Pattern Hacking: A Half-Moon Bodice Waist Seam

This year I’ve been transferring designs that I like onto my own paper patterns for a quick reference when planning projects and cutting out garments. It has also opened a new world of pattern hacking my own patterns! I’d heard of pattern hacking before but mainly in the context of pattern hacking pieces from the big four, either by altering the lines of the pattern piece or mashing up patterns from different garments to create something new. Trying it with my own patterns has been incredibly fulfilling and made designing a lot easier. I’m wasting less fabric and having a much easier time tailoring my garments, which means when I start designing to sell I’ll have this process down instead of being lost. It’s exciting!

One of the patterns I hacked into something new was the bodice pattern from this Henley top I made from a ribbed knit fabric from the Walmart remnant bin, it was a major score! This pattern has a scoop neck and a relaxed shoulder line that extends off the shoulder.

I used this pattern to make a pinafore-style dress from blush pink cotton with a micro polka-dot pattern in a vintage fabric from my Gram’s stash. She had 8 yards of it, and since it was translucent I decided to double layer the dress, the result has been one of the most well-finished garments I’ve made because of using the pattern and fully lining it. The first time I wore this dress out was actually to tour the house I ended up buying – good memories!

Because this was a pattern hack project, the original top may be a little tricky to see in the lines of the finished dress at first. The scoop is less deep and the relaxed shoulder I brought up an inch to make the sleeves a bit more graceful to wear on its own or with another garment underneath in the winter.

Another change was the v line in the back instead of being a crew neck, I also cut the back bodice pieces on an angle to create a better fit which worked well. I changed the line of the waist too by swooping the line upward in a half-moon shape which has been one of my favorite hacks so far. With the gathers on the skirt and minimal print, it draws the eye to style lines in the garment which is a different technique from how I normally design. It feels like a level-up of my skill set and I hope to keep exploring this style.

July 16, 2024

My Experience with PDF Sewing Patterns

Earlier this year, when I was planning what I wanted to make as additions to my wardrobe I found a brown, I believe it is taffeta fabric, in my stash. I’ve been at a loss of what to do with it since I got it because it’s so different than what I usually sew with, but that’s a good thing! I know it will push me out of my comfort zone with its hue and shiny finish, so I want that garment to be special when I finally make something out of it. I do not want a repeat of the pink scuba pants!

I’ve pondered using it as a lining fabric for my pirate coat, I’ve also considered using it as an underlayer for a sheer fabric I have in my stash, etc. So far nothing felt right, aside from an idea I saw while watching one of my favorite sewing channels on YouTube. She makes fabulous dresses from self-drafted, big four paper patterns, and buys indie PDF sewing patterns that all turn out so lovely, I want to try them all.

So on a whim, I went first to Mood Fabrics’ Sewciety page to see what they had to offer in their free selection and eventually found myself on Etsy, looking at the exact dress pattern she made on a video I was watching. Spontaneously, I clicked purchase on a dress pattern and clicked instant download. A dress, I thought, that would be perfect! I can style it up and down, in heat and in snow, it will be my go-to piece! To quote Lee Corso, not so fast!

It was mighty easy, but also mighty paper-hungry. This was something I was not expecting. You see, as far as PDF patterns go, I knew they required printing, but I always thought it was like 10 pages max. It seemed like something that would be straightforward. You know what I mean? To my surprise, it was 29 pages of just the pattern plus 5 more pages for the instruction and sizing. Um, holy lots of ink!

Yeah, I was not expecting that from my first one. So I looked more closely at the Mood patterns I was browsing to see if those would be any better and I saw another flaw in my plan, the patterns specifically from Mood use a ridiculous amount of yardage. Like a mini dress was calling for 5 yards of 57″ across the fabric. I can make a mini dress in 3 yards or less. Is this just a ploy to sell fabric? Mood Fabrics’ average price is USD 14-18 per yard, multiplied by 5 and it is beginning to be a very expensive project if you follow the fabric suggestions. I have a lot of questions now.

But anyway, I went back to the Etsy PDF pattern and decided to throw caution to the wind and begin printing. And print we did! The gentle hum of the printer slider traveling to and through filled the room, with the chorus of the squeaky paper roller delivering page upon page of freshly printed pattern sections to be cut out and taped, onto the desk. As I sat, staring at the screen, I began to get fidgety. I began to look around the room and stare at my computer screen, eventually perusing the listing again, and I noticed one small potential problem in this plan. As the pattern maker was an American, I thought for sure the sizing would be in US sizes, but alas the numbers on the chart were slightly askew from the standard. And I realized two things I would have to face, comparing the yardage to the pattern and taking my measurements to determine my size.

It was a slip dress, so the 3.5 yards I had available on the opaque fabric seemed like an obvious choice. There certainly would be enough, surely there would be enough, but oh no, there wasn’t. The pattern wanted more. I also grabbed the measuring tape and prepared for battle because no matter how badly I didn’t want to care what those numbers said. Those numbers always intimidate me. So with butterflies in my stomach, I grabbed the tape measure and learned that it wasn’t going to be my weight that would keep me from being able to make this but my literal body proportions. My frame. My long torso. My straight up-and-down waist.

I didn’t fit into any size proportions, none. Going up or going down a size was all off. As the freshly-inked paper kept rolling off the presses I felt stress, uncertainty, and frustration at myself for being such a novice thinking this would be easy!

But why isn’t it simple? When I buy paper patterns from the big four it is simple! When I’ve looked at vintage patterns, yes there is a little bit of knowledge needed to understand the sizing – your measurements – but other than that simple! Was I really going to have to pattern hack or pattern grade specific pieces on this paid-for, already drafted pattern? Was it basically going to be as complicated as making my own from scratch?

In that moment, I was incredibly humbled. Here I was learning to sew, designing my own clothes, I want to turn it into a business with the most logical option seeming to be PDF sewing patterns, but my word, this is a tough product to produce! This is incredibly more difficult than I imagined and I don’t think this is how I want to contribute to fashion space. Because not only do you have to make the pattern, the instructions, and go through testing, but I think on a PDF format, if you don’t have a vast size range or even a curvy or athletic build variation, I don’t think the pattern is being done properly.

I could not make the slip dress pattern work because it was cut for an hourglass shape and I have a straight up and down waist, no matter how skinny I get, it’s never going to fit me properly without alterations to the lines of the dress. That discouraged me. I stopped the printing and chose to call it a mulligan. The same issues with standard sizing hit me like a wall in a place I never expected.

What the answer is, I don’t know. But I do know I think the PDF pattern market may be the same ship different day repackaged in a way that creates more work and potentially less waste? On that, I’m not convinced because it is so much ink and paper. I don’t know. It still felt like a lot of consumption was happening. It’s a shame. I feel like I accomplished nothing in the long run. I believe I’ve found a problem I’d like to address if/when I ever figure out how to make my own patterns. Thankfully there are a lot of creative people in this world who may be developing the solution already. I hope so.

What about you? Have you purchased an indie PDF sewing pattern? Were you pleased? Did you feel like it was easier than buying paper patterns or self-drafting? Thanks again for spending time with me today, dear reader. I hope you have a lovely day. ❤

June 6, 2024

1990’s Inspired Princess Seam Dress

When we were living in Meadville in 2019 and I was getting into thrifting, I found a lovely 1990s dark purple velvet princess seam dress. It was longsleeved and midi length with a scoop neck and stretchy velvet knit that draped lovely from the waist. I could tell from the label it was vintage. It had a different attitude. The dress reminded me of dresses I wore as a kid that were so special yet accessible.

I was thrilled. It was a comfy dress that I would style with lace-up boots, tights or leggings, and a moto jacket. It made me feel special during a period of my life where nothing felt that special. In 2019, I was bored, stuck in a dead-end job, looking for a new purpose, navigating some drama with my dysfunctional family, and getting used to a new city. It was a weird time.

Over the years my body changed and I donated it back but it continued to live in my head, wishing that I had kept it, so much so that the first dress I ever designed was a recreation of the piece which I talked about in #3 – First Sewing Project. Comparing the pieces I made side by side, I can see the growth in my skills and understanding of fabric which makes me pleased to see.

The left dress nailed the color but everything else about it was jacked up. The sleeves were poofy, and the skirt and bodice were draped well but I know the construction was questionable because it was the second item I sewed ever. I think if I can find this fabric again I’d like to recreate it with my current skill set. The dress on the right I cut out with my own drafted pattern piece based on my measurements. I cut it out in two pieces and sewed it with a zig-zag stitch with medium to low tension and tapered the waist with four princess seam darts. I also reinforced the shoulder with a second layer of fabric that anchored the shoulder seam.

I think I’m going to get a lot of wear out of out of my new princess seam dress. I’ve worn this dress over a few days when my local weather shifted from a warm stretch of 70 degrees Fahrenheit to a rainy, cool 50s and 40s. Because this dress is a polyester stretch knit jersey yet is lightweight, it was comfortable on a warm day. Yet when it cooled down I was able to pop on a sweater and found it easy to style with a pair of boots.

With a sweater, this dress looked like a skirt and it has transformed my approach to how I want to wear my clothing. It may seem elemental, but I’ve usually been a pants and top girl in the winter reserving dresses for the summer, but as my style evolves I’m finding that layering and pattern clashing is something I feel most like myself in.

Long story short, my new me-made dress has surpassed my love for the original, thrifted dress. I love the animal print and the fact that this was a remnant fabric from Walmart yet I believe looks like it came from a higher-end fabric store.

I’m excited to continue designing items in this silhouette and utilizing my own paper patterns which has been a huge step in achieving my vision for the garments I make. I’ve also been working in a lot of stretch fabric this year to gain more knowledge and improve my skills to keep growing as a designer. Without the practice and determination to keep going, not to mention patience because mastering any skill takes so much longer than the internet wants us to believe, this would be a different dress. It would not fit me well, it would not be constructed well, it may not have even made it through the sewing process, and would have been scrapped.

That is why practice is so important. And you know what the real big moments are? Not just your successes but being able to look back at the failures, and the mistakes, and see how far you have come. Such as this dress that I made in 2021, which although the design was cute, fell apart because I didn’t understand how to properly construct stretch fabric nor did I understand how to choose the right fabric for a garment for it to be successful. But now I get it and now I understand how to fix it and if I decide to remake it, I could! And that brings me a whole lot of joy!

April 4, 2024