Altering Costumes 101
20-10-15
Costumes can be an expensive part of producing a show. Often times you'll be able to find a lot of costumes in the closets of your actors. Other times you can find treasures at the local thrift shops or on Asia Expat. Sometimes a dress is almost there but needs a few alterations to make it perfect. Use this as a guide for how you can take that garment to the next level.
There are 5 basic tricks for alterations. Learn these and you can become the master of the costume department.
HEMS
Hems are used in sleeves, skirts, shirts or anything with length to it. If you need to make the pants shorter you hem them. You can use hem tape in a pinch or if you're without access to sewing materials. Honestly, I think hem tape looks terrible. You're better off hand sewing the hem. The key to a good hem is the right length and 
making sure it's even all the way around. No one likes a crooked hem. People have been kicked off Project Runway for it. Use a ruler and pins to get a perfect hem. If you can try the item on before you sew that's also a really good idea.
DARTS
Darts are the V shaped items you see inside your clothes. Darts are used to make an item more fitted for your body. Darts appear in a lot of items: dresses, shirts, pants, etc. They are the easiest way to make a dress or pair of pants smaller. Fold the item in half and draw a straight line down the item at an angle where you want the dart to appear. Darts come in pairs. So if you want to take 2 inches out of a dress you make 2 darts of 1 inch or 4 darts of 1/2 an inch depending on the style of the item. Darts look like little triangles. You sew on the line going from the wide part to the tip of the triangle. Then cut your thread long and hand tie 2 knots into the thread. There are more complicated darts that are rounded and smaller for bust lines. Get your handle on a normal dart before moving into swaybacks and bust darts.
LETTING IT OUT
Letting out a pair of pants is much more difficult then taking them in. Your best friend in this area is the seam ripper. First let out all darts in the pants. It should be able to give you half a size or so. For letting out a hem, release the stitches with the seam ripper. The extra fabric inside your clothes is called the seam allowance. You can take the item completely apart and re-sew it together. Most clothing post 1955 comes with seam allowances of 3/4 to 1 inch. You only should go through the trouble of letting out 
something if it's just a little too small or they're just a little too short. Otherwise, it's not worth the effort.
BASTING STITCH
A basting stitch is very useful tool for adjusting sleeves and putting in new hems. It's a great way to gather fabric to attach a poofy sleeve onto an item. A basting stitch basically holds the item in place until you can sew the item in permanently if you have questions about whether your alteration will fit your actor. I use them all the time in fittings. Basting stitches should be done with a wax thread or a nylon thread to prevent breakage. They should also be an alternative color to the fabric so you can see what you're doing.You do not knot a basting stitch. You intend on pulling it out later.
ZIPPERS AND BUTTONS
Sometimes all an outfit needs is a change of buttons or a new zipper installed. These are skills you should know in life. It'll save you a lot of money. Buttons are the easiest thing to sew on in the world. (Children can even do it!) First, lay out a stitch into the garment for strength. Thread the button and sew it on. You can do cross stitching for 4 hole buttons or simply in/out for single hole buttons. When you're finished putting 3 or 4 stitches into the item wrap your thread around the base of the button, put the needle to the backside of the fabric and make a knot by running your needle through the previous stitches.
Zippers can be a bit tricky for first timers. Patience is a virtue. Step 1) Put the zipper foot on your machine. Open the zip and push the coil back with your thumbnail to reveal the seam between the band and the coil. Place the open zip face down on the right side of one opening edge. So that the zip can be stitched in place exactly along the marked seam line, calculate the distance between the zip tape and the fabric edge as follows: seam allowance width should be 3/4 of an inch. Pin the top end of the zip tape in place at the calculated distance from the edge of the fabric. The bottom end of the zip will overhang the marked end of the. Place the presser foot on the zip so that the coil is in the notch to the right of the needle. Stitch the zip in place from the top to the marked end of the opening. Close the zip. Place the other zip tape face down on the other opening edge and pin in place at the top. Open the zip again. Place the presser foot on the top end of the zip so that the coil is in the notch to the left of the needle. Stitch the zip in place from the top end down to the end of the opening. Close the zip. Now stitch the seam below the zip, from bottom to top. Turn back the loose lower end of the zip to the seam allowances, ending as close as possible to the last stitch of the zip seams. Cut off surplus zip and bind the end with a scrap of fabric.
Best of Luck on your costumes!
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