Sooo...the yellow bodice. I *thought* I had preshrinked (??why doesn't that look right?) all my fabric, but apparently not. I ran it through the gentle rinse cycle in cold water *just* to make sure the red lining wouldn't bleed onto my chemise, and when it came out the yellow was baggy :'( Do you think a going over with the steam iron would help or make it worse? Otherwise I think I may have to cut it open, trim the excess, sew it back together and cover it with a decorative trim. Ugh. I'm so disgusted with myself.
Try a good press with steam and a pressing cloth before you do anything more drastic. If it doesn't work, you could try the more drastic action...
Good luck.
Thanks Kate--now that it's completely dry, it seems to have tightened up *just* a bit. I think a steam press will do the trick. *whew* I need to stop making stupid mistakes like this.
Sometimes, even if you have pre-shrunken the fabric, it will stretch along the bias. It has happened to the best of us so don't worry, you are in good company. (One poor girl, she had her dress up in the bathroom to get the wrinkles out while she took a shower. The bodice section, I'm told, never recovered) My guess, as this point, is that you will have to take it apart; sorry!
Also, before you declare it a lost cause, make sure you try it on! Clothing can behave very differently, and things that look like a hot mess on the hanger might be absolutely fine on your person!
Good luck!
*GASP!* Isabella I certainly hope it doesn't come to that!! Now I'm panicking! Good to know I'm not alone though.
Gem I will try it on. I *hope* I can save it.
Thanks ladies--you are all invaluable!
Is the lining a vastly different fabric? If so, it may have "bunched" around the seams when it went through the wash, and will be fine once you straighten/stretch it out. I've had stuff do that to me before. Hope it works out so you don't have to re-sew!
On a somewhat tangential note, if you want to not have to worry so much about it bleeding, throw a Shout Color Catcher in the wash with it. Those things have some sort of magic, and grab all the extra dye before it can deposit on other clothes.
Elen--no, they're both a linen blend, though they may *not* be the same percentage. I tried it on and it seems to be okay. *whew*