How to Alter Clothes

Transcripts

<p>Elaine Terrell: Hi! I am Elaine Terrel; I am the owner of Elaine Terrell's Dressmaking and Alterations in Santa Fe, New Mexico where I do all types of fine custom sewing including dressmaking and pattern making. Today, I am going to show you how to do some basic alterations like sew a button with a shank onto a jacket, hem a pair of pants, hem an uneven skirt, replace the elastic in the waistband of a skirt, take in the size of a blouse and take in the back inseam on a pair of pants.</p><p>To do these alterations you will need a needle and matching threads, scissors, pins, marking tools, a seam ripper, a sewing machine, an iron and an ironing board. Now before we get started, let me tell you just a little bit about myself. I worked for 18 years as a professional dressmaker, tailor and pattern maker. I teach individual classes and I specialize in custom fitting and dress making. I do a broad range of sewing from the simple alterations that I am going to show you today to much more complex alterations like restyling jackets, custom fitting Armani and restructuring vintage wedding dresses.</p><p>So lets get started on those alterations. The first one we are going to do is sew a button with a shank onto a jacket. So let's go next door to my sewing room and we will get started.</p>