Elizabeth Made This hosted The Day and Night Dress Challenge from 2017-2019 here and on Instagram.
The idea for the challenge? Create 2 looks from 2 dresses, one for your normal everyday life and one for a night out. Each year we threw a different spin on this idea. Here’s how my team of friends interpreted the challenge.
To get around on this page, click on the link at the bottom of any picture to take you to the projects.
The Day and Night Dress Challenge 2017: Little black dress + a day dress
The challenge? Make a little black dress for a night out, and a dress you’d wear everyday
The Day and Night Dress Challenge 2018: Coffee + Cocktails
This year’s challenge was all about the kind of anytime dress you’d wear for a coffee date with a friend. For the night look, we all went in a little fancier with cocktail dresses.
The challenge? Make a dress you’d wear to coffee with a friend + one you’d wear for dinner out

The 2018/2019 Vloggers
The Day and Night Dress Challenge comes to YouTube.

The Day and Night Dress Challenge 2019: 1 Dress 2 Looks
We shook things up in 2019 by taking a dress that wasn’t getting much wear and giving it some wardrobe buddies. Here’s how we all created 2 looks with 1 dress.
The challenge? Find a dress you’re not wearing, and make it 2 different pieces that make you want to wear it!


Elizabeth Farr is the writer behind the Elizabeth Made This blog where she shares helpful sewing tips, step by step sewing tutorials and videos to help you explore your creativity through sewing. She has written sewing Eguides and patterns, been a featured teacher at Rebecca Page’s Sewing Summit and Jennifer Maker’s Holiday Maker Fest and her work has appeared in Seamwork and Altered Couture magazines. She also created a line of refashioned garments for SEWN Denver. When her sewing machine isn’t humming, she’s playing and teaching violin, and hanging around a good strategic board game with her husband and 4 kids.
Awesome post! This is gonna be great❤
Yay!!!!!!
looking forward to some great dresses in the new year!
Thank you! I can only imagine that this group will come up with some spectacular things.
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I really like the challenge, but does it really have to be black? I hate black, could I make a cobalt blue or emerald green dress and still participate with this?
Oh man, I wish I could say yes to you, but for the purposes of the challenge, it’s gotta be black. You have my sympathies; black is not my color either. In my case, I have a function where I very specifically need a black dress, so I’m breaking my general rule I have of not wearing it. I’d love for you to be able to participate. Do you have any function that would require a black dress, or could you make one for someone else?
Idea: if black muddies your face, perhaps contrasting collars and cuffs? My brain is doing a whole 20s lace motif and embroidery dodad. You could make it with /changeable/ collars and cuffs! (If that’s allowed?)
The dress itself must be black per the rules, but you may add any accessories that you want. Removable collars and cuffs would be okay, but ones that are sewn in would not be unless they’re black. Next year, I will be changing the restriction of black, but this year, the challenge is about a black dress.
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Hi! I really want to enter but I *seriously* Do Not Wear Dresses; but loooove the idea of a day and night look! Would you be willing to have a femme styled vest pantsuit type day night deal at all? I’m really punk so there’s apt to be elements to it that would be fun! Otherwise what do you say to me /faking/ the dress part. Idea like: a skirted pair of punky/lacy pants so the skirt acts as the “dress” of the pants? Or like a jumper/romper with removable or lace overlay skirt?
Interesting proposal….hmm. The rules clearly state that dresses are to be made. That being said, as long as there’s a skirt in play, there’s nothing saying that the skirt couldn’t be removable. I do however think that the skirt needs to function as a dress. A removable skirt by itself is really in the category of separates which is not a dress. Just off the top of my head, a skirt that zipped onto the bodice would work because it could be worn as a fully functioning dress, but a jumpsuit with an added skirt doesn’t because it’s not really a dress. I have an overlay skirt that I made for my night look, but that’s going over a full dress. You’re also free to sew dresses for someone else if that works better. I’ve found myself saying no to a lot of challenges in the past, and I’m realizing that I can always just make something and give it to someone else. The sewing is what’s fun for me at times. 🙂 I hope that helps.
Also I have a mermaid sequin fabric PERFECT for the night look – cept its black one side cream on the other, cause the face itself of the fabric is reverable just by running your hand over to change the nap. Is this fabric suitable or must it be solid black, or an unchangeable black? Cause this fabric, if you rubbed your hands on it backward for about an hour, would turn entirely cream. But obvs id wear it mostly black; but half the fun of the fabric is running your hands up and down it to change the colours!
As long as the overall look of the fabric is black, I think it’s okay.
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how can i enter into this contest
There will be a linkup available between Jan 8-28th where you can post a picture and where others will be able to vote for you. All the info is in the post, and if you’d like check out the Facebook group for the challenge:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1277611668980102/
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This is such an inspiring challenge! I am in, but will not sign up for the competition part since both my dresses are UFO’s (sewing in black is really difficult for me so I kind-of just lost interest, this challenge is what I need to get myself going on them again!) Anyway, the sewing process did not fall altogether in the competition timeline so I realise they don’t qualify…but hopefully they will be finished this month and I can at least share them to the facebook group or tag on instagram as “sew-alongs”? You have put an enormous amount of effort into this initiative…well done!
Thanks so much. It has been a lot of work, but fun! I’m sorry things didn’t fall into place. I hate it when things don’t go as planned. Yes, please share!
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