The Enlighten pattern released earlier this week and now we are ready to share with you some of the hacks, mods, and pattern mashes that our testers came up with.
First up is making the bodice a crop top. This is a pretty straight forward one. You simply cut and sew the bodice per the tutorial. Then to finish, add a band in the height of your choice. It can be as tall or as short as you like based on your preferences. If you want a finished band height of 4in, cut your fabric 8in tall since it will be folded in half. To determine the width of the band, measure the bottom of the bodice (front and back) and multiply that number by .89. For example if the bodice opening is 30in, calculate 30 x .89= 26.7. This inlcudes seam allowance but feel free to adjust the band width based on fabric type. I often find that athletic fabrics need a little more width due to the higher lycra/spandex content but this formula is a good starting point.
This change can be made on both the scoop neck bodice....
and the crossover bodice.
Of course if you can make the bodice a separate and rock a crop top, why not make the skirt to be worn as a separate too? You follow the same suggestion above to calculate the width of your skirt band. If you graded because your hips and waist are in a different size range, considering using your waist measurement to calculate the band width. This will help ensure your band isn't too loose on your body.
Here's another modified skirt from the Enlighten pattern. Do you see it?
A leg slit! Love this so much and I'm just picturing the movement of the skirt while walking.
There's a couple of ways you can do this mod. Since the skirt isn't fitted, you can cut the skirt front as usual. Then cut a second line the full length of the skirt. Fold over the raw edges and finish with a stretch stitch, coverstitch, or twin needle. Overlap the skirt pieces and baste together. Then continue construction per the tutorial.
You can also cut your skirt front 1inch wider on both sides and then follow the same steps above. This will give you a little more wiggle room when cutting your leg slit and overlapping the pieces. I would suggest doing this second method if you grade to a larger size for your skirt. You only need to add the additional width the skirt front.
One of my favorite modifications to the Enlighten pattern was it being mashed with the sleeves from the Renew pattern. It was not a combination I'd ever considered but when I saw this done my jaw dropped. It was so perfect and looks absolutely amazing!
The armsyce from both patterns are very similar so you shouldn't need to make any additional changes. Cut your Enlighten bodice on the outer cut lines for sleeves and cut your sleeve and band pieces from the Renew pattern. Construct sleeves per the Renew tutorial and then attach to the Enlighten bodice.
What other hacks, mods, or mashes can you envision with the Enlighten pattern? Get creative and while you're at it, be sure to buy your copy now while it's on sale.