Introducing Mackenzie

As much as I would like to take credit for teaching my niece, Mackenzie, how to sew, it just wasn’t in the cards. We lived too far away from each other so I was unable to pass my knowledge and experience on to her as she was growing up. Luckily, during her teen years, she was able to take sewing lessons from a wonderful lady named Angela in her home town of Perth, Ontario.

Mackenzie is one smart cookie. Not only is she incredibly adept at sewing, but she is a voracious reader, an avid, skilled gardener (she definitely didn’t get that skill from me!), and she has recently earned her PHD in Biology, so she is now officially Doctor Mackenzie and works as a Senior Scientist at her newly acquired job in Montreal, QC. You probably can’t tell how incredibly proud I am of her and her well-deserved and hard-earned accomplishments. LOL

I want to share photos of some garments that Mack has made over the last couple of years, as well as show her process with some of these garments in her own words. (*** Her “Made by Mack” labels were custom made by Dutch Label Shop using her own monstera leaf design.)

Also, please take note of all the different sizes that she has used when making these clothes. As with purchasing ready-made garments in the store, there really isn’t an overall standard for sizing. Each pattern company and clothing company has different sizing. It can be very confusing. Also, for those of you who do not have a background in garment sewing here are a few definitions of some of the terminology Mack has used in her descriptions:

Fabricville: Quebec’s equivalent of Fabricland in Ontario

Toile (often called a muslin): a prototype or test garment, usually made in cotton muslin, which is used to check a pattern’s fit (and make changes to) before cutting it out of the more expensive fashion fabric

Grading: the process of increasing or decreasing the size of a pattern without changing the original proportions

SBA: small bust adjustment- a pattern alteration used to reduce excess fabric in the bust area (most commercial patterns are drafted for B cups)

French Seam: a seam with enclosed raw edges for a very neat finish on the interior of a garment

1. Milkmaid dress

Pattern: Anthea Dress by Mood Fabrics (Free)

Fabric: Cotton Poplin from Fabricville

I made this dress as a bridesmaid dress for a wedding last June. The bride wanted all bridesmaids to be in different colours, so after sending her some fabric choices she picked this spring-timey pink floral poplin. To start the process, I made a toile out of some green cotton I had lying around. Based on the pattern measurements, I graded from a size 6 bust to size 10 waist. Normally I would do an SBA in this situation, but I had no idea how to do that with this type of bodice. Through this process I also ended up extending the sleeves, and narrowing the width of the gathered bust panel to be less voluminous. Overall, I was super happy with how it turned out and how well it fit.

2. Gene Jeans

Pattern: Worship Jeans by Daughter Judy

Fabric: 13oz Blue Denim from Tissus Garceau

I had planned to make these in February 2025. I was in the last leg of my PhD and didn't have enough brain space to tackle my first pair of jeans. I bought all the hardware and topstitching thread and denim, but didn't get around to actually sewing them until December. At that point I had (successfully!) defended my Biology PhD and I wanted to celebrate that by adding DNA helices to my back pockets :)

Again I made a toile out of the same green cotton as the Anthea dress. It was so unbelievably unflattering, that I won't include a picture here. I made a size 6 and while the waist gapped, the hips were slightly too small and I was getting some whiskering (wrinkling) at the front thighs. To fix this I altered the V-shaped waistband to a curved waistband, I added 1/2" to the hips and did a 1/2" full thigh adjustment to fix the whiskering. To finish off the whole thing, I embroidered DNA helices onto the back pockets (*** shown in detail at the top right of the page). I did this with my normal presser foot, but in hindsight I should have used my darning/embroidery foot...it would have been so much easier!

interior coin pocket detail- check out the awesome sciencey/beaker fabric for the pocket lining!

3. Button-up Summer Dress

Pattern: Vivi Blouse & Dress by Pattern Scout

Fabric: Embroidered Rayon from Facebook Marketplace

I love long button-up dresses like this because I work in a lab, but need to keep my legs covered. Dresses like this make me feel summery while staying safe from dropping chemicals on myself. It's too bad you can't tell from the photos, but there are also little palm trees embroidered over this fabric. I really like Pattern Scout's pattern because she does cup-sizing so this was a straight size 8, B-cup and it fit great! The finishing on this pattern is also beautiful, the whole thing is set up for french seams so the inside looks just as nice as the outside!

4. Wedding Guest Jumpsuit

Pattern: Vogue V1524 Misses' Jumpsuit

Fabric: Stretch velvet from Facebook Marketplace, unknown synthetic woven from J.L. Sewing Accessories

This Fall I went to a wedding in beautiful Niagara on the Lake. For this one, I decided to try and tackle my first Vogue pattern, a jumpsuit! The mix of knit and woven, as well as hardware made this pattern a little out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to try anyway.

I made a size 14 A-cup which ended up being a bit big and I removed 3.5" out of the waist and 1.5 " out of the back straps. I had a pretty hard time getting the back section to remain flat, even after making 2 toiles. I hand-basted my zip, used a walking foot, and tried to shape the back straps but couldn't get it 100% flat on my back. It's at a pretty good place, but it's possible my fabric didn't have the right percentage of stretch needed for this project…the pattern doesn't specify stretch percentage. Even with a slightly wonky back I am in LOVE with the outcome. It was perfect for an October wedding and it gives you so much more freedom than a dress...I even did the worm in it!

You can see why I’m so incredibly proud of Mackenzie, and I always look forward to receiving photos of her most recent creations. It reminds me of the excitement and satisfaction I had in my early days of sewing my own clothing and what a great skill it is to have. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Personal, PatternsSharon GalnaMarch 25, 2026garment sewing, sewing clothing, pattern adjustments, proud aunt moment, sewing jeansComment