Pattern hacking

What is pattern hacking?

Well, let’s say you’re out on the town and you see a woman wearing a floaty dress with butterfly sleeves and a delicate bias-bound neckline. You’re totally staring, thinking, “I can make that!”, but when you get home and realize that you have no pattern that will work for the vision you have in your head. What do you do, dear? You pattern hack. Here’s projects that’ll help you transform fashion sewing patterns into what you want to make.  Dive into how fun sewing pattern hacks can be.

ruched sleeve t-shirt

Fun texture: how to make ruched sleeves on a t-shirt

Ever wondered how to make ruched sleeves? If you love playing with texture, ruching is one of those sewing techniques you should try. It creates beautiful gathers that distribute a lot of volume in a concentrated area making for a distinct kind of look that designers love to incorporate. In this quick tutorial, I’ll show …

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finished DIY henley t-shirt

How to sew a henley tee: A buttony, snappy DIY tee

Today it’s all about how to sew a henley. If ever there’s a t-shirt style I keep coming back to, it’s the classic henley.  The front placket gives you a chance to use some nice buttons which can add some detail to a plain t-shirt.  And if you’re suddenly sweating over the thought of sewing …

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Maxi Dress Refashion to an Asymmetric top

On today’s bill is a maxi dress refashion. I’m always up for a good refashion, and maxi dresses have a lot going for them. Mostly a whole lotta fabric, both in width and length. This makes an old maxi dress that’s hanging out in your closet a GREAT candidate for refashioning. On the refashion scale, …

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Burdastyle 9-2010-122 dress paired with embroidered organza trench coat and french terry bomber jacket refashion

Wearing a sleeveless dress year round

It’s always a little intimidating to start thinking of how I’m going to go after my own challenge, and this year’s Day and Night Dress Challenge has been no different. For this year’s twist, I found a neglected ponte dress and went on a color adventure. Wearing a sleeveless dress year round A sleeveless dress …

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The Day and Night Dress Challenge 2018: Elizabeth Made This

The Day and Night Dress Challenge 2018: Elizabeth Made This It feels like a big responsibility to kick off my own challenge!  I admit I’ve been dragging my feet on getting this written.  Perhaps it’s a little bittersweet seeing all this time of planning and hard work I’ve put in organizing The Day and Night …

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