Three of the six dresses I sewed by modifying dress patterns. The left dress is red, the center dress is navy blue, and the right dress is navy with red, white, and tan flowers. The dresses are all on hangers

Sewing 6 Dresses in 6 Days: Modifying Dress Patterns

Modifying dress patterns to fit was a challenge for me before attending my first FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The dress code said advisers must wear “professional dress,” but I wear business casual at the best! I dress very casually in my personal life. I wanted to wear dresses because I will never be wearing a suit and pants would be hotter in the Atlanta heat and humidity.

The dresses available in stores just didn’t work for me. They didn’t have the right style, feel, or comfort I wanted. I had to take matters into my own hands.

I needed to make at least four dresses from scratch—and I only had six days to get it done. That meant working with commercial patterns and modifying dress patterns to fit my preferences perfectly. It was a tight deadline, but I knew I could make it happen.

I had enough of the right fabrics in my stash. I wanted to use rayon and linen-look fabrics to be cool, flowing, and comfortable in the Atlanta heat.

However, I realized I didn't have many dress patterns on hand, and none matched the look I was going for. I went out and picked up some new options. What I wanted was a simple A-line or trapeze dress, something easy to wear and perfect for the fabrics I chose.

Modifying dress patterns was an obvious step to ensure the fit and style worked for me. My goal was versatile, wearable dresses that I’d enjoy making and wearing.

Trying Out the First Pattern, McCall's M7711

The first two dresses were sewn as test garments (also known as muslins). One tricky part of modifying dress patterns was working alone to adjust the fit. Without a helping hand, I had to rely on photos from different angles and my own sense of comfort to make adjustments.

I started with McCall's M7711 first, using a navy blue lightweight linen-look fabric. Unfortunately, the neck design didn’t work for me, and the overall fit wasn’t great. The fabric, while pretty, was too thin for a dress and didn’t drape the way I wanted. After seeing these issues, I decided not to spend more time modifying the dress pattern. Instead, I moved on to try a different pattern altogether.

Trying Out the Second Pattern, McCall's M6465

The next garment was crafted from a slightly heavier weight, thicker rayon twill, which offered a pleasant drape. I used McCall's pattern M6465 exactly as designed/written to test the pattern. However, I noticed the darts sat too high for my shape, and the sleeves felt tight around the upper arms. Modifying this dress patterns was necessary to achieve a better fit.

Navy blue, short sleeved dress hanging on a hanger, sewn as a test muslin garment for modifying dress patterns
Dress 1: McCall's M7711 Test
Author wearing a turquoise dress sewn after modifying dress pattern
Dress 2: McCall's M6465 Test
Author wearing a heather grey knit dress sewn after modifying dress patterns
Dress 3: Modified M6465

Modifying the Sleeves on McCall's M6465

To make the arms a little bigger at the top of my arm, I used the slash and spread technique on the sleeve pattern piece. I took the sleeve pattern and simply drew a line from the cap of the sleeve to the hem and then cut down that line from the cap to the hem, without cutting through the hem. This allowed me to spread the sleeve at the cap.

I then made a pleat at the cap which gave my arm a little more room and added a nice detail to the plain sleeves. In adding a pleat, this meant that I did not have to modify the curve and slope of the sleeve cap curve because it was the same curve after the pleat was folded out.

Here are some other great sleeve pattern modifications using the slash and spread technique that are easy to incorporate on your next garment. You can use a slash and spread to gain more circumference around the bicep without changing the sleeve cap at all, if you add less than 1 inch. You will likely have to adjust the sleeve opening on the dress with this technique to avoid gathers when fitting the sleeve into the dress.

Changing the Dart Placement on McCall's M6465

I also lowered the darts and adjusted the point. This meant the dart pointed at my bust apex and the point was 1/2″ away from my bust apex. This gave the darts a much nicer appearance. I used this tutorial and my own experience to move the dart on the pattern.

Testing Out the Pattern Changes

Next, I made a dress to test out the changes I had made to McCall's M6465. I chose a heather gray rayon knit and the results were amazing–this dress turned out to be my favorite dress. It was so comfortable with a nice drape. This test dress proved that modifying the dress pattern worked and my changes were a success.

Making Three More Dresses with the Modified Pattern

For the next three dresses, I used woven rayon fabrics. These fabrics gave the dresses a lovely drape while having enough body and weight to hang smoothly on my body. One of the fabrics featured a floral print while the other two were in solid colors.

Each dress turned out beautifully. They were not only comfortable to wear at the conference but also enhanced my professional look.

Pairing them with the right shoes and adding scarves from the Dollar Tree to dress them up even more, while not getting too hot. Modifying dress patterns worked well for me!

A navy blue dress with red, white, and tan flowers hanging on a hanger, sewn after modifying dress patterns
Dress 4: Modified M6465
A navy blue dress hanging on a hanger, sewn after modifying dress patterns
Dress 5: Modified M6465
A red dress hanging on a hanger, sewn after modifying dress patterns
Dress 6: Modified M6465

Having those dresses in Atlanta was such a relief. The heat and humidity were no joke! Atlanta is a wonderful city, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

My experience of sewing six dresses in six days, while also adjusting their fit, is something I hope inspires you. It’s a great way to come up with ideas for your next sewing project, especially when modifying dress patterns to fit better.

One of my favorite parts of this process was turning test pieces into wearable garments. It felt rewarding to make sure nothing went to waste!

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