For Hourglassy’s month of posts on “celebration dressing,” I’m starting with my big celebration—my wedding last year!

If you want to read the whole saga of the dress and the lingerie hunt, here are all the links. If you just want to see how I altered my undergarments, scroll down.

Leah’s Happy Swimsuit Memory
Wedding Dress Shopping Part I
Wedding Dress Shopping Part II: David’s Bridal
Wedding Lingerie Shopping: Masquerade Hestia Basque
Hestia Bustier Revisited (and Wedding Dresses!)
Le Mystere Soiree Low-Back Bustier Reviewed
Wedding Dress Shopping Part III: Alterations

I last left off having dropped the dress off at the seamstress to have the waist taken in and the bust cups shaped a bit. I also left my Le Mystere Soiree Bustier with the seamstress, so they could take it into account with the cup shaping.

When I picked up the dress, it was perfect! The cups were a little more rounded at the top (instead of having pointy-ish outer corners) and the waist was cinching me in and staying up without feeling at all uncomfortable. However, a tiny bit of the bustier was still peeking out if I moved too much. Since I doubted I’d find anything better, I decided to just trim down the gore and the inner cup. Here is how I did it…

Here’s the bustier as it started:

The rest of this post will be photos with instructions in the caption. Apologies for all the different lighting, as it was done over several different days at different times. Everything here was sewn by hand.

First I used a seam ripper to pick out the seam holding the upper cup trim in place. Don’t cut off the excess trim, as you’ll be re-attaching it later.
First I used a seam ripper to pick out the seam holding the upper cup trim in place. Don’t cut it off, as you’ll be re-attaching it later.
Next I removed the fabric from the outside of the gore, again leaving it hanging.
Next I removed the fabric from the outside of the gore, again leaving it hanging.
Back to the inside of the bra, I removed the seam holding the underwire channels in place.
Back to the inside of the bra, I removed the seam holding the underwire channels in place.
Now that everything was taken apart (but not completely removed from the bra), I marked where I planned to cut the foam with white chalk.
Now that everything was taken apart (but not completely removed from the bra), I marked where I planned to cut the foam with white chalk.
After I carefully cut off the excess foam.
After I carefully cut off the excess foam.
Next, I sewed a baste stitch along the cup edge to hold the outer fabric in place. I went up one side and then back in the opposite direction.
Next, I sewed a baste stitch along the cup edge to hold the outer fabric in place. I went up one side and then back in the opposite direction.
Then I laid the trim back onto the cup edge, pinned in place, and baste-stitched it back on, again going up one side and then back in the opposite direction.
Then I laid the trim back onto the cup edge, pinned in place, and baste-stitched it back on, again going up one side and then back in the opposite direction.
Finally, I un-sewed part of the underwire channels so I could cut down the wires.
Finally, I un-sewed part of the underwire channels so I could cut down the wires.
On to the hard part—cutting the underwires. These things were impossible! I own a pair of sheet metal snips, but they barely made a scratch. Luckily, my father-in-law has a hacksaw and clamp, so the next time I was at his house I held the bra in place with the clamp and sawed the excess wire off. I’ve also read that you can use bolt cutters. Who knew underwires were so strong??
On to the hard part—cutting the underwires. These things were impossible! I own a pair of sheet metal snips, but they barely made a scratch. Luckily, my father-in-law has a hacksaw and clamp, so the next time I was at his house I held the bra in place with the clamp and sawed the excess wire off. I’ve also read that you can use bolt cutters. Who knew underwires were so strong??
A close-up of the freshly cut wire. Those dainty little scratches are all the damage my sheet metal snips could do.
A close-up of the freshly cut wire. Those dainty little scratches are all the damage my sheet metal snips could do.

Next up was coating the wires so they couldn’t stab back through the fabric later. I considered just dipping them in hot glue, but was advised that that might not be good enough and the glue could easily pop off since the metal is non-porous. Instead, I got heat-shrink tubing. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and shrinks down to half its size. I bought 3/16” tubing.

First I tested it on two toothpicks put together with actual flame (left, which you’ll notice is coated in foil so as not to set the wood toothpicks on fire) and a hairdryer on the hottest setting (right).
First I tested it on two toothpicks put together with actual flame (left, which you’ll notice is coated in foil so as not to set the wood toothpicks on fire) and a hairdryer on the hottest setting (right).
Flame on top, hairdryer on bottom. The actual flame seemed to burn the plastic a little, while the hairdryer was hot enough to fully shrink it while maintaining a nice smoothness.
Flame on top, hairdryer on bottom. The actual flame seemed to burn the plastic a little, while the hairdryer was hot enough to fully shrink it while maintaining a nice smoothness.
A comparison of the tip with hairdryer (left) and flame (right). I also figured it was safer to use the hairdryer, since there’d be no threat of me accidentally burning the bra fabric.
A comparison of the tip with hairdryer (left) and flame (right). In addition to the better smoothness, I figured the hairdryer was safer, since there’d be no threat of me accidentally burning the bra fabric.
Since there was a little bit of excess plastic at the top of the toothpicks, I folded it over and mushed it down while it was still hot, and then blasted it with the hairdryer again to set it.
Since there was a little bit of excess plastic at the top of the toothpicks, I folded it over and mushed it down while it was still hot, and then blasted it with the hairdryer again to set it.
The topside of the mushed up tip.
The topside of the mushed up tip.
The wire with finished heat shrink on it before I completely mushed the tip down. You’ll notice the tubing is a little wider than the wire, but the next size down at the store from which I bought (3/32”) looked too small. So if you can find a size in between (i.e. 1/8”), that’d probably be your best bet.
The wire with finished heat shrink on it before I completely mushed the tip down. You’ll notice the tubing is a little wider than the wire, but the next size down at the store (3/32″) looked too small. So if you can find a size in between (i.e. 1/8”), that’d probably be your best bet.
A comparison of the original tubing (left) and the shrunk tubing (right).
A comparison of the original tubing (left) and the shrunk tubing (right).
The finished shrink tubing on both wires, successfully folded and mushed.
The finished shrink tubing on both wires, successfully folded and mushed.

Back to sewing!

The next step is to put the wires back into their channels and sew the channel shut all around the wire, including at the top. I went back and forth over the top a few times to make sure it was super strong and the wire couldn’t break out.
The next step is to put the wires back into their channels and sew the channel shut all around the wire, including at the top. I went back and forth over the top a few times to make sure it was super strong and the wire couldn’t break out.
Then you can snip off the excess wire channel above where the wire stops.
Then you can snip off the excess wire channel above where the wire stops.
Next, sew the wire channel back to the cup exactly where it was previously attached. This is the view from the outer side of the bra. You can see that the wire channel goes past the edge of the cup a little, but that’s no big deal.
Next, sew the wire channel back to the cup exactly where it was previously attached. This is the view from the outer side of the bra. You can see that the wire channel goes past the edge of the cup a little, but that’s no big deal.
The view of the now reattached wire channel from the inside of the bra. You’ll notice it’s only attached to the cup at the point, and the gore fabric is still flopping around.
The view of the now reattached wire channel from the inside of the bra. You’ll notice it’s only attached to the cup at this point, and the gore fabric is still flopping around.
After reattaching both wire channels to the cups, next trim off excess gore fabric and sew it to the wire channels. This is the view from the outer side.
After reattaching both wire channels to the cups, next trim off excess gore fabric and sew it to the wire channels. This is the view from the outer side.
You can see here that I left the gore fabric raw and just folded it over behind the wire channel. I was too lazy to finish the gore fabric’s edge and there were already so many layers of fabric there that it would have been difficult to sew—I was already using a metal thimble to push the needle through because my cushy fingertips couldn’t handle it! Additionally, because I trimmed down so much of the cup foam, the old cup trim didn’t actually reach all the way to the gore any more. So to keep the edges from unraveling, I sewed an overstitch all along the raw cup edge.
You can see here that I left the gore fabric raw and just folded it over behind the wire channel. I was too lazy to finish the gore fabric’s edge and there were already so many layers of fabric there that it would have been difficult to sew—I was already using a metal thimble to push the needle through because my fingertips couldn’t handle it! Additionally, because I trimmed down so much of the cup foam, the old cup trim didn’t actually reach all the way to the gore any more. So to keep the edges from unraveling, I sewed an overstitch all along the raw cup edge.

DONE! The finished product was never visible on my wedding day, even after hiking down a mountain for good photos and dancing for two hours straight! Here are some final photos:

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Next week: Lessons I learned from my dress’s tailoring, and what I’ll tell the seamstress next time I need a sweetheart neckline altered.