This is off topic, but I know I'll get some good feedback here. I am working with an heirloom first communion dress. It's from about 1978, complete with long puffy sleeves, a stand up ruffle collar and a yellowed, crunchy acetate lining. It belongs to a friend whose grandmother-seamstress made it. Her daughter wants to wear it, but hates the sleeves, collar and lining. Oh, and the whole thing is about 3" too short for my liking and the skirt features an embroidered on lace hem. You know the kind that was along the selvedge. The fabric is a organdy-like embroidered net, so I'll have to be super careful taking it apart. And since she constructed it more like an underlining than a lining, I will have to take every last stitch apart.
So far, my thoughts on lengthening include adding a band around the middle, either reeking out fabric from the sleeves I will shorten or using a contrast fabric that will also be used for a new collar.
Any suggestions on working with vintage fabrics would be appreciated!