Guest Post: Licorice Twists

I am very happy to welcome one of my all-time favourite bloggers, Rochelle of Lucky Lucille Co.  Rochelle is a super-creative, animal-loving, fabric aficionado whose blog is always chock full of goodies and brilliant pattern modifications!  Below is her wonderful post on personalizing the Licorice Dress: Licorice Twists.

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Hi there :)  First off let me express my supreme sadness for the fact that this is the last project in Sew Colette. Can you believe it’s been FIVE MONTHS?!? Crazy! Thank you Sarah, and Erin, for making this sew along possible, and giving me the opportunity to meet such amazing/creative/positive women. It’s been a blast! 

So with that said, I guess through this sew along I’ve become a bit infamous for my pattern “modifications” (*cough* directional A.D.D. *cough*). Just when I promised myself I would stay true to the final project and follow it word for word, Sarah and Erin asked me to share some tips for making a dress more your own! That just goes to show you, you should always stay true to yourself :)

By the end of this post, I hope to have sparked some ideas for you to add your own “twists” to Licorice.

One of the easiest modifications you can make is to pick a non-typical fabric! The Licorice Dress as shown in the book is a bit too formal for me to wear every day. I often find myself using cotton varieties for all my projects because it comes in a vast array of colors, prints, and weights to choose from. Not to mention it’s a sure fire way to make a garment a little less party, and a little more practical.

Try playing with different color and print variations for a fun and easy modification without any actual alterations to the dress pattern itself.  Oh, but you want actual alterations? Great! Try these…
 

Honestly, I’m not much a fan of the stock sleeves on Licorice. They’re just not my preferred style. Shortening the sleeves, or removing them all together, is simple to do and gives the dress a completely different look. Try an elastic-free version by gathering the bottom of the sleeve and binding it in a circle of bias tape. Or use blanket binding for a wider looking cuff. (Just remember to make sure the circle fits around the widest part of your arm since there will be no stretch!)

The collar on this dress also gives you a lot of options to make the Licorice your own. Or you can simply remove it more a more streamlined look! Try using the same split collar piece for both the front and back of the dress to give you a cute peter pan style. How about a collar made of lace or eyelet fabric? Very chic!

Last but not least, don’t forget all of the small details! Adding a few buttons or some ric-rac is a great option for those who are little hesitant to start slicing and dicing their pattern pieces for something other than a size adjustment. I’m sure most of us have some extra trimmings laying around in our sewing stash just waiting for love. You can always pin or baste your extras before committing. If you have a fancy computerized sewing machine, try some decorative stitching around the hemline. Embroidery fans can show off their skill with some awesome embroidered details on the skirt or neckline. The possibilities are truly endless here!

I recommend printing out Colette’s line drawing  for the Licorice dress and dreaming up your own twists to put on this project. Having a set plan is definitely helpful when modifying a pattern, but sometimes you just need to have an epiphany and run with it! That’s how I ended up with a collar and no facing on my Pastille dress ;)

Do you have any mods planned for Licorice? Go for it! I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

Happy Sewing!
Rochelle