’t have to end this way! You can enjoy your cute blouse. With just a few inexpensive and easy to find tools, you’ll be enjoying your blouse without the gap!
Tools need
Needle
Thread (matching the color of your blouse as close as possible)
Pencil or water soluble marker
Snap
You should be able to find all of these are your local fabric or craft store. You can find bulk boxes of snaps online but be warned: one of these babies will probably last the rest of your life.
This Lady Sloth blouse is cute, but gaps a little more than I like in the front. Luckily, fixing it will be a snap!
Snap Tutorial
- Use a pin to mark where your snap will go. Make sure that your blouse is lying flat, the way it will hang on your body. Otherwise, your snap will cause bunching for the misaligned fabric. Since there are two parts to the snap, you will need two marks. When you’ve determined the perfect place, mark both pieces of fabric with a pencil.
- Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end. Chose the bottom side of your snap and use a pin to hold it in place on the bottom fabric. Begin whip stitching your snap in place. Depending on the design of your snap, you will likely need to move in between small sections of the snap. Using a small, sharp needle will help with this work.
- Continue to whip stitch the snap in place. You probably don’t need to go crazy. 10 or stitches should keep it held in place. Make sure to end your knot on the inside of the blouse.
- Pin the top of the snap in place. Knot the thread for a new needle. Begin whip stitching the top snap. For the top snap, make sure you don’t catch any of the outer fabric in your stitches.
- Trim any loose threads and wash off any marks left on the fabric.
Try on your blouse and be amazed that you now have a bespoke piece in your closet! The fit is tailored just for you (well, sort of anyway).
