My name is Megan and I am that one person at a sewing meet-up that is wearing RTW clothes.
I don’t know how many of you get that eager “did you make that?” question only to disappoint them (and yourself) by answering “no, it’s from the shops”…. it happens to me frequently. So, I’m on a bit of a mission to sew more clothes I actually wear and to fix the clothes I’ve sewn and liked but have slight issues with which means they get left in the wardrobe. One such make is my Charlotte kan Tie dress, which I’ve blogged about here.
The problem. It was too short for me to wear comfortably. I did take 8 inches off!!! I kept tugging my skirt down as I walked and felt way too exposed even while wearing leggings underneath. My solution was to experiment with a bit of colour blocking and lengthen the skirt with fabric I had in the stash that was too small to use for anything.
The results……meh, possibly the worst bit of sewing I’ve done for awhile. I hated every step of sewing the extra length and this reminded me why I’m not a mender. For myself or anybody else…and what’s worst is now I think the dress is too long :,(
This dress has so much potential and brings back such good early sewing memories (it’s the first dress I made and loved) so it’s worth saving and is going back under the sewing machine.
Sewing is such a journey and looking back at old makes and mistakes is part of that. I honestly got into sewing thinking I was gonna save loads of money and that everything I made would be perfect. To my past self: HAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH. No. Just no.
Happy making,
Meg xx
Thank You!!
Great post. I love the dress and thank you for the tips .
Lippie143.blogspot.com
LOL, I can SO relate…but for what it’s worth, this dress looks nice in the photos and the length looks perfect to me!
Thank you! I used this one https://charlottekan.com/products/pdf-sewing-pattern-tie-dress
It’s from fairly new pattern designer and I love her modern edge and she drafts so well.
Yes, we’re off on the 13th. I really wanted to have a little gathering but getting everything in place after the move has taken so much longer then we thought. We took having a fresh start too seriously and got rid of some import things (we just got a sofa, after 6 weeks without one) and trying to get things comfortable and sorted but I still want invite you and Nick around because it’s lovely chatting with you too. Are two free the 11th or 12th Decemeber?? xx
Thank you! choosing that fabric really was a bit of luck! At that time I was print crazy, can’t believe I picked such a tame fabric but it is so wearable.
Me too! Too slow to have a complete me-made wardrobe, don’t know when that will happen and I’m not going to stress too much over it 🙂
ooooh love that idea of a back tie, I’ve always loved when I see the named keilo tied from the back…hmmm you’re definitely giving me ideas! and thank you, it’s always great when stash fabric finds it’s rightful place haha x
Thank you!! seeing all the comments I think I’m going to look at the length in a new light! It’s always great ti get a different perspective 🙂 x
Love your choice of colour block!
I’m the same, RTW all the way, for I sew too slowly.
The tie at the front is an interesting feature, the drape of the fabric you chose is perfect for it!
I think it looks gorgeous, but if you don’t feel good in it, you are allowed to hack it up and start again or give it to someone who’d love it. You’re not obliged to keep it around forever if it’s sitting at the back of your wardrobe making you feel guilty (…just me?).
I love knitting for that reason – I’ve recently started unravelling unsuccessful projects to reuse the yarn, and it feels GREAT. Instead of berating myself for all that wasted effort, I’m like, “hey I got dozens of hours of fun out of making this, now I get dozens MORE hours of fun making it again, and maybe I’ll even get a bonus jumper out of it when I’m done!”
I agree with the above lovely ladies and think it hits at a good length and the colour blockig has worked really well. I too regularly get asked if I have made my dress and often the reply is ‘no it’s RTW’ met with disappointment!
I agree with the multitude (and I found this a very funny post – I wear RTW half the time and people often express disappointment…). The bright colour at the bottom brings this dress to life and I don’t think it is too long. Look at the overall proportion – really flattering. I would say it is a keeper, and a job well done. What happened to the knitting evening? You must be off soon.
I love this – and think the length is great too. But we are always so critical of our own makes right?!
The colorblocking is a fantastic fix on this dress. I think it’s one of those cases when a problem led not just to a solution but to a great pattern hack!
Looks fine to me! I love the style!
I love this dress and particularly the colour blocking which makes it very stylish. You are right without the band it would be too short.
Great post Meg. I like your mission and want to follow suit! A couple of thing are unfortunately unrescuable, but maybe the fabric can be repurposed..
Anyway I have to agree that the colour blocking here is really cool and that the dress suits you.
I love this dress, did you use a pattern and which one? It looks great on you!
I think this is a good length too, looks great on you and I like how the color change brings emphasis to the hem overlap. As a lover of back details, I always want to see this design tied to the back instead of the front whenever it pops up on blogs, but that’s beside the point, your version is great.
I think this looks really nice and that the length really suits you! No need to be worried! X