It’s Feature Friday over at Love Notions, and this week’s spotlight is the Melody Dolman! I just realized that even though I’ve made multiple versions since its original release, I somehow never blogged about it before… until now. This is 100% due to my hot mess express level of procrastination and absolutely not a reflection of how I feel about the pattern. I love this one!
The Melody is a relaxed button-up shirt pattern with a camp-style collar, cuffed dolman sleeves, and casual vibes.
It works in such a wide range of fabrics, is beginner-friendly, and is way faster to sew than it looks.
Here are a couple of my earlier makes 😊
For Feature Friday, I wanted to switch things up… so I gave the Melody a little corset-inspired pleated waist.
This is a small hack with a big impact. 😊
Pleated waist Corset-inspired Melody
How I did it:
- Sized up – I measure a Medium but sewed an XL to give me extra room for pleating and the volume I wanted.
- Did the math – unfortunately unavoidable, lol.
• Measured the finished garment width at the waistline.
• Subtracted my waist measurement plus ease (I added 2″ of ease — personal preference). - Divided the difference into pleats – spacing them how I wanted:
• Front: 4 pleats (2 on each side)
• Back: 8 pleats for extra shaping and drama.
For example:
- Shirt finished waist = 45″
- My waist = 30″
- With 2″ ease: 45″ – 32″ = 13″ difference
• Each pleat was about 1″ wide.
Here’s a rough diagram of how I marked them on my shirt.
And this is how they looked after sewing.
Depending on how wide each of your pleats are you can iron them flat as a box pleat or to the side, knife pleat style.
Depending on the width of your pleats, you can press them flat for box pleats or to the side for knife pleats; both work.
I really love how this turned out! The result is a super comfy top with a more defined silhouette and cute corset-style shaping. It still feels like a Melody, but with a little extra va-va-voom. 😊
I used a medium-weight cotton so the pleats hold their shape, adding a bit of drama to the back and giving the cinched waist real presence.
Bonus: it also works great as a layering piece.😍
This was such a fun twist on a pattern I already loved. If you’ve made the Melody before, this is a quick, easy way to give it a whole new look. And if you haven’t tried it yet, Feature Friday is the perfect excuse to grab it! 😉
If you’d like to snag the pattern (and help me out a little in the process), here’s my afflink 💖
MELODY DOLMAN – LOVE NOTIONS
xxx, Livia
The Melody looks amazing on you
Thank you!! <3
Wow, your makes are always so inspiring!
Thank you so much! It means a lot <3
Love Love Love Love Love this idea! Quick question (it doesn’t look like it) but does the xtra sizing feel too big in the rest of the shirt (shoulders and sleeves areas)?
I would also like to know how the XL feels on your shoulders?
Beautiful shirt 💕
thank you for your comment!
I’d totally overlooked the question before <3
Hey! I’m so sorry I overlooked this question!
The soulder is a bit oversized, but just enough to give that blousing effect.
The original Melody has an easy fit, without being too roomy,so it all works out perfectly for the style I was looking for.😊
GORGEOUS. This hack as sexy as **** and I must have it in my closet. (Then, once I’ve got the first one done, I think I’m going to hack onto a full skirt. It’s got hard core Dior New Look vibes and I am HERE for it!)
BTW, I’ve seen pictures of your makes on other websites, and they’re always so nicely tailored and styled. This, however, is the first time I’ve been on your blog. It’s a really great digital space. I’m an experienced sewer but, unlike you, not a great visual/spatial thinker. I find your makes thought provoking and inspiring. Thank you for sharing what you do. It’s very kind!
ah wow, Kelly! Thank you so much for you kind words!
It truly makes my day to know I can help my fellow creatives <3
The full skirt hack sounds so amazing!!