Neckline alterations

Neckline alterations

I bought these 2 Marimeko dresses last week eagerly anticipating their arrival!!  I bought two colorways because the last time I bought a Marimeko dress from Uniqlo, I loved it so much, I wished I had bought two of them.  However, when I tried the first one on, the neckline of the dress was too high and was cutting me in the throat. The neckline would have been fine if the dress was at all stretchy, but it was not.  And, I didn't want to send them back.  The colors are too pretty, and the A line, aka TENT dress, is so comfortable and cool for the summer.  Fortunately the design of the dress had an ample facing on the inside. Here's the part where I admit my novice level of sewing, the facing was one of those that connects the neck and sleeve hole facing in one piece.  I don't understand it, I still don't, but I thought I would risk experimenting on the pink and orange dress, and if it went well, then I would have a dress that I loved to wear, and would be willing to risk the second one, the grey and white. 

The pink and orange alterations worked! Here is a before (the grey and white one) and after (the pink and orange one). 

The difference is subtle.  I only cut off about 3/4" inch, but it made a huge difference in being able to wear it. 

I started with detaching the facing tacks at the side seams, and then ripped out the stitching that attaches the seam allowance to the facing.  Is that called stay stitching? I don't think so....It was however, very fine and tiny stitching, and I had to put on two pairs of glasses to see it!

I skipped the photos for the rest of the pink and orange dress, please forgive me.  On to the grey and white one.  The next step is to arrange the neckline so that the right sides of the fabrics are together.  Then I lightly sketched the line that I wanted to sew.  I used the piece I cut off from the pink and orange dress as a reference, and I made this one just slightly larger, about an inch. 

I pinned the facing to the bodice so that there would be no slippage, and then stitched along the line.  The scary part is trimming the seam line with scissors.  Yikessss!

This entire operation would not be possible if the facing hadn't been so big, so thank you for that!  I would have had to devise something else, and this solution was so easy! The last step was to sew the seam allowance back down to the inside facing, and reattach the tacts at the side seams.  Super easy!

Here's my two leftovers!  Evidence of success and bravery! I think I will keep them!

The final product? The neckline is now low enough that it doesn't choke me!  Hurray!