Here comes the bride...

My little friend was in a panic because her wedding dress wouldn't zip up! The solution? Replace the zipper with a lace up back, like a corset. First, I got some satin from the fabric store. I was really surprised at how cheap it was. I cut it into bias strips to make the loops for the corset. Next, I sewed the strips. I made them about 3/16ths wide.

I turned the strips using a small metal rod. It was really hard to get started because the strips were so narrow. I used my image manipulation software to create a pattern of circles exactly the size that I needed for the back of the dress. I pinned the strips to the pattern, sewing over each one before I added the next one. (I tried pinning them all at once, but it was too hard to hold them in place.

I opened the back of the dress with a seam ripper and removed the zipper down to the waistline.

While I had the dress open, I decided to take it apart at the waist & adjust the length at the waistline rather than at the hem. (This was my sister's suggestion. I hope it works! Its a little scary!

I created a satin panel to go behind the corset laces. I used iron on stabilizer to give it the body it would need.

I sewed the corset panels to each side of the back of the dress with the paper still attached, then I tore off the paper and attached the satin panel to one side.

I used the same method as above to create the tie for the corset. I just made it a little wider. Here it is all laced up and ready for the beautiful bride!