...What're You Wearing...Blue Suede Skirt

Thanks to leggings I finally got around to wearing it!
Styled with my fabric beaded string scarf which I snuck in just in time for for summer to start in Tampa!

DIY - Sweetheart hair Clip Tutorial Review

Tonight I wanted a quick project that I could wear right away. I love the look of Tea Rose Home's sweetheart hair clip with wool. It's crafty and vintage but right now at the same time. Here's my review:

Tutorial – Sweetheart Hair Clip with Wool by Tea Rose Home

Ease – 5/5

Difficulties – There aren't any measurements on the tutorial so I just eyeballed how big of a hair clip I wanted to wear, then cut 2 smaller sizes. The instructions offer a lot of freedom, which is good for me, but if you need direction, may be problematic.

Alterations - I didn't want a heart shape since Valentine's Day has passed so I did 2 versions - a rounded diamond shape and a circle. I didn't divert from the tutorial in terms of decorating the shapes because I really liked the pearls and beads.

Make it again? – Definitely, I need more colors! This is a great stash-buster. I used scraps of felt, pieces of a sweater and scraps from old curtains. I need a blue one, a green one, maybe a black and white one...oh the photos you're going to have to look at later....!

Happy Presidents' Day

To everyone who has to WORK with me today. We sure got the short end of that birthday stick. :P

...What're You Wearing...

Blue Poppy Dress. I made this dress last year and when I pulled it back out of my closet the other day I decided to slice 5" off the bottom for a more updated look. I've done this with a few of my old dresses and skirts lately. Apparently last year I was a total prude...or just hadn't learned to love my leggings yet :)

DIY - Valentine's Day Ruffle Skirt Tutorial Review

Yeah Yeah this is a late post. I've been preoccupied with month old DVR-ed tv shows.

I wanted to wear something ruffly and girly on our date. So I spent a couple hours slicing and gathering and sewing and trying on. I used Ruffles and Stuff's Murphy's Skirt Tutorial. I seriously love her blog for new ideas! Check her out.

PS there is a similar tutorial over at Alisa Burke's Blog for a Petticoat.

Here's my Review:

Tutorial – Ruffles and Stuff's Murphy's Layered Skirt

Ease – 4/5

Difficulties – This is a pretty straight forward project. 2 rectangles for front and back, elastic waist and 4 gathered strips. However, it took FOREVER. I used a pretty awesome fake-suede-clearance-fabric, this is very heavy when layered 4 times on a muslin. I also spent way too much time at my poor poor serger hemming the top and bottom of each 100" ruffle strip.

I had a fun time attaching all the ruffles. By fun I mean ridiculous. I sat on the floor with the skirt pulled up to my knees in order to pin the gathered strips to the muslin. Basically it looked like I was giving birth to a large ruffly baby. I wish boyfriend had taken a picture but I made it a point to not have him catch me in the awkward position on Valentine's Day, being all romantic and what not.

Alterations - I used a way too small width of elastic because that is all I had. I would not recommend using anything less than 1.5" because my skirt was falling down all night. I also made the center front 2" shorter, and tapered down to the side seams. This is because I always measure skirt length from the back (my butt is that big). If you measure from the front, make the back a little longer. This is so the hem is always parallel with the floor and not randomly longer in the front like a little girls skirt.

I also varied the widths of the ruffles and the distances I placed them on the skirt. I wanted some interest. This is not just a ruffle skirt, it's fancy!

Make it again? – Heck Yes. I already have the fabric picked out for 2. I'm going to try a sheer ruffle over a printed skirt and some home dec fabric that I have that I'm sure will make a great tutu :)

DIY - New Look 6033

This weekend I had a few free hours and wanted to try out the New Look pattern (6033) I bought a couple weeks ago.

Review:

Pattern: New Look 6033 - Tunic A w/alterations

Ease – 4/5

Difficulties – The V-neck band was a pain to align and attach. Mine is crooked but I won't admit it... Otherwise the instructions were very easy to follow. There are only a few steps to follow for the tunic. This fabric had no stretch and I had to line up the stripes.

Alterations - I didn't make a facing for the neck band because I had enough trouble attaching one of them. Also, judging by the picture on the envelope i figured the tunic would be way too long for me so I decided to shorten it. When I finally tried it on I realized it was now too short. That's why I added the band at the bottom. I spiced things up with some flounces at the side seams.

Make it again? – I am making it again in a knit, which hopefully will be easier, construction wise. I probably won't put the band at the bottom and make the tunic more blousy or A-line. I liked using bias tape for the neckline and armholes but I'm not sure how that will work with the knit fabric.

DIY - Fringe Necklace

I was inspired by a necklace on the Red Velvet online store that was super cute but beyond my price range. I used felt instead of leather and glued the beads on instead of hand stitching. All in all it took about 1 hour to make, minus glue drying time.

I definitely love the fringe look. Look for another similar necklace or 2 because I am hooked.

...What're You Wearing...

Super cozy comfy day :)

...What're You Wearing...

...What're You Wearing...

This is my paparazzi kissy face. Don't make fun!
(shameless self promotion)This bracelet is listed on my Etsy.

...What're You Wearing...

please ignore my wet/messy morning hair :P

DIY - Girlfriend Wrap Tutorial Review

Today I had a free moment and decided to try out this Girlfriend Wrap Tutorial I came across a few days ago at The Longest Year. This would be perfect for sitting at my desk in the coldest part of the office all day long. To keep it from being so plain (it's just a big rectangle with a slice in it) I picked out a large plaid print and since it's blanket fleece it's incredibly cuddly. This can be found in my previous photos of all the crap I bought last weekend.



Check out the review:

Tutorial – Circle Beaded Necklace Tutorial by Martha Stewart

Ease – 5/5

Difficulties – This couldn't have been easier to make. It's a 36" x 48" piece of fleece with a 20" slice for your neck.

Alterations - I didn't change anything so much as add an embellishment. I stuck on 7 fabric flowers so it wouldn't look like i was wearing a blanket. One has already fallen off though so maybe I need to do something different. Maybe some swirly fabric flowers like I added to my mom's Christmas quilt...

Make it again? – Maybe. I think next time I would have to use a wider piece of fleece so more of my arms are covered. This mostly only keeps my back warm but I still like it. Also next time I would use a thinner fabric, like a jersey, so it would be more flowy and young.

*If I do any anything new to the wrap I'll definitely post some new photos.

This weekend I also learned to watercolor...

DIY - Ruffle Cardi Re-Make

So I couldn't help myself and when cardigans went on sale at New York and Co a few months ago I bought two - a dusty pink and a black one. I'm not going to lie, the pink one is SOOOOO boring. It must have looked far more exciting under the store lights or something because once I got it home I decided that I was never ever going to wear it. Here's a few photos of me in my PJs :)



Not only is the color a little blah but the length is just now what I'm looking for right now. I bought this 1/2 yard of super soft jersey knit in a different shade of greyish-pink in hopes that it would contrast enough without being even more drab. Win! Originally I was going to cut the hem off the cardigan, add a 10" wide gathered strip of the jersey and sew the hem back to the bottom of the jersey. This would in some way hide the fact that I just added 1/2 yard a fabric to the garment. Yeah...maybe not.

Lately I'm obsessed with ruffles and other girly things that I had avoided for the first 14 years of my life. So I decided I would add a series of flounces to the bottom for a cute ruffle effect.

To create the flounce pieces I started with a rectangle. This rectangle is 1/2 the length of the cardigan hem (in this case it was 36" long). Only measure 1/2, this piece will be cut on the fold. Then draw vertical lines every 2 inches or so (I went a little crooked at first. don't eyeball it). Next slash those lines from one end almost to the other, creating a little hinge at the top. Lay some sheets of paper under the slashes and tape the pieces 1/2 inch apart at the end. The piece will make a curved accordion shape.



I wanted the ruffles to be shorter in the back and longer in the front/sides. The longest ruffles is 4" at center back and 7" at front. I wanted the middle ruffle to have a little more oomph so I added even more slashes to it.

Pin all the pieces with the narrowest end at the fold and cut 1 each. I cut mine all out with my rotary cutter to get a nice smooth edge that I wouldn't have to hem or straighten.



Line up the tops of each piece and pin. I had to pin every 2" of so since this knit was so slinky. Baste as close to the edge as possible. Pin the top of the flounce to the hem of the cardigan, right sides up. I did a zigzag stitch across the hem seam.



Sooo....my mom tells me I need to look at the camera and smile more in my photos...Here's a modeling session for you. Be nice!





Sleepy Wally!