Tag Archives: copycat challenge

Copycat Challenge – The Winners!

Congratulations to the Winners below you will be notified by email as to
which prize pack you have won!
Thank you to the sponsors of this Copy Cat Challenge! You have been so great helping us and we have had such an amazing amount of entrants and garments. We are so appreciative of everyone that entered, especially to those who entered a number of items!! You have really made this challenge inspiring and fun for us all!!
Congratulations to these Winners!!
We are proud to announce the winners below! Congratulations guys! You should receive an email from us shortly.
Congratulations everyone and thanks again to everyone who participated!

Copycat Challenge – The Big Reveal!

Are you guys as excited as I am to see everyone else’s projects? It’s been such fun seeing everyone’s copycats and getting inspired myself. My to-do list has grown about a foot just seeing everyone’s projects!

A huuuuge thanks and transatlantic hugs to Erin of I<3Fabric for helping me host this thing. This has been so much fun! I can’t believe you did this all while in the midst of planning and attending your wedding! (Go check out her wedding dress that she designed, it’s gorgey!)

Also thanks a bajillion to everyone who participated!! We could never do this without you guys and I get all kinds of warm fuzzies seeing so many seamstresses who are as passionate about sewing from inspiration garments as I am! I definitely hope to do this again!

Finally, giant hugs and thanks to Mood Fabrics, Spotlight and BurdaStyle for helping with our prizes for this challenge. Your support is greatly appreciated to all of us in the sewing community and with your generosity challenges like this are even more exciting to enter and be part of!!

Without further ado, here are all of the entries of the Copycat Challenge!

49. Anna of Paunnet made this gorgeous and edgy pinafore that I’m absolutely in love with. Check out her blog post to see how she styled it two ways for two completely different looks!
annap
*Anna’s project submission was accidentally lost in the internets and therefore posted last minute. The Challenge is officially over and we are no longer accepting entrants for this round!
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48. Kathy of The Nerdy Seamstress has made her own version of this lovely Modcloth dress. Check out the back too, the detail is gorgeous!Front
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47. This dress has a lot of history! Jocelyn started it back when she was first learning to sew and decided to finally finish it in time for the challenge.

jocelyn
Original dress / Jocelyn’s version
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46. Maude of MP by Maude is melting my Whovian heart with her Doctor Who inspired copycats. Seriously, I’m dying here. Here is her version of Amy Pond’s outfit in The Angels Take Manhattan.
MP by Maude  /  Doctor Who ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’
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45. Lelie of A Bouquet of Buttons has also caught the WWZDW bug and made this cute little red dress featured in the New Girl intro!
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44. Rachel of The Hollywood Sews has copied this gorgeous dress worn by Lady Mary of Downtown Abby. Look at the amazing scenery she chose for her shoot!Lady Mary dress  /  The Hollywood Sews

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43. Joanne of Zoe Livana has put her own personal touches on this lovely outfit, which was inspired by a Modnique dress. Looove that skirt!
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42. Kristin of Sew Classic has made this gorgeous dress inspired from Bel’s dresses from The Hour. I keep seeing gorgeous costumes from that show and this one is no exception!
The Hour dress  /   Sew Classic dress
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41.  Diya of The Hobby Harbor has been a busy bee and has made  yet another submission to the Challenge! Check out this gorgeous color-blocked dress based on one seen in the Burdastyle Handbook. How cute is that bow?
The Hobby Harbor   /  Melissa Fehr Dress
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40. Diya of The Hobby Harbor has made yet another gorgeous submission in the form of this lovely Polka Dot Dress inspired by a Top Shop dress!
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39. How cute is this blouse made by Diya of The Hobby Harbor ?? She was inspired by the Yana Gorbulsky Blouse in the BurdaStyle Handbook.
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38. Aninna of Atelier in the Attic‘s fourth copycat project is an amazing sci-fi maternity dress found in S3E18 of the Fringe!
Fringe Dress  /  Atelier in the Attic
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37. Melody of Sew Melodic has made a gorgeously intricate lace dress inspired from Valentino Spring 2011. Look at those sleeves!
Valentino Spring 2011 dress  /  Sew Melodic dress
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36. Kelly has made another copycat project from the movie “The Artist”.  How gorgeous is that neckline detailing?
Kelly (Sew Weekly)  /  The Artist Movie Shot
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35. Amy of That’s Sew Amy looks absolutely badass and gorgeous in this L.A.M.B dress, modeled by Gwen Stefani!
L.A.M.B Dress  /  That’s Sew Amy dress
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34. Here is Betty Stitchup‘s version of the Stop Staring! Nifty Newsprint Dress from Modcloth! I love the contrasting bow!
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33. Chanel of Totally Basted submitted this gorgeous cotton shift dress inspired by an outfit she saw on Pinterest.
Pinterest Image  /  Totally Basted
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32. Leah of Leah Baade is tugging at my nautical heartstrings with this gorgeous sailor-esque dress, inspired by a Sammy Dress via Pinterest.
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31. Margo of Creating In The Gap has made her own version of this gorgeous skirt she saw on Pinterest. Check out some of her other skirts too!
Pinterest inspired image  /  Creating In The Gap
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30. Lelie of A bouquet of buttons has caught the WWZDW bug and made this adorable skirt based on one worn on New Girl!
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29. Cammie of Fledglings First has made a lovely copy of this Asos dress that I’m totally jealous of. I totally might have to copy this copy!
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28. Pratheepa of Bits of my Creations has created this adorable dress for her daughter, inspired by a dress in a children’s magazine. How cute!
Kids Magazine /  Bits of my Creations
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27. Kelly made a gorgeous purple version of a dress worn by Reece Witherspoon in Water for Elephants! So fancy and elegant!
Kelly (Sew Weekly)  /  Water for Elephants Dress
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26. Sally of Charity Shop Chic has created this incredible dress made from tie-dying bed sheets! I’m so impressed with how well her tie-dyeing turned out!!
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25. Nicole of The Somnolent Dachshund has made this stunning black dress inspired from one worn by Scarlett Johansson at the Milan Fashion Week. What a classically gorgeous silhouette!
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24. Renee has made this adorable skirt from an inspirational photo she found on Etsy. I love the pocket detailing!
Etsy Skirt  /  Renee’s Skirt
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23. The lovely ladies over at Katy and Laney are basically the cutest people ever. Look at these adorable D&G inspired playsuits they made!!
Here is Katy’s version:
22. And Laney’s:
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21. Ashley of Craft Sanctuary is cute as a button in this Modcloth-inspired dress! This whole outfit makes me want to pack up a tea party in a picnic basket.
Modcloth / Craft Sanctuary
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20. Sunila from Seams and Stitches has recreated this gorgeous Orvis top in a lovely bold paisley with a totally self-drafted pattern!
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19. Annie of Nine Stitches made this gorgeous red dress inspired by a Chloe dress from the Spring Summer 2013 collection. How beautiful and fancy!
Chloe Dress  /  Annie Nine Stitches
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18. Here is Annie’s second gorgeous entry, a dress she made earlier in the year from an inspiration
outfit from Stop Staring clothing. I love the colour of Annies such a fabulous summer dress!!
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17. Melody of Sew Melodic looks absolutely stunning in this cape jacket she made, inspired

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16. How beautiful is this DVF inspired Leron made by Lena of The Sewing Space?? I could never in a million years pull this off but she looks absolutely stunning! :]
Diane Von Furstenbergís Leron.  /  Lena The Sewing Space
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15. Pratheepa from Bits of My Creations chose a Modcloth dress as her inspiration, which basically means we are soul mates. The fact that she chose polka dots just seals the deal. :]
Left Modcloth Polka Dot Dress  /  Bits of My Creations Pink Polka Dot Dress
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14. Pratheepa from Bits of My Creations also entered this gorgeous blue floral kurti she made after being inspired by one she saw on Pinterest. Guys, she hand-embroidered the yoke! I’m so impressed!
Pinterest Blue Floral Kurti   /  Bits of My Creations Blue Floral Kurti
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13. Congratulations to Shanni from shanniloves.blogspot.com for being the first entrant! Shanni‘s new swimsuit (inspired by Unique Vintage) is absolutely gorgeous and really making me itch to buy the Bombshell pattern!
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12. Suzy from Suzy Bee Sews has created this retro Hell Bunny inspiration dress she saw in a
local Brisbane store. With lots of pattern combining she has made the perfect outcome!
Hell Bunny Dress  /  Suzy Bee Sews version
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11. Annina of Atelier in the Attic has an adorable three-year-old who fell in love with a skirt from the Desigual children’s 2013 spring/summer collection. Luckily her mum was able to recreate it for her! Now excuse me while I go melt over the cuteness.
 Desigual childrenís outfit  /  Atelier in the Attic outfit
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10. Annina’s  (Atelier in the Attic) first entry to the challenge is this lovely pencil skirt inspired by a Prada skirt from the April issue of Vogue 2013. Total bummer about the shrinking issues! :(
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9. Lookit those adorable cheeks on Aninna’s (of Atelier in the Attic)  daughter, wearing a Retro Child Pinafore she made! It was inspired by the beautiful Richard Scarry books she grew up with and which she now reads with her daughter.
Richard Scarry books  /  Atelier in the Attic
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8. I’ve never seen Matea of Heart In The Clouds not look amazing and this dress inspired by Cherry Blossom Girl is no exception!
The Cherry Blossom Girl Cherry dress  / Right Mateas blue version
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7. Haylee of Threaded has made yet another gorgeous white dress, this time in lace!
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6. Haylee of Threaded has made a lovely ivory satin dress inspired by a J.Crew dress.

Check out the back of the dress too! It’s so simple and elegant!
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5. Maude of Made by Maude made a gorgeous copy of the dress Selena Gomez wears in her music video for “Come and Get It” to wear to her 20th birthday party.  I hope it was a lovely one!
Selena Gomez  /  Made by Maude
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4. Here is Maude’s version of Eleven’s outfit! The Whovian in me is -ded-. Geronimo!
Made by Maude  /  Doctor Who
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3. I’m a sucker for Anthro DIYs and Diya from The Hobby Harbor has done an amazing job with this Anthropologie top!
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3. Maria of Velosewer has made two of these gorgeous ribbon skirts! Talk about patience and precision!
Left Original Goodbye Valentino / Middle & Right Velosewer
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2.  Lauren of Lauren Sews made this gorgeous Marilyn Monroe inspired dress for her graduation. How cute is she in the whole ensemble? (Iloveyourshoes!)
Marilyn Monroe  /  Lauren Sews Graduation Dress
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1. Ami of Sewing London is the perfect Betty Draper in this blouse! I love everything about this outfit :)
Betty Draper  / Ami Sewing London Top
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And here are the projects we made!
Sadly, I epic-failed at creating any of the three dresses I had picked out for this Challenge. Whoops. Instead, I made this lace bow dress based on a Corey Lynn Calter dress worn by Jess on New Girl.
Modcloth Dress /  Peneloping
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I also made this Peter Pan collar top (complete with a bow!) based on this Modcloth top.
Peneloping Top  /  Modcloth Top
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Erin made this gorgeously classy dressed inspired by one worn by Victoria Beckham.
Victoria Beckham Dress  /  I Heart Fabric Dress
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This one was Erin’s first Copy Cat Challenge outfit  using the BurdaStyle handbook jacket pattern.
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And here is one she made earlier in the year after seeing Rachel’s Colette Laurel.
Thanks again everyone!! The winners will be chosen based on this sort order by a random number generator and announced on both blogs tomorrow (October 2nd)!

Bows and lace

Bow dress

Bow dress

Bow dress

Bow dress
dress: self-made (based on this Corey Lynn Calter dress) // shoes: Chelsea Crew

I finally finished one of my three copycats for the Copycat Challenge! I mentioned most of the how-to stuff earlier in this post.

Technically it’s not 100% done. I’m still on the lookout for four smallish flat bronzey buttons for right under the bow, between the dangly bits. So far no luck.

Three weeks left in the Copycat Challenge guys! It’s been really awesome seeing what everyone’s made and I have a whole slew of projects to add to my own to-do list. Keep them coming!

*Excuse the rumply-ness. I’m between irons and have been roughing it with a hair straightener. Yeahh..

Rambly housekeeping

globe

globe

Hello! I’m a bit loopy so I apologize if I ramble or don’t make sense. I went home to California for the week and just flew back on a red eye last night. I got in around 8am, slept until 1pm (whoops), and spent the day being the laziest bum ever. Getting up at 8am to go to work tomorrow is going to be interesting.

A couple of things:

1) Being reunited with my laptop is awesome. *strokestroke*

2) Some of you sent me photos of projects to be entered in the Copycat Challenge. Those should all be up now! It’s so awesome seeing what everyone has come up with. Keep them coming! (If you don’t see yours up, shoot us an email and we’ll post it asap.)

3) I’ve got some fun photos to share! I intentionally only brought my 50mm lens home so it would force me to practice using it properly and it’s gotten a lot easier! Seester and I had some fun photo sessions that I’ll share once I get the 600 photos we took (yikes!) organized and edited.

4) Home was fun! I’m a little sad to be back. We managed to squeeze a lot in a week and even had time to spend multiple days lounging in bed in pjs watching hours and hours of Torchwood. (Have you seen it?? I’m a little bit obsessed. Ok, a lot. In my defense: John Barrowman.)

And now I have to go be a productive person and get ready for the week. Or.. go to bed and deal with it in the morning. :]

Patterns for Copycatting

Patterns
I definitely don’t claim to be any sort of expert at manipulating patterns or mixing them together, but I did want to share some tips and tricks I’ve picked up, as well as some of my favorite patterns to mash together. If anyone else has suggestions or tutorials to add, please leave a comment and share with the class!

*Just a note, this is not a comprehensive list of my favorite patterns, just the ones that I tend to gravitate toward when I’m doing specifically copycat projects!

Patterns:

1. Megan Nielsen: Darling Ranges – This pattern will always have a soft spot in my heart because it was the first indie pattern I bought, and I love how Megan designs not only clothes, but patterns. As someone who had only ever sewn historical/fantasy garments, sewing something that I could wear out in public was entirely new to me, and this pattern was the perfect first project for a not-quite-newbie. I’ve made several of these already but every time I see a cute button-up dress I think of making it using this pattern and only minor adjustments.

2. Burda 7739 – This is probably my favorite pattern. It’s so simple, the fit is perfect on me, and it’s SO versatile. It’s basically the perfect high waisted tank dress that comes with adorable sleeves and a pre-drafted collar. I also love the skirt that comes with it, since it comes with pockets and is the perfect amount of flowy and gathered without being excessive.

3. Colette Laurel – I just bought this pattern but so far I love it. It’s your (very) basic shift dress with endless options for variations. I haven’t quite finished my first one but I already love it. I lengthened the sleeves and added pleats in the front to give it more shape. I do recommend doing a muslin because I had to take mine in on the sides, as well as lower the armpit area by an inch or two. Quick note: Someone left a comment asking me to do a quick sketch of how I drafted the pieces for my Porter dress copycat. I had a whole thing sketched out before I realized that Laurel would be the perfect pattern base for copying that dress! Sadly, I made that dress two weeks before I actually bought my copy of Laurel, but it would’ve been perfect. From there, just cut a line down the front for the buttons and I used this method (except instead of a zipper, I added buttons).

4. McCall’s 6647 I haven’t actually used this one yet so I’m not totally sure why I’m including it on this list, except that it has a great back cut-out that I’m highly optimistic will be a good foundation pattern for all of the back cut-out dresses I keep pinning. I’ll come back and update this once I’ve actually tried it.

5. Burda 7309 I need to make myself a note on a giant neon post-it and attach it to this pattern. I basically use this pattern as an add-on to Burda 7739 if I want something to have a longer bodice. That’s all. The sleeves are oddly shaped and I have been far too fearful of looking like a potato sack to attempt the included skirt. I keep meaning to try the collar but haven’t gotten around to it. But anyway, I only ever use the bodice on this one and it works perfectly with 7739’s sleeves and skirt (or even Simplicity 1873’s skirt!).

6. McCall’s 6646 I’ve only used this one once and I sort of hacked it to bits to make my pleats, but as a sweetheart neckline, the shape of the dress is lovely. If you search “sweetheart” in the dress section of Modcloth, you could pretty much make anything listed with this pattern so I had to include it.

7. Simplicity 1873This is my second favorite pattern, although probably my most used one. Everything about it fits absolutely perfectly and I love it to bits, but the skirt is an absolute nightmare of pleats that seem to go every which way while you’re pinning, but then when you’re done it all makes sense and you have a lovely pleated skirt that looks fancier than just regular pleats. I highly recommend this one. The pictures on the pattern sleeve make it look like a special occasion dress but I’ve made all kinds of dresses (and even a skirt!) with it and it’s worked great with all kinds of fabrics.

not pictured:

Colette: SorbettoI had to include this pattern because it’s a free download and so customizable. The armholes are teeny on me so I always end up having to alter that a bit but there are so many different things you can do to this pattern. Add a collar, slice down the front and add buttons, add long sleeves, add puffed sleeves, do some color-blocking, take out the pleat, gather the pleat instead of pleating, etc. Run with it.

Burdastyle 02/2011 #101 – This is another one of my favorites because sometimes you just want a nice side zip and some cute cap sleeves. The fit of this one is a little off on me (I end up taking the darts in a little more and taking the sides in a bit as well, and then lengthening the bodice by 1-2″) but I love that it’s so basic and just screaming to be played with. I made one with an attached collar and I definitely want to play around in using different kinds of fabrics.

Tutorials:

Gertie’s peter pan collar drafting: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 – I don’t usually like watching video tutorials (although I will readily admit that they are usually far more helpful for learning purposes) but I sat through all three videos and it was 100% worth it. Gertie is amazing and this is how I’ve done all my self-drafted peter pan collars (well, minus the fancy tracing paper and the French curve, which I keep meaning to buy).

Megan Nielsen’s FBA – Ok, I admit I still haven’t sat down and tried to figure this out. But this tutorial made it almost make sense just by skimming, so I’m going to post it here.

Megan Nielsen’s SBA – And for the smaller-busted ladies.

How to make a bow – I think most of us probably know how bows work, but this is my favorite method for getting the juiciest, neatest (and hugest) bows.

Peplum top out of a dress pattern – Because peplum tops are awesome and I really hope the trend lasts.

Slash opening – I feel like this is just helpful to know. She uses it to illustrate how to add a zipper but I’ve used it for buttons as well.

 

Patterns I’m using:

jessdress

Jess dress I actually found a Burdastyle wrap dress pattern structured very similar to this one, which I snapped up immediately a few months ago. There are definitely areas where it needs to be tweaked but I think it’ll work great. I’ll have to reshape the sleeves a bit, widen the shoulders, add a strip along the neckline and down the sides of the wrap skirt, widen the wrapped bit, and flare the skirt a bit more. I’m also debating making the back all one piece instead of two like the pattern is. It sounds like a lot, and it’ll take a bit of trial and error, but I think it’ll work great.

isabel

Dear Creatures: Isabel – I’m using Burda 7309 for the bodice on this one, and then I’ll have to play around with the cutouts. I currently have two ideas. I’m either going to draft a collar as a flat piece (treating it as though it were just part of the bodice piece), or to draft it as a collar and then sew it down so it doesn’t flap. Definitely going to have to play around with this one. For the skirt, I’ll just do regular pleats from two rectangles.

clara

Clara dress – This one’s going to be fun. I’m going to use the Darling Ranges pattern and possibly mix it with Colette’s Laurel for the back. I’ll have to extend the bodice pieces of the Darling Ranges pattern and probably do an elastic waist. The original dress has princess seams but I think I’m going to just go with darts.