Posts Tagged ‘Pacsun’

Sewing: Striped Briar Sweater

October 24th, 2013
15 Comments

I organize my fabric in wire bins according to type and color, but in the case of fabric that I’m dying to sew I keep it out in the open. This fabric sat on my cutting table for nearly a year and a half. Such a travesty!

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I bought the fabric on a trip to San Francisco a while back. I fell in love with the weight and texture of this rayon knit. It’s soft, silky, thick with great stretch.

Originally I planned on a wiggle dress for this fabric, but the more I looked at it, the more it felt wrong. At $30 a yard, I only bought a yard of this. My options limited me, but in the end served me well.

I’ve been meaning to try out the Briar sweater from Megan for ages. I’ve also discovered that I’m lacking in long sleeve options for fall and winter.

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The short crop isn’t a design that I would typically gravitate towards. However,  the short bodice allowed for long sleeves!

Sleeves take up a deceivingly amount of fabric. If you ever want to make anything long sleeved, you’d better err on the side of 2 yards. I’m still kicking myself for not buying 2 or three yards of this fabric. But hey, financial responsibility is worth something, right? And I LOVE how this sweater turned out.

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It works perfectly over the few button ups I own, and it will be marvelous over my uber high-waisted skirts. It’s a great piece to challenge my typical shirt-n-pants uniform. And it’s warm. I’m all about keeping warm this winter.

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I didn’t make any modifications to the pattern, I cut an XS exactly. I was thoroughly impressed how quickly and easily I sewed on the arms. The seam goes all the way out to the edge of the shoulder so the ease is minimal. I only used three pins to sew them in!

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Next time I have a little more fabric to spare, I’m definitely making the longer version of this top.

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This outfit was the perfect mom outfit yesterday. I was comfortable all day, felt amazing and looked polished. Perfect for lunching it with my mom, running errands and picking up kids from the bus stop.

Outfit details:

 

 

*I just have to say, these are the most comfortable boots I own, and they have a 2 inch heel! They’re easy to style, easy to walk in and the perfect on-your-feet, on-the-go bootie! I’m a HUGE, HUGE fan of SoleSociety.

Tutorial: Galaxy Print

June 4th, 2013
12 Comments

I’ve noticed that if I can’t do something in my studio (if it makes a huge mess), I rarely muster up the motivation to start it. This was one of those rare occasions. I made this galaxy print from scratch. It was fun and painterly, I think I may actually do it again sometime.

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This fabric was originally a painful juvenile raspberry color. I could have made it work, but it wasn’t me. I had a few items piling up that weren’t quite the right color so I had a dyeing party in my wash room. I didn’t care what colors came out as long as they weren’t the same colors that went in. I threw this knit and a couple of others into the wash with a high concentrate of teal dye and let it do its thing. It was awesome to see how different each piece came out!

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The purple that came out of the dryer was just begging to become a galaxy print. I read a few things on spot dyeing, but just went for it. I ended up having to do it all over again, but I figured it out in the end. It wasn’t terribly time consuming once I figured it out. Full explanation after the jump.

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Sewing up the peplum didn’t take much time at all. I basically used the block I made from my high-low circle dress, but drafted up a new circle piece on the bottom.

I didn’t want the peplum to be too flouncy, so it’s not a full circle. Long explanation short, I used a slash and overlap method I learned from Carrie in a pattern making class I took at Sewing Summit last year. I can provide a full step-by-step tutorial if y’all are interested. Just pipe up in the comments.

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Constructing this top took about an hour and a half. I feel like I’m getting much faster when I use patterns that fit me already. It definitely helps make sewing “cost” less.

Outfit details:

  • necklace: Forever 21
  • top: handmade, hand dyed
  • belt: thrifted
  • pants: Pac Sun
  • shoes: Target

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I’m so happy with how this peplum fits! I think they’re such a flattering silhouette for any body type. At some point Chris and I will add another baby to our family. It’s nice to know I’ll have a few pieces in my wardrobe that will work for the first and fourth trimesters.

Speaking of the awesome pooch-hiding superpowers of peplum tops, I’m over at Über Chic for Cheap sharing the things I’ve learned about dressing a postpartum bod. It’s got some funny illustrations so you’ll want to head over.

Get the instructions how to make your own galaxy print after the jump.

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Sewing for the Weekend

May 30th, 2013
6 Comments

It’s like sewing is my job! This week I’ve made two shirts, a pair of leggings, a skirt and some pajama pants. I’ve certainly kept myself busy because I want to look all cute when I meet up with my sewing gal pals in LA today. If I sew and I’m going to fly to LA to hang out with sewing girls, I have to represent with some new duds. Right?

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I’m just in love with Megan Nielsen’s crescent top, but I wanted something a little simpler and with sleeves. So I mashed up her pattern and my scoop top pattern and this is what I got. I used a rayon jersey for the top and a rayon challis on bottom.

I had just enough of the floral challis left over from the banksia top I made over a year ago I didn’t want to throw it out, but I didn’t have enough to make another top. What do you do with awkwardly large fabric scraps? Save? Toss? Recycle? Donate? I usually recycle, but I loved the print and drape so much I saved it. I’m so glad I did!

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I don’t know why the left tugs in the photo, but it doesn’t appear to do that in real life. Or maybe I just don’t notice it.

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The top was easy enough to construct, the hardest part being the hemming and trying to make that look nice. I did all right. I’m glad I wasn’t hemming a curved jersey. The challis was hard enough.

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With 20+ of us women bombarding the LA fabric district I want to look dressed up, feel comfortable and be ready for anything. Outfit Details:

  • necklace: handmade
  • glasses: coastal
  • top: handmade
  • jeggings: PacSun
  • shoes: Ruche

Fabric-Weekend

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As I’ve mentioned a few times, I’m hitting up the streets of LA through this weekend to stock up on fabric, notions and anything else that strikes my fancy. I’m so excited to be spending time with some wonderful women and to meet and greet lots of great people behind brands I love.

Follow along with all of my finds on Instagram and Seesaw. We will all be using the hashtag #fabricweekend2013.

A few companies are going out of their way to make our trip to LA exciting, I’d like to give each of them a shout out below. jo-ann-mood-michael-levine-ruche
Even though I’m sure to find unique fashion fabric in the warehouses of the fabric district, Jo-Ann always seems to surprise me with their knit prints.

I’ve never been to Mood before – they were closed when I went to NYC almost 3 years ago. I’m excited to finally step foot in one of their stores and go a little Project Runway crazy!

Michael Levine is totally new to me. They sell fabric by the POUND (squeal!) in parts of their bricks and mortar store and they also have an online store with crazy awesome fashion fabrics.

And oh Ruche, I’m so excited to hang at your headquarters for a visit!

 

Refashioned: Bright Green Outerwear

February 7th, 2013
10 Comments
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I’ve had this jacket for ages. It’s part of a skirt suit hand-me-down from my mom. Totally 80s, right? It’s amazing, but it was (until now) much too big. Well, sort of. I’m about the same size my mom was when I was her age, minus the chest and hips. And considering that the style of jacket in the 80s was boxy around the shoulders and roomy around the arms, this did not flatter my frame as much as it did my mom’s. I remember seeing my mom wear this on Sundays and thinking, I have the prettiest mom in the chapel. Every child is biased, but I was still right.

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I actually used to wear this jacket out in high school and college on a semi-regular basis and always on St. Patty’s day. Little known fact – I really wish I had had a fashion blog through my college days, particularly my freshman year. My goal was to never go a day wearing just a tee-shirt and jeans. And I never did. I often work skirts and suits to school and work, and rarely did I ever not wear heels. I was always dressed to the nines with layers and accessories. Often times I wish I could remember all those crazy outfits. So despite me wearing this on a regular basis, I have no photos of me wearing this before my alteration. And I have no idea what happened to the before pictures that I took, either. It’s a real shame.

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Taking in this jacket was about as complicated as taking in this rain coat. When I took in that coat, I just removed the lining and never reattached. This time I wanted to keep the lining intact and proper. I separated the lining where it counted, turned it inside out (it looked like an undescipherable mess) and zipped up the sides. It was easy enough, but I quickly realized that I couldn’t take in any at the armpit because it would either look wonky or I would have to completely deconstruct the coat to take anything in at that point. So I tapered off at the pits. It’s a good thing, too, because it seems to fit perfectly that way anyway.

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You can see my small frame much better with this jacket now than before. Oh did I mention I took out the 3 inch thick shoulder pads? Those pads were beastly! Thank you, 80s.

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It’s a little more kelly green than the pantone of the year, but I’d say it still counts as being on trend for 2013. I’m very happy with my “new” jacket. I’ll be getting even more use out of it now.

Have you ever altered anything with a lining? What kinds of tips can you offer if you have?

Outfit details:

  • scarf: Soel Boutique
  • earrings: H&M
  • top: Kohl’s
  • jacket: hand-me-down
  • jeans: PacSun, refashioned
  • shoes: thrifted

Style: Comfy Shoes

August 20th, 2012
5 Comments

I’ve had these shoes in my closet for some time, and they don’t get as much attention as they should. They’re so comfy.

 

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