Short Chambray Seamwork Catarina Hack

SEAMWORK CATARINA | CHAMBRAY

Hi Friends!

A few weeks ago on Instagram stories I shared my step by step process replicating one of my old RTW dresses using the Seamwork Catarina as a base. My friend Alecia asked me to make her a copy, so after removing a few darts and adding a few pin-tucks we had something similar. I had a chance to catch up with her at the beach last weekend and snapped a few picture of the finished dress on her to show you guys the finished product before jumping into the water. 

How I Hacked it: 

- Added three pin tucks, about 3/8" wide, to each side of the bodice front starting about 1.5" from the center-front. 
- Removed the bodice dart using this tutorial here.
- Added another pin-tuck sewn down flat to create a faux flat-felled seam about 1" past the strap towards the side seam. 
- Added two faux flat-felled seams on either side of the back-bodice straps, about 2" apart. 
- Shortened the skirt piece at the lengthen/shorten line. Alecia isn't very tall, probably about 5.3', so if you're considering shortening your own I would maybe add a few more inches to the length. I'm 5.7" and when I tried it on it was pretty short for my liking.  
 

I wanted to use the Seamwork Catarina because I'm quite familiar with the construction process (I've already sewn two of them) and it's shape is pretty simple. Although the fit in the bodice isn't 100% perfect, I'm still happy I removed the bust darts because it made room for some fun design features. If I were to make this again, I would probably add just a little bit more ease into the side seams for a better fit and to draw attention to the cinched elastic waist. 

Writing this post has given me the hacking bug all over again. Do you have a favourite pattern you love to hack?  Let me know down below, I'm looking for a new project to sink my teeth into.

Until next time!

Rachel