HOT DAMN! I COULD MAKE THIS!

I want this dress. Red, you've been missing from my wardrobe as of late.

Oscar de la Renta via What I Wore

Correction: I want to knock off this dress since my little savings account does not share my passion for it.

If I weren't already invested in the Steffe and had time to screw around with some frankenpatterns I'd be on this project like Blackhawks' players' names on the Stanley Cup!!!!!

Way back in the wedding dress days a reader asked how I morphed several patterns into one stunning original design (I use those last three words loosely and with sarcasm). Sorry, reader, that I've just now found an illustrative way to answer your question!

If you're willing to wait for a pattern and muslin sale, then buy a few envelopes and yards of fabric, then cut up said envelope contents and fabric, and then throw in a dash of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-ness, you too will discover that for any one RTW dress there are probably a handful of commercial patterns awaiting your genius. That pattern and muslin sale thing isn't essential, of course, but you are experimenting and the point is to get a finished garment for less than that designer price tag, right? Right! So follow along with me, por favor.

First, look at the desired garment. Try to pick out the one distinguishing feature. In the case of Mr. de la Renta's (dlR) frock, I'd say the neckline and asymmetrical shoulder are things to pay attention to. Once you find that one feature start digging around the commercial pattern sites. I'm willing to bet that you'll find something that has a similar design element. For my wedding dress it was the neckband-loop-through-the-halter-bodice situation that guided my search. Repeat this step if you think there's more than one special thing about your item. Now step away and assess what it is you're really trying to make. Chances are, it ain't that special in the end. This "hot damn!" dress is really just a well-fitted sheath underneath all those frills. So what flimsy pattern paper will get us there?

Having a hard time seeing past that, ahem, beautiful blue backdrop? Yeah, I did too at first. That's why I usually skip the model shots and head straight for the line drawings. You'll learn a lot more about your dress du jour there.

Ahhh, that's better. Let's discuss the major takeaways here. The foundation pattern is V1118 because - drumroll, please - that neckline is a dead wringer for the dlR, little cap sleeve and all. See what I mean about that one big design feature? But all that crazy seam work across the skirt is not what we're after so we'll ditch it for a simpler bottom. Here's where the frankenpattern-ing starts.

When I mix and match I try to do it using patterns from the same product line, like Vogues with Vogues, etc. If this isn't an option then I try to at least stay within the same parent company, like Butterick with McCall or Simplicity with New Look. For one thing, companies tend to use the same graphic conventions across their product lines so that's one quick way to eliminate potential confusion. Secondly, I've found that the overall proportions, dart locations, and general drafting will line up with much greater ease if you can stay in the same company.

Through the magic of PhotoShop I've layered our base pattern beneath McCall's 5972 view A. Vogue is in red and McCall's A in black. I didn't even have to rescale anything and look how well stuff is already lining up. Jackpot!

Quick tangent: back in my architectural model making days we were told that if you can't make it using paper and Elmer's glue then it probably won't stand in real life. Physics are physics, afterall. I kind of feel the same way about frankenpatterns. If things don't line up on paper you'll have a hell of a time getting them to line up on your body, assuming you have no actual pattern making experience like moi.

And we're back. This is the point where you have to pay attention to the basic shaping of the garment. The Vogue pattern has a side bust dart and back darts so I looked for the same things with the new bottom. Having a side zipper is a bonus. Lo and behold, 5972 had just what I needed. If we erase the skirt seams from the Vogue and the neckline and shoulders from the McCall's, things start to look promising!

Sweet, we're practically there. All that's missing are the ruffles. M5972 just happens to have a view with ruffles - dandy! I've now layered view C on top in blue.

Now what stands out is that the neckline on McCall's is different from Vogue's. This is where that fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-ness comes in. You can use the ruffle pattern pieces as a building block for both the neckline frills and those on the skirt. Screwing around with random pattern pieces and scraps of muslin can be lots of fun but also frustrating and time-consuming. However, you learn a ton about how something goes from being flat on paper to curvy on the body. At least I did, and still do, anyhow!

Lots of patterns to get to the wedding dress!

So, if you're still reading, did that make sense? Did it take some of the mystery away from the out-of-the-stores-and-onto-your-sewing-slash-dining-room-table? I hope so! And if anyone else has a frankenpattern to share drop me a line and we'll get you a post, young lady.

Now to return to Steffe, Real Housewives, and McQueen's muslin...