How I altered my dress neckline

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Angie asked:

Can I ask how you altered the neckline? I have a similar pattern that I find the neckline too low on, which is the only thing holding me back from making it up. I am a novice sewer so I don’t know where to begin to alter a pattern.

What I do is pretty straightforward. I’ve only ever tried this on a pattern that has one solid piece for the bodice front. Lay the pattern piece out on the fold, but instead of cutting directly along the neckline, follow the curve of the pattern edge and cut a bit above it. I cut the neckline on the last dress I made about an inch and a half higher.

The blue line in the diagram is where you would cut instead of cutting along the top of the pattern piece.

Make sure you follow the curve of the neckline though. If your cut starts too high up on the fold, you could end up with a slight point in the middle of your neckline.

You also may need to try the piece on and adjust the new neckline. On the red dress I just made, I actually cut the neckline too high and had to cut it back down a little. It looked fine, but felt like it was choking me so I lowered it a half inch or so. ;O)

If your dress has a facing or bodice lining, you’ll need to alter that neckline too, or else your pieces won’t match. Can you tell I’ve done that before?

Hope this helped some, Angie! Happy sewing!