Chinese Porcelain Inspired Skirt DIY

And this is it!  My last completed DIY from August before I went back to work.  I'm actually rather surprised I sewed so much that it lasted a whole month and a half before I had posted all of the projects.  The movers / packers are coming tomorrow and pretty soon we'll be saying goodbye to OH and hello to CA.

This fabric reminded me of my blue & white porcelain collection of vases, teapots, and dishes on display in the dining room.  It didn't seem right to make this into a flared skirt, so I opted for a pencil shape with the deep side pleats for tummy hiding.

 

LOFT Button Down Shirt, Peach (old)

LOFT Double Strap Belt (old)

DIY Chinese Porcelain Inspired Skirt

DIY Cameo + Pearls Necklace (original post here)

Balenciaga Money Wallet (added a chain to use as a small clutch, details here)

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel

My husband thought it was strange that I got inspired by dishes, LOL.

Where do you get your inspirations?

Handkerchief Peplum Dress DIY + Mini Tutorial

Have you seen Jean in her white dress?  If you have, you can guess why I all of a sudden wanted one too :)  Shopping for a white sheath can be a bit of a nightmare because I need a dress with the following qualities: must not be see-through, must fit proportions well, must hide tummy, and must be a "deal" of some sort.  That's a tall order, and one unlikely to be filled without a good deal of shopping around, so I went to the fabric store instead.  While searching for a white ponte knit (and getting disappointed by the $13/yd price tag), I found a heavy white knit instead (on crazy sale for $2.50/yd).  It's a little thicker than ponte and a little less stretchy.  Both qualities help in the "hide tummy" camp :)

I started with the white sheath and felt like it needed a little extra something when I finished.  I decided to add a removable handkerchief peplum.

Dress with and without peplum - I prefer the "with" (at least for now)

DIY White Sheath Dress w/ Removable Handkerchief Peplum

Amrita Singh Sag Harbor Necklace, Lapis 

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel
Michael Kors Watch
Hermes & J. Crew Bracelets
Melie Bianco Ariana Bag (giveaway win via Kileen of Cute and Little)

Handkerchief Peplum Tutorial

So how do you make a handkerchief peplum?  Remember my pencil skirt + removable peplum tutorial here?  Follow the same instructions to determine the radius for your waist cut-out.

Cut out that arc and then hem your edges.  Voila, handkerchief peplum!

(Note: Since this fabric was a plain white solid, I folded it into quarters and cut out the waist.  This results in a large square with a circle in the middle.  Simply cut from one edge of your square up to the circle, hem the cut edges, and add closure to get your removable peplum.)

What kind of peplum do you prefer - round, handkerchief, other?

Hearts Aflutter DIY Tie-Neck Blouse

Today's DIY was inspired by Wendy and her J. Crew silk shirt in Heart Throb.  I used to associate hearts with being a little girl, but then saw how chic it could be.  Not sure I pulled it off here, but doesn't hurt to try!  I made this sleeveless in preparation for summer with a little tie-neck for visual interest.  Unfortunately, you can't really see that detail since the print is so busy.  Just shows I didn't learn my lesson from here.

DIY Hearts Aflutter Tie-Neck Blouse

DIY Striped Belt

LOFT Marisa Cuffed Crop Pants (buy here)

Gucci Magenta Wedges

Leather Horsebit Bracelet

Gold Bangles

DIY Pearl Bracelet

Timex + J. Crew Strap

I used Butterick B5464 as the basis for the blouse, but cut the front on the fold and added a small slit.  Blouse is fully lined with a rolled hem.

How do you feel about hearts?

Nautical Peplum Top DIY

When I saw this lighthouse fabric, I was instantly drawn to the nautical vibe of it.  I briefly thought of making this into a skirt but I decided it would be more fun as a peplum top.  I'm also in midst of making a little dress for Baby E in the same fabric :)

Trying to figure out what looks best with it.  Are the red pants too much?

DIY Nautical Peplum Top

DIY Blue Pencil Skirt

New York & Co Slim Crop Pants (slimmed legs for better fit)

Gap Always Skinny Jeans

Melie Bianco Ariana Bag

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel

Frye Joy Vintage Slide

Amrita Singh Sag Harbor Necklace, Lapis (buy here)

LOFT Rhinestone Bracelet

DIY Pearl Bracelet

Hermes Clic H

Timex + J. Crew Strap

DIY Leatherette Bracelet  (refashioned from belt)

On the dress form for a better photo of the silhouette

Used bodice from Simplicity 2444 and peplum (slightly modified) from vintage McCall's 2948

Do you think peplums look better with skirts or pants?

Paisley Fit and Flare Dress DIY

I still have paisley on the brain and found this cotton quilting fabric at Joann's.  This particular print isn't what I had in mind as my holy grail paisley, but I do like it.  I decided to "Frankenstein" some patterns together to get this particular look with a high funnel neck, fitted bodice and flared skirt.

Paisley Dress DIY

Melie Bianco Bag

Old Navy Tassel Necklace

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel

Do you think a necklace can be worn with a funnel neckline?

Close-up of print

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

If you haven't already, there's about a week left to enter my Nautical Bracelet Giveaway :)

Polka Dot Skirt DIY

Still thinking of the J. Crew Elinor dress (fitting room review here), I was delighted to see this blue / white polka dot fabric on sale.  I thought about making my own version of the dress but decided to opt for a skirt instead to pair with various tops.

I'm currently obsessed with green / blue combinations and wanted to give it a try with the resulting skirt.  I fell in love with this blouse when I saw it on Jean here, but went to the store too late to buy it.  One day, I found what must have been a return and snapped it up.  I love the vibrant green!

H&M Double Placket Blouse 

DIY Polka Dot Skirt

DIY 5-Strand Pearls

Banana Republic Pearls / Chain Bracelet

Michael Kors Tortoiseshell Watch

Gucci d'Orsay Pumps, Camel

I'll need to post a better picture of the skirt in the future because you can't really see the box pleats.  I'd also like to play around with different pairings like the gingham / dot combo in this Pinterest image (repinned from Aubrey).

When it comes to dots, do you like pairing them with solids or prints?

Alteration: The Red Pants Experiment

Argh, I had this post all ready to go for Sunday evening and then, inexplicably, all the content was deleted when I hit "publish."

Let me reconstruct this darn thing and try again...

Armed with a coupon for $10 pants (from this post), it was unlikely I would be walking out of the store empty-handed.  I found these red pants and loved the color but the fit left something to be desired.  Size 4 fit my tummy well but then the legs were a bit baggy.  The unfortunate effect of baggy pants plus tapered legs was a pear-shaped nightmare.  I decided to take them home for some DIY slimming to "fix" the silhouette.  Aside from hemming, I've never really worked with pants so I was a little nervous about it.  Thankfully, simply slimming it along the inseam gave it the straighter, more-slender shape I wanted.

New York & Company 7th Avenue Sateen Slim Crop, Yelling Red, $10, orig. $43 (buy here)

I wasn't quite sure what to wear with them so I first tried my trusty stripes.

Top 1: Old Navy Tee (old)

Necklace 1: H&M Turquoise Necklace (old)

Top 2: Ann Taylor Starlight Stripe Sweater, XS (buy here)

Necklace 2: J. Crew Resin & Chain (old)

Belt:  Lands' End Canvas Rope Belt (old)

Shoes:  Gucci d'Orsay Pump, Camel (old)

Watch:  Timex face + J. Crew strap (original post here)

Then thought maybe an analogous color combination?  I wanted to try orange with it but the only oranges I had were too close to this shade of red and ultimately made me look like one giant fireball.  I decided to try peach instead. 

And added a deep purple inspired by this J. Crew image I pinned.

Shirt & Cardigan: LOFT (old)

Closer view of accessories

Horsebit Bracelet (purchased here but no longer see online)

Target Chain / Rhinestone Bracelet, $17 - reminds me a little of the J. Crew pave link bracelet

Amrita Singh Cannes Ring (buy here)

How would you wear red pants?

Spring-minded: Brocade Skirt DIY

The weather is a bit wishy-washy lately.  Last week was in the fifties and the shrubs were starting to bud.  This week there's snow on the ground.  Well, in the spirit of 50 degree weather, I made this simple A-line brocade skirt in a lovely light gold with fuchsia paisley accents.  To make it girly, but hopefully not way over the top, I paired it with a peach blossom top, fuchsia flats, and a "tough" olive green military-style cropped jacket.

Isn't the print lovely?

Top: LOFT (old)

Jacket:  LOFT (old)

Skirt:  DIY Brocade 

Belt:  J. Crew, Coral

Shoes:  Gucci

Next on the DIY list: hi-lo skirt, handkerchief skirt, wrap skirt, fit & flare dress, and peplum dress (or top).  I've been feeling inspired and have been pinning away like a mad woman :)  If you're curious, you can find my pins here.

What are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

45 Min. Colorblocked T-Shirt Dress DIY Tutorial

After seeing this Petit Bateau t-shirt dress in the pages of In Style, I became inspired to do a variation of my colorblocked maxi dress.  And this one went by much quicker, only 45 minutes from beginning to end!  The great thing about this is that you don't have to do any hemming / making sleeves / finishing the collar because you're using all pre-existing materials that come with these components finished!

Petit Bateau Short-Sleeved Tee Dress (currently sold out, but see link here)	My DIY version - Aqua, Pink Coral, and Black

See tutorial after the jump:

Sewing a Bright Summery DIY Dress

Though summer hasn't officially started yet, the temps have hit 90+ degrees already for the past week or so.  Last week, the office suffered an AC snafu resulting in a ridiculously stuffy and hot building (well, at least for me) thus prompting me to think that I need many more flowy sun dresses for my wardrobe :P

I found this cute, sheer floral at Joann's and thought it would make a perfect dress option.  I've been having luck lately at Joann's - especially when I head to one specific location with an incredibly well-organized and well-stocked clearance section.  You know I love a good deal!

Dress:  DIY Bright Floral Sun Dress

Belt:  Old Navy Bronze Bow Belt in Croc Print

Shoes:  Gucci d'Orsay Camel Pumps

The dress actually uses the same pattern (McCall's M5654 View B) as this one below but the straps are in a different configuration:

 

I love that this pattern provides a fitted top portion with a flowy bottom that can be left alone or belted.  Do you ever buy/make the same item in different colors and variations?

My Favorite OOPS DIY Dress

When I set out to make this dress, I was envisioning a slim cowl tube dress in a light gray color.  What I wound up with was an asymmetrical split collar A-line dress in dark gray ponte knit.  I do think the color is too severe for summer and the general style looks more fall / winter but ultimately I like how this turned out.  The challenge will be how to alter this into a post-pregnancy dress but I'll worry about that later ;)

Dress:  DIY

Belt:  Ann Taylor Reptile Patterned Belt

Necklace:  Ann Taylor Silver Rhinestone Necklace

Pin:  Rhinestone Tree

Shoes:  Gucci d'Orsay Camel Pumps

A closer view of the pin - I love the pop of "bling" this adds!

What do you think of this "oops" dress?

Mad Men Inspired DIY Dress

One of my favorite shows as of late is Mad Men.  I joined this bandwagon a little late and am now in the middle of season 4.  Their style is so beautiful and every episode is filled with fashion eye candy.  I love the feminine shapes, cinched waists, and modest flared skirts.

I know it's a little early for something so spring-like but I am aching for warmer weather and all the magazines are now covering spring looks.  Call me impressionable, but it made me instantly crave florals.  This dress was supposed to be a halter but I prefer more of a full-coverage style (esp. since I want to wear this to work) so I mimicked the front for the back as well.  It also features a wide waistband and a full, below-the-knee length skirt.

What do you think?  Do you get a Mad Men vibe?

Floral Dress: DIY

Necklace: DIY Triple Strand Pearls, available here

Shoes: Gucci Embossed d'Orsay Pump, Camel

Sewing Challenge: Paisley Sheath Dress

Ever since I saw Jean of Extra Petite in this J. Crew Paisley Dress, I've wanted my own version of a paisley sheath.  This one utilizes a gold/black paisley print brocade from Joann's and Butterick pattern B5314 - B.  You can't tell in the photo but I actually raised the hemline a teeny, tiny bit from my below the knee standard.  It is now mid-knee LOL.  Baby steps!

Dress: DIY

Obi Belt: The Limited (old)

Necklace: Gold Chain, Banana Republic (old)

Shoes: Gucci Embossed d'Orsay Pump, Camel

Now time for the question of the day - what is the best way to winterize this look?  What color cardi / tights / shoes?  Basic blacks or something different?

A close-up to show the gold/black paisley print

 

My new dress form is here!

On the left, we have my old dress form (rigid) and on the right is my new one (pinnable).

I love my new dress form so much!  She has much more realistic proportions (the old one is so Barbie!) with a longer torso like me, has a more stable base, can be shortened to my height (the height here is 5'2" but I've since raised her 2" to reflect me + heels), has a prettier neck block, and is pinnable.  I am so excited to try draping on her!