This month we are launching the new blog series Make or Mend of the Month which aims to highlight some of the wonderful fashion making, mending and alteration projects that you, our readers, are working on. We hope it will serve as inspiration and perhaps guidance for others.

To kick things off I’ve included a little alteration I recently carried out on a vintage M&S dress that I bought years ago on ebay. It is one of my favourite summer frocks, not only for the print and 70s style, but also because its relaxed empire line gives me the space to fully indulge during sunny alfresco feasts.

However, I am currently five months pregnant and whilst my dress still has plenty of space in the tummy region, it is somewhat challenged by my expanding chest. Unfortunately the seam allowance is virtually non-existent, and whilst I’ve been able to let it out a smidgen at the sides there still wasn’t enough space as the straps were straining.

I could have admitted defeat and decided to pack it into storage until next Spring but I am on a mission to use and adapt, or borrow what I can during my pregnancy rather than buying loads of new ‘stuff’.  The charity shops of South London have also seen a fair bit of me lately but I’ve made sure to buy clothes that will see me through pregnancy, nursing and beyond. In that spirit, I decided to persevere.

What to do about the straps? Again, there was no excess fabric to simply extend them, so I searched in my sewing box and found some matching (ish) blue ribbon, which I have used to lengthen the back of the straps. I suspect I may soon need to open the side seams by the bust and add in additional panels to create even more space, but for now these little tweaks have done the job.

If you would like to share your Make or Mend, this is what we’ll need:

• Brief description of the 'make' or 'mend' (300 words max)
• Clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ images (low res please - under 1MG)
• Your full name (so we can credit you), website or blog and Twitter handle if relevant (so we can tweet about your ‘make’ or ‘mend’). Let us know if you are a registered member of The Good Wardrobe community.
• Read the Ts&Cs below and then email words and images to info [at] thegoodwardrobe.com.
• Please also let us know if the project has been published previously elsewhere or if you plan to publish on any other sites in future. (We are still happy to consider those that have been featured aleady but we like to be informed.)

We look forward to seeing all your stylish stitching!

Make or Mend of the Month terms

By submitting your images and description for consideration you understand that:
-  we do not guarantee to feature your ‘make’ or ‘mend’
- you are giving us permission to publish them on the website, in social media and in our newsletter. (You must own the copyright to the images and words).
- we reserve the right to edit the copy and images where we feel it necessary
- we will only be able to contact those we plan to feature
- if we include your website or blog we are in no way endorsing it
- we are highlighting ‘makes’ and ‘mends’ but will remove, edit or unpublish anything that we feel is overly salesy or in any way inappropriate.
- in the spirit of The Good Wardrobe we are looking for projects that combine style with a sustainable approach. Read our Manifesto for more details of our 'long-life style' ethos.

For our full website terms please refer to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

About the author

Founder and Director of The Good Wardrobe. Lover of charity shops and mending stuff.  New to Bristol. Follow on twitter