Sunday, April 21, 2013

Scattered Flowers DIY Top Tutorial

I made this nude top a couple of weeks ago and pondered different embellishments options for a while.  I ultimately decided on a scattered floral motif.

Experimenting...

Difficulty:  Embellishing - easy, Top - average
Time:  1 hour to embellish, ~1.5 hours for the top

Materials:
  • Existing DIY'ed Top (DIY instructions here)
  • Silk flowers (I should probably note that I'm not sure how this will behave in the washer.  I'm guessing it will be fine in gentle wash with cold water, but I won't toss it in the dryer.)
What to do:
1.  Pluck the flowers off of the stem
2.  Lay out your general flower design and mark it (I use chalk) like the first photo.  Add a few stitches to the center of each flower and backstitch to secure.
3.  Follow Step 2 for all of your flowers and you'll wind up like #3 pictured above.  Snip off the extraneous threads from the front and back.

I wound up liking the semi-ruched look, so kept the back stitches intact on one shoulder :)

Scattered Flowers DIY Top
Polka Dot Skirt DIY (original post here)
Basketweave Crossbody from HK
Talbots Sandals

13 comments:

  1. I like the simplicity of this. I've wanted to make something similar for a while but the thought of handmaking flowers kept me from it; I never thought to use silk flowers! I can't wait to try this myself.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Maybe try tossing a silk flower into the wash to see what happens? I probably should have done that before this project :P

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  2. This is gorgeous--what a great idea to use silk flowers! I am thinking I might try something like this for my Kentucky Derby dress (to match my hat, of course!). Thanks for the inspiration!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Tam! Would love to see your Kentucky Derby ensemble!

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  3. I think a few years ago J.Crew had a dress with scattered flowers in the same scheme as yours. The colors matched, so it was kind of hard to make out that they're flowers unless you looked up close. I also found a tank from Talbots a few months later, but after washing it a few times, the flowers looked like wrinkly ruffles, haha. Always a fan of your DIYs, S!

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    Replies
    1. Good thing I only gingerly / infrequently wash clothes (um, sorry, I know that sounds gross). Hoping that makes it better or else no harm done, can always stitch new ones on :)

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  4. i love them both! definitely does have a jcrew vibe. i don't remember seeing the nude one before, maybe i missed that post?

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  5. gorgeous! i can't pick a favourite. you always have the best ideas!

    xo P

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  6. That is cute! I saw something similar in Ann Taylor this week and literally laughed at the price tag :P Love your version.

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  7. Such a pretty top! Love your new basketweave purse, too.

    Enjoying catching up on your posts...I am getting pretty hungry looking at all the food. :)

    The Hong Kong bargaining one was interesting! Glad to hear they are cracking down on items being passed off as the real thing. Never liked stealing intellectual property. :) You got some great deals! I am awful with trying to talk someone into lowering a price! But I will keep your tips in mind. :)

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I'm the type of gal who gets giddy when I receive mail - it's no different with comments! I really appreciate the feedback and love hearing from you :)

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