Skip to main content

Yellow Dress Challenge: Interview with Vogue Patternmaker, Carlos Correa

How are your Yellow Dress Challenge dresses coming along? Between the extended deadline of April 10, 2020 and the fact that many of you are probably stuck at home, those sewing machines must be running on overdrive. 

We've been seeing some finished projects show up on Instagram. Just use #yellowdresschallenge in the search area to see all the entries thus far. They are all amazing and will give you LOTS of inspiration. 

With the news being so serious lately, I thought it would be fun to share some behind the scenes info about the designer behind Vogue 1671 -- Carlos Correa! 

If you follow McCall Pattern Company on social media, Carlos is not a stranger to you. Periodically he shares info about some of his popular designs. (I love the little extra tid bits he shares about the patterns!)

Enjoy our Q & A!


What is a typical work day like? 
A typical work day starts with checking e-mails and looking at my schedule for the day. I also go online to check out any breaking fashion stories at Vogue.com. 

What made you want to be a designer? 
What made me want to be a designer was being interested in clothes and fashion very early on. My mother and sisters all sewed so I grew learning about the craft and loving it. 

Did you go to school for fashion? If so, where? 
I studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. It was very helpful for me to get training and to be around other creative people. 

What do you use for inspiration? 
Inspiration comes from many sources. Runway shows, online retailers and fashion magazines are very important sources. I also get inspired by watching the very stylish people in and about New York City.

Who is your all-time favorite designer? 
My all time favorite designer is Dior.  So much glamour!

Do you sew? If so, when did you start? 
I started sewing as a teenager. I’ve always loved customizing clothes to fit my size and creating original looks. 


Click here to be directed to a video of this amazing shirt with an attached scarf!

What is your favorite hobby outside of designing? 
These days my favorite hobby outside of designing is cooking! I find it very rewarding to create a dish from scratch. 

Favorite fabric to use? 
Hard to pick a favorite fabric to use but I love wool and cotton fabrics the best. 

Favorite Food? 
My favorite food is Italian. 

Favorite place you’ve traveled? 
Favorite place I’ve traveled was Iceland. The landscape there is wild and unpolluted. I live in New York City so going on vacations where I can explore nature relaxes me. 

Any advice or words of wisdom for the sewing community? 
If you don’t have a lot of time to sew, just set aside an hour or to a day for sewing. Also do not rush to finish the project if speed is not your strength.


Carlos, thanks again for taking the time to answer some of our questions! Follow Carlos on Instagram.

If you want to learn even more about Carlos, check out the Love to Sew podcast

Learn more about the Yellow Dress Challenge, see our website

Comments

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Did someone say FREE??? All about Free Sewing Patterns

Hi sewing friends! I am SEW excited to share this blog post with you today! This is my fifth post with Fabric Mart since I did a guest post late last year and then joined the blogging team in 2024 but I would say this is the post that 1) I worked the hardest to create, and 2) the one that has me the most excited! Today I am going to talk about FREE sewing patterns, showcase a few free patterns I’ve sewn, and then share some very exciting news at the end of this post about an upcoming! First, let’s talk about free patterns – where they come from, why they exist, and how you can find them. But first, here’s a recent free pattern I sewed. This is the Finn Crop Tee from Petite Stitchery . I used an ITY (Interlock Twist Yarn) for this one and I was able to squeeze it out a yard of a fabric. ITY is one of my favorite fabrics to dress up a t-shirt and it wears well across all seasons. And Fabric Mart gets the most AMAZING designer deadstock designs you will ever see! Petite Stitchery offers

Made By A Fabricista: My Anthropologie Recreate the look Dress!

I went shopping at Anthropologie this Summer with my daughter and she kept saying you should make an Anthropologie Dress, but better! (Like it’s hard?!) So, I did! I chose a beautiful cotton lawn with a navy background, abstract purple roses plus green and beige stems/leaves. I chose to use the Tilly and the buttons Lyra shirt dress pattern with the extra tier and long sleeves. I made my size according to my measurements without any adjustments. I did widen the tie belt to make a larger bow. Anthropologie has a dress now on their site called the Bettina Tiered Shirt Dress by Maeve for $148. How did I do?? I really enjoy wearing and sewing Cotton Lawn. When I see it available on Fabric Mart, I grab it up quickly! This dress is light and soft but with long sleeves it is the perfect dress to wear for Fall.  I don’t normally like shirt dresses or collars, but this oversized dress pattern fits comfortably. The collar is not difficult at all. Tilly has a video to help, but I didn’t need it b

Made By A Fabricista: Fall is here!

Fall is here, and I have been in a coat/cape mood lately! I have a few that I plan to make, however, this pattern was not in the plans. It was in my stash, but it wasn’t on my “must make” list. I wanted to make a coordinating set but I thought it might be a little too much with this print. Now, I absolutely love animal prints, don’t get me wrong. I am a sucker for them! When I saw this jacquard double knit I had to have it. Instead, I decided to make an easy, comfortable cape that I can wear casually or dressed up. This pattern and fabric were perfect! The pattern I chose to make is McCall’s 8029. This cape has three designs that you can choose from. I chose to make view C. View C has a hood. All three views have a neck and front facing and a belt/tie. Now, if you are wanting to make a cape but would like something on the easy side, this is your cape! I didn’t realize just how easy this was prior to getting started. This cape has minimal sewing. It doesn’t even require a hem. Which, w