Hello fellow makers!
I'm Marta from @the.pickle.and.the.banana on Instagram. I'm really excited to share my pattern mash and hack with you today. I used two patterns for this look, the Posh Top and the Mix it Up Dress. These are my affiliate links to the patterns and will earn me some fabric money and don't cost you anything.
When I saw this picture on Pinterest I knew I had to recreate it.
But let's not kid ourselves, with my grace, love of hot sauce, and two children, there is no way I was making a white dress. So, black it was!
As soon as I finished the top portion I tried it on before attaching the skirt. It was instant love. And I thought to myself, self, this would look great with jeans! And then I thought to myself, self, why limit yourself to one item when (with slightly LESS effort) you can have two? And so I decided on a faux dress with two separate pieces. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out, and hopefully you will be too!
Here is what you will need to get going:
*Posh and Mix it Up patterns
*Sewing machine ( a serger is handy but not necessary)
*Fabric (I used black cotton lycra and lace with some stretch)
*Thread
*Scissors
*Cutting Mat
*Snacks (sewing makes me hungry)
*Calculator
Let's get ready to make the things!
First print and assemble the entire Posh top. I will show you how to lower the neckline like I did, but you can also keep the neckline high and just follow the instruction in the pattern. If you are lowering the neckline you will cut out two of the short accent pieces for the shoulders instead of one long and one short.
Now you need to lower your neckline. How low you go is completely up to you. I played around with it a little by using a pencil to draw on my pattern piece until I got the desired scoop.
Remember that you can always cut away more fabric but you can't add it on (well, you can, but it's a whole lot more effort). So if you are unsure, just scoop out a little and you can take off more after you've put the top together and before you put the neckband on. Once you are happy with your line just cut out the top. Make sure you save that piece for when you want to make the pattern as drafted.
Once your neckline is modified you will continue on with the pattern as instructed. When it is time to attach the accent pieces just follow the same instructions for the short piece on both sides. Once completed, your front bodice piece will look like this:
Attach your back bodice piece by placing it right sides together with the front and sewing at the shoulders. Once the two are attached they will look like this:
Because the sleeves are lace, it can be hard to mark them using a fabric marker. Make sure you indicate front and back so you attach them properly. I marked my center and front with clips like this:
Follow the sleeve instructions as per the pattern. Once you have assembled the rest of your top, it's time to calculate your neck band. Depending on the stretch and recovery of your fabric you are going to want your band to be between 80 and 85% of your neck opening. Measure your neck opening by lining up the raw edges like this:
Make sure you don't stretch your fabric! As you can see, mine is about 12 inches. You are going to multiply that by 2 (24), then find 80% ( 19.2 so I rounded down to 19) and add your seam allowance (this can vary depending on what you are comfortable with. I typically add ¼ inch per end so .5 total). So I end up with a neckband that is 19.5 inches long. It's also up to you how thick you want your neckband to be. Typically I cut mine at about 2 inches. So I ended up with a piece of fabric that was 2 inches by 19.5 inches. Y'all, I'm an English teacher, that's the most Math I've ever done it my life!
Once you've attached your neckband you can hem your top and you're all done! You can definitely try that puppy on and enjoy your creation with bottoms of your choice.
Now, moving on to the skirt portion. Choose your skirt style. I used the half circle skirt to most closely resemble my inspiration picture. Cut and assemble your skirt as instructed in the pattern. Then you are going to use the same method as above when making your neckband to make make your waistband. You can decide how tall you want your waistband. Since I like a little extra support in that area I made mine wider than the inspiration picture. When I wear it with a t shirt I can fold it down to make the skirt shorter, like this:
Attach your waistband, hem your skirt, and you're all done! You now have three ways in which you can wear these two items!
Here they are together like in my inspiration photo:
I'm really digging the look of the lace sleeves. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try it in white!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that it inspired you to create something of your own. If you do make this project, post it to the group and give me a tag (@Marta Gloger) so I can see your beautiful creations!
Happy Stitching!
XOXO
Marta