Contemporary Sewing Patterns for the Modern Maker
I’ve been really wanting a maxi knit dress that has a fitted bodice lately and as soon as I saw Megan’s newest pattern, the Rowan, I knew I just had to turn it into a dress. I’m absolutely in love with this dress and I’m so excited to share with you how to put it all together. Adding a circle skirt to the Rowan is super easy. The hardest part is making the pattern piece. As an ex-high school math teacher, I have you covered though. So, without any more delay, let’s get started!
Hi my name is Sarah and I have a scrolling addiction to Anthropologie’s website. Honestly, I find inspiration for my sewn garments all over the place, but Anthropologie probably provides more inpiration than any other retail store. Fortunately, I sew, so I can often take a garment I see on their website and make my own version. About a month ago, I came across this fun ruffled sleeve tee on their site. I loved it. Ruffles are huge right now and I’m definitely loving the trend. I immediately thought of the Briar Sweater and T-shirt pattern and knew that I could make it happen. I’ve done quiet a few hacks with the Mini Briar pattern, but hadn’t sewn up the Women’s version for myself yet.
I’ve always wished I lived in the late 60’s for the fashion. I love a more bohemian look and have been loving some of the new trends that have a more modern spin on the 60’s style. I’ve been eyeing bell sleeves for awhile now and was contemplating adding them to a pattern because I wanted them so badly, so you can imagine my excitement when Megan told me about her newest pattern, the Dove Blouse. I thought a dress with bell sleeves would be so much fun, so I decided to do a little hack to extend the Dove pattern into a simple A-line dress, while still maintaining that beautiful curved hem that makes the Dove so special.
This is a fairly simple tutorial, but in order for the dress to fit you properly it’ll be important you get a few measurements along the way. Resist the urge to just follow the angle of the side seam to a longer length. That might work for some, but if you are more of a pear shape like me, that will not work. To create a dress from the Dove pattern you will need to adjust the front and back pieces, as well as create new bottom hem facings, if you choose the facing option as opposed to a rolled hem. Once you create your new pattern pieces, the garment will be sewn up just like Megan describes in the pattern instructions. So, let’s get started!
Attaching a lining to a pair of pants may feel a bit intimidating, but I assure you it is actually a lot easier than you might think. Megan’s newest pattern, the Harper short, calls for a lining. The lining creates a super smooth fit, as well as allowing you to use some fabrics that may be a bit itchy on the skin. Imagine the Harper sewn up in a wool, worn with tights in the fall?! Megan offers very good instructions with her pattern with some detailed graphics, but I’m here to provide a detailed photograph tutorial that may help make the process even easier. So, let’s not waste any time and get started.
Hello Design Diary readers! When Megan released her Harper short pattern, I fell in love with the higher waist and patch pockets. I recently moved from southern California to northern Virginia, however, and I am now in desperate need of fall/winter clothes since I haven’t really needed any the past 8 years. I decided lengthening the Harper shorts would be a fun challenge and I’m here to share with you the approach I took to create this more fitted tapered crop pant. Of course, you can follow these steps to create a wider leg pant if you so choose. I’m not sure if this is the “proper” way to lengthen a shorts pattern, but it worked and I’m happy with the results.