Letting Out or Taking Up a Child's Bunad – Sewn to Grow
By TaVare · updated 2026-08-03
Letting a child's bunad down is not damage control – it is built into the garment on purpose. Children's bunads are sewn with deep hems and generous seam allowances precisely so they can be lengthened and widened as the child grows, and taken up again when the bunad is handed on. The sewing itself is specialist work, but you can safely measure, assess and plan yourself. Here is how.
A child's bunad is sewn to grow
A bunad is made on a completely different principle from shop clothes: preserve and adjust, never cut away. That is why a child's bunad has deep hems and wide seam allowances that can be let down and out several times through the childhood years, before the garment passes to a younger sibling. Altering a child's bunad is therefore expected, planned maintenance – not an emergency. The key is that the allowance is preserved, so the garment's future adjustability stays alive.
- Deep hem in the skirt and sleeves – can be let down to lengthen.
- Wide seam allowances in the side seams and bodice – can be let out to widen.
- It is all meant to be reversible, so the bunad can grow again or be taken up for the next child.
How to measure how much can be let down and out
Before you decide anything, you can find out for yourself how much the garment has to give. You do it by turning the bunad inside out and measuring the allowance – and measuring the child against it.
- Turn the garment inside out and find the hem in the skirt and sleeves; measure how deeply the fabric is folded in.
- Measure the width of the seam allowance in the side seams and bodice where extra room was left.
- Measure the child: how much length is needed from the current edge to the correct length, and how much width.
- Compare: do the hem and seam allowance hold enough fabric to cover how much the child has grown? Then the bunad can be let down and out.
What to know before the hem is let down
A hem that is let down is not always invisible. These are the honest things to allow for – and the reason a professional makes the result as good as it can be:
- The old fold can show as a line where the fabric has lain folded for a long time.
- The fabric above the old fold may be less faded than the rest, so a lighter band appears when the hem is let down.
- Hems, embroidery, trims and edge detailing must be matched and worked around – not through – and the original hand-hemming is replicated.
- Never cut the allowance away. Once removed, the bunad loses the ability to grow further or be handed on.
Taking it up again when the bunad is handed on
The same allowance that lets the bunad grow also lets it be taken up and in again when it passes to a smaller sibling. The point is that the change is reversible: hems and seams are taken up without anything being cut away, so the garment can grow again for the next child. This is what makes a child's bunad a garment that follows a whole set of siblings – and on to the next generation – if the allowance is preserved the whole way.
- Take the hem up rather than cutting it – then it can be let down again later.
- Take in side seams and bodice with the same principle: keep the fabric inside the seam.
- Press and finish so it sits neatly, but not so old fold lines are set permanently.
- Note for yourself how much was taken up, so the next adjustment is easier.
Leave the alteration itself to a professional
The letting-down and widening itself is specialist work precisely because it must be reversible, preserve balance and regional correctness, and work around the hand embroidery – not a quick hem by just anyone. We alter both a child's bunad (letting it down and out as they grow) and an adult bunad, and can take it up again for a younger sibling. Send the bunad to us and describe your wish in the comment field. You see the price before you order. Be early – dry-cleaners and tailors fill up before 17 May and the confirmation season.
You see the price before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Can I let a child's bunad down myself?+
You can safely measure the allowance and plan, but the letting-down itself is specialist work. It must be reversible and work around embroidery and hand-sewing, so it belongs with a bunad-maker or experienced bunad tailor – not a quick hem.
How much can a child's bunad be lengthened?+
As much as the deep hem and seam allowance hold, often several rounds through the childhood years. Turn the garment inside out and measure the folded-in hem and seam allowance to see how much fabric there is to give.
Does the old fold show when the hem is let down?+
It can show as a line, and the fabric above may be less faded. A professional presses and treats the edge to soften it as much as possible, and sometimes fabric from a hidden allowance helps.
Can a child's bunad be taken up again for a smaller sibling?+
Yes – that is the whole point of the reversible construction. Hems and seams are taken up without anything being cut away, so the bunad can grow again for the next child.
Rather have us handle it?
You see the price before you order.