How to Copy a Pattern from a Dress | Taking a Pattern from the Selkie Ritz Dress

Second part of the Selkie Dress series! This time we're taking a pattern off of the Venus Ritz and I've done a quick comparison to the Lickedy Split Ritz at the end to see why the fit is different. I've shown how to take a pattern in a previous video but this dress is a little more complex than the button up shirt (in terms of pattern, button up shirts are pretty complex in sewing!) because of all of the gathering and elastic, so hopefully this is a little more helpful!
✨Materials + Tools
○ Tracing Wheel - amzn.to/3LdllB7
○ Pencil
○ Kraft Paper - amzn.to/3uubArm
○ Ruler - www.wawak.com/Cutting-Measuri...
Skip Ahead:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Materials
2:07 Bodice Pattern
12:40 Sleeve Pattern
19:09 Skirt Pattern
25:03 Comparing Venus Ritz pattern to the Lickedy Split Ritz
26:45 Outro
🧵Other Videos in this Series:
○ Selkie Dress Analysis - • Is Selkie Worth It? Co...
📷 Filming Gear:
○ My camera - amzn.to/3sQBLrb
○ Microphone - amzn.to/3sQC3hL
○ Lighting - amzn.to/3kvMVxF
○ Softbox - amzn.to/3BfEj52
#costube #selkiedress #selkieritz
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[@PrinceSarah1]

Are there any patterns close to the selkie dress style that someone wanting to develop their skills could try first to get their head around the construction side of things rather than jumping straight in and trying to pattern for themselves?

[@moth.faerie]

the rose cafe bustier dress on etsy has a really similar bodice to the selkie ritz, and you can just add a circle skirt and puff sleeves to it to get a similar dress 😊

[@PrinceSarah1]

@@moth.faerie This is really helpful thank you!

[@datsquisheeboi]

if you know the fullness of the skirt, and the length of it, you can reverse ingineer the waist measurement by measuring the hem, calculating that circle and drawing your skirt length in from that. I tried this when making a real life version of my holiday barbie dress a couple years ago and i once i converted those measurements to human size, it looks exactly like the original... just human form.

[@eduardaarrais]

The maths are beyond me, i need someone knowledged making a video explaining reaaaaaly slowly 😆

[@danielletdg8423]

@@eduardaarrais same! I'm completely lost on the math. It'll help once I actually do it someday, but watching it done and explained makes my brain go into mush. 😁

[@blackmber]

I was gonna say the same thing! Step by step: 1. Measure the length from the waist to the hem of the skirt (or in this case, from the waist to the top of the ruffle) I will call this measurement the "length". 2. Measure all the way around the hem (or ruffle seam) to get the outer circumference of the circle. This will be called "hem circumference". To cut the pattern, you will need the radius of the inner circle, or "waist radius" and the radius of the large circle, or "hem radius" . [If using the whole diameter makes more sense to you, use the instructions in brackets.] 3. Find the hem radius by dividing the hem circumference by 6.28 (or 2π). [If you prefer to cut based on the diameter, it will be double the radius. This can be calculated by instead dividing the circumference by 3.14] 4. Find the waist radius by subtracting the length from the hem radius. [To get the waist diameter, multiply the length by 2 then subtract that from the hem diameter] Use these measurements as an example and compare your results to mine to check the method. Length: 80cm Hem circumference: 750cm Hem radius = 750cm/6.28 = 119 cm Waist radius = 119cm - 80cm = 39cm [Hem diameter = 750cm/3.14 = 239cm] [Waist diameter = 239cm - 160cm = 79cm]

[@ushere5791]

this process is amazing. i never learned how to use those poke-y wheels until today--i would have been afraid of hurting the dress!! now i think i have the confidence to take a pattern off my favorite short.

[@moth.faerie]

it definitely doesn't hurt the dress! the spikes on this one are thin and sharp enough they go between the fibers, and the duller ones don't go through the fabric 😊

[@ushere5791]

@@moth.faerie thank you! that's good to know. :)

[@madzikdek]

That was very informative. I used your previous tutorial to copy a wide turtle neck of a sweater for my Victorian cycling sweater. It was very helpful. Now I want to tackle my favorite shirt that just got distroyed so hopefully this will let me do it justice. (Thank you for the car tax)

[@moth.faerie]

oh good I'm glad the previous one was also helpful!

[@anastasiamaliuha5481]

Baby Bat is such a helper if you want things not to run away from your table.😅 You're really great at explaining things actually. I have an idea for you in case of a busy week - would you make a video on your Dark Lady costume? It's so pretty and explaining a complete costume should go faster than making one.

[@moth.faerie]

Oh yeah I would love to do a video on some of my past costumes! I have some sewing deadlines coming up but I’ll think about doing it after those are over!

[@AlysianaHunter]

I absolutely adore that Babybat was just comfortable on your patterning paper and allowed herself to be simply dragged over, what a sweet baby, I found your explanations really clear in combination with you physically showing us what you were doing, and you went about things a super logical way. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product!

[@moth.faerie]

she is very tolerant of everything I do haha, for such a skittish kitten shes become so trusting! aah i'm glad you found the explanations easy to follow!

[@munka214]

That's what a poky wheel is for! I have one and never knew what it was used for 🤦🏻‍♀️. Thanks! 😁

[@moth.faerie]

i also use it to trace out tissue patterns onto more substantial paper!

[@arielbean8365]

This was so clear and helpful. Thank you for taking the time to explain how to do this!

[@mimistitchcraft]

This series is just wonderful so far, can't wait for the next instalment!

[@moth.faerie]

thank you!

[@BarbaraCreates]

This was so fun to watch. I have to try it!

[@moth.faerie]

i'm glad you liked it! you totally should!

[@sweb23879]

All of the sounds are so soothing! Really enjoying this series :)

[@moth.faerie]

aw thank you!

[@nataliabirchall9093]

Just found your channel! Love it! So I’m spending the rest of my day binging your videos! Xxx

[@moth.faerie]

haha thank you, I'm glad you found me!

[@Cherieberie]

I'm really enjoying this series, looking forward to the next video and eventually the finished dress :)

[@moth.faerie]

Thank you, I’m glad your liking the videos!

[@isabellamahon6908]

Can’t wait for the next video!

[@moth.faerie]

thank you!

[@melusinenoArashi]

Thanks really clear explanation. I will save the video on my sewing file for future reference.

[@moth.faerie]

thank you for watching!

[@beansavacado8134]

Woah! Haven’t watched fully yet but this process is amazing! Thanks for showing us how to copy patterns!

[@moth.faerie]

thank you for commenting and I assume finishing watching haha

[@whimsicalmusedesign]

I didn't know that about the pokey wheel thing! I have a shirt I want to pattern and now I feel way more confident in doing it! Thank you!

[@moth.faerie]

ah thank you for watching, I"m glad it was helpful!

[@juniperjr2017]

I really want to try taking a pattern off something now. Your videos always inspire me!

[@moth.faerie]

You should!! It’s a great way to keep clothes you like forever 😊

[@thedrinkinggames9573]

All your videos are the best videos! Seriously, you have so many helpful tips and tricks that others may not do. Your fittings with muslin are always super helpful, especially because you say why you're doing something or what your alterations are going to fix. For the patterning, some of the things I already knew, but still helpful, but other things like the trick with flattening out the cups was something that I would have never thought of, so thank you! Your cats are so cute!!!!

[@moth.faerie]

thank you so much! I'm so glad you find my videos helpful, my top two goals for my videos are definitely for them to be helpful and pretty to watch haha 😊

[@tuesdayg7030]

Yay, just what I'm after thankyouuuu x

[@thevictorianwitch]

Thank you for this video!! I have this dress that fits me really well and that I want to recreate in many more colours but I was really struggling to figure out how I could copy a pattern from the dress, so this video was super helpful! I've tried it before but I didn't know about the pokey wheel so I will be trying that out 😄 and I'm so excited to see how your dress will turn out!!!

[@moth.faerie]

yess the pokey tracing wheel make the whole process much easier than trying to trace without it! good luck with your dress!

[@rockencheesepuffs]

This was actually like super useful! Not a dress but a while back, my mom gave me one of her old sweatshirts and I adore the way it fits. I tried to take a pattern off of it once but couldn't quite figure out how to measure the gathered elastic waistband or sleeve cuffs. But now! I have the knowledge! Excited to give it another go! A great video as always! Can't wait to see your pattern in action!

[@moth.faerie]

Yay I’m glad it was useful!!

[@doemtij]

"can i have this?" clearly not, that is now baby bat's paper. he's a great helper and will protect all your stuff like a little dragon on top of his hoard! until he decides he wants something else, then you can have it back very interesting to see how to take a pattern of things! i also never really knew how/what to use the pokey wheel for! i always worried they'd make holes in the fabric but now i can safely steal it from grandma's old inherited sewing case should i want to take a pattern of something

[@moth.faerie]

everything in our house belongs to baby bat haha they definitely are safe for your fabric and are super useful!

[@nniffa393]

You: can i have this? Your cat: you can have... THESE HANDS

[@moth.faerie]

accurate

[@joclark3702]

The pokey wheel is a tracing wheel. They used to be used to mark seam lines and dates, etc, for the newer home sewists.

[@moth.faerie]

i listed it under materials/tools as a tracing wheel

[@maggiekedves]

The different circle explanation went a bit over my head, will probably watch a few more times and possibly help to see the recreation. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[@moth.faerie]

ah sorry it might be easier to just look up a circle skirt tutorial 😅 i honestly find written tutorials personally easier to follow haha

[@joannaalston469]

what a lovely and helpful video! i learned a lot. how do you tell how much seam allowance to add when you’re putting it together?

[@moth.faerie]

i always use a 1/2" for standard seam allowance and 1-2" for hem allowance depending on how long the skirt is! longer skirt means longer hem allowance. for mini skirts and shifts i do a 1/4" rolled hem usually, and this one also had that quarter inch rolled hem bc it was a ruffle. for french seams I do 5/8" or 1/2" depending on how much the fabric shreds. if it's pretty stable I'll stitch at 1/4" first, then trim and press it then stitch again at 1/4", if its shredding a lot i'll do 1/4" for the first seam, press and stitch the second at 3/8". hope that helps!

[@barbarawoods1372]

Well damn, this is crazy! I can’t wait to see what you make 👀 does this mean you could make this dress in any colour you wanted 😂 It also has me thinking, this must be how fast fashion brands like fashion nova get the styles so quick??

[@moth.faerie]

I can make it in whatever fabric I can find! however, selkie seems to custom print their fabric and it's REALLY hard to find printed organza soo still limited in that sense. fast fashion gets their designs out quickly by utilizing slave labor.

[@okforthey]

can you do one of these from something that has a dart in it? its driving me a bit mad trying to figure that out on my own :)

[@moth.faerie]

Ah yeah I’ll pick something for the next one that has a dart! I can try to give a quick explanation - I would pin everything on one side of the dart and trace that out, then keep the pins in the fabric above (or below) the dart and pivot the dart around those pins, pin the other side in place and trace that side

[@beth_winegarner]

Love this series. What's the surface you are working on? It seems like you are pinning into it?

[@moth.faerie]

It’s homasote! I have a layer of butcher paper and a fabric backdrop over top. The homasote is from Home Depot, they’re the only place that carries it as far as I know

[@nniffa393]

Will you change the cup to have a vertical seam for your versio ? I remember you said you prefer it to the horizontal seam cup.

[@moth.faerie]

yes i did end up changing it just before cutting but ...i dont remember if it made it into the next video 😅 tho once i started sewing it, I realized that the top stitching looks better on a horizontal cup rather than the vertical cup for some reason

[@susiecarson]

If I were going to make a dress like this, how much fabric would I need, do you think?

[@moth.faerie]

I bought 16 yards and I have about 1.5 yards left over

[@datsquisheeboi]

I don't have the dress so take my suggestion with a grain of salt but from what she describe in the video, I would go with 3.25yd for the skirt front and back so 6.5, then 1.25 for the sleeve. The ruffle may be just under 4 yards assuming your working with half inch seam allowance and cut across the width. And this is all assuming your fabric is 54 inches wide. Depending on your size, i'd say a good yard for the bodice since there's 2 layers of organza but you might be able to cut some of the bustier from the leftover fabric used to cut the sleeve. and the lining is made of the same pattern as the shell with length variation in the skirt so in all would guess 9yd cotton and 12.75yd of organza? LOL i love your question cause i love working with calculations. especially when it come to fashion!

[@mckenna4405]

my prom dress is a similar shape, but about a foot and a half shorter. i am using four yards each of my shell fabric and my lining fabric, so eight yards in total. I am only doing one layer of my organza though, so take that with a grain of salt.

[@susiecarson]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! My daughter wants a selkie dress, but one of the shorter ones, so thankfully I don’t think I’ll need 16 yards (yikes!) I hope I can find some decent poly organza.

[@sarahhunt6059]

Thoroughly enjoying this series so far. But I audibly gasped when you started using the spiked roller on your dress. Does it not poke holes in the fabric? Never used one before.

[@moth.faerie]

thank you! it definitely doesn't hurt the dress! the spikes are thin and sharp enough that they go between the fibers 😊

[@sarahhunt6059]

I figured you wouldn't do anything to damage your dresses, I just couldn't figure out how it worked but didn't damage it. Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to clarify!

[@bloodlacerose1688]

Let me preface by saying I am not a seamstress nor can I figure out half of what you are saying, like tool names and types of material, stitches etc. That being said I want to learn because of fast fashion and what that is doing to our environment and the workers who make these clothes. All that to ask , is what you are doing a little bit illegal? Or is it ok since you are only making it for yourself ? Thank you for sharing, I am learning a lot from you. Have a lovely day!! Rose.

[@moth.faerie]

It's definitely not illegal! Clothing designs cannot be copyrighted so while I would personally feel a little morally gross copying a design directly to sell, even that is not illegal.

[@bloodlacerose1688]

@@moth.faerie Thank you for responding. I have a few items that I like and could never afford but I was scared to try making them even if it was just for me.

[@cherylf7333]

Does it make a difference in how a cup fits whether its seamed horizontally or vertically? I'm curious why one was done one way and the other another.

[@moth.faerie]

i find the vertical cup give a smoother shape whereas the horizontal cup gives more of a vintage pointy shape if that makes sense?

[@sarahc8862]

Love this so much thank you 😊 I have a dress I'm going to be reverse engineering soon.

[@moth.faerie]

Thank you for watching! I’m glad you liked it 😊

[@yenifergavina1451]

Mewowow 🐱

[@altaroberts5105]

Your cat looks and sound exactly like cat when he wants food. :-) Btw the wheel with points is called a tracing wheel

[@moth.faerie]

i listed it as a tracing wheel under my materials/tools section in the description, i just like being silly

[@AnniCarlsson]

Love the cut on the cotton one. Want to make something similar. No way my boobs going to fit in those cups so not really a option on be lazy and pay for it

[@moth.faerie]

The cups are really the only difference in cut in the two dresses! The silhouette is mostly being affected by the weight of each fabric 😊

[@AnniCarlsson]

@@moth.faerie yeah. But the horisontell line type allways make my boobs look wierd.

[@AnniCarlsson]

And like it better in the cotton fabric then the other pne. A linnen mic with rayon would look great to

[@TealCheetah]

That venus fabric *sob*