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Hi all!

I don't know if anyone remembers, but about a year and a half ago I was asking if anyone had ever made a classical Russian tutu and could point me in the direction of a pattern. Well, turns out there is no pattern, but there are books (very expensive books!) that teach you how to design and fit your own. I borrowed a book from the ballet's costume mistress and many months later I finally finished this! This picture is my daughter warming up before performing the 4th variation from the classical ballet "Paquita". You can't really see it, but there is a tall black Spanish comb and roses in her hair. This was for a Cabaret for her school, not for the actual ballet program. Anyhow, it is a pretty good pic of the tutu!

Now for the question. For all you garment seamstresses out there, do you have any tips on inserting an underarm gusset in a dress that is already made? I have to alter a costume and put in underarm gussets so when the dancer raises her arms, the dress doesn't ride up. Everything I have found in my sewing books and online is for putting in a gusset as the garment is being constructed, nothing on how to open up the existing seams and put in a gusset that will be smooth and look like it was designed to be there. Has anyone had experience with this? All ideas welcome!!

Thanks!

Gorgeous tutu & equally beautiful & graceful dancer!

I'm sure my sewing books would also address gusset & underarm construction as part of a pattern, not as an alteration, and you've already explored that. My advice then would be to talk to anyone or any place that does bridal gown alterations. Maybe it's a situation they've had to deal with, too?

I would add along with above advise to ask other Mothers at school how they handle the situation.

I don't have an answer because I don't know the first thing about it. But what I DO know is beautiful when I see it. Beautiful!

I did it once. The lady had a cotton dress which could be shortened to get the extra material. So as you mentioned, I opened the side seam under the arm and put in the extra tapering in at the underarm of the sleeve and again at the waist seam so all would match evenly. It gave her the width around the torso she needed. I believe I top stitched the open seam onto the gusset. Harder to explain without being there. HTH

My "modern" sewing books have nothing on adding gussets (some didn't even have a G column in the index!), but! My dusty old 1930's & 1950's books did. One showed how to make slits under a kimono-typed sleeve to add a square or diamond-shaped gusset into the seam area. The slits went perpendicular to the existing underarm seam, and when the area was eased open & the old seam allowances trimmed, it made a square or diamond-shaped opening. The book says to baste & then machine sew a matching patch cut from the straight of grain (of extra fabric), cutting to allow a 1/2" seam allowance, but taking 1/4" seam in the existing arm fabric. They also suggest doing some tapering at the corners of the patch.

The other book showed what looked like a long, skinny, tapered diamond added to the underarm & sleeve area of a garment. It started under the sleeve (in the seam), went under the underarm, & ended towards the waist. The widest part of the patch was in the underarm, and the 2 pointy ends were very tapered into the side seam & arm seam of the garment.

What about approaching the ballet's wardrobe mistress again for this problem? Or anyone in Wardrobe in a theater. Good luck!

Where are you needing to put the gusset in? I needed to put a gusset into the upper sleeve seam of my jacket to wear to my son's wedding. I opened the sleeve seam and a bit of the jacket side seam. Then stitched in a diamond/kite shaped gusset piece in the opening with the points of the "kite" at the armhole seam and the long tapered end going down the sleeve seam and the short fat top point going down the side seam. My gusset was about 2 inches wide at the center points and about an 1 1/2 inch on top and three inches along the sleeve seam. That gave seam allowance to turn in when sewn. I did all the sewing by hand since it was French seams on the sheer jacket.

Be sure to cut the gusset on the true bias for better stretch when needed. When we figured out what size to cut the gusset I put the jacket on with the opened seam and had someone measure the open area. Then cut the fabric with the added seam allowance. Good luck and have fun.

Oh, and thank you for the private LOL you provided me, not even knowing you would... My mom always used to go around saying she was getting so mad she was "about to bust a gusset." I never knew what that meant as a kid, but I knew to stay OUT OF HER WAY!!!!

So I had a little chuckle moment here when I researched gussets, remembering Mom & her own "delicate gussets."

Hmmm, perhaps you could try contacting Nancy Z of Nancys Notions. She is a good garment sewer, just went into quilting to keep viewers.
also try Martha Pullen. She does tons of baby clothing and such but would know quite a lot I'm sure.
good luck.

Absolutely contact the experts from the Nancysnotions site. I've had wonderful luck with a few questions from them.

No help from here - just admiration for even attempting something like this.

Thank you all so much for the helpful suggestions! It turned out to be a non-issue this time around because the casting was changed and the new dancer didn't need the additional room under the arm. However, I will be doing costuming for the ballet "Cinderella" this summer, and I'm sure at least one costume will need a gusset added. It seems to be a particular problem for the men. In many classical ballets the men wear a fairly tight, waist-length tunic. If it rides up when they raise their arms, the tops of their tights show and it doesn't look very good. An underarm gusset solves the problem for them, but it makes a probelm for me if I don't know how to put one in!!

Starrysky, what are the titles/authors of your old 30's and 50's books? I have also found occaisionally that the older publications have really good "how to" instructions of stuff that is really hard to find in modern publications. I think that books today, even the detailed tailoring ones, are all written from the prospective that everyone who garment sews is making a new item. So they are great at showing how to do something as part of the construction. But the older books were written by people who knew their audience was also likely to be remaking old clothes. So they are better at including instructions on how to alter a garment that is already made.

I have found in this job, that making a costume from scratch is pretty straightforeward. Just follow the pattern. It is when I have to alter, fit, or change an existing costume that I feel I am just winging it with no real confidence. It is often much harder!!

quote:

Be sure to cut the gusset on the true bias

YES!!!

I fnd alterations to be more difficult than to fit from the ground up. Taking the seams apart so it's similar to making the garment from scratch helps.

Your garment is beautiful...and your daughter too!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nancyc20,

Aaaak, the old books are out on loan to a clothing designer friend right now! I think one was a Singer book, maybe something that came with a machine?

I'll try to track down my books & get the titles. Could take a bit...think that friend was going out of town this week?

One of the old garment design books I have (betcha 100 bucks Starry and I have the same ones) is called Pattern Drafting and & Grading (M. Rohr,19 Leary St.,Eastchester, NY...1961 revised edition) has great instructions. looks like the original book is from the 30's - 40's.

Very cool ideas...like making hats, jabots, peplums, godets...the Project Runway folks would really like them...


eta: ooooo oooo ooooo...A 1978 Reader's Digest "Complete Guide to Sewing" has 2 pages of great instructions and drawings. That one you might be able to find at the library or the Goodwill. I've seen it around.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nancyc20,

OK, like everything else with sewing, it wasn't easy, but I got those book titles. My friend is out of town, but she answered her cell phone when I called to ask her if she remembered the titles to the books I loaned her (no, she didn't). But she called the neighbor who's watching the house & said when you take the mail in after work, call me from my sewing room. That neighbor found the books in the room, and then my friend wrote down the titles & called me back. So we have 3 people on this phone tree, but it worked!

The books are (as dictated to my friend & then to me)...

Singer Sewing Book (that's the one I remembered, and I think it was the one from the 50's)

Clothing for Moderns

Pattern & Dress Design

The last 2 are old but I don't know which one was from the 30's and which one had the gore info (Edit - not gore, gusset -- why did I type gore?). Didn't ask my friend to ask her friend to look in the index.

I know I got those books at a used book sale. It's not always easy to find vintage sewing books at sales, but when I see them I pick them up. Bodies haven't been redesigned in awhile, although the machines with which we sew clothes for those bodies have gotten fancier. The old books still have some practical fit & construction advice. Hope this helps.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: StarrySky,

Grishko, I would use an old costume from a thrif store. and take it apart and put it back together. It helps. I love to alter things.

Thanks for the advice everyone! Starry Sky, I had no idea you would have to activate a whole phone tree!!! Thank you so much. I can see there are a few trips to some used/antique book shops in my future. I think I'll try some used book websites as well. I've had really good luck finding out of print books on Abebooks.com in the past.

Grishko - just for fun, I did a search on Shopgoodwill.com and found this;

http://www.shopgoodwill.com/vi...m.asp?ItemID=9947522

It's the old Singer Sewing Book.
There's also an old Vogue book on Fashion sewing up for auction.
Love this site. There are often lots of fabric, yarn, unfinished quilt blocks or tops, sewing notions, etc. for sale. Maybe I'm letting the cat out of the bag! The more people know about it, the harder to find a bargain, lol.
Joan

Lovely ballerina daughter! Beautiful costume!
Wonderful help...I love this board!

Quiltinana2-- I had never heard of that site before! thanks for the tip!

luvthosequilts-- Thank you! I'm pretty fond of her too!

You made that outfit? Beautiful as she is! You do good work...

I am very impressed...you did a great job and I love the color! Your daughter looks stunning too!

Hope you can figure out how to do this.

I have a friend that makes her own bras and blouses ... I will forward your first message to her and see if we can get some help ..