Altering a Bunad After Weight Change – Taking It In or Out
By TaVare · updated 2026-08-03
Altering a bunad after a weight change is, happily, planned into the garment: bunads are sewn with deep seam allowances precisely so the bodice and jacket can be let out or taken in as the body changes. You can safely check for yourself how much allowance there is, but the actual taking-in or letting-out is specialist work that must stay reversible. Here is what you can check at home, where the limits lie, and when the bunad should go to professionals.
The bunad is built to be altered
A bunad is not sewn like ordinary clothes. It is deliberately made with deep hems and wide seam allowances – far more than ready-to-wear – precisely so it can be adjusted through life and handed on. The philosophy is to preserve and adjust, never to cut away: that way the garment can be changed back later and taken in or let out when your weight changes. So altering a bunad after a weight change is entirely normal, expected upkeep – not damage control.
Check the seam allowance yourself – how much is left?
Before doing anything, you can get a sense of how much room the garment has. That decides whether it can be let out enough, or whether you should take it in instead.
- Gently turn the bodice and skirt inside out, and look at the inside of the side and centre seams and the waistband.
- Feel and measure how wide the seam allowance is – the more fabric folded inside, the more can be let out.
- Look for earlier alterations: old stitch lines or press marks show what has already been done.
- Note where the garment pulls or is too loose, so a professional knows exactly what to adjust.
Taking in or letting out – what actually happens
The direction decides what is possible. Taking in is almost always possible; letting out is limited by how much seam allowance is left inside.
- Taking in (smaller): the waist or bodice is taken in at a side or centre seam, usually where there is least embroidery and detailing.
- Letting out (larger): the seam allowance is folded out – but only as far as the allowance reaches, and without old press marks showing.
- The balance is preserved: a good alteration keeps the proportions, length and regional correctness the garment is meant to have.
- Embroidery, trims and hems are worked around, not through – the original handwork stays untouched.
Why it is specialist work
Even though you can safely inspect the garment, the alteration itself is a job for a bunad-maker or an experienced bunad tailor – not a quick hem. The reason is concrete: a good bunad alteration must be reversible, so the garment can be adjusted again or passed to the next wearer. The original hemming and handwork must be recreated, and bunad wool and construction do not behave like ordinary tailoring. Sewing it in yourself risks the very thing that makes a bunad valuable. Your bunad may also differ from others – if in doubt, check with whoever made or sold it.
Send the bunad to us for altering
If the bunad needs taking in or letting out after a weight change, this is specialist work – and a bunad is too valuable to experiment with. Send it to us, and we handle the alteration across Norway with respect for the seam allowance, embroidery and regional correctness, and so that the change stays reversible. Describe what you want – for example taking in the waist, letting out, or polishing the silver – in the comment field when you order, and you see the price before you order. If the bunad needs to be ready for an occasion, be early ahead of 17 May.
You see the price before you order.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take in the bunad myself?+
Better not. A bunad alteration must stay reversible and work around the embroidery, hems and seam allowances – it is specialist work for a bunad tailor, not ordinary sewing.
How much can a bunad be let out?+
As far as the seam allowance inside reaches. Bunads carry generous allowances, but it is finite – a specialist can tell you after inspecting the seams and waistband.
Does altering it reduce the bunad's value?+
No. Done correctly it is reversible and expected – the deep hems and wide allowances exist precisely so the garment can be resized and handed on.
Can a bunad be altered more than once?+
Yes. Because the principle is to preserve, not cut away, it can be adjusted again later or refitted to the next wearer.
Rather have us handle it?
You see the price before you order.