Video

I like the blue

love the up cycling. really like the shirt

That is awesome! You did great!!❤

Get fixes! the gap at the bust line!!....when I began making my own clothes many years ago...the rule was the first button is located at the bust line..then work from there. then when I started buying clothes I found, even Ralph Lauren, blouses with a bloody gap at the bust line....VERY irresponsible of them! I have used safety pins, snaps, velcro! By then 99% of clothes were mass produced in China...Now, I'm back to sewing my own or repurposing thrift shop items.

Nicely done!

Great ideas, I really like them both. Especially love the collars. Thank you!❤

So interesting to watch you work because you manage to make your "mistakes" into design features. I love to do the same. And you look so happy in your creations I can't help but smile. It's refreshing to watch someone whose projects don't turn out perfectly the first time. And I think you can go back and change the first dress you had on so that you like it more.

Clever ideas! The collar alterations made both shirts look more feminine (and cooler for hot summer wear) in my opinion. That first blue checked blouse fabric is so pretty! The darker blue one was a pretty fabric as well. Glad you were able to redo them. Much more interesting and useful now. 🙌

You've made that that first shirt look so fresh and new. Those little peekaboos on the sides are trending now and it makes the top look so summery and light. So cute!!! The way you added that collar back on to both of those shirts turned out great.

Great upcycling! You can patent your collar design, it was very smart!

Those were both great saves, but I think I like the one with the cuff detail on the side seam the best. That's a unique and sort of quirky detail. I really like the way you used the collar on both shirts. I'll have to try that sometime. I'll just have to be careful not to make the neck too wide because i have a really small neck and large necklines swallow me. This was a really fun video.

I once unpicked the sides AND the sleeves to use the sleeves as the material to insert and make a sort of vest/shell out of a top. But halfway through my ADHD kicked in and I wandered off to crochet instead. Someday I'll get back to those sleeves. I'm not sure, now that it's all apart, how to figure out how wide a strip I need to insert? I probably measured and wrote down a guesstimate, but that's no doubt long gone ("why is there a 4 written on this scrap of paper? Must be trash!").

It looks lovely on you! Well done!!

The black- this would be great as a cover up made with 2 coordinates.

Love the top now. Suits you much nicer

I really love the blouse and the wrap skirt could work as a really cute bathing suit cover.

Very helpful video. Yes, and I am considering making the dress. I agree with Ms. Woods that making dart templates is a game changer! Also, I like your tip about using the reverse side of satin. I had wanted to work with satin but as it is presented, it's too flashy. Reverse side is toned down. I think I'll look for stretch satin and then use the top side to make the bias binding... Thank you so much for blazing the trail!

I really like the sleeve transformation. The sleeve is just short enough that the flutter part shouldn't get into every thing you do but long enough to be a bit dramatic. For years I never understood the value of a curved hem until I made the Rhapsody blouse. I used to wear my hems straight but short enough that they didn't land on the widest part of my hip. Now I will use a curved hem, especially when my tops are longer, I suspect you'll get more wear out of the blouse than you would have gotten from the dress as the top does look cooler and more comfortable to wear.

I don't understand the allure of the walk away dress at all unless you have a nice figure ot never looks good a thumbs down in my opinion

Velour: I would use it for something like the traditional Mandy t or grain line hemlock...if there is sufficient stretch...I have a number of stretch velour/velvet I've made because they feel luxe and cozy at the same time. Alternately a simplified Mood box wood like youtuber Katie Makes Stuff did a couple of months ago....all free patterns.

Nice !!❤, I have these patterns

Haha. I thought of Sargent Pepper as soon as I saw those yellow tassles! As for the gold, it's time to make your Superhero costume.😀

I think it’s so fascinating to see how each person chooses to pursue sewing. I think fabric purchases can be a big part of that. There are lots of people who love getting subscription boxes each month. This is sort of the same concept in that you don’t know what you are going to get. I see some people thrive with that kind of challenge. It forces them to work with different colors (in solids and prints) and fabric types and even different lengths. I have seen some gorgeous creations occur because they were forced to think outside the box. There was a time in my life when I would have enjoyed this, but present day me would just be flummoxed not knowing where to even start. Even fabric I choose from the thrift store has to percolate in my brain for a while before I attempt sewing something with it. Every once in a while I’ll get a vision in my brain, and will have to visit the fabric store to find something (because there is nothing appropriate in my stash) and just like that it comes to life. Sometimes, I’ll choose a piece of fabric from my stash and mull over what I can do with it and will *eventually* make something. I’ve also seen people who start the whole sewing process based on a specific pattern. You’re clearly a person who likes thinking outside the box, and I can see how these boxes would really stimulate that creative thought process. You also don’t hesitate to alter a pattern, so the varying amounts of fabric would be more doable for you People who have to start with the pattern and never vary from it would likely freak out at the thought of using up a mystery box. My favorite garment of all time was made from a scrap of denim from the thrift store. How I managed to get a pair of shorts out of it I will never know. Of course I had to cut some against the nap, but you can’t tell. There was mark-up notations on the back, but you can’t see it through the dark denim. From the outside it looks like a nice pair of RTW shorts, but on the inside it’s a mishmash of oddball facings for the pockets, fly shield and hem and mark up notations written all. Everything in it probably would have been tossed into the landfill by the average person, but I made it into something useful and nice. I think that is what you meant about saving these offcuts from the landfill. It makes your sewn garments that much more rewarding knowing that they came from stuff nobody else really wanted, but you took the time and head space to make it something useful and beautiful. There’s a sense of satisfaction you don’t get with buying your fabric by the yard from the store. My brain can get past the idea of that velvet fabric being a sweat shirt or a cardigan, maybe even a color-blocked one. I have no idea why I am thinking that because it certainly isn’t traditional, but wouldn’t that feel cozy and be rather elegant. Of course it would depend on the care requirements of the fabric so it might be a totally stupid idea. For what it’s worth, I really enjoy watching your creative process and look forward to seeing some of these leftovers come to life. Don’t let the nay-sayers dissuade you from doing things your own way. Not everybody follows the beat of the same drummer.

I will check them out, I have been buying boxes of fabric from a thrift store, mostly 1 yr or more cuts to make my quilts.

The pink would make a really cute robe, swimsuit coverup or loungewear

Hi Karen, love your clever pattern hacks, the flow of the skirt is so pretty!

I love the way your dress turned out. Very pretty.

I had a dress like that years ago igot from theft store

Where do you get the pattern?

I want to make this. New sub.

if it was me i would have just made a dress that slips over my head to avoid the under bust gathers. First the darts prevent that. The tie is for my taste to thin . Having a thicker join like the original, gives structure that prevents those gathers also.

I love the blue one. The sleeves are wonderful🌟

Love it. IT MAKES YOU LOOK GREAT

Your 2nd & 3rd versions of the McCall dress pattern look so lovely with the self matching belts & are so much more flattering than the original dress with the elasticated waist.🥰

Love how you modified the pattern. The blue is a better colour for you, but I like the overall yellow dress.

You're amazing, Karen! I like your video very much👍 All the dresses are perfect, the blue one with a belt is the best😃😘💕

I like both of them

For a loose neckline: try feeding a length of cord elastic through the binding, draw it up gently and test until the shoulders stop sliding around. The adjustment should be minor enough that you don't add unwanted gathers. Doesn't always work but it's so quick to do it's worth a try. Alternatively for a very quick fix, hide a safety pin in each shoulder seam allowance and fasten it around your bra strap. Just don't forget it's there when you take off the dress :) I like your adjustments to the pattern, my first thought on seeing the original toile was "Too short!" so I was glad to see you add length :)

Thank you! I know I won't wear a garment without pockets. So, based on this video, I now know that a particular fabric I have, will definitely need to be made into a garment where I can anchor the pocket into the waist seam (although I think it could be anchored into a princess seam). Simply using a sturdier cotton for the pocket bag isn't going to do it. Thank you for "winging it" and showing us, so I can make some different kind of mistake I'll need to figure out. ;)

The first is so lovely and floaty(?). The third is fun and adaptable. The original would work nice as a shirt and shorts set. Would there be enough fabric left to do that? And would you want too😊?

The blue dress is lovely and its crying out for a thin red belt.

Just discovered you! I was wondering if you had ever taken some WOW print fabric and a matching shirt, cut the shirt bottom off straight, gathered the skirt fabric up (including making French seamed pockets), attached it to the bottom of the shirt to make an actual "shirt dress". I've done 2 now and have plans for more. I just need the confidence to wear them out. They are so comfortable around home but maybe they are toooooooooo weird. I don't want to stick out in a crowd. Oh, and I did cut the sleeves just above the button hole band, turned them up and put 1/8" elastic inside a casing. Let me know what you think.

Oh Karen, your dresses are fabulous. I love your "can do" attitude and "just go for it" approach, you're so brave and an inspiration to beginner sewing enthusiasts. Thank you for your time and expertise.

You can put a tuck/pleat at the center back.

I like them both but LOVE the green with flutter sleeves. The way you fixed the neckline on the blue was a great idea; I must try this.

you did good!

TOSS BETWEEN GREEN AND BLUE

TYFS

Very nice job on hacking that pattern to what you like. I especially like blending the bodice with the skirt in one piece.

I like the dresses without the elastic. They are really cute. And their belts make them so versatile.But I think the shoulder to high bust part of the pattern is probably about two sizes too big. I have the same problem with my patterns, so I cut the smaller size on the shoulder to under the arms and then grade out to the waist and hips. Grading from the smaller size would not only bring in the shoulders, but make the neckline smaller, and the arm holes higher too usually. It's a really easy adjustment. On the blue dress, when I've had the same problem with a too wide neck opening, I have always put a box pleat on the center front and center back neckline. But your gathering is cute. Maybe I'll try gathering on the front and a box pleat on the back if I have that happen again.