Viki Sews Patterns Courtney Dress - Top Hack

I rarely purchase sewing patterns as I much prefer hacking the ones I already own or self-drafting patterns from scratch in order to create a pattern that matches the design I have in mind. Sewing patterns are also expensive, so I prefer to only buy ones that I know I'll make again and again (like my Lander Pants) or that I wouldn't be able to draft myself (such as the Dawn Jeans). However, when Viki Sews patterns had a flash 50% sale a few months ago I decided to purchase and download a few patterns, including the Courtney Dress. 

The design of the bodice is what drew me to the Courtney Dress pattern. I've seen quite a few tops with corset-y designs recently, in other words lots of seams and a fairly close fitting bodice. What I liked about this design is that the bodice has an extra level of detail which made this top a bit different. I also immediately pictured this pattern in a floral fabric for summer, I thought flowers would compliment the feminine design. Craft Cotton Co have such a wide range of floral cotton fabrics that it took me a long time to decide which one to go for. Most dressmaking patterns call for drapey or stretchy fabrics, so it was nice to make something out of cotton as there are so many lovely cotton prints available My only brief is that I wanted a pretty floral and in the end I went for this rayon linen fabric which was exactly what I had in mind. Much like cotton the linen held its shape perfectly when it came to the bodice construction, and interfacing helped to ensure that the upper bodice stands upright.

The first thing to note about Viki Sews patterns is that they are a Russian company. Although they have recently launched some patterns in English, the ones I purchased were all in Russian. It isn't just a challenge for the instructions, I actually found the website itself quite hard to navigate in a different language. Google translate is definitely a big help, although I found that the app's camera feature wasn't much use when it came to deciphering which pattern piece was which. In the end, the actual sewing process wasn't any harder for the lack of English instructions as the photo diagrams are really clear and even without those I would have been able to guess the order of construction. The main difficulty lay in labelling each pattern piece, but now that I've made this top I have my pattern pieces labelled in English for next time. Overall it was fun to try out a new pattern company which has some interesting and slightly different designs, especially as their patterns are very affordable - I paid £2.50 for 3 patterns thanks to the sale!

I always like to add topstitching to makes and the seams of this pattern were perfect for doing that. The topstitching adds a really neat finish and also forces the seams to lie flat. I really love how all the features of this make tie in together, having thin straps adds a delicate feel to the bodice which is mimicked by the pretty flowers on the fabric.

As mentioned the pattern is actually drafted as a dress, but I thought I'd get more wear out of mine as a top which I could pair with jeans (I'm wearing it with my balloon jeans in these photos). Simply cutting the top at the waist seam would have made it too short and the proportions a bit off, so I decided to add pleats to the bottom. I'm not usually a big fan of pleats and ruffles but I think the pleats work really well here. The rayon linen was a joy to sew with as it pressed so well, meaning that the pleats and hem are really even and neat.

To finish the top I added an invisible zip down the centre back, my preferred closure for makes. I'm pretty pleased with how invisible the zip is and I think that another closure such as buttons would have been too busy, detracting from the fabric and bodice details. The only thing I didn't think about when I changed the pattern to a top is that the zip can only be as long as the bodice so won't open as far down. I didn't realise this was a problem until right at the end, when it turned out to be a bit of a squeeze getting the width of the waist seam over my shoulders! I'm torn between redoing the zip as an open ended zip (which would take time and I also don't like the look of open ended zips compared to invisible ones) or just accepting that this top takes a while to get on and off.

When I first started making this top summer weather seemed like a long way away and the holidays felt even more distant. Now, I've finished my exams and the sun is shining so I'm looking forward to getting lots of wear out of my finished make!

How to Upcycle and Refashion Old Clothes

Upcycling is a great way to make a new garment without having to purchase fabric, and also gives old clothes a new lease of life. Using old clothes gives me the freedom to self-draft a pattern without worrying about wasting fabric if it turns out badly. As well as upcycling old RTW clothes, refashioning old makes is also a great way to reuse fabrics. I often do this with clothes that I sewed a few years ago that weren't terribly well made, or that I no longer wear because my style has changed. Below is a round up of the garments that I've upcycled as well as tips on how to completely transform old clothes.

Hadley Top (made from old jeans)

I had to begin with my refashioned Hadley Top as it remains my favourite and proudest upcycling project three years on - and I won a prize at the Knitting and Stitching Show for it! Jeans are the place to start when it comes to upcycling old clothes; they're easy to find in charity shops and denim is a nice stable fabric to sew with. The only tricky thing about using jeans as fabric is their width, so sewing projects with panels are ideal. For this top I used several different jeans to give a variety of denim shades and hacked my pattern into triangular pieces that were small enough to cut from the denim. Another thing I love about using old jeans is being able to keep their old features such as topstitching and pocket marks which I've incorporated throughout this top.

Button-down Skirt (made from old jeans)

This skirt was my first upcycling project and shows another use for old jeans. With this project I only used one pair of jeans, but they were large enough to provide quite a bit of fabric. The skirt I made features several panels to allow for the fabric width. 

When it comes to using old clothes pattern placement can be tricky depending on areas where the fabric is faded or stained. In this case, the jeans had a hole in them that I wasn't able to avoid as I didn't have enough fabric. To get around this I added a strip of fabric down the front, which covers up the hole and adds a decorative detail. The same could be achieved with a patch or visible mending. 

Ruched Top (made from a long-sleeved t-shirt)

When looking in charity shops for clothes to upcycle, it's best to focus on the fabric and not the style of the garment. Look for something which is too big and a fabric that you can imagine wearing. My dad gave me this grey long-sleeved t-shirt which is pretty uninteresting, but I knew that the plain fabric would be a good one to work with. Because the t-shirt was far too big for me I had enough fabric to turn it into a long-sleeved top for myself with an added ruched detail down the front.

Stripy Vest Top (made from this turtleneck)

Whilst buying clothes from a charity shop is a great way to start upcycling and means you can buy clothes with large pieces of fabric, upcycling old makes to ensure that the fabric isn't wasted. I made this turtleneck when I first started sewing and enjoyed wearing it at the time but decided to make it into a vest top once I no longer wore it. This is a great way of reusing old fabric that you still like and means you get a whole new garment from nothing.

Raindrop T-shirt (previously this raindrop top)

The top on the left is one that I was really proud of when I first made it but wasn't wearing anymore a couple of years later. At the time I really liked the curved detail and was just starting to hack patterns, but I realised later that I would get more wear out of a simple t-shirt. In fact short-sleeved t-shirts are a great option for refashioning as they don't require a lot of fabric and - in my experience - get a lot of wear. 

Zip-neck Jumper (previously this zip-neck jumper)

I mainly refashion clothes that I no longer like the style of, but upcycling also works really well for makes that don't turn out as anticipated. Sewing failures are inevitable, and I often leave move onto a new project and leave the less successful ones to quietly occupy space in my wardrobe. This zip-neck jumper didn't turn out the way I was hoping, the fit was strange and the zip insertion wobbly. A year later I unpicked the entire thing and remade it into this top and it's safe to say that the second version has been worn much more. The lack of fabric the second time round forced me to add in different panels and seams which are now my favourite features of the jumper, 

Needlecord Skirt (updated from this skirt)

Refashioning doesn't have to mean a full transformation into a different type of garment. I really liked the burgundy needlecord fabric that my Delphine Skirt was made of but it didn't feel causal or summery enough to be worn often. I refashioned it by adding on trapezoid pockets and taking up the hem and it's now the skirt I reach for whenever it's hot out.

Burgundy Anima Pants (made from pyjama trousers)

Upcycling tends to connote a full transformation but just changing the size of a garment to make it fit you counts. The large grey t-shirt that I turned into this top came with a pair of pyjama bottoms which were also perfect for upcycling. I deconstructed the trousers entirely and used the same front and back pieces to cut new front and backs in my size. This doesn't always work as there has to be enough fabric but in omitting the pockets and using the original waistband I was able to make myself some joggers.

Corduroy Flares (previously these corduroy jeans)

This is one of my favourite transformations that I've done. I had no idea whether or not it would work out but I love the final result. Despite being very proud of my Dawn Jeans I wasn't really wearing them as I didn't love the length or the leg style. I hacked them into flares by inserting triangular pieces of fabric into the side seams and I'm so pleased with the how they turned out. My one disappointment is that the flares aren't longer, but I didn't have enough fabric left (the most frustrating thing in refashioning!).

Upcycling continues to be something that I enjoy doing, it's an easy way to try new sewing techniques and turn something unworn into something completely different. It's nice to think that with some of these makes I might be adding in a third transformation depending on how my style continues to evolve.

Sewing Leftovers - Burnt Orange T-Shirt

 

Whilst the opposite is currently the case, I sometimes go through phases of having nothing to sew. It's something that I really hate, and is often a combination of not really needing any more clothes and the fact that I sew quite quickly. Also, the weather was appalling here for most of May and making summer clothes seemed pointless. But sewing is my hobby, it's something that brings me a lot of joy and makes me feel calm, so it's important for me to always have a project on the go that I can work on when I have the time and inclination to do so. If I do find myself with nothing to sew, I try and go through my fabric stash and find fabrics that I haven't yet used or old projects that need upcycling. It doesn't always work, especially as I try not to keep too much unused fabric around, but it's often a good way to get back into the swing of sewing. 

I like to think of leftover fabric as 'free' fabric, giving me the freedom to make whatever I want without worrying about whether the project will be successful. It's fabric that would otherwise just take up space and because I've already used it to make something else, there often isn't much left. My absolute favourite leftover make is my corduory jacket, but my cami top and denim Moss Skirt were also good scrapbusters.

I actually started making this top a couple of months ago before it was cast away in favour of making prom dresses (more on that to come!) and picked it up again the other day to finish it off. It's a really simple t-shirt, ideal as I didn't have a lot of fabric and also the kind of thing that will get a lot of wear. I've found that I'm hesitant to wear some of my handmade clothes when I'm doing an activity such as sport that risks damaging them, so it's good to have a well-made t-shirt that didn't take much time or money to make. My stripy t-shirt is a good example of a similar garment that I don't worry about getting dirty or destroyed (which I realise is pretty unlikely but it still goes through my mind!) wheras I'm more cautious when wearing tops such as my polo shirt which took much longer to make.

When it comes to sewing with leftovers, I don't worry much about having several garments from the same fabric. Often, if the two makes are made a couple of years apart, my style will have changed and they will be quite different. With neutral fabrics it's hard to tell that two items of clothing are made from the same fabric unlike with a bold print. For example, my black Lander Pants and this Moss Skirt are made from the same fabric but it doesn't cross my mind when I wear one of them. Likewise, the leftovers from my corduroy Dawn Jeans were used to make this jacket but they're very different garments. I've actually used the same white cotton jersey for four different makes including this jumper, this long-sleeved top and this sleeveless one.

The fabric I used to make this t-shirt was the leftover from my mum's burnt orange Linden Top which I made her for Christmas 2018. She has worn all four of the Lindens that I've made her a lot, although I think the orange one is her favourite. I really like the fabric and have wanted to make something from its leftovers for a while, so I'm pleased to have finally done so. Of course, there is now a chance that we both wear our orange tops at the same time but I'm sure one of us would quickly change!

I will never cease being driven crazy by stitches that snap in the hems of handmade tops - one day I'll get a coverstitch machine, but until then I'll have to live with it. When it came to hemming this t-shirt, I thought I'd try something a bit different and use the triple zigzag stitch on my new sewing machine. Three stitches are sewn for each line in the zigzag, meaning that the line of stitching stretches with the jersey fabric and hopefully avoids the threads snapping. I added the same stitch to the neck and sleeve hem too, which I both finished with a neckband. I probably won't use this on every t-shirt going forward as I like the look of a straight hem, but it works well here and also adds a nice decorative touch.