Made by a Fabricista: Franken-pattern Skater Dress by Diane

Although the mention of Frankenstein conjures up scary images of Igor and bad posture, Franken-patterns are quite different. Sewists have coined the term to describe combining more than one sewing pattern until a new look materializes. Ahhh, the joy of creating something new and unique. “It’s Alive!”

It’s time for a winter dress and I’ve been drooling over this fabric for quite some time, both because I love the print and because a double crepe can be difficult to find. It has a pebble like texture, beautiful drape and “mechanical” stretch, meaning that although it is a woven fabric without lycra, it still has a slight crosswise give. The stretch makes this fabric easy to sew and even more comfortable to wear.

The print is sophisticated but still really fun and lends itself to a simple style. The skater dress silhouette is quite popular right now and I thought a modified version would be perfect. There are plenty of skater dress patterns out there but I couldn’t find one suitable for a woven fabric, therefore, I decided a Franken-pattern was in order.

For the bodice, I used New Look 6144 View B. I’ve used this pattern before and love the fit. I cut the pattern 1" above the waistline so the skirt would sit just above the waist and made pleats at the neckline instead of the darts the pattern called for.

For the skirt, I wanted to dirndl style skirt, not too full, not many seams, so I could make the best use of the print. I used Simplicity 1354 for the skirt, omitted the pockets and left everything else the same.

What’s a cute dress without a bag to go with it? Simplicity 1387 was the basis for the shape of the bag, but I changed the handles, closure, hardware and lining to get the bag that I wanted.

The top of the bag is a light beige twill and a black wool suiting makes up the bottom and handle. To round out the menswear feel of the twill and wool, I lined it in a classic striped shirting and trimmed it with “pleather”. The pattern doesn’t have any pockets in the lining, so I added a zip pocket on one side and sectioned pockets with bias trim on the other.