Posts Tagged ‘Forever 21’

Letter Lover Calligraphy + 30 % Off Silhouette Promo

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Chris keeps asking me why I’m going to such great lengths on preparations for Alt Summit. He’s very supportive; buying me more decal material when I mess up the one sheet I have, meeting with one of my friends to pick up the surprise for this year’s business card (still not done) and feeding kids while I’m sewing and lettering like a maniac.

As I was planning my outfits, I decided I needed to do another printed shirt as a “resume” of what  I can do (see last year’s). I was trying to come up with something cheeky like “this is what a calligrapher looks like”. Alas pretty words, not clever ones, are my expertise. So I opted for a simple “Letter Lover” in the shape of a heart. A nod to Megan’s brilliant heart sweater.

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I struggled to figure out if I should go with a black decal or go blingy with a shimmery metallic. The metallic won out.

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I’m loving the mixed metallics trend I’ve seen pop up here and there, so I decided I need to roll with that next week. This will be part of my Wednesday outfits at Alt Summit. I can’t wait to go! Oh wait! I can! There’s so much to do! I haven’t even started printing my business cards (letterpress plates coming tomorrow!).

Yesterday, I designed and finished this shirt, sewed another shirt and tie dye skinny jeans from scratch. All that’s left are cards, signage, one shirt and two skirts! Totally doable in 7 days.

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As I was working on the design for this sweatshirt, I was thinking about the actual time it takes me to write a post like this. Just an FYI (since we’re all about blogging and prep work at the moment), here’s the breakdown:

  • drafting and designing the decal: 90 minutes
  • cutting and ironing: 30 minutes
  • minor fixes to the fit of the sweatshirt: 5 minutes
  • hair, make-up and styling: 60 minutes
  • shooting and editing photos: 30 minutes
  • writing the post: 30 minutes

That’s just over 4 hours for one of my smaller posts (no tutorials included). I’d like to get faster in these processes, but I don’t know how much faster I could really get sometimes. Blogging just takes a lot of time. I still love it anyway.

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Outfit details:

 

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Also, Silhouette is offering 30% most items in their shop. This basically applies to supplies and extras like heat transfer and vinyl (my two favorites), stamps and more. Use code MELISSA at check out for the discount. Click here to shopThe 30% discount does NOT apply to the machines, gift cards, $10/$25 download cards, shapes, out of stock items or subscriptions. 

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I am a Silhouette affiliate. I wouldn’t blog about their products unless I really loved them. And I do. I receive a portion of sales made with the promotional code MELISSA, so thank you for your support!!

Sewing: Sporty Maxi Dress with Leather Details

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I didn’t initially plan on making this dress. It happened as I went along. I was hoping to use a knee-length version of this pattern for my ikat fabric.

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Before cutting up the precious yardage, I wanted to test out my vision. I’m glad I did! I love how this dress turned out with the fabric I used, but I don’t think it would’ve made a good fit for my Mood yardage. I’m still trying to figure out my plans for that fabric.

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I used a basic t-shirt block, and cut just above the bust line for an overlapped v-neck with leather piping at the seam. It turned out to be a really nice subtle detail, but if I were to do it again (and I just might), I think I’d create a slight curve to the line so it hits at a more natural spot at my under-arms.

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The fabric itself is a soft knit with silver bumpy dots on it. The texture is really neat, actually. The thin knit is quite stable and opaque as well. I’ve mentioned my need for long sleeves this winter, but I decided that I’d much rather layer sweaters with this dress than tights. I love how it looks with this chunky knit sweater.

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It’s been a really warm fall this year, so it’s been fun to be able to wear long skirts and dresses while out and about.

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Outfit details:

  • earrings: etsy
  • necklace: H&M, Cambria Cove
  • dress: handmade
  • scarf: hand-me-down
  • sweater: c/o SheInside (here)
  • shoes: Forever 21

Check out above for similar grey maxi dresses.

Handmade: Polka Dot Top and Self Drafted Leggings

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Two classes I took at Sewing Summit this year was how to make a basic woven tee and drafting leggings from your own measurements. It was great to take the time and draft and cut out the pattern pieces for these babies. Unfortunately, the machine kept eating the delicate polka dot fabric, so I left the sewing for my serger at home.

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The top is Jessica’s Simple Blouse top (pattern coming soon). I wanted it to drape a lot so I used a lightweight rayon woven I scored in L.A.. As mentioned before, it was tough to sew on a machine I wasn’t familiar with. They were incredibly nice machines (the price of a reasonably priced car *cough, cough*), but the functions were waaaay too complicated for me to configure in the time we had to sew. Nice thing was, I had all of the markings and fabric cut out, so sewing it up was a breeze by the time I got to it!

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I cut my pattern longer in the front and the back for a perfect-for-leggings (aka CYA) top. The fit is a little big in the hips. I was going to change it, my laziness and the boxy top trend is winning out at the moment.

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The sheer top is making me wish I had sewn this baby up during the summer. At least I’ll be prepared with more seasonably appropriate clothes next summer!

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Drafting the leggings weren’t nearly as complicated as I thought when Miranda posted her how-to draft a leggings pattern on her blog. We took it one step at a time. Before I knew it I had a perfect block of my leg that I could use as a pattern for leggings! They fit perfectlybut I didn’t draft a high enough rise in the back. It’s an easy-enough fix. Now that I have the perfect draft for leggings, you better believe I’m going hog wild making pants this winter. 

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If I saw this shirt on the rack at a clothing store, I probably would have passed it up for something with more design elements. It’s given me new insight as to what things I could be making and wearing. I know I’ll get a ton of use out of this basic top.

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I’m not sure if this blue is my color, but I’m loving the way it pairs with the black pin-dots.

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Outfit Details

  • necklace: Forever 21
  • blazer: c/o Sheinside (here)
  • top: handmade
  • leggings: handmade
  • shoes: thrifted

What’s your absolute favorite basic right now? Leggings? Tees?

Sewing Harem Pants – Out of My Comfort Zone

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Confidence is key when wearing anything beyond just jeans and a tee. That confidence has waxed and waned in the last few years. But mostly waned.

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I also have ridiculous fit and texture sensitivities which makes branching out into atypical silhouettes really hard for me. But I really want to give harem pants a try. And I did this week. I’m still deciding if I love or hate them.

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I guess they’re growing on me. I’ve worn them mostly all day. At least the fabric is awesome.

Like super awesome. I wish I had made these in the thick of summer when it was super hot. I got this fabric in LA’s fabric district. There’s a black/pink colorway version available here.

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I nearly asked Chris, “Do these pants make my butt look fat?” before realizing it’s a question that should never be asked. By anyone. Ever.

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There’s a disconnect between how I feel they look and what I see in the mirror (and these photos). And I want to get over that disconnect and feel confident in them all the time.

Do you have any pieces in your closet like that?

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Outfit details:

Click to read more about the sewing process (warts and all. I mean all warts).

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Draw It Sew It: Chiffon Raglan Tee

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This week the summer colors won out. Again, it seemed to be split almost down the middle. It was a tough decision, though. I couldn’t decide which one I was rooting for.

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So I made both. I didn’t initially intend on making both, it just happened that way. Just as I was cutting fabric, I realized that I didn’t have enough pink fabric to make the top. BUMMER!!

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I had some left over orange fabric from my circle dress so I was able to cut out a back piece from it. Good thing there’s both orange and pink in the chiffon fabric! It was a pretty easy fix.

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Do I feel a little shame for how this shirt inspiration came about? Yes. I’ll tell you why. I’ve wanted to make a raglan tee for a long time. I think they’d be easier to sew than regular tee shirts (no inset sleeves, and I’m right on this point). I just have been either too lazy or too cheap to buy a pattern.

At church a few weeks ago, my neighbor was wearing a very cute raglan tee with chiffon shoulders. I loved how it looked on her; a bit slouchy but perfect for sunday dress. After I complimented her on how awesome she looked, she offered to let me borrow the shirt so I could copy the pattern. And copy I did. It’s an American Eagle shirt that I straight up duped. I know, I know. Y’all can judge me. At least I’m not selling them. You can just buy them straight from the source.

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There are a few details that AE didn’t do on theirs – they didn’t use a floral print and they didn’t do my favorite curved hem. I love how curved hems hit my hips.

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Unfortunately, both the pink and orange fabrics are pretty stiff, creating more of a boxy look for this top. Since I have a straight figure, I just don’t think it flatters that much. I might try to take in the sides at some point, but I thought I would leave it as is for comparison sake.

Outfit Details:

  • necklace: Forever 21
  • top: handmade
  • bracelet: Wet Seal (eeons ago)
  • jeans: TJ Maxx
  • shoes: H&M

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Because I made both. I used the same pattern here (although I did lengthen the sleeves just a bit on this one), just different fabric. This jersey has great drape.

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I’m still undecided as to which one I like better. I think this one is a little more versatile and goes better with my coloring than the other one. I’m more of a fall personality anyway.

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Make yourself a similar top! Raglan PatternDrapey JerseyPrint Chiffon

Outfit Details:

  • cement earrings: c/o Ardor
  • top: handmade
  • bracelet: wet seal (eeyons ago)
  • pants: Target
  • shoes: thrifted (from Sarah)

@melissapher: What should I sew next? #fashion #style #sewing #diy

 

If the decision isn’t coming up for you, hit shift command (control) r to hard refresh, or click on the image to take you to the decision on Seesaw’s website.

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