So things gotta little outta hand on Twitter the other day and the sewing Tweet Peeps started to throw #sewingdares around the globe – nothing scary – just little challenges to shake up our sewing worlds. So what dares are floating about out there? And who is to blame for such craziness? Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow of course – she who threw us into the Top 5 of 2012 frenzy! Read more about #SewingDares here… perhaps you want one?
What was my #SewingDare?
Hack a favourite pattern into something new. And Ooah suggested I hack Maria Denmark Day/Night Cowl top into a dress.
So I did.
Some suggested I just lengthen the top and turn it into a dress… however I had just cut out the Dress of Legend – Vogue 1250. It occurred to me that the way this dress is constructed is the secret to it popularity and flattering shape. I decided I could use that as inspiration to hack my beloved cowl neck pattern into a dress which had similar properties to The Dress of Legend.
If you haven’t made Vogue 1250 – The Dress of Legend (I think I was the last blogger ever to make this) – it had just three pieces… a front piece, and upper back piece and a back neck facing piece. “but what covers the junk trunk SewBusyLizzy??” I hear you cry. The front piece wraps around from the waist down to cover the junk trunk (consider them junk trunk flaps). There is a centre back seam over the junk trunk and your back is covered by just one pattern piece.
My rough muslin make up of Vogue 1250 looks like this…
The famous Vogue 1250 – sorry a very tired SewBusyLizzy picture after work and drinks.
I lengthened the Maria Denmark Day-to-Night top in a similar manner – adding junk trunk flaps. I shortened the back piece and scooped it.
The hacked Maria Denmark Day to Night dress – forgive the messy side, I haven’t trimmed the side of the pattern piece which sits on the fold. Messy Girl!
As my pattern pieces require no back neck facing as I simply finished the back neck and armholes with invisible elastic – so there are just two pattern pieces. Vogue 1250 has three.
I got some super cheap fabric to experiment with. The front piece is not quite perfect, I need to fiddle a little with the angles of the side cut-out area. From pattern re-draft to cutting out to sewing to wear – about one hour (loving that overlocker/serger). Yes really. This is what I ended up with…
The ‘hacked’ Maria Denmark Day to Night dress
Maria Denmark Day to Night dress- back
How do the two dresses compare? Well I like the blue fabric of the Vogue better – however I prefer the construction of the Day to Night dress, the overall shape, the cowl is much easier to construct and it’s also got more fabric in the cowl and the inside edges of the cowl don’t peek out the way they do in the Vogue. Plus this is a better size for me. The smallest size of the Vogue just feels too roomy across my shoulders and I feel a little swamped.
I think I might re-make my pattern hack again. In the blue fabric, fiddle with the side pattern pieces, shorten the back piece a little. This is more my kinda dress than the Vogue dress. It feels younger, funkier and less fiddly than the Vogue. The fit is much better.
And is it a Day to Night Dress? Yes. I wore it to work the day after I made it and to drinks that night with colleagues. Oh and I got lots of compliments… and lots of oogling looks…
#SewingDare WIN.
I’ve told you before – you NEED this pattern.
Quikc post tonight – not sure if I’ve left out any vital info, just ask questions if any of the above is not clear 🙂
Sew Busy Lizzy 
You rock your dare! Go Girl x
Scary slinky dresses for me! Conquered!
Very clever girl! Loving this hack dress. Simply stunning. And you’re not the last blogger to make V1250. It’s still somewhere on my ‘to do’ list!
LOL I felt like I was ‘the only one’!
If I didn’t fear this shape on you my little hippage- you’d have one happy hacking twin following you around- this is very swell! As I knew it would be!
Hips are most worthy features. Very handy for discreetly bumping annoying things outta the way. While I’m slim I was nicknamed the ‘child bearer’ due to my distinctive waist/hip ratio! True! I lie not. It’s not as exaggerated now due to my little human beasties.
This could be cute with a flared or circle skirt, sleeves and a belt….
Holy Moly that’s an amazing hack! You look stunning! I’m in awe…
It will be interesting to see it in a plain fabric and whether all that b/w print is hiding a multitude of sins.
Thanks VK. I’m pretty happy I managed to hack it 🙂 it’s better than I thought I could manage!
Very nice! Fabulous job.
Thank you!
Oh, I love this hack! I have not made the Vogue because I don’t like the cowl on it at all. A bit too low for me, a little messy looking. I think your version would suit me much better. Excellent pattern!
Yes the Vogue has a lot of fabric around the neckline and middle. The day-to-night is a lot neater and the cowl is better. I haven’t worn the Vogue anywhere but I keep noticing the raw edge of the cowl needs shoving back in.
Very nice sewing dare win!
I believe I need that MDDTN top pattern. Love your “junk trunk flaps” description. The junk trunk is exactly why I never made V1250!
I really do recommend the MDDTN pattern, I find her drafting is flattering and a nice fit. Thumbs up to Danish design!
This dress is a winner! Nice hack job. g
Thank you 🙂
Well, that was fast! You look hot in this! What a great dress!
It’s a fast make – I rarely wear slinky dresses but I don’t feel too weird in this one. I suspect there may be more of this 60 minute dress in the future. Just gotta slightly redraft the sides….
60 minute dress?!?!?! You DEFINITELY need more of those!
Yes it’s insane. I could make before breakfast everyday!!
You are so quick! No messing around for you when it comes to a dare. Great dress… I hope my dare looks half as fab as yours and doesn’t end up taking me a year! -L
I think having the Vogue 1250 pattern helped, that provided the inspiration to create the dress – I just felt that simply lengthening it would have been a little blah. I’m really surprised and happy about how it’s turned out. I want to make more!
Sassy minx! Loving the topfrock (or trock as I am now dubbing the style). Way to rock the sewing dare!
Trock! Love it. So does that make this a tricky trock?
Holy WOW! This is totally a win!! Love the pattern hack, the fit looks spot on in that marvelous animal print!
Hmmmm wonder if it qualifies as a Jungle January entry!
Your hack looks waaaaay better! Another maria denmark win!
Thanks Sarah! I’m hoping to knock out a Kimino top this week. Running out of time pre-hols tho!
I learnt last night it’s faster to make a kimono top than a cushion cover! You aren’t travelling to one of the affected areas of tassie?
No we stay in Miena which is up around Great Lake. There has been no fires there – in fact I believe it snowed the other night 🙂
I’ve made some cushion covers – they are very cool and quick. I’ll post about them when I get home.
Total win! That looks great. I never would have known that wasn’t a set pattern already! Great job!
Thank you!
This is definitely a Sewingdare WIN! You did a great job and your dress looks gorgeous on you 🙂
The thing I like the most was 60 minutes!! How awesome is that!!
Who dares wins! Don’t mean to sound creepy, but very oggle-worthy! You & Maria should collaborate to add the dress part into the pattern! In my eyes, looks so much better than the Vogue.
Thanks Shell!
Looking good, nice hack! How satisfying when it works the way you hope it will!
One of those happy sewing miracles 😉
I just finished my first Day To Night top last night and making the top alone took me way longer than you drafting and making your dress. The pattern is great even for a novice like me. I love how your blended design came out – it’s gorgeous! Looks like you need another challenge!
You will get quicker as your skills develop. I found the first time I made the top it took longer as I experimented with the elastic and fiddled around to make sure I had got the cowl right before stitching.
I think I do need another challenge once I get back from holidays….
Amen to everything everyone has said. I’m only curious to know how you finished the hem? Twin needle? I wish I could carry off something like that but even when I was a lot younger that would have been too fitted. So I like your idea of perhaps trying it with a different shaped skirt and am looking forward to further fabulous makes. Who dares certainly grins!
Yes I used a twin needle on the hem. I need to do some more research on those as I want a neater finish. They are easy to use though!
I liked the look of the hem, which is why I asked about it. I agree that results can vary wildly when you use a twin needle. I’ve had results I’ve been over the moon with and 10 minutes later, on a different fabric (therefore with different thread but the same twin needle), been tearing my hair out at the mess it was making. Not a lot of logic! But practice is what makes us better at what we do.
I have been wondering if I put some thin lightweight fusible tape behind the hem if it would stop it ‘bubbling’ up…
Worth a try, I’d say. I was confused by the fact that my lightweight fabric travelled worse than the winter top with its three, four or five layers (in different spots) that seemed to work a treat. So I’ll be interested, if you do try that, to see how it works .
I can’t believe that’s only 3 pieces and made in an hour…good grief, I need a serger. You look smart and hip…love the hair too.
My hair is naturally curly and it’s too humid to tame this summer 🙂 the blue dress is three pieces, my black/white dress is only two!
That’s amazing Lizzy…only 2 pieces…you could almost make a new one every day. 😀 Sorry to hear about all the fires, hope it all gets under control soon. xK
I’m so impressed that you jumped right in – This is not an easy pattern hack! I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the shape of the pieces since you first mentioned it, and really couldn’t… now that I see the pattern piece I *almost* get the 3-d geometry of it, but not quite! I think I’m going to have to try it myself to really get it… Which is lucky, because I love yours so much that I bought fabric to make my own last night!!! 🙂 Imitation is the sincerest form or bloggy-admiration, right?
Hmmmm it is hard to explain.
I shortened and curved the back piece – as it’s not a tshirt anymore, and that’s what your back is like. So the side extensions on the front piece need to be curved to match the back.
To construct you do the back neckline, sew the shoulders/cowl. Sew the back seam (the seam that will run over your ‘junk trunk’). You then sew the lower end of the back piece to the lower back. You then sew up the side seams.
I forgot about the armholes and did them at this point (I should have done them at any point prior to sewing the side seams.). Despite this it still worked fine 🙂
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I love this dress it looks so good on you. I bought this very same fabric from spotlight and made a dress similar but I like your version way better haha!! Loving your blog going to check out the rest of what you have made. Might have to follow you on bloglovin!!Erin @ I-heart-fabric.blogspot 🙂
Thank you, check out my latest post where I remade it in a v.cool print. I’m following you on Bloglovin, although I have struggles with commenting on Blogger blogs 😦
You will find we had the exact same dress out if the exact same fabric – just different lengths!!! You will do a double take when you spot it LOL I did!!
I’ve thought about lengthening the Day to Night top into a dress, I think you might have just convinced me to go ahead and do it when the weather gets a bit warmer here!
I’ve made a second since this b/w version. It’s in my Tasmania post and i refined the front length so it’s not so ruched at the front. I adore that pattern. The top and the dress, I wear them constantly. If you don’t have the pattern it’s a great investment and a very easy to put together PDF.
Junk trunk flaps. Lordy that gave me the giggles. I’m going to have to re-read this and check out that MariaDenmark pattern too. Stop it! I’m trying to keep to my plan-thingy.
I’ve given up on plan-thingies LOL. I do make them but it seems to be more of a plan to create chaos in my sewing room as I attempt to squeeze the ‘fun inspirational’ stuff into the plan-thingie schedule!
Its a technical term ….
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Yes! It is great pattern – addctive- I have made about 5 or 6 D2N tops. Making a dress out of it is not such a big deal – and looking at your dress (you look amazing!) it is time to make a dress 🙂
It’s such an easy dress to wear. My second one fits even better and was on rotation constantly this summer –
https://sewbusylizzy.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/made-by-me-in-tasmania/
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