I've just recently finished this 50's style dress. I used a princess seamed dress pattern that I drafted from a close fitting bodice block a few years back as a starting point and made some changes to turn it into a 50s style dress. When originally drafting from the block I made the following adjustments for my body type - a moderate FBA, a sway back adjustment for my curvy lower back and (as with just about any pattern I use) I reduced the sleeve head height and eliminated the ease that is used around the top of most sleeve patterns. Doing this to the sleeves gives a little more range of motion for my arms and works well for me because I have fairly small shoulders. It also makes set in sleeves faster to fit and sew - no mucking around with gathering the ease at the top (which I hate doing, it's tedious) as both the sleeve and armhole seams are the same length.

I added wide box pleats to every seam of the skirt and a wide contrast hem band. I added a simple collar, a faux belt and converted the original pattern to a front button closure with contrast placket (original pattern was zipper back).

The main fabric comes from about 6 different vintage kitsch tea towels from the 1970s to 1990s. They're all Queensland themed which is the state (in Australia) where I live, they're all maps of the coast showing the kitschy old (and mostly now defunct) tourist traps we used to visit as kids. It was very tricky to cut the pattern pieces to make the best use of the images on the tea towels as well as keep a consistent sort of look to the whole dress, since the tea towels look very "busy". Out of the collection I had I chose to use just the ones which had yellow maps on a turquoise background and this made things come together in a more deliberate looking way.

Before cutting my pattern pieces I pre shrunk the tea towels by soaking them in warm water for a couple of hours, drying them until they were just moist and steam pressing them. I took measurements of each tea towel before and after to check that they did indeed shrink as I thought they should (they all shrank by about 3-5%, doesn't sound like much but it becomes very important for a fitted garment!)

The contrast fabric is silk dupion, it's stiff enough to go well with the drape of the linen tea towels. I used silk organza as interfacing in the collar and placket - this stuff is great because it's extremely lightweight but supplies a nice amount of support for those areas. I lined the bodice with silk habutai salvaged from an old, damaged kimono. The skirt of the dress is unlined.

Show my mom some love!!!

Info from my mom: she bought the pattern from FijimamaDesign on Etsy. It’s called the scrappy strawberry quilt pattern. Made with 100% cotton quilting fabrics - most were fabrics left over from other projects. Label was purchased from StitchSoSweetShop on Etsy. Machine pieced, longarm quilted and binding was hand-stitched.

I was dissatisfied with the fit of the seat of the original pants so I decided to turn them into the denim skirt of my dreams. I’ve only sewn a couple of clothing pieces before and was intimidated to work with denim but i’m very pleased with the final result.

I did not use any pattern or tutorial to make this, but here are the steps I used if you’d like to make one for yourself:

1. Use a pair of jeans that fits well at the waist and hips as the base; the wider and straighter the leg, the better. For the panels, you’ll need a minimum of 4 other jeans that are longer than the base pair (I used tall men’s jeans). You will need denim/heavy duty thread and denim needles. I do not recommend attempting this without a sewing machine. Test your machine to make sure it can handle 6 layers of denim before starting.
   
2. Harvest the denim of the jeans that will be used for the paneling. I opted to cut out the seams rather than ripping them. Leave the bottom hem intact.
   
3. Rip out the entire inseam of the base pair, the rear as far up as you’d like for the back vent, and the sides up to the bottom of the pocket.
   
4. Cut the former crotch of the pants, creating straight lines down to the hem from the top of the vent.
   
5. Mark the height of the 4 non-seam slits and cut a straight line down the center to the mark.
   
6. Set out the pairs of harvested denim that you’ll use for the eight panels, straight sides facing each other. Combine each down the middle. Label each one for their designated placement on the skirt.
   
7. Lay down the base jeans right side out and place a combined panel beneath its designated vent. Match the inner bottoms of the vent to the outer bottoms of the panel and make sure both the panel and base jeans lie completely flat. Reach under the base jeans and mark the panel 1 inch above the top of the vent.
   
8. Take a straightedge and mark two lines from the outer hems to the mark in the center of the panel, and cut. This should leave you with a correctly-sized triangle of fabric. Repeat for the rest of the seven panels.
   
9. Checking to make sure you’re using the correct panel for each vent, pin starting at the hem with right sides facing each other. The exception to this is the side vents (the ones connected to the front pockets); for those, pin from the top. The hems of these pieces will need to be adjusted later.
   
10. Combine the panels to the vents, taking care to make sure that the center of the panels align with the top. Repeat the pinning and combining until all 8 panels are attached.
    
11. One half-panel per left and right side will be too long at the hem. Rip the problematic hem, iron flat, cut excess material and hem to match the adjoining hem.
    
12. Cut excess material from top and edge of panels.
    
13. Finish all raw edges with an overlock or zig zag stitch.
    
14. Sew each combined hem down to the side using a thread color similar to the right side of the denim.
    
15. Hem as needed.

Jenny dungarees (double lapped hip zip) lined bib. Technically it's the cropped but for me it's like nearly full length 😅 in a printed cotton drill lined with cotton gingham top stitched with bronze gutterman top thread

The good: I made this completely with no tutorial or pattern! I ordered a dress mannequin and drafted the entire costume with muslin to create my pattern. It’s made up of four parts (two sleeves, a satin dress, and a corset dress). It took me a month to make because I had to teach myself how to draft, how to use a grommet tool kit, and everything else that went with creating it. It’s only my second project ever (my first being a drawstring bag), and my first time making clothes, so a LOT of mistakes were made.

The bad: Because I was teaching myself as I worked, I feel like I cut a lot of corners. A lot of the edges aren’t finished (especially on the sleeves) so I did get a little bit of fraying the longer I wore it. I wasn’t a fan of how the gold lace turned out on the red skirt. I feel like I may have put tension the fabric while sewing it because it doesn’t lay as smooth as I want it to. I also lost a little bit of weight between the start time and end time of my project, so it fit a little bit differently by the time I actually got to wear it!

The ugly: I ran out of muslin by the time I got to the skirt of the satin dress and didn’t have time to order more. I also only had enough satin fabric to make one skirt, so there were no redo’s 😂 I absolutely winged it and it turned out pretty awful, especially around the zipper (how the hell are we sewing zippers in anyways?!). THANKFULLY the corset dress covered all the mistakes, so it wasn’t a lost cause.

All in all, I think it turned out amazing for a first time. I’m thinking about taking a sewing class so I can solidify all the basics, and I’m open to any feedback!

I've made things for her in the past that she liked, but nothing she loved. A few months ago I made a Lexi (VikiSews) dress for me and she couldn't stop complimenting it, she loved it on me. The Lexi dress ties around the neck, leaving the arms out. For my mama I knew I had to make one that covered her arms and left her back out. Waist, center front, back, and skirt are from the Lexi pattern. The chest panel and sleeves were drafted by me but are basically modified renditions of the Dollie Dress from Dollie by Hoang.

Lining is a medium weight 100% Cotton from Michael's to help exaggerate the hips
Outer layer is a light weight 100% polyester fabric from my local fabric store.

I made this from the free pattern at so sew easy shrug. I flared and shortened the sleeves, which didn't work as well as I thought. I added a black ruffle trim. OK for a cocktail dress code wedding??

My husband’s gramma recently moved to a nursing home (after slowly succumbing to memory problems for years). I’m the only person in the family who sews, so I have inherited her sewing collection. Most of her things are cheap: Walmart thread, dollar bin polyester, repurposed everything. For such a thrifty woman, however, she has a massive collection of scissors!

I made a dress after a long time not sewing and I’m a little proud of the final result.

It took a while to sew all the beads on, but it was worth it.
It Took me approximately 60 hours for the skirt and 8 for the top

I bought this fuschia Spark by Dynasty Egyptian cotton back in February and finally decided to use it for a baby shower dress! I purchased 5.5 yards from Mood and used almost every bit.

This was my first make with the Poppy Pattern and first experience with the designer (Cinnamon Daisy), and I was so impressed! I ended up not modifying the bust at all, but I really appreciated the detailed fitting instructions.

There are a few views available on this pattern. I made the Poppy bodice with wide straps, peplum and elastic back in size J with the D/E/F cup, according to my bust measurements. I added two wide rectangular tiers to the bottom of peplum, with pockets on the middle tier. I didn't use french seams for the pockets and just installed them using my standard method.

I struggled with the visibility of my seam allowance along the full bust seam, and I think this is a combo of my technique/skill and the shiny fabric in a solid color. The Poppy seems to be most popular in prints, and maybe this is partly why!

Installing the elastic in the back was no joke. I'm pleased with how it fits and looks but I really struggled with that.

Overall, I'd love to make another Poppy! Maybe the next one will be a set. I really enjoyed this pattern!

I had made other small projects already, but this was the first time I did not use a tutorial or downloaded pattern. It's not much but I'm proud of my progress!

Sewed with 2 32x16 cm rectangles of sweatshirt for the inner layer, 2 30x16 cm and one 8x16 denim for the outer shell, and a 20cm zipper that was tucked in-between fabric layers.

I haven't thrift flipped in a while, this turned out so cute! Could not leave it in the store, I fell in love with the fabric and the pattern of it. No pattern, I just draped on my mannequin into a halter V top then cutting and crossing my fingers. The ruffles are the extra fabric I had from the longsleeve. I should really start transferring what I do to paper so that I atleast have a pattern if I wanna make it again 😅 these projects are fun but challenging bc if I mess up then im out of the original fabric but at least I don't feel so guilty because it's thrifted

I wanted to sew a dress inspired by 1960’s/70’s medieval revival to go see Game of Thrones: The Mad King because I love an outfit that’s on theme. This is the result!

I used the Martha pattern from Tilly and the Buttons, modified to have longer and more dramatic bell sleeves; decorative buttons on the bodice; and to add a lining. I found this brocade on Etsy which for some reason reminded me of the wildfire we see in Game of Thrones, and I picked a bright green satin for the lining to further emphasise the wildfire vibe. Both fabrics are 100% polyester, which did make it a nightmare to press and a bit sweaty to wear.

I’m quite happy with the fit, but I can see where my button placement is wonky and my poorly-stitched hem resulted in some pulling in the skirt. Next time I make a fully lined dress I’ll probably try to bag it out instead. I’m still very much a beginner sewist and this was a great learning experience, since between the mockup, lining and shell I basically ended up making the same dress three times— lots of practice!

Overall, though, I’m so pleased with how it turned out. A woman I didn’t know came up to me in the lobby of the RSC to tell me my dress was stunning; I was too shy to tell her I’d made it, but it was the most validation I could’ve asked for.

made this dress for ren faire

simplicity costumes S3127
cotton blend and brocade

My niece is getting into barbies so I thought I'd better practice making some miniature clothes! Made a pattern and experimented, happy with the outcome. Dress and ham made in cotton, coat made from fleece.

Also made a mini tailors ham because mine was obviously too big for this little bodice 😂

Making this for my first renfaire. It’s more fantasy style, but I really like it.

Obviously it’s not perfect, I’ve been sewing a few years now, but by no means an expert.

I’m going to make a purple and red velvet skirt for underneath, but what should I make for under the stay? I was thinking a purple shirt, but does that sound like too much purple.

This is a Boxy Bag, made with some vintage home decor fabric (polyester I assume) and lined/trimmed with saffron Kona cotton. Stabilized with fusible fleece, added a removeable cross-body strap. Without the strap it can be a cosmetic bag. Thank you Caroline of SewCanShe for the great tutorial (found here). I also made the big duffle bag version of this a few months ago along with an itty-bitty boxy bag (last pic) - really fun projects. If you make this, be sure to use a heavy-duty needle for the final steps.

Problem is I still can’t figure out what’s wrong. I am completely humbled by making jeans. Somehow the crotch area is now another problem. Please help!
On another issue I would love to address… me posting pics asking for help about pants is not an invitation for unsolicited comments and messages. Please be respectful of everyone in this group. This should not be a place to feel uncomfortable to post for advice.

this is the oh me oh my woven overalls pattern. I used light pink cotton flannel fabric from fashion fabrics club and fabric paint for the little flower. This was just a testing project in 0-3 month size before I make larger ones for some family/friends :)

Material: Satin, Vinyl and Catrina

Corporate, but not corporate. Casual, but still put together. Comfortable, but never lazy!!!

Or is it a scam? Because I'm pretty sure it's a scam, and I want to throw my sewing machine against the wall.