In this week’s live session, I was excited to share another simple but incredibly powerful “creative fold” technique that I call the “envelope fold.”

It’s a quick, five-minute trick that creates the illusion of a twist or a knot on the fabric, which can then be used as a beautiful focal point for a dress or a top.

To show its potential, I demonstrated how to create a full, effortlessly chic dress in under an hour by combining this single detail with two simple rectangular pieces of fabric.

Demonstration Steps:

• Introduced the “envelope fold” technique on a piece of jersey. I folded the fabric, chose a point off-center, and then folded two small flaps over each other to meet at that point, like closing an envelope.

• Stitched down this small, folded “envelope” to secure the detail, creating a soft, gathered twist on the right side of the fabric.

• To show how this detail can be used, I demonstrated how you could place a t-shirt pattern over the prepared fabric to cut out a top with this built-in design feature.

• Next, I created a complete dress. I started with a new, larger piece of fabric for the front and applied the same “envelope fold” technique, this time placing it in the center.

• I took a second, slightly narrower rectangular piece of fabric for the back and sewed it to the front piece at the shoulder and side seams, leaving openings for the head and arms.

• I then draped the finished “tube” dress on the form and used my “secret waist stay” technique—an internal elastic band—to cinch the fabric at the waist, which brought the “envelope fold” to life and created a beautiful, cascading drape down the front.

• Finally, I styled the dress on the form, showing how you can play with the neckline and shoulders (creating a V-neck in the back by pleating the shoulder) to customize the final look.

This session was all about showing how a very simple, quick technique can yield incredibly sophisticated and elegant results.

It proves that you don’t need complicated patterns or hours of work to create a stunning garment; sometimes, all it takes is a clever fold and a beautiful piece of fabric.

I can’t wait to try this dress on myself!