Peggy Sagers: Vera Wang once stated, "It's not just another dress.

It's the dress you'll remember forever."

I've been asked, "How can I save on a wedding dress without making it myself?"

The answer is to simply do the alterations yourself.

Wedding dresses can cost up to $300 to simply hem the dress, and I say, it's not that simple.

A wedding dress hem can be very complex, or is it?

We'll make it easy, all today, on "Fit 2 Stitch."

♪♪ ♪♪ male announcer: "Fit 2 Stitch" is made possible by Kai Scissors-- ♪♪ announcer: Plano Sewing Center-- ♪♪ announcer: Elliott Berman Textiles-- ♪♪ announcer: Bennos Buttons-- ♪♪ announcer: Imitation of Life-- ♪♪ announcer: --and Clutch Nails.

♪♪ Peggy: I'm gonna be your first convert because, before this show, if you would've asked me if I would've hemmed a wedding dress, I would've said, "No way," but, after this, I'm gonna tell ya somethin'.

I would do this.

I can do this, and I'm surprised at how easy it can be, and I clearly didn't know all this, and there's lots of things I've learned in this process, but Nataliya is really the master, and I'm gonna bring her out because she knows so much, and it's amazing how easy you make this.

Nataliya Desheva: It's just a lot of practice and a lot of years.

Peggy: It is, it is.

It's a lot of practice and a lot of years, but the nice thing is she's so generous to share with us this information because, truly, you can save a lot of money.

I went to several bridal shops, and just for fun, I said to them, "I've got a dress, and I need it hemmed," and the prices were just--I mean, I was stunned.

Nataliya: It's so high, exactly.

Peggy: I really was stunned.

Nataliya: It can be thousand dollars for altering wedding dress, yeah.

Peggy: And, actually, when we went through the process of how to do it, I was surprised how easy you made it.

Nataliya: Yep, it looks easy.

Peggy: Well, you make it look easy.

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah.

Peggy: Where do we start?

'Cause there's all kinds of different hems.

Nataliya: Yeah, every time, when I have bride in my store, it's absolutely different dress every time.

Peggy: Sure.

Nataliya: Like, different finish, different everything, different problems.

Peggy: You know, I actually found a dress that the alterations were more expensive than the dress.

Nataliya: Yeah.

Peggy: So, when they have a dress, generally, they'll bring you the dress they bought, and then they want you to fix it.

Nataliya: Exactly, yeah.

Sometimes this happened, yeah.

Peggy: And mainly it's hems for most?

Nataliya: Most of the time, it's the hems.

Maybe sides, but main problem, it's always too long.

Peggy: But the first thing that goes through my mind is how complex it is.

I really thought it was just complex until we've gone through all this, and I'm just--so, show me, show me.

Where do you wanna start?

Nataliya: Yeah, like, wedding dresses, it's always a lot of layers.

Peggy: Okay.

Nataliya: This can be a rolled hem, it can be beads, it can be-- Peggy: Kind of like this?

'Cause, I mean, it's not a wedding dress, but it still has layers to it.

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah.

Peggy: So when you're talking-- you actually have to hem?

Nataliya: Yeah, of course, everybody likes to have this exactly look-- Peggy: How it was.

Nataliya: --like original, yeah.

Peggy: You can't cut it off and just leave it.

Nataliya: No.

Peggy: It's tempting.

Nataliya: If you want a cried bride on you?

Peggy: But I saw in the store where you were pinning one, and you actually had them on, and you pinned to the floor, all the way around.

You actually pinned at the floor.

Nataliya: Yes, usually, what I do, just because it's so many layers, this can be chiffon, this can be mesh, or satin, like, I pin every layer separately.

Peggy: At the floor?

Nataliya: At the floor.

It always touches the ground.

Like, when I put my pins, it just exactly touches the ground.

Peggy: Right, right.

Nataliya: Sometimes, when you have horsehair tape, I make it a little bit longer on the fitting because usually, when you attach horsehair tape, this can go up a little bit.

Peggy: So, on a rolled hem like this, I see this taking, like, a zillion thousand hours.

Show me an easy way to do this.

Nataliya: It's very easy.

When you know exactly, it's so easy.

Peggy: Okay, you're on.

Nataliya: Yeah, let's see.

I have, like, little simple thread here.

Like, see, it's been a rolled hem originally.

Like, let's say, we need to shorten this dress, like, inch and a half, like, all around.

Usually, it's not even.

Peggy: Oh, that's-- Nataliya: Usually, it's not even.

Peggy: Well, you know, that's because the dress probably doesn't fit right through the bodice, so when they-- Nataliya: Yeah, and you need--when you pin floor, you need to do this.

A wedding dress is not all around.

Some girls, they, of course, they want to keep tail in the back.

Peggy: The train.

Nataliya: Usually it's, like, side-to-side shortened.

Peggy: Side seam to side seam?

Nataliya: Yeah.

Peggy: Yeah, I noticed that on one dress that I took on.

Nataliya: Yes, and I put a lot of pins, maybe three, four inches between because hem itself can be crooked, and, just, of course, you want to have it perfect-perfect length for the wedding, right?

Peggy: You don't get a discount for it being uneven, do ya?

Nataliya: No.

It's always even.

Okay, and when they mark length exactly all around, I'm check.

When I put this on the table, I'll just check and make sure it's, like, go straight.

Just check the line.

And first stitch, I always do because this is the finish line.

Peggy: Right.

Nataliya: First stitch to make this--keep this hem original, this rolling hem, you can do just maybe quarter longer from the pin.

Peggy: So longer than the actual-- Nataliya: Longer than the--yeah.

Peggy: --that it's actually going to be.

Nataliya: For the first stitch, right here, let's see it.

Peggy: And now your stitch would be right on the pins.

Nataliya: And the stitch is in pins, yeah, and I just--you see how I move my fabric?

Peggy: Okay.

Nataliya: And I'm holding and remove pins.

Peggy: You haven't cut anything off.

Nataliya: I didn't cut anything.

Anything.

This first stitch, yeah, when I do first stitch on the hem because, if you cut, it just go like this.

Peggy: Oh, that's a really good tip.

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah.

Peggy: You know how many times I've cut, and it's gone like that?

Nataliya: Yes, some people, they cut, and they try to roll it.

And stitch with once, just only one stitch, and it's never worked.

Peggy: Oh, that's worth a million dollars.

Nataliya: Even, this, my big experience, it's impossible.

Just don't try it.

Peggy: So you're, just, you're stitching right on the line you want-- Nataliya: Yeah, just right on the line, quarter lower--the first stitch.

Okay, let's see.

Peggy: I love this.

Nataliya: Yeah, let's see.

We got first line right here.

Peggy: Does it matter how long your stitch length is?

Nataliya: It's, usually, it's, like, two and a half, three.

Peggy: Okay.

Nataliya: It's the best because you don't wanna make it too narrow stitches because it start pulling.

Just, better, three.

Three is the best.

Peggy: Okay, and now you're gonna cut it?

Nataliya: And now I'm gonna cut it just right.

Peggy: And you've got those little scissors goin' right in line.

Nataliya: Little scissors because it's much easier to cut and just check, make sure it cut top layer because it's--yeah, it's-- Peggy: If you cut that layer, you don't get paid, do you.

Nataliya: Just practice before doing this, yeah.

Like, see, it's the first stitch.

Peggy: Oh, my goodness.

Nataliya: And then we turn this one and stitch one more time right here.

Peggy: That actually looks fun.

Nataliya: Mm-hmm.

Peggy: I mean, that's not hard.

Nataliya: No, no.

When you know it exactly, it's not hard at all.

Peggy: I am just stunned because there's so many times where I've done this, and I've tried to do exactly what you said not to do.

Nataliya: And it's so quick, yeah, because it's nothing pulling, nothing--you don't need to think.

Peggy: Plus, you have--and you can actually see that there's an extra stitch in there.

You can see that.

Nataliya: You can see it from inside-- extra, extra stitch, but usually, it's--nobody's worried about this.

Peggy: And also, you're dealing with such a small amount that it doesn't matter that it's going larger to smaller.

Nataliya: And you can turn, like, middle, or you can do almost quarter.

Peggy: Oh, sorry.

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have scissors.

Peggy: Oh, let's see.

Nataliya: Yeah, and you have cut a rolling hem right here.

This, no pain-- Peggy: You are amazing.

Nataliya: --because in manufacturers, they have professional machines, which is--it can do with one stitch only.

When you do it at home, it's much easier to do.

One stitch without cut it.

Then cut, and turn second time, and that's it.

Peggy: Okay, this is awesome.

I would spend an hour on this, but since I know you've got so many other secrets, we're gonna move on.

That was incredible.

Nataliya: Yeah, this is what's rolling hem.

It's a--almost every wedding dress or any bridesmaid dress have this hem inside, this rolling him.

Another one we can-- Peggy: Do you think they make dresses too long so that you have to pay to hem them?

Nataliya: Sometimes, I was thinking about this because they try to sell these dresses to anybody, and they don't care how high you are, you know?

And just make sure it's fit to anybody.

If people--person is shorter, oh, you can just short the dress, right?

Because, when it's too long--too short, you cannot do nothing much, right?

But when it's-- Peggy: So they make 'em a little long.

They know they can shorten them.

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Peggy: 'Cause they're almost made to shorten.

Like, the lace and the horsehair canvas is a perfect example.

Let's do it.

This is incredible.

Thank you.

That's step one.

Nataliya: Yeah, it's a step one, rolled hem.

Ninety-nine percent wedding dresses have rolling hem.

Peggy: They do.

Nataliya: If you know the secret now, it's much easier for you to do anything now.

Peggy: I know the secret.

Nataliya: You know the secret.

And then, like, some dresses--also, lot of dresses have horsehair tape inside, and it's also easy one to do when you know exactly how to stitch and how to open.

Peggy: I haven't had a lot of experience with horsehair canvas, but, again, you just made it so easy that I just wanna go out and make something that has horsehair canvas in it.

It's pretty, and I'm surprised how much you have, all the different colors and-- Nataliya: This is a--depends on the skirt, again.

Usually, I keep this one for myself when I do customize because, many alterations, they have--you can open horsehair tape inside, and use-- Peggy: Oh, you can reuse it.

Nataliya: You can reuse it, exactly.

Peggy: Oh, I see.

Nataliya: Yes, and-- Peggy: And is it expensive?

Nataliya: It's not expensive.

It's very, actually, cheap, like, maybe $15 for whole roll.

Peggy: Is it hard to find, though, to match whatever they made?

Okay.

Nataliya: No, it's so many options.

Peggy: So because you have all those, would you typically try to save it, or would you just toss it and use what-- Nataliya: Sometimes, when the dress is so long in the front, so wide, right, and you need to open, like, three or four stitches on this-- Peggy: To get it out?

Nataliya: --to get it out, and another, if your dress, you're shortening much shorter than the horsehair finish, you can cut and use new one.

It saves time.

Peggy: Okay.

Nataliya: Yeah, it's what I'm doing sometimes because, again, if I have exactly same size, exactly same color, I can use my stuff.

Peggy: So you're lookin' for a girl who's short that has horsehair canvas, so you can just cut it all off.

Nataliya: Yes, exactly.

Peggy: Let's look at this dress, the bottom.

I mean, this is just stunning.

You made this.

Nataliya: Yes, I made this one, and I use horsehair tape inside.

Peggy: I don't think I ever thought that I could just make myself a pretty dress for horsehair canvas.

I thought it was--had to be formal-formal-formal.

Nataliya: And it looks so elegant, and it doesn't stay just a straight piece.

It have little, like-- Peggy: It's beautiful, and you don't even see that it's horsehair canvas.

You just somehow think it's part of the pattern.

Nataliya: No, it just--horsehair tape makes this different.

Peggy: Really pretty.

All right, show us what you're doing.

Nataliya: Okay, let's see.

It's so many different horsehair tape, depends what you try to accomplish.

You want bigger waves, or you want just elegant waves?

Just, you want, bigger waves?

You can always use thicker, thicker horsehair tape.

You can touch it.

You see how thick?

Peggy: The texture itself is just really coarse.

Nataliya: Yeah.

Peggy: Coarse, okay.

Nataliya: Yeah, and some of them, they're just soft if you want just elegant waves, just around your skirt or dress.

Touch this one.

Peggy: I say, it's much softer.

What a difference.

So how--okay, all right.

Nataliya: And some of them is narrow, some of them is wider.

Just depends what you try to accomplish.

There's a loop of the dress.

Peggy: There's a lot of styling to it.

Nataliya: Yeah, a lot of styling.

Peggy: And if you buy the wider, can you cut it in half, or can you not cut it without-- Nataliya: No, you cannot cut this one.

Peggy: 'Cause it's finished on the ends?

Nataliya: If you need one-inch horsehair tape, you need to buy one-inch horsehair tape.

You cannot cut because it just-- Peggy: Yeah, it goes everywhere.

It's on the bias.

Nataliya: Yeah, it's in the bias, then it's--yeah.

Peggy: But a cut--again, because it's on the bias, it gives that beautiful drape.

So pretty.

Nataliya: Yeah, because it's on the bias, dress, when dress have curve, it's easy to stitch it because it doesn't pull fabric anywhere, plus, you need to use steamer or something just to make this exactly like it's a dress line because it's a bias.

Because, if it's not bias, it's just a straight piece, you cannot make the skirt.

Peggy: So that you see when you have that hanging there.

Nataliya: Yeah, see, just-- Peggy: They just get really gentle folds-- Nataliya: Gentle folds, yeah.

Peggy: --because it's narrow?

Nataliya: It's narrow, and it's soft.

Look at, compared to this one.

Bigger one and-- Peggy: So these are all the same exact fabrics?

Nataliya: Exactly same fabric, so just like to show you the difference between softer horsehair tape and thicker one.

Peggy: You know, when these girls go to prom, do they use this a lot of times?

Nataliya: Prom dresses, now it's so many different prom dresses.

Most of the time, it looks like they have same finish, like a bridesmaid dress, just rolling hem, but, again, some dresses have-- Peggy: That's a big difference between these two.

Nataliya: It's a big difference because, you see, when they try to accomplish, like, a bigger, wider skirt on the bottom, you use thicker and wider.

Peggy: So this is what you're going to now?

Now you're going thicker?

Nataliya: This is soft, but wide.

Peggy: I see.

Nataliya: Yeah, look at this one.

Peggy: Oh, interesting.

Nataliya: It doesn't stick out like this one.

Peggy: Oh, you're right.

Oh, that's interesting.

I would just assume that the wider would stick out farther.

Peggy: And then depends what you want to see on your look.

So you really have to know what you're doing, kind of, with this, or you have to spend a lot of time playing.

You can practice.

You can practice on little pieces, and it's much easier than you just put right away on the dress, oh, and doesn't like it, you know, then you might need to open and-- Peggy: Got it, got it.

Nataliya: All kind.

Peggy: This is amazing.

I mean, I just can't believe these are all the same and how different they hang.

So you can really determine the dress.

You know, that's something that's interesting, for me, because, as a pattern maker, we never really looked at taking that pattern and then giving it effect.

It was all done through how you laid it on the grain, not how you came in afterwards.

Nataliya: Exactly, and it's easy to stitch also, you know, just--let me see.

I have one open somewhere.

Yeah, the-- You just stitch-- Peggy: Right sides together, kind of?

Nataliya: Yeah.

Peggy: Right side, okay.

Nataliya: With a quarter from the edge and then, like, it's a face, top layer, like, face of the fabric, and then you turn like this, and, of course, use steamer.

It's the best.

Steamer always help.

And stitch from this side, right on the edge.

Peggy: So it's just those two stitches?

One to attach and then one to hem it up?

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah, one to attach here.

One to attach.

Fold it, and stitch it right on the edge, and it look like this on the back and the front, yeah.

Peggy: I wanna look at this.

Nataliya: Oh, this is-- Peggy: This was my coolest thing ever.

Nataliya: Coolest thing, exactly, because it's always different.

Peggy: Well, because I thought of this.

I can't wait to see this to show everybody.

And, you know, for those who maybe have done it before, they already know the secret, but I just thought, how would you possibly hem this?

And the secret is that these are appliques.

Nataliya: It's appliques, yes, exactly.

Peggy: I thought they were, like, woven into the lace.

Now, I'm not tellin' you it's easy 'cause it's still--it's very delicate to remove them all.

Nataliya: It's easy when you know, but it takes a lot of time.

Peggy: It does take a lot of time.

Nataliya: It takes a lot of time because sometimes you cannot cut.

You need to open stitches from behind, and they stitch this with clear thread.

It's got to--yeah.

Peggy: That fish line stuff.

Nataliya: Fish line, yes, exactly.

Peggy: Can you put it back on with white, or do you really have to use that-- Nataliya: I usually use white because it's not so visible.

Peggy: Yeah, it's not.

Why do they use clear?

Nataliya: And, again, clear, it's--because it's clear, heh-heh-heh.

Peggy: But, you know, this was not inexpensive, and when I look at like how these seams here are finished, they're open.

They're not even, like, no French seam or anything.

Nataliya: It's not French seam because it's a see-through fabric.

It's a mesh, and it's not faded.

It's nothing gonna happen with this fabric even if you leave just the open seam.

Peggy: So let me see if I passed the test.

Nataliya: Okay.

Peggy: I take this off.

I cut off the amount, and I just put it all back on.

Nataliya: Yeah, sure.

Peggy: It just takes a lot of time and a lot of-- Nataliya: Like, usually, I shorten these kind of dresses with scallops and these two fittings because we--I mark length, then I open whole scallops, cut or open stitches, then I pin them on the dress.

Then you do another fitting, just make sure it's all good, length is perfect.

Peggy: So you take it off first, do the second--yeah, you're very careful about that.

Nataliya: Because, if you stitch and something wrong, it's--just to open this again-- Peggy: You have to pay for it.

Nataliya: Exactly, yes.

Peggy: I want you to show this.

You have so many great secrets, but I don't wanna--this is--I love this because--I'll let you talk, and I'll--I would never have done what you did.

Nataliya: Some dresses have lace, appliques, plus beads on them.

Peggy: Right, right.

Nataliya: And what you need to do is basically you need to shorten the dress, right?

And so many people, like, "Oh, let's cut all the way."

Peggy: Oh, you do it every time, just cut it off.

Nataliya: And then it's so many beads missing, and you need to put your thread and stitches all this back, and it's so complicated, and you don't need this, especially when dress is wide, you don't wanna have mess, right?

Peggy: Right, right, right.

Nataliya: You want to be--know exactly what to do.

Usually, when I have these kind of dresses, again, I mark length.

Like, these are my pins.

There's a lot of pins.

When I have mesh fabric like this, I use safety pins because this one, it's easy.

It's easy to lose, and then you was like, "Oh, my gosh, what line I need to make here?"

It's take more time, but it's more safe.

You definitely have your line right here, yeah.

Peggy: Sure.

Nataliya: Yeah, okay, let's see if you have--like, we need to shorten some amount, like, two, three inches, like this.

B, I don't cut this fabric.

I fold it, first seam, little bit lower from my pins.

Peggy: Okay, same way you did for that bias.

Nataliya: Same--same way I did for the-- Peggy: Rolled hem?

Nataliya: --rolling hem.

Then I put not machine stitch.

By hand stitch-- Peggy: Ohhh.

Nataliya: --just the hand stitch to make this fold stay.

Let's see if it's just a--hand stitch right here, right?

Then I use this.

Peggy: That's the greatest weapon.

When I saw you doing that, that is so smart.

Nataliya: Fancy tool, and you need to remove whole beads using this tool just-- Peggy: And you have to wear sunglasses.

Nataliya: And you need--yeah, just wear sunglasses because it's dangerous.

Peggy: So the key here is what you're doing is you don't take out the stitches.

Nataliya: Listen, when I don't have sunglasses, look at me.

I put my hand like this.

Peggy: And it's beads flying everywhere.

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah.

Peggy: Because then you don't break the stitching-- Nataliya: Mm-mm.

Peggy: --and then nothing comes out-- Nataliya: Exactly, then you--then you took a stitch, like re-suit all those beads back if it's missing or something, and usually it's a chain stitch.

It's easy to come off, you know, just, you just pulled one and open whole line, these beads.

And it's like, oh.

Peggy: I did that one time.

Nataliya: Yeah, because this-- When you just clean beads, just-- Peggy: And if there's beads like this, there's a few more beads to break.

Same concept, just more beads?

Just more beads.

Nataliya: And don't try it, machine, because you can break your machine, you can break your needles, yeah, just do-- Peggy: Plus, those beads go down into the feed dog, you know?

Nataliya: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and, by hand, it's just, from my experience, this was the best way, and much quicker to finish those hems.

Yeah, you see, when I stitch by hand first seam, then I cut again.

But they need to clear-- Peggy: But you're always lookin' at anchoring then-- Nataliya: --clear beads from your edge, you know?

This way, you'll definitely see which one is on your way when you fold it, right?

Peggy: Sure, sure.

Nataliya: And then you turn like this and put second stitch by hand.

You can make it, like, small, small, small, small.

Peggy: So you're not afraid of handwork?

Nataliya: No.

Peggy: And on beaded fabrics.

Nataliya: It's also take a lot of time, but it's more right, and it's more clean.

You definitely see it's--this part looks exactly like original.

Peggy: Yeah, show me this real quick.

We're almost out of time, but I love this.

I love how you did this.

Nataliya: This one, now I just have to sell a lot of wedding dresses without attaching the bottom part.

Like, this sews-- Peggy: They just sell the wedding dress so that the lace can be attached later.

Nataliya: Yes, yes, because this way, you don't need to spend time to open this layer, yes, and basically, when brides came to my store, I mark the length, we cut whatever you don't need it, and just put the scallops back-- Peggy: It's like an overlay.

Nataliya: --from side to side, yeah.

Peggy: It's like an overlay.

Nataliya: And, just, it's safer, it save time and-- Peggy: Wow, and this just comes with the dress?

Nataliya: Yeah, now they sell, like, this dress.

It's not all of them, but some of them.

Peggy: But it's also possible-- Nataliya: It's very smart idea.

Peggy: --that it doesn't even have to match that exactly, does it?

Nataliya: It should be matched.

It should.

Peggy: Exactly.

Forget that concept.

Nataliya: Of course, if you don't have this one, you can try to match something, yeah.

Peggy: Okay.

Nataliya: Depends.

Peggy: So, I notice, with this dress, this dress actually doesn't--it has a raw bottom, so next time I go shopping for somebody to alter a wedding dress-- Nataliya: This is easy operation right there.

Peggy: --you just cut it off.

Nataliya: Yeah, and, again, you mark length with the safety pins because it's a mesh.

For first, like, first fitting, when I cut, I leave a little bit extra for the second fitting because, when you cut, this also can jump a little bit on the floor.

Then I double-check, and whatever, it's like inch extra or half inch extra, I cut after second fitting.

Peggy: You're so smart.

Nataliya: Don't cut the away-- Peggy: You're so smart to do that.

Nataliya: --'cause this can be mistake.

Peggy: I know, I just get--I just--and this is the rolled hem that goes with it.

So this is an example of that rolled hem, again, how you did here.

Nataliya: And, usually, dresses like these, I start first with lining.

I shorten lining first because they you will see exactly line when you cut this one.

Peggy: I would actually try this because this layer is easy to cut off, and then this layer is just that super rolled hem that we know how to do now.

Nataliya: Now you know.

Peggy: This is amazing.

I mean, I'm just a--I'm impressed by how a little bit of information really makes a difference.

Nataliya: Thank you.

I'm glad this was helpful.

And, remember, one important thing, just measure seven times, and cut once.

Peggy: "Measure seven times."

Nataliya: Yes, exactly.

Peggy: Thank you so much.

I just can't--I'm gonna do a wedding dress.

I don't know who.

Anybody can ask me.

I'll say, "Yes," 'cause I just wanna try it out.

Faster and easier sewing method are created by those in the industry who need to save time and money.

Next time, we'll take an in-depth look at some amazing construction techniques that will really help your sewing progress.

Join us.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ announcer: "Fit 2 Stitch" is made possible by Kai Scissors-- ♪♪ announcer: Plano Sewing Center-- ♪♪ announcer: Elliott Berman Textiles-- ♪♪ announcer: Bennos Buttons-- ♪♪ announcer: Imitation of Life-- ♪♪ announcer: --and Clutch Nails.

♪♪ announcer: To order a four-DVD set of "Fit 2 Stitch," Series 11, please visit our website at fit2stitch.com.

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