Burda Style For people who sew
Project Runway Remake Challenge Presented by Rowenta - Chang...
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Description
For this challenge I took an old pair of pants and transformed them into a smashing 50’s style sheath dress. As you can tell I’ve been really inspired by “Mad Men” lately and decided on a silhouette similar to something I could see “Joan” wearing. My goal was to limit myself to only the material of the pants and re-purpose some of the elements if possible.
My first step was to completely disassemble the pants, remove the back pockets, waistline, and fly front. I used my iron, not only to remove any wrinkles, but to steam out the holes left by the former stitching. Once I had my fabric pieces all laid out I used the front two pant legs to construct the front of the skirt. I repurposed the original pockets so they could be incorporated in the new design.
The additional challenge was to lay out the pieces in a way so that the lines would run vertically. I had just enough fabric to create the skirt front using the pant fronts so I draped the front of the skirt on a dress form and then fitted the skirt to my body by making two pleats out of the excess fabric in the front. The top of the pant backs were slightly curved so I used the bottoms of the back pant legs for the back of the dress.
For the top of the dress I used a pattern I made previously to create a fitted bodice. I laid the pattern pieces on the remaining fabric carefully so that the lines would create a V shape in the front, adding the illusion of dimension. Laying out the pattern pieces on an angle made the best use of the remaining fabric since everything did not have to be on the straight grain.
After cutting and assembling all the pieces of the bodice, I used my iron carefully to press open the seams, and then top-stitched for added detail. I used the former drawstring to create straps that tie behind the neck. The last steps included sewing the top to the bottom, finishing the dress off with a 1” hem and adding an invisible zipper. And… voila! Transformation complete!
Material Notes
53% linen, 47% cotton
Difficulty
Intermediate
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Jan 2, 2013, 06.05 PMby calicia-1
very nice! I love the style!
Oct 5, 2010, 02.15 PMby skaapie
Good job! This dress is almost exactly the same as #107 from BurdaStyle Magazine 03-2010 Line drawing: http://www.burdafashion.com/images/repos/1/000/001/833/000001833902 Model Picture: http://www.burdafashion.com/images/repos/1/000/001/833/000001833448
Did you use a pattern or was this self drafted?
1 Reply
Oct 13, 2010, 01.37 AMby changstine
Thanks! I draped mine in muslin on a form and then fitted it to myself. That’’s a great pattern tho for people interested in doing something similar!
Oct 5, 2010, 01.58 AMby nidhi
great job, I voted for you! you deserve to win!
Oct 2, 2010, 12.54 AMby hyunjoo
Super vote on this amazing re-make!!!! Great Job!! :D
Oct 1, 2010, 07.26 PMby changstine
Thanks everyone for the encouragement!!!
Oct 1, 2010, 03.45 AMby pamchar
WOWWWW!!! You have so much talent. The fit is perfect. Seriously, I hope you’ll win the challenge. Great job.
Oct 1, 2010, 03.04 AMby marthahaskins
WOW – your fit is amazing – nice work! The judges would love your fit!!! I won’t be surprised if you win – I can’t believe the transformation!!! Good luck!
Oct 1, 2010, 02.07 AMby amw1dancer
this is flawless! it looks great! I entered something to the remake challenge too, but you should definitely win
Oct 1, 2010, 12.58 AMby Zane Tanqueco
fits you like a glove! i love it!
Oct 1, 2010, 12.05 AMby kelepso
Wow the fit is flawless. It would have been great to incorporate the pockets on the dress somehow. Great job on the execution.
1 Reply
Oct 1, 2010, 12.20 AMby changstine
thank you so much!!! I did think about that too :). I did a mock up with the pocket flaps at the bust line, over the side pockets, and as cargo pockets on the sides but in the end it just looked best without them. I have an idea for another project with them though… stay tuned!