You may have noticed that I’ve been on a kick of copying purchased garments lately. It’s a lot of fun and very satisfying to take a style you like and a fit that works and make copies in any color, fabric or print you want.
Here’s a top I bought a while back because I thought the knotted neckline detail was intriguing.
Now a few years later it’s starting to sprout holes, which makes me sad. So I figured out how they did it and make a pattern.
Here’s the resulting copy. It’s a summer top, so I may not make any more this year, but I hope to make it in a couple more colors for next spring.
Here’s another top I really liked the style of….
…. but thought a white one would look better with these crop pants. Yes?
If you’d like to make copies of some of your own clothing these videos have tips on how to make a pattern without taking the garment apart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKRrq42-fME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IehB8MwLcT0
If you can access old episodes of Sewing with Nancy, her series called “Copy Cat Patterns” goes into detail on how to do this.
Happy creating and re-creating!
Both of those tops are the kind I’d keep in the front of my closet and wear until they were falling apart. And, YES, I like the white much more than the black. It looks cooler, which is important down here. 😀
Yep, I do the same thing. Which is why I felt the need to make copies. 😉
The white one is NOT cooler, especially on the humid days, as it is two layers of polyester. It’ll be good for layering in the winter, though.
Ohhh. Polyester is not my favorite fabric. :/
I wouldn’t think it would be an option at all where you live.
I make copies of my RTW favorites also. Those tops are so cute and unique, I can see why you wanted to make copies. The Craftsy class Pattern Drafting from Ready to Wear really helped me out copying a tricky garment with darts.
Thanks, Audrey. I’ll have to remember to recommend that class. Happy creating!