Passion to Refashion

By |2020-09-28T07:07:08-04:00September 28th, 2020|1960s Style Fashion, Tracy Designs Dresses|

Have you ever seen a dress that you love the fabric and the print but the style of the dress doesn’t suit your figure, style or personality? Some of the easiest and best dresses to upcycle are 1970s Kaftans. This is because they have so much yardage and are rarely cut with the exception of […]

If the Sleeve Fits

By |2020-09-21T06:57:33-04:00September 21st, 2020|1970s Style Fashion, Sewing Tips and Tricks, Today's Fashion, Tracy Designs Dresses, Uncategorized|

Designing can be such a weight on your ego. It can make you bend, shift, or even break. It can force you to experiment with your potential. While something can look great on paper, or in my case an iPad, it doesn’t always look right on a real body.

The Birthday Dress

By |2020-09-14T06:57:46-04:00September 14th, 2020|1970s Style Fashion, Tracy Designs Dresses|

What little girl doesn’t love a birthday dress? If you do a search for “little girls birthday dress” you will find the current trends. I saw many onesies with the year or a quote scripted on the top and tulle skirts sewn to the bottom.

A client asked me to make a little […]

Wacky Wednesday, Before and After Showcase

By |2020-07-27T07:33:17-04:00July 27th, 2020|refashion, Sewing Tips and Tricks, Tracy Designs Dresses, Uncategorized|

Let’s get wacky everyday! It was 2014 and I helped design a dress for a friend wanted to wear everyday for an entire year as a challenge to raise awareness about waste. This challenge was called the Uniform Project. We designed a basic black linen shift dress that buttoned up. It […]

Natural Dying and Viking Apron Dress, P2

By |2020-07-06T07:17:43-04:00July 6th, 2020|Costumes, Tracy Designs Dresses, Uncategorized|

After my first round of natural dying I was really bummed by the lack color that came through. For my 2nd round I would try to color my double gauze with the spice turmeric. It worked! Here is what I did!

I decided to soak my fabric in a mix of 4 quarts water to 1 […]

How to Sew Professional Pillows

By |2020-06-22T08:38:51-04:00June 22nd, 2020|Heirloom Sewing, Tracy Designs Dresses, Uncategorized|

Piping is one of the easiest techniques to learn that can make your garments and home decor really pop! Piping makes everything look professional. Today, I share how easy it is and how I made these beautiful pillows.

Supplies:
Cording
Zippers
Thread
Pillow inserts
Fabric

The Pattern

I made a muslin first because it bothers me […]

No Pattern Needed

By |2020-03-30T08:13:36-04:00March 30th, 2020|1970s Style Fashion, Sewing Tips and Tricks, Tracy Designs Dresses, Uncategorized|

Let’s get fearless and make the perfect maxi dress, the kaftan. This VERY easy dress can be made with any sheer, lace or very light and flowing material. No pattern needed! It’s pull over, no fussy closures to deal with.

I used almost 4 yards of 44″ fabric. Two 40″ pieces for the length of the […]

Never Underestimate the Power of Landfill Burglary

By |2020-02-17T06:38:49-05:00February 17th, 2020|Today's Fashion, Tracy Designs Dresses|

I’m honestly not sure what to call my latest line of dresses. Nothing feels quite right. They are made from materials people gave me or were being thrown out. I came up with the name landfill dresses because I believe most of the fabric would have ended up in a landfill. Picking out fabric is […]

Patchwork Panel Dress Design

By |2019-10-21T06:35:51-04:00October 21st, 2019|1920s Style Fashion, Costumes, Tracy Designs Dresses, Uncategorized|

Going local can really push you to your limits if you make clothing. In our town we have a lot of awesome indie quilt shops and no fashion fabric shops.

Last June, while our roof was getting replaced, we took a trip to North Dayton and I got to visit Bernina on North Main. […]

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