This shirt dress has a tendency to gape around the bust because it’s quite fitted and the button stand is really narrow. This is pretty much the only shirt that I have this problem with, but I know that it’s a common problem for bigger busted women. The good news is that it’s really easy to prevent gaping between the buttons using just a couple of snap fasteners!
I’m going to use two snap fasteners. One in each of the gaps between the top three buttons as these are the areas that gape open when I’m wearing the dress.
Undo the buttons of your shirt or dress. Open the snap fastener and place the base part sitting between the two buttons. Make sure the base of the snap fastener has the little bump sticking up, you don’t want to sew it on upside down!
Thread a hand sewing needle with thread to match your fabric and sew the snap fastener to the button stand by sewing through each of the four holes around the fastener. Secure your stitching by sewing three tiny stitches on top of one another on the back of the button stand then cut your thread.
On the inside of the other side of the button stand, place the other snap fastener piece between the buttonholes so it will line up exactly with the base of the snap fastener. I’m using a pin to mark where it needs to go. Make sure the side of the fastener with the hole in the middle is facing up (again, you don’t want it to be upside down, or the fastener won’t snap shut!)
Using your needle and thread again, sew the fastener to the button stand, but be careful not to let your needle pass through to the other side of the button stand or you will have messy stitches visible on the outside. Just pass the needle through one layer of the fabric.
Once you’ve sewn through the four holes, sew three tiny stitches just next to the stud (making sure they don’t go through to the right side of the garment) to secure your work then cut the thread.
Repeat with the other press stud in the gap between the next two buttons. The next time you wear your shirt (or dress) it should no longer gape between the buttons at the bust. From the outside, you can’t even see the sneaky alterations!
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Clever and simple, you are a practical lady! I love your pictures.
Hey Angela –
I too had this problem, and used to spend time sewing little buttons or finagling safety pins into place. They all were… fine… but each time I had to work it I was annoyed. So we invented – PINX. Now its all I use, its fast, can move to any dress or blouse and completely prevents gaping. PINX has a unique design so it lays completely flat between the buttons, and can be inserted in less that 20 seconds. You can get the scoop on PINX at http://www.justbetweenthegirls.com.
Cheers!
Nicole