My daughter’s in love with Taylor Swift. She knows all her songs. She sings them, plays them on her radio, and requests them in the car. So when the movie was announced, I started planning a surprise. I wasn’t going to pay hundreds of dollars to see the concert live, but the movie theater is perfect.
However, I know everyone that goes to the concerts dresses up like the albums and enjoys trading friendship bracelets. I wanted to make sure my daughter could do the same! Concert experience, without the concert price.
I spotted the perfect flashy purple fabric at a sewing expo and knew I needed to make my daughter an outfit that would be unforgettable. The dress is pretty basic, so I just followed along with the Be Independent pattern. I used the back piece for the front and back to get the high neckline and skipped the pocket for this one. I also cut it a bit shorter to get the look of a t-shirt dress. The original is lined, but I followed the pattern to avoid a dress that’s just too thick.
But, the coat…. That was going to be a little more difficult! I searched through Ellie and Mac patterns. Nothing really called out to me. I knew it needed to be purple fur with something softer and purple for the inside. What pattern to use?
Be Independent for the win!
Really? Yes. I adapted the Be Independent and used it for both the dress and the coat.
Altering a pattern requires a little bit of thought. It needed to be done fast, but I still wanted it to look right. I started with a totally professional sketch:
I ended up using the back for both the front and back. For the front, I did not cut on the fold, and I added ¼ in of fabric to account for the seam allowance of sewing the pieces together. The back was shortened by 2.5 inches to make it longer than the dress, but not too long. I then needed to trim the side of the pattern. I didn’t want it to flare out like the dress does, so I cut that piece off.
With the pattern ready, I turned to my fabric, a stunning bright purple fur and a purple satin piece. I’d need an exterior and interior piece for this. When working with fur, be prepared for it to be everywhere. It was. It still is.
I folded the fur and drew out the pattern on the back of the fabric where it was easier to see. For this, I used a sharpie pen, but a marker would have worked. The only lines are going to be trimmed off by the serger, so I didn’t mind a permanent mark, and it made it easier to see as I cut.
Go slow when cutting fur. Take your time. Move the flying fur out of your way as needed. It may take some finagling to determine the best way to cut it because it is so thick and fluffy.
Once everything was cut, sewing began. I followed the pattern for the shoulders, sleeves, and sides. No need to do a neckband on this one! Once the interior and exterior are sewn, it’s time to add them together. Right sides together, clip or pin, and sew around. Leave a few inches open on the bottom of the back to make it easy to turn it right side out.
The sleeves are a little bit tricky, but the fur hides any mess! I went easy for this one – once the jacket was right side out, I pulled the interior into the exterior for the sleeves, then folded the edges down and sewed around them to hold everything in place.
With the majority of the sewing down, I hand-sewed the opening at the bottom of the back. Perfection! Well, probably not perfect, but it looks great, and my daughter was ready for the show!
(Written by: Kim Dwyer)
