Remember the little dress Sonia was wearing in the Three Girls in Goodwill Pink photos from a few years ago?
Well, it got handed down to Zoe last summer, and I keep having trouble with the ribbon on the straps fraying and coming loose. I’ve fixed them a few times now, but they continue to cause problems.
Now, Zoe will be too big for this dress by summer’s end, so I could have just given up on it.
However, I really prefer to think about the big picture waste-wise, and I’d like to be able to hand this dress down instead of throwing it out.
I bought a bottle of Fray Check recently, and I realized this was a perfect use for it!
I picked all the stitching out that was holding the ribbon in place, and then snipped off the frayed parts of the ribbon.
Then I applied Fray Check to the ribbon ends and let them dry. Once they had Fray Check applied, they were SO much easier to work with.
I inserted them into the bodice of the dress, and sewed them on by hand (the area was too tricky to maneuver a machine through!)
Now the dress is in good shape again, and this time I have confidence that my fix is going to hold up.
I just realized this post sounds like a Fray Check commercial, but Fray Check has no idea who I am, and I bought my bottle of Fray Check with my own money.
Anyway, I’m really pleased with how it worked, and I can give it a hearty recommendation. You can buy FrayCheck at Amazon, but I got mine from a local sewing shop, and I think you should be able to find it at most craft stores.
Stephanie Lynn
Sunday 3rd of January 2016
I just wanted to thank you for your testimonial and share another (less conventional) application for this glue. I crochet baby booties and have been using Fray Check to secure the aglets or lace ends in a fashion that resembles real shoe lace ends. I had used a more glue-like substance before but love that Fray Check is washable and non-toxic in its dry form for youth products. I have just discovered this product and like it much better than others I have tried. The liquid product also lasts quite a while for the cost. The pattern that brought me here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-baby-converse
Ohio Farmwife
Sunday 23rd of June 2013
I've been using Fray Check since I was a teenager when my grandmother taught me to sew years and years ago. I use it on lots of things. It's the best thing on the earth!
Brandon
Thursday 20th of June 2013
I learned to take a match or lighter and CAREFULLY take the flame to the end of the ribbon. It melts the ribbon just a tad...........and no fraying...........works like a charm!
Allotment Adventures With Jean
Wednesday 19th of June 2013
A good job well done. I have a sewing box with thread of every colour known to man (or woman) and I'm the family "repairer/mender". I stitch on my grandsons Scout badges, stitch gaping seams on poorly manufactured clothes for the whole family, when my sister-in-law comes over from the UK I alter her clothes for her. Couldn't do without the sewing box. I've never heard of Fray Check. I'll add it to my sewing box. Thanks for the tip.
Lisa
Wednesday 19th of June 2013
I just wanted to suggest that when the dress gets too small, you can make it into aprons. You can get one full apron that goes around the neck from the front of the dress, and then fold the back piece over and make it into a half apron that ties at the waist. You'll just need to sew the edges and add new ribbon for tying it. I always found it hard to find aprons of the right size for my daughter when she was small, so we did this on a couple of her outgrown dresses and she loved being able to use her favorites a few more years as aprons.
Rebecca
Thursday 20th of June 2013
We r big fans of turning dresses into tunics worn with leggings when those summer dresses get too short, as long as they fit in the bodice. My daughter has several dresses she has actually worn out over two or three years this way