Transforming A Pattern To Suit My Style

It’s hot here. So while the weather is still warm, I decided to make more shorts. For this particular pair, I’m transforming a pattern to suit my style. And I hope to explain how you can do the same for yourself as well. Burda Style 6812 has become a favorite of mine, and that’s what I used for these.

BurdaStyle 6812 transforming to suit my style

Transforming The Pattern

As you can see in the photo above, the pattern has pleats in the front. Personally, I am not a fan of that look on me. So, I incorporated the pleats into the pattern, traced it and cut it out. This way, I haven’t changed the size of the pattern, I’ve only eliminated the pleats.

This small change gives me the look I want. I get flat-front shorts or pants, and then I can make any other necessary alterations for fit.

Transforming BurdaStyle 6812 pattern front to suit my style

Here’s an earlier blog post I wrote using the same pattern to get the same results.

My Shorts

I used a stretch cotton twill in navy for mine. Here is a similar fabric if you’re interested.

The only other change I needed to make is actually my usual for pants/shorts fitting. I did a scoop adjustment on these for the back piece as a full seat adjustment. This change really works well, at least for me.

So that’s it. That’s how I go about transforming a pattern to suit my style! At least, in this case. Incorporating the pleats into the front gives me that flat-front look and style I like.

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Summer Dresses To Beat The Heat

I have been focused on making some summer dresses over the past month in particular. It has been very hot here and for a couple of weeks, our air conditioner was broken. So I was spending my days in a very warm (hot) house. So here are some summer dresses to beat the heat. These use a variety of new patterns and older patterns. My hope is that it will inspire you to make your own and stay cool for the rest of the summer!

The Dresses

One thing I have noticed is that when it’s hot, I like a looser fit. I like simpler style lines and fewer details. This is definitely something to keep in mind if you feel the same.

BurdaStyle madras plaid dress front — BurdaStyle 6912

This dress Is one I made last year, but it has certainly gotten a lot of wear this summer. This was one of my Minerva makes for Minerva Fabrics. The pattern includes some style options, but this is a cool and comfortable dress.

Another one of my summer dresses to beat the heat is made with McCall’s 6885. Funny that this one is also a Minerva make.

The fabric is lightweight cotton (fantastic for summer). It also washes and dries easily so it’s easy to care for as well. Shirt dress styles are fun summer (or anytime) wear.

This particular pattern is almost like a shift dress/shirtdress combo!

Last is one of my most recent makes. I used McCall’s 7742 to make this blue chambray pull-on dress.

This fabric is lightweight and perfect for this type of style. It is cool and comfortable to wear.

As you can see from the back photo, the dress also features in-seam pockets. I am a person that loves to have pockets in dresses. If a pattern doesn’t have them included, they can certainly be added on most patterns. I have done this many times!

The Fabrics

As far as summertime fabrics are concerned, I personally like these:

linen/linen blends
cotton/cotton blends
quilting cotton
eyelet
seersucker

These are the ones I tend to have in my fabric stash.

Are there go to patterns or fabrics that you reach for more often in the summer? Let me know in the comments. I will also be making some shorts, so it’s not all dresses all the time for me. I you would like to see a previous post I wrote about summer dresses a couple of years ago, you can read that here.

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Pattern Review Of My Summer Dress Using McCall’s 7742

Here is a pattern review of my summer dress using McCall’s 7742. I wanted something that would be easy to sew, cool to wear, and cute! I went through my fabric stash and found this lightweight denim chambray. It was perfect for this dress. The material is soft and cool. It washes and dries well and seems like one of those things that will get softer with time.

For my dress, I made View B. As you can see from the photo above, it’s a shorter dress. I wasn’t completely comfortable with dress that length and I wished I had made it longer from the time I cut it out.

Wearing M7742 before alterations — *Before pic*

As you can see, it’s really not that short. It’s just shorter than most dresses I would wear.

So, I changed the hemline by cutting a 5″ strip from the selvedge edge of the fabric and adding it to the bottom of the dress.

M7742 front with selvedge hem detail — *After hem* *changes*

That way, I have the added length I wanted that really makes it more comfortable for me to wear AND I have an interesting feature at the hemline. I left it raw because that’s actually trendy, and I could hem it later if I chose to.

Styling

But I also styled this is a couple of different ways. Of course, I can wear it as is much like the pattern envelope shows.

I also show it belted. I used a scarf I had that also adds a bit of color to the outfit.

I also decided to do a more beachy look with a beach tote I’ve had for years.

Summer dress using M7742 with beach tote

Additional Pattern Details

There are some sleeve options for the dress. I made View B which is the ruffle edge sleeve. There’s also a longer sleeve (it may be 3/4 sleeve) as well as no ruffle and another type of flutter-type sleeve. This might be cute in an eyelet fabric as a swimsuit coverup.

It’s an easy pattern to make and it’s comfortable to wear. I made mine in a large, but I probably could have gone down to a medium. The pattern is XS-S-M or L-XL. There is no bust measurement on the pattern envelope (and not on the pattern tissue itself). It’s an easy pattern that I think is beginner friendly. You will want to use some type of woven fabric that is soft and lightweight.

Using a pattern I already have and fabric I already had in my stash is in line with my previous blog post .

I recommend this pattern, but you might want to consider how loose it is when choosing you size. That would be my only caveat.

Until next time…

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