random thoughts – Day 2,234 (Wednesday) – saree choli

The plan for today was to finish the coin bra for a dance, but it was temporarily set aside in favor of altering a green saree choli for a different dance. A couple weeks ago I bought a pink and green saree with a coordinating green choli top to go with my reddish-fuschia skirt. 

Top in need of alterations.

Without having tried it on, it looked like the top might fit, but when I finally tried it on, it was obvious it needed alterations. The first adjustment was to let out some of the side seams, which helped with the circumference, but the top is also several inches too short from shoulder to hem.

To address the choli,  the neckline, which sat too high on the back of my neck and collarbones, was reshaped. The hope was that the neckline change would help how the rest of the top sits in the torso, and it did somewhat, but only when I stood still. As soon as I raised my arms like we do in the dance, the top rode up in a manner that is definitely not suitable for public consumption.

There were Internet searches for altering tops but most results dealt with adjusting commercial patterns before cutting fabric and not how to fix a ready-made top. I would be winging it, without benefit of training as a seamstress or tailor. It felt like it would have been easier to make a top from a piece of fabric, but there was no fabric on hand in the right color.

Early in the alterations.

Bit by bit, stitching was methodically removed from parts of the top. The neck facing was removed first. The front bust dart was re-pinned to be more of a princess seam, which fit better, but the top still rode up with my arms raised. Next, the front facing with the fasteners was removed, then the front bottom band. The bodice pinning was removed and the pinned princess seam was basted into soft gathers.

Each action offered a small improvement, but one remaining issue seems to be that it is too small through the shoulders. The next potential step is to slice the back up the center and add a strip from the saree's decorative edging to expand the back by a couple inches and extend the shoulder line. The “slice the back” part causes me panic. That is where things could go very wrong. All the carefully removed stitches can be re-sewn, but taking scissors to the fabric is a different situation. I’ll have to psych myself up for that step.