This is the original design that inspired my Tweed Tulip Dress (after I saw the fabric at the FabScrap store in New York City).
I first envisioned this tulip skirt hem detail as a black skirt with white trim around the edge to emphasize the shape of the hem. I think this will be a perfect skirt to wear to office for Spring/Summer!
Since I’ve already done a similar sketch for the dress, I just used that one for the base in order to do a fully rendered sketch (see the full process in my YouTube video embedded in the post below).
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt w/ Contrast Trim Final Fashion Sketch
I honestly don’t love how the sketch turned out, it looks a little flat to me and I would prefer to keep going with the marker layering to get more dimension. Here is the original sketch I did when I first thought of the idea of the tulip skirt. I think I did a much better job on this one. Notice how I’ve taken out the waistband in the end, this helps with quick fitting and alteration processes.
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler – Tulip Skirt w/ Contrast Trim Original Fashion Sketch
I already had a good start for the pattern for the skirt, because I previously made the dress. So I just altered it so that it was finished off at the top with an attached facing that will be folded over elastic or better stability.
And then, of course, I made a mock up to make sure it looked right. You’d think it should be fine since I’ve already made in in the dress, but the fabric I’m using this time is a bit stiffer so I just want to make sure everything’s perfect with the added facing. After all, I put in all this effort into making something, I want to make sure it actually fits so that I’ll want to wear it 🙂
If items don’t fit right I’ve noticed that I never wear them, and that seems wasteful. See my post on the importance of fit.
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Mock-up
It was pretty much all good! Except it was just a little snug at the hip so I made those alterations to the pattern and got to cutting out the fabric.
I bought some already pre-cut donated black crepe fabric from the FabScrap store in the city (I can’t bring myself to buy new fabric anymore unless absolutely necessary). Current industry practices for the production of textiles and clothing is extremely wasteful and terribly harmful to the environment. I try to do my part by purchasing donated fabric as much as possible and making my own clothing that is easily altered and plan to wear for years to come.
Click the image below for more of my sustainability research.
The Best Sewing Process for Skirts/Bottoms
First, as always, finish all of the edges of each piece
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Sewing Process
Next, sew the front body seams
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Sewing Process
Then the back body seams
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Sewing Process
Next sew the zipper into the left side seam (when it’s flat) and finish the side seam
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Sewing Process
Sew the right side seam after the zipper is in the other side
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Sewing Process
Finish the top/waistband
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt Sewing Process
Sew the hem last (and I added the contrast trim)
SewSiz.com – Kelly Ann Sizler Designs – Tulip Skirt w/ Contrast Trim
Below is a time lapse video of my design process from full rendered fashion figure, to pattern making and fittings, and lastly to final garment sewing!
The making of my Tulip Skirt w/ Contrast Trim – Sewsiz.com by Kelly Ann Sizler – YouTube
Fun Fact: The pattern making and sewing portions of this video are increased to speeds up to 50x faster than the original in order to make the video as short as possible.
So, I have a new design project coming soon! It seems to be taking me forever to get this second one out while keeping things up to date here. But in the meantime I wanted to post this little basic sewing lesson
Whenever I have a conversation with somebody about sewing and I tell them that I know how to make my own clothes, I’ve noticed that the first thing almost everyone says to me is that “I don’t even know how to sew a button.”
But it’s actually pretty easy! And sewing and fixing up your own clothing is a great way to keep them out of landfills, considering we throw out a significant amount already.
So in this post I want to show you 2 main hand sewing techniques you can use at home to fix up your own clothing, one of which is how to sew buttons!
Let’s get to work 🙂
Watch the full YouTube video below for the full tutorial:
Slip Stitch
This stitch can be used to sew up ripped seams.
Ripped seam
Just start out with a needle and thread and knot one end of the thread.
See the full video for a good trick on how to easily knot the thread end before sewing
Next put the needle in the crease of the seam at the back where the rip starts through to the front and pull the thread through.
Now take the needle and put it in the other side of the seam, in the creased edge directly across from where the thread came out on the other side. And slip the needle behind the crease of the seam for about 1/16″-1/8″ then push it outside again and pull the thread through.
Slip stitch sewing first step
Put the needle in the other side again directly across from where the thread came out and continue this process until you’ve made your way through the entire ripped portion of the seam.
Slip stitch process- see YouTube video for more details
Once you get to the end of the rip go back down the other way towards where you started, continuing the same slip stitch process, to reinforce the seam and get any spots you might have missed.
When you get back to your start position, put the needle and thread through the back and knot it off to finish the stitch.
Final hand sewn slip stitch
Actual ripped seam example on the back side of a pencil skirt above the slit (kick pleat)
Actual slip stitch example sewn on the back side of a pencil skirt above the slit (kick pleat) I did for a client
Actual slip stitch example on the back side of a pencil skirt above the slit (kick pleat) I did for a client – final result
Buttons
2-Hole Button
Start out with a needle and thread and both ends of the thread knotted together.
Put the needle through the back of the fabric where the button used to be and then through one of the holes in the button and pull through from back to front. Then put the thread through the front of the other hole and pull through from front to back.
Repeat this process a few times until the button is sturdy and reinforced through the fabric.
Lastly just make sure you end with the bottom at the back of the fabric and knot off the thread to finish it off.
2-hole button sewing
4-Hole Button – option 1 – parallel stitch lines
Start out with a needle and thread and both ends of the thread knotted together.
Put the needle through the back of the fabric where the button used to be and then through one of the holes in the button and pull through from back to front. Then put the thread through the front of the adjacent hole and pull through from front to back.
Repeat this process a few times. Then from the back go over to one of the other buttons and restart the process with the other 2 holes until the button is sturdy and reinforced through the fabric.
Lastly just make sure you end with the bottom at the back of the fabric and knot off the thread to finish it off.
4-hole button option 1 – parallel stitch lines
4-Hole Button – option 2 crossed stitch lines
Start out with a needle and thread and both ends of the thread knotted together.
Put the needle through the back of the fabric where the button used to be and then through one of the holes in the button and pull through from back to front. Then put the thread through the front of the diagonal hole and pull through from front to back.
Repeat this process a few times. Then from the back go over to one of the other set of buttons and restart the process with the other 2 holes until the button is sturdy and reinforced through the fabric.
Lastly just make sure you end with the bottom at the back of the fabric and knot off the thread to finish it off.
4-hole button option 2 – crossed stitch lines
Jacket Button
Start out with a needle and thread and both ends of the thread knotted together.
Put the needle through the back of the fabric where the button used to be and then through one of the holes in the button and pull through from back to front. Place another needle or pin flat over the button and sew the button on with the pin/needle resting on top of the button and under the thread.
This will allow for added ease behind the button for the thicker jacket/coat fabric.
Continue sewing as you would a regular button and then just slip the needle/thread out when finished
Sewing jacket buttons – use pin for added ease
Shank Button
Now a shank button doesn’t have holes because it has a loop (shank) at the back. They tend to be half dome shaped.
This button is typically used for jackets and coats but you don’t need to sew with the added ease because the shank at the back does that itself.
Start out with a needle and thread and both ends of the thread knotted together.
Put the needle through the back of the fabric where the button used to be and then through the shank hole and pull the button to the fabric. Put the needle back through the fabric from front to back again to attach the button and continue this process until the button is secure.
Sewing shank button
Shank button
I hope this helps you fix up your own clothing at home. Let me know if you have any questions or need any help in the comments!
Did you ever buy a dress or a top where the sleeves are slightly too tight and just don’t fit right, but the rest of the fit is okay so you try to make it work anyway?
Sometimes the industry doesn’t take the proper time to get a really good fit in the armhole, or the factory makes mistakes in production, so this can happen. In fast fashion things are done fast, but not necessarily well, for a lot of different reasons.
This is another client project because these dresses were bought despite the fact that the sleeves were too tight, so she just wanted the sleeves to be removed so they could be wearable as sleeveless dresses.
Just keep in mind that you have to be careful with this type of project. If the armhole is too big then it won’t look right as a sleeveless option because the armhole will be loose and have gaps.
So let’s get started! The step by step process is below.
SewSiz by Kelly Ann Sizler – Let’s get started!
And see the full DIY video on my YouTube channel (link below).
Use a seam ripper to completely remove the sleeves from the garment
DIY Alterations – Sleeveless Dress – Seam rip the sleeve from the armhole
Step Two:Fit the Armhole
Try on the garment with the sleeves detached to see how the armhole fits.
If it’s too tight like the one I was working on mark where it should be lowered or where the fabric needs to be removed in order to make the armhole more comfortable. I like to use safety pins for this.
*You can’t add fabric to make the armhole fit tighter, so if this is a big garment and the armhole is loose this project won’t work out, as stated above.
Step Three:Make the New Armhole Pattern
If you don’t need to fit the armhole move on to Step Five.
If you need to alter the armhole you need to make a pattern to get the right shape.
First iron/press the armhole to get it to be flat
Next trace the armhole front ad back to get the original shape.
DIY Alterations – Sleeveless Dress – Trace the front and back armhole
After that just draw in the 1/2″ seam allowance to have that in mind (measure your garment to make sure it’s 1/2″ it might be less, if it is draw that measurement).
Measure and mark the positions you pinned to take in on the garment and mark those positions on the traced armhole. Make sure you’re factoring in the seam allowance (or hem) with this measurement since the positions you marked are where you want the finished edge to be, but there will be a hem added on to those measurements.
After those are marked, use your curved ruler to make a new armhole shape. It shouldn’t be curved in too much, it should be similar to the original curved shape with just a few adjustments.
I’m making the new armhole shape from the hem edge. Keep it consistent, if you’re doing it from the finished edge do it all the way from the shoulder and then add the hem allowance to that.
DIY Alterations – Sleeveless Dress – Trace a new armhole based on alteration marks
*If you’re not used to looking at flat patterns, to make sure you have a good armhole shape when you cut out the pattern hold it up to yourself to check that it’s not a crazy curve and make adjustments as needed.
Step Four:Cut the New Armhole
Pin your new armhole to the garment and cut out the excess fabric. Make sure you’re doing the front and back if needed (if you took it down at the under arm the front and back is necessary).
DIY Alterations – Sleeveless Dress – Pin the new armhole pattern to the garment to cut the new armhole shape
I also had a lining in the dress I was altering so after the outer fabric was cut I pinned the lining flat to the outer fabric and cut along the same armhole shape.
Step Five:Finish the Armhole Edge
If you cut a new armhole then you definitely need to do this step. If not, your armhole edge may already be finished, if it is move on to the next step.
Pretty much all you have to do is finish the edge of the fabric so it doesn’t fray or roll. I recommend using a serger if you have one or a zig zag stitch on your regular sewing machine.
Next, after the armhole edge is finished, bend back the edge the same amount as the seam allowance and stitch it down. My seam allowance was 1/2″ so I stitched it at 3/8″ in. If yours is a 3/8″ seam allowance I’d recommend a 1/4″ stitch.
Since I had the lining I just made sure the lining was bent back with the armhole edge so it was hidden in the hem as shown below
Step Seven:Press It and You’re Done!
That’s it! Your sleeved garment is now sleeveless and ready to wear!!
DIY Alterations – Sleeveless Dress – Finished edge with serger and topstitch
Whenever you’re sewing you usually can’t just leave the cut fabric edges raw, chances are it will fray if it’s a woven or roll if it’s knit (for more on this see my fabric types post here).
So here are some examples of basic edge finishes to help you with your next project!
See the full video below on how to do each of these edge finishes:
Zig Zag Stitch
The zig zag stitch is probably the easiest edge finish to use for at home projects. All home sewing machines have this setting. It’s not ideal for fabric that frays a lot or very slippery fabrics, but it will still get the job done.
Clean Finish
Clean finished edges are also very easy to do with any sewing machine since you just need a straight stitch. You simply just are doing a baby hem on the edges of the fabric so that they don’t fray. If you have a fabric that frays a lot or is slippery and can’t use the zig zag stitch, this will be the next best option.
All you need to do is fold the edfe under about 1/8″ and stitch it down.
Sewing Basics – Seam and Edge Finishes – Zig Zag Stitch and Clean Finish Edge
French Seam
A French seam is for sheer fabrics. These seams are enclosed so it looks nice from the outside. This is a seam that essentially sewn twice so any part that would fray is inside of the enclosed seam allowance.
The first step is to sew the seam at 1/4″ (for 1/2″ seam allowances) with wrong sides together (opposite than usual).
Next cut the seam allowance in half, close to the seam
After that press the seam open and then fold it over so that it is right sides together and the seam allowance you just sewed is between the fabric
Press it
Then sew this 1/4″ in encloses the seam allowance inside
Sewing Basics – Seam and Edge Finishes – French Seam
Flat Fell Seam
Flat Felled Seams are also enclosed seams but they are flat, and stitched down so you can see the extra row of stitching on the outside. These are the types of seams that are used on denim, take a look at one of your pairs of jeans.
First, just like the French seam, sew a seam with wrong sides together (full 1/2″ seam allowance this time)
Press it open
Next cut on of the sides of the seam allowance in half
Now take the longer seam allowance side the you didn’t cut and fold it over the cut, shorter, seam allowance. Press it like this
Next flip the seam allowance over so that open portion of the folded over edge is pressed down to the fabric
After that stitch down over that edge to attach it to the fabric, this way there are 2 rows of stitching
**The French and Flat Fell Seams are difficult to alter though because of the way the seam allowances are trimmed and then enclosed.
Serger Stitch
This stitch requires a serger machine. This is the type of edge finish that is used most in the industry so you’ll find most of your clothing with this type of finish inside. This stitch is also used to sew seams with stretchy fabric because it doesn’t restrict the fabric from stretching like regular sewing stitches would.
Sewing Basics – Seam and Edge Finishes – Serged Edge
Good luck with your project and let me know if you have any questions or need any help in the comments!
A client gave me this top to fix up. She accidentally ironed a hole in it before she was even able to wear it once. It’s made out of a polyester/acrylic blend and you have to iron those fibers on a low heat setting or else the fabric can melt easily.
So, instead of throwing it out she wanted to know if there was something I could do to fix it. Upcycling is a great way to keep clothing out of landfills.
“Instead of throwing it out and replacing with a new one, see if you can fix it first. Learning to sew and how to do your own DIY can be a great money saver in the long run, while lengthening the life of the things you own.” – Glamour Magazine UK
*To learn more about fashion’s effect on the environment see my sustainability page here.
At one of my old design jobs we used to add a lot of lace inserts to garments, so I got the idea to add a lace yoke to the back where the hole was using leftover fabric I already had on hand.
See the full DIY video on my YouTube channel (link below) and all the steps in the rest of this post.
Supplies:
Top/shirt
Fabric for the yoke
3/8″ or 1/2″ Twill tape to match garment – can be found near fabric section in craft stores
Using a thin tape mark on the garment where you want the yoke seams to be. I’m doing mine with a point at the bottom so it looks more intentional, but yours can be straight if you want.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to add 1/2″ seam allowances inside these lines.
DIY Upcycled Top – Damaged top with tape marking where the seams for the lace insert will be.
Step Two:Making the Pattern
First draw the lines where you’re going to cut. Like I said, you need to add 1/2″ inside so that you have room for the seam allowance.
I used fabric chalk to draw the lines, then I added a line 1/2″ in from the armhole trim because I wanted to leave the fabric around the armhole.
DIY Upcycled Top – draw in 1/2′ seam allowance with the clear plastic ruler and chalk
An easier way to do this would be to just cut the top and bottom yoke seams straight through the armhole and cut out that portion of the armhole. Just make sure to add 1/2″ allowance to the yoke pattern there to finish the edge. I would recommend doing that before you sew the yoke into the garment.
DIY Upcycled Top – Adobe Illustrator flat sketch of 2 options for the lace insert – SewSiz by Kelly Ann Sizler.
After that cut out on the chalk drawn lines and the you’ll use this piece to make the yoke pattern.
Once it’s cut grab some paper and trace around the cut piece. Use a ruler to make sure you’re getting straight lines.
DIY Upcycled Top – cut piece from damaged top to be made into pattern
After it’s traced you need to add back the 1/2″ you cut off for the seam allowance on the shirt, and then you need to add another 1/2″ for the seam allowance on the yoke. So you’re adding 1″ total around the whole pattern. (Keep in mind if you’re taking the easier route, that you need to add only 1/2″ at the armhole edge, but still 1″ at the top and bottom)
DIY Upcycled Top – Finishing up the pattern by adding in seam allowances
Step Three:Cut Out Yoke Fabric
After the pattern is don’t, cut it out and then use it to cut out your yoke fabric.
DIY Upcycled Top –Using the new pattern to cut out the lace/yoke fabric – Forgive my chipped nail polish 😦
Step Four:Sew Bottom Pointed Seam
DIY Upcycled Top – Attaching the yoke to to the top, sew the bottom point seams first
Once you sew one side you need to clip in the center of the point on the original garment’s seam allowance in order to be able to sew the other side. Clip the seam allowance up to 1/8″ away from the seam so that it won’t cut into where you’ll see it on the garment. (shown in below pic)
DIY Upcycled Top – Clip in at the center point to fit the yoke into to fit properly to the seam
Once it’s clipped you can sew the other side.
After it’s sewn, press (iron) the seam with the seam allowance away from the lace.
DIY Upcycled Top – finished bottom point seam
Step Five:Sew Top Seam & Armhole Seams
Next do the same thing for the other seams. If you took the harder route, you’ll still need to clip in the corners similar to how you did at the point in order to get the fabric to fit.
Once those are all sewn, press those seams too and grab your twill tape for the next step.
DIY Upcycled Top – Finished sewing the lace yoke seams
Step Six:Sew Twill Tape to Seam Allowances
Attach the twill tape to the seam allowance that will be showing on the inside of the garment with about 1/2″ extending for each seam.
I would do the top and bottom first. Do the bottom pointed seam as 2 separate pieces with the extensions at the center as shown below. Then do the armhole last, if necessary based on which option you chose.
DIY Upcycled Top – Adding the twill tape to the inside seam allowances.
Once that’s done fold under the excess at the center and tack into place, but don’t attach it to the garment just yet.
Step Seven:Top Stitch Twill Tape to Garment
Fold under the excess twill tape ends at the armhole and pin the twill tape to the garment. Once it’s pinned sew the twill tape to the armhole at about 1/4″ in from the edge.
After that, pin the top and bottom seam allowance to the garment, with the pins showing on the back of the garment. Topstitch the twill tape to the garment at 1/4″ above the seam (for the top seam). Do the same with the bottom seam. In order to get a smooth pointed seam, start at one armhole edge and work your way to the point. Stop at the point, put the needle stopped in the fabric, pick up the presser foot, and pivot the fabric to the direction to sew up the other side. Once the fabric is in place, put the presser foot back down and continue sewing to the other edge.
After this step, just clip all the excess threads and you’re done!
DIY Upcycled Top – Finished inside view of the lace insert with the twill tape edge finishes.
I actually wound up adding another row of topstitching 1/8″ away from the first row since the twill tape was wide enough for it. But if you used 3/8″ taping I would just stick with the one row of stitching.
DIY Upcycled Top – Finished product outside view
Finished Product!
DIY Upcycled Top – Kelly Ann Sizler with the finished product on the form – SewSiz by Kelly Ann Sizler
DIY Upcycled Top – Finished product with the lace yoke insert
If you’ve never worked with clothing closely this information is probably new to you but I find myself explaining these 3 basic fabrics types to people when discussing, clothing, fit, and commissioned projects so they can get a better understanding of why certain things can’t happen in the fabric, fit, and design world. So I just thought this little piece would come in handy, whether you’re planning on working on any sewing projects or not.
Wovens:
To start off a woven fabric is woven, as in a weave….Duh.
Remember doing those paper weaves to make placemats or something in 1st grade?
It’s that same concept but on a super small scale. Instead of paper individual strands of thread are woven together to create the fabric. The tighter the weave, the thicker and more dense the fabric. Sheer fabric has a very loose weave. And, of course, the thickness of the thread will affect the fabric weight too.
Now there are also different kinds of weaves to create different looks or different types of woven fabric, but let’s just keep it simple for now.
Woven fabrics don’t have stretch so they cannot be used for garments that are meant to be very fitted. They will always require some sort of closure to get on and off, like zippers or buttons, due to the lack of stretch.
They also will fray once cut so the edges always need to be finished. There are many ways to do this but using a a serger, zip zag stitch, or French seams for sheer fabrics are some popular edge finishes.
Woven fabric attributes:
No stretch (although sometimes they can have elastic fibers in them and contain a little stretch)
Frays when cut
Most common uses: Button-up collared shirts, dress clothing, upholstery fabric, outerwear
And at this end, knit fabrics are knitted…another duh
The knitting is in a similar way that a sweater is knit, but the fabrics you buy to make cut & sew knits contain finer yarns and so they are knitted tighter than a sweater.
‘Cut & sew knit’ essentially means clothing that is made from knit fabric that you cut out the pattern pieces with and then sew, as opposed to the way sweaters are knit (see below). If you haven’t noticed this stuff is pretty self explanatory, you just may not have heard these terms before.
A popular type of knit fabric you’re probably already familiar with is jersey, which is what tee shirts and most of your knit clothing is made with. Jersey is the stitch. Just as woven fabrics have different weaves, there are also different stitches knit fabric can come in, however jersey is the most popular.
This fabric has stretch. Depending on whether it contains elastic fibers like spandex, it can have a lot of stretch too. So these fabrics are used for fitted clothing (though elastic fibers are non-recyclable so they’re not that great, environmentally speaking). Clothing made with knit fabrics usually don’t need fasteners, unless they’re complicated styles, because the stretch allows them to slip on and off easily.
Knit fabric doesn’t fray but needs to be sewn with a stretch stitch in order to maintain the stretch in the seams after it’s sewn. Generally the industry uses a serger to sew these fabrics, but most home machines have stretch stitches on them too.
Since it doesn’t fray you can cut it without finishing or hemming the edges, but keep in mind the fabric may roll at the edges.
Knit fabric attributes:
Stretches
No fraying
Needs to be sewn with special stitch for stretch
Most common uses: tee shirts, activewear, casual wear, fitted clothing, swimwear
Examples: jersey, fleece (sweatshirts), french terry (sweatshirts), scuba
Knits (sweaters):
Sweaters are of course knit, but on a different machine than the knit fabric.
Sweaters have their own type of machine and use thicker yarns. The thicker the yarn, the looser the knit and the chunkier the sweater. The thinner yarns create lighter (fine gauge) sweaters that sometimes have the same appearance as cut & sew knits (gauges are another discussion since sweaters can be very complex, but essentially the lower the gauge the chunkier the sweater).
Sweaters also have different stitches like the fabric. But they also can contain multiple stitches in one piece by transferring stitches without having to cut and piece them together. Or seamlessly as you might say. 🙂
Sweaters are knit in the shape of the garment’s pattern pieces and then any seams are linked together with yarn. Therefore they are not cut & sew because there is no cutting or sewing machine involved.
Sweater attributes:
No sewing
Knitted garment patterns all in one piece including all finishings
Most common uses: sweaters, socks/hosiery, winter scarves, gloves, hats
No examples because a sweater can contain many stitches in one garment, even the edge finishes are different stitches in themselves
I could definitely go into greater detail on each fabric construction, but hopefully this just gives you the basic knowledge you need to help you pick out the correct fabric type for your next project or to understand what your clothing is made of a little better.
This tulip hem design idea originally came to me in skirt form. But then I found this black, cream, and pink tweed fabric at the FabScrap store and I couldn’t resist making it into a dress version perfect for the office!
Tweed fabric for my Tulip Dress project with cream, pink, and black threads from the FabScrap store.
First I needed to get the initial idea out with a rough hand sketch.
Hand drawn fashion figure sketch of my Tweed Tulip dress design, by Kelly Ann Sizler
I’m not going to lie, I usually do this a bunch of times after the initial idea pops into my head. I’ll draw doodles and rough sketches while I’m on hold on the phone at work or just watching TV at home. It’s kind of like an itch you can’t scratch and I just need to get it figured out over and over until I know exactly what I want and how I’m going to make it. I like to walk around with small little sketch books fo this reason.
One of my many fashion sketches of my Tulip dress, I used this one as a bookmark for a while, by Kelly Ann Sizler
After the initial sketch, I drew a flat sketch in Adobe Illustrator. This is the type of sketch that I would do at my jobs in the industry to show buyers and send to factories overseas.
Adobe Illustrator flat fashion sketches of my Tulip Dress Design with fabric rendered version, by Kelly Ann Sizler
Once the idea and plan were finalized it was time to start working on the pattern. Making a new garment requires multiple sessions of pattern making and fittings. I already had a similar skirt pattern so I first got to work on making a basic bodice to go with the skirt.
After fitting the bodice I made some adjustments to the pattern and then made a new mock up of the full dress with the skirt. It wasn’t too bad but there were definitely still some fit adjustments to be made. It’s always fun to see the garment start coming together though! I also still needed to add the design details to the top, like the sweetheart neckline and to draft a sleeve pattern. I like to do this part after the bodice and armhole are fitted properly, since I didn’t have a sleeve pattern already made to fit myself.
Mock up #2
Mock up #3
First 2 mockups of my Tulip Dress pattern making process, by Kelly Ann Sizler
After finishing this round of pattern adjustments I made up another full mock up to see how it looked and fit, so this is now mock up #3. Even yet, there were still a few more fit adjustments to the armhole, sleeve, and at the bottom of the back skirt. I was getting a little anxious to get to the final garment so I just made a half bodice mock up to make sure these alterations weren’t crazy looking on the top. I was pretty confident that the skirt adjustments would work out fine. I probably could’ve done more fittings but at a certain point you have to draw the line somewhere. Although, in reality, I wish I would’ve just done one more full mock up because I had to do a couple of fittings and adjustments on the final garment. Just something to keep in mind for the next project!
Below is a time lapse video of my design process from initial sketch, to flat sketch, to pattern making and fittings, to final garment sewing!
Fun Fact: The pattern making and sewing portions of this video are increased to speeds 100x faster than the original in order to make the video as short as possible. I didn’t even get all the sewing in because my phone stopped recording.
It’s definitely a process but at the end of the day (or weeks of days after work) the final product is worth it!
I wore the dress to work and as I was walking with a coworker at lunch a woman ran up to me exclaiming, “I love your dress!” I knew she wanted to know where to get it, that’s the main reason people compliment each other, but it was so exciting to be able to respond with “thank you, I made it.”
It made my day!
The final result of my Tweed Tulip dress, by Kelly Ann Sizler
Tweed Tulip Dress by Kelly Ann Sizler
Happy with the result! Tweed Tulip Dress by Kelly Ann Sizler
SewSiz 