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Best way to get straps on a strapless dress?


Faithr
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Dd 15 was so excited.  She went shopping with a friend today and bought herself a dress for the homeschool prom.   I was not there or I would never have encouraged this purchase.  It is strapless, strictly forbidden by prom rules (plus it just is too old looking for her, like she is trying to look 21 when she is just 15.)  Anyway, we've had a slight altercation over it (ah-hem) but now we need to figure out how to doctor it up so it is suitable.  I'm checking out wiki how and pinterest, but I do not sew at all.  Somehow I have to get material to match and then someone to sew it for me.    The only fabric store I knew of near me closed a couple years ago.  So that's the first hurdle.  

 

Anyway, with any experience with this?  Easiest way to fix?

 

Thank you.

 

P.S. this pinterest post is kind of what the dress looks like and these straps would work well.  

Edited by Faithr
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Can you hire someone? Either do that or return it. With no experience you're likely to ruin the dress.

 

ETA: just reread this and see you plan to ire someone. Whew! I would take photos and the dress to someone good and get some advice.

Edited by Barb_
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What is the top of the dress like?  What type of material is it?  

 

You can sew ribbon to the front and back at both shoulders and tie on the shoulders.  But, from what you describe, the dress sounds as if it needs a more sophisticated fix than that.

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Well, she is busy being 15 which means she is in tears over mom being so unreasonable.  If I tried to take a photo now and she knew I was talking about her here, she'd probably flip out.  So I guess I'll have to wait to this blows over, then sneak into her closet and take a photo.

 

Stay tuned!

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I would do this.  You can google "dressy shrug" and get a lot of options.

Problem with shrugs/sweaters/shawls...is they come off.  Even unintentionally...  :0)

 

My goddaughter had a terrible time finding dresses with straps; she had to have them sewn on every time.  There was not a school rule about it, she just thought it looked stupid to be out on the dance floor perpetually tugging on the top of one's dress.  It's not like these kids are doing a sedate minuet.  

 

If she could not find a matching fabric, she made *wider at the top than at the dress* straps out of contrasting velvet, and put some of that velvet somewhere on the waistline, either as a ribbon or a cummerbund to sort of make it into a "look."

 

She had more fun dancing than most the girls who seriously spent a lot of time worrying about or experiencing various degrees of wardrobe malfunction.  And she looked stunning.  

 

I'm sorry it is a hassle for you.  But honestly, I have to say that of all the strapless dresses I have seen either at weddings or at proms, less than 20% of the gals look good in them.  Straps (or sleeveless) gives illusion of height and is slimming.  So are higher necklines.  Strapless pretty much looks good on tall lithe bodies.  But that's not what everyone thinks and so I state it as an informed opinion. 

 

;0)

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What about getting a bolero or shawl instead of sewing something to the dress itself?

 

Oh gosh.  My daughter and I were talking about this today, while looking for her prom dress.  She was aghast at the idea of a shrug or bolero.  "No mom, that just screams old lady." 

 

Of course YMMV, maybe it is in style in other areas. 

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Oh gosh.  My daughter and I were talking about this today, while looking for her prom dress.  She was aghast at the idea of a shrug or bolero.  "No mom, that just screams old lady." 

 

Of course YMMV, maybe it is in style in other areas. 

 

I've seen it work, but mostly at weddings, where it is sort of sweet, like adding a layer to the wrapping...to be unwrapped at a later time.

 

Some shrugs work better than others.  

 

I know that brides have a terrible time finding non-shmooish gowns.  The wedding dress worn by Princess Katherine (Kate) gave a lot of hope to those who want a sort of elegance that isn't showing too much skin.  But that isn't much help for a lot of prom go-ers.  

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Oh gosh. My daughter and I were talking about this today, while looking for her prom dress. She was aghast at the idea of a shrug or bolero. "No mom, that just screams old lady."

 

Of course YMMV, maybe it is in style in other areas.

I have to side with your daughter on this one.

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You can buy quilt binding at Wal-Mart or any fabric store. Iron it to get rid of the crease, and then just sew (or safety-pin) two pieces to the bodice and back. You will have perfect straps.

 

 

Quilt binding is generally a matte cotton fabric, sometimes kind of stiff.  While it might be easy, I doubt a teen wanting to look lovely will be happy with it.  That said, the basic idea is a good one.  I also liked the PP's idea of velvet ribbon.

 

I do a lot of costumes for theater, and we often have to add straps to prom dresses, for both modesty and so the dress stays up while the wearer dances.  We generally take a rectangle of fabric about 5" wide and as long as needed to go from the front to the back with about 2" extra length to allow for tucking into the dress.  (You will need two of these.)  With right sides together, sew the rectangle together along the long side (not the 5":side) making the seam line about 1/2" from the edge of the fabric.  Turn this tube right side out, so that the outside is now the right side of the fabric.  Position the tube so that the seam runs along the center of the back of the tube.  This is your strap.  (Now make a second one.)  

 

As a previous poster mentioned, it will look best if you gather it up at the point where it meets the dress (front and back).  To do this, do a running stitch along the bottom of the strap and pull it up so that the 2" wide strap is more like 1" wide.  Do the same in the back, after figuring out how long you need the strap to be.  The idea is to do the running stitch just below the edge of the dress, so it won't show.  Now you can pin or sew the strap to the dress.  Usually you can attach it just to the lining, so it won't show from the front.  Sometimes, the dress has some stitching along the top edge; if so you can stitch along this line and not worry about it showing.  The strap can be gently pulled at the shoulder to spread out the gathering.

 

Anyone with even the most basic of hand-sewing skills should be able to get decent results (maybe after doing a test version or two).

As a previous poster noted, it can be nice to echo the fabric you use somewhere else on the dress, such as a bow at the waist or on the back. You can go with a matching fabric as much as possible, or choose something that contrasts.  Think about doing the same color in a different texture, for example.  Regardless, you want to choose a fabric that looks "evening".  

 

I hope your daughter enjoys the dance!  (And next time around, explain that while a "window shopping" outing with friends is ok, the actual dress purchase is ideally a mother-daughter moment.  :-)

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Thanks all.  I especially like the duct tape idea.  LOL.  My poor dd is just having a meltdown she's been on a crying jag all day.  Can't figure out what it is.  I don't think it is menstrual related.  Anyhoo.  I'm just going to lay low for now and deal with this later.  

 

Thanks for all the suggestions.  We might just get some black ribbon and dd (who sews better than I) may try to sew it on.  We'll see.

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I'm having zero success right now, but David's Bridal used to sell snap-in sleeves which went with their strapless dresses.

Their sleeves were great springboards for other ways to make strapless dresses more sturdy.

 

One friend inserted a bit more tulle around the edges of the front of the dress, so there was less "gap" between the dress & the girl's chest.

Another made a x-back with tulle, a more decorative addition.

 

Here's a Pinterest link, with 7 ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251005379201544301/

But a Google Image Search of "adding straps to a strapless dress" yielded lots of creative ideas.

 

But yeah, good luck with winning over your dd on this. ;-)

 

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Other than stores like JCPenney and Macy's, I have never seen a dress shop that allows returns on formal gowns. But if all tags are on, you can call and explain the situation and try.

 

Is the only issue with the dress that it isn't strapless? If so, that's a relatively easy fix.

 

I fully respect and support all levels of modesty, but I have to say, if the event rules or family preference makes requirements on girls dresses, PLEASE keep any fixes fitting with the fabric and style of the dress. Sweaters over strapless is just awful. If you're going to use ready-made ribbon, don't get the cheapest spool. Nicer ribbons are usually sold by-the-yard.

 

Does the dress need to be hemmed? We have made matching straps out of he fabric cut off for a hem. And while you're adding straps, if they're wide enough, you can have them placed where her bra straps will be (use the bra she'll wear with the dress) and the bra straps will be hidden.

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You can buy some nice and even beaded straps to see on the dress. Check any bridal store or some fabric stores have them. Very easy to sew on. They have several widths so you can see what fits your needs. They typically come in white, bone, and black. I have seen the white ones dyed but I would buy a back up that would work without dye in case it didn't come out dyed they way you want.

Edited by itsheresomewhere
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I've done this for my daughter before. I purchased a yard of pretty ribbon, cut it in half, and singed the ends to keep it from unraveling. I used some safety pins to put the straps where I thought they should go, and then had her try it on and then adjusted them until they looked just right, and I hand stitched them in place. 

 

If you cannot get to a fabric store, is there an arts and crafts store anywhere near you? Places like A.C. Moore sell spools of ribbon for a few dollars each, and have lots of choices in different colors, textures, and widths.

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As far as the crying, I don't know your daughter but I remember being near that age (a little younger, actually) when the modesty police were ruining my life :p . I would have been crying about the dress, to be honest. If I loved it, and was facing the prospect of wearing it in some modified form, I'd be very upset.

 

Even if she hasn't articulated this, exactly, she might rather wear a different dress that is meant to be a different style, instead of feeling patched and rigged in a dress she used to love.

 

This may not be feasible for many reasons, but I wonder if you can put this dress aside for another occasion, go together to find something else for this dance? Especially since you said this dress looks "older," maybe she can be allowed to wear it, as-is, in a year or two?

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Hugs for you and your daughter. I wonder if maybe she's feeling embaraased that she "messed up" by buying a dress that you don't like/will be a hassle to fix, etc. and not even wanting to acknowledge it to herself. I know as a teen that would have been humiliating for me no matter how nice my mom was about it (yeah, I was pretty overdramatic:) ) and the contrast between being super excited one minute and feeling awfyl the next would have totally set me off.

Spudater, you are spot on for how things went.  Then she went on a crying jag (which I think had to do also with the fact that she is behind on biology and hates it and realized that was how she SHOULD have spent her Saturday afternoon - catching up on that dreaded subject.)  LOL.  It is hard being 15!!!

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