I was so excited to be asked to be an ambassador for a new sewing challenge – Stitched with a Twist, created by Chantelle (@i_seam_so_happy) and Lou (@oh_liverpool_lou). It’s a fantastic idea getting us to unleash our creativity by sewing something and putting our own twist on it; it can be adding embroidery or embellishments, franken-patterning by mixing and matching different patterns, hacking designs…anything goes really!
I’ve been finding myself adding little twists to pretty much everything I’ve made recently, whether it’s switching to a gathered skirt on a dress, like my Nina Lee Kew Dress, or changing the sleeves to suit me better, like this Bloomsbury Blouse (also Nina Lee!), so here I’ve got a couple of dresses to share for the challenge, but also some ideas for others in the sewing queue!
First up is my hacked Sew Over It Vintage Shirt dress. The original design has an A-line skirt and a rounded collar, but I wanted to add a bit of punch so I sharpened the collar, shorted the sleeves and gave it a tapered skirt, making a completely different silhouette and vibe, which I’m proud to say got me compared to the ultimate matriarch, Beverly Goldberg:
Second up is this hacked Kew Dress from, you guessed it, Nina Lee (can you tell I like this pattern?). Again, I tapered the skirt rather than going with the flared version on the original design and ditched the dropped hem, plus I added patch pockets and made a self-fabric belt to match. I want to wear this through winter so I sewed the side seams with a 1cm seam allowance to give a bit of wiggle room so I can layer a jumper underneath, ta-dah!
So, on to sewing plans… Christmas season is speedily approaching, so I’m planning to make a Named Kielo Wrap Dress-meets-Jennifer Lauren Handmade Gable Top-hybrid (try saying that in one breath) using a massive piece of deep red stretch velvet I found in a charity shop last year. In my head it looks sassy a.f., but we’ll see how it turns out!
I’m also hoping to make a dress for The New Craft House ‘all that glitters’ themed winter party. I recently got the I Am Patterns Juliette shirt from Sew Me Sunshine, and I think it could be hacked into an amazing dress then painted to look like (*ahem copy*) this from the Valentino Pre-Fall 2015 runway:
There are so many ideas in my head for other hacks, hybrids and franken-patterns so I’ll not be able to complete them all in time for the end of the challenge on 15th November, but I think this challenge has got everyone thinking creatively and pushing themselves to go one step further with their sewing; don’t just make it according to the pattern, add your own twists and make it totally unique to you, that’s the beauty of sewing your own wardrobe, right?
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