Posts Tagged ‘SoleSociety’

Tutorial: Leather Handbound Book

December 20th, 2013

50 Comments

I’ve been kinda stumped with Christmas ideas. But another one came to me! Penelope and I made a few of these for gifts for her to give away. They make the perfect gift for guys or girls, too! Once I got all the supplies together, each book takes about 10 minutes to make. Perfect for mass production, or that little extra handmade touch to your perfect holiday gift.

I’ve styled this purple and liquid gold-leafed leather book in a gift “basket”. Perfect for the young lady needing a respectable purse and purse contents. Details:

Purse: c/o Sole Society (similar)
Scarf: c/o Apricot Lane (similar)
Gloves: H&M (similar)
Book: handmade
Mini clutch: handmade (tutorial here)
Pen (pictured bottom of the post): Noodler’s flex fountain pen

They’re ever so simple to make. I’ve made these with the leather scraps I have on hand (I have a giant overflowing bin full!), but these could easily be made with felt, fabric fused to paper with Heat ‘n Bond. Let’s make one together!

EASY Leather-Bound Pocket Notebook Tutorial

Supplies

8 sheets of paper (resume paper is best, but copy paper will do just fine)
Bone folder (or credit card)
Pencil
X-Acto knife
scissors/rotary cutter
leather lacing (or really thick embroidery thread, waxed)
hole punch
leather
glue
ruler
printable gridded, ruled and blank paper with punch guides (optional)
cover pattern (optional)

Read more to learn how to assembly this easy easy book!

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Sewing!!!!! An Open-Knit Sweater Hoodie

December 12th, 2013

14 Comments

Last week it took a melt down for me to carve some time for selfish sewing. I’ve been really busy with black friday business for I Still Love Calligraphy, prepping for Alt Summit and taking care of kiddos. No complaints though!! We’re flabbergasted at how quickly the calligraphy kits sold out (buying supplies for more kits tomorrow!). Your support has made putting food on the table and a roof over our heads possible. Thank you for keeping us busy!

In addition to being busy, it’s been cold around our neck of the woods. The chill has been anywhere between -14º and 5ºF. Our furnace chugs nearly 24/7. Naturally, if I’m going to sew anything, I’m going to sew something cozy and comfortable.

I found this crochet-like sweater knit several months ago. I can’t remember where, but there were only 3 yards left. I bought all 3. This yardage called my name every day since September, begging to be something warm. It took me until a few weeks ago to figure out how I was going to finish the edges. It’s a really loose knit, so I couldn’t do a blind hem and call it good. It’s also too bulky to use for a cuff. That’s when I found this lightweight oatmeal knit that matched perfectly.

I used the oatmeal for a lining (this hoodie is technically reversible), for the cuffs and the hood. The hood is technically functional, but it works more like a scarf than anything.

The briar sweater pattern fit the bill for this piece. I straightened out the hem at the bottom and raised the neckline at the top. I traced a hoodie I had lying around for the hoodie pattern.

This hoodie took some time to complete since I lined it (sewing both inner and outer tops separately, then connecting them with the hems). I also reconstructed the bottom hem. I originally sewed it too loose and long, making the proportions look bottom-heavy. Reworking that hem wasn’t fun, but I knew I wouldn’t wear it if I didn’t make those changes!

I also sewed the leggings from the block I made back in September (you can get a PDF pattern here, too). They’re made out of a super stretchy brick-patterned ponte knit. They’re really thick, making them more passable as pants than other leggings I’ve made in the past. They’re my new leisure pants. I have enough yardage to make a wiggle dress or some more leggings. Which should it be? Hmmm.

I just love the striped patterning in the texture!! I’ve seen so many great oatmeal/off-white/angora colored sweaters this season, maybe I can fit in with the cool crowd?

What are you wearing non-stop this winter to stay warm?

Outfit details:

glasses: rayban, Target
necklace: c/o Tai Pan Trading
sweater: selfmade
coat: c/o SheInside
leather gold bracelets: me, c/o Sole Society (here)
leggings: selfmade
shoes: c/o Sole Society (similar)

Looking for similar sweaters? Above is a list of similar sweaters for under $45.

Elsewhere: Adventures in Dressmaking

November 21st, 2013

5 Comments

It’s been at least two weeks since I’ve been able to enjoy some un-interrupted sewing time. The only sewing I’ve been able to lately has only involved felt squares to make cases for our gadgets. To say I’m antsy to break out the scissors and fabric would be the understatement of the year. I have an idea for the raddest sweater hoodie, and I want it yesterday.

The fact that I bought the sweetest emerald velvet and it’s just sitting (prewashed!) on my desk is just killer! I’m mostly okay with it. Chris and I have been working our tails on polishing off the finishing touches to I Still Love Calligraphy before Cyber Monday. It’s been brutal, but I’m so excited about the upcoming changes to the site.

Meanwhile, I’m over at Adventures in Dressmaking sharing my favorite handmade outfit for the Holiday season. Click here for the full post.

Outfit details:

earrings: etsy
necklace: c/o Sole Society
top: handmade
cardigan: random boutique ages ago
skirt: handmade
shoes: c/o Sole Society

Also, I’m over at the Curious Calligrapher sharing tips on calligraphy! Click here for the full post.

1 Yard Fabric, 7 Bloggers, My No-Sew Midi Skirt Tutorial

November 7th, 2013

19 Comments

Miriam found this gorgeous floral ikat print at Mood back in May. Immediately there were 7 of us hovering over the yardage to see if we could all snag a piece. Like sharks to chum.

Each of us has made something with our yardage. Check out what these uber talented ladies have made with their yardage (in order of appearance of the photo above):

Merrick, Leanne (hers will come later this month), Miriam, Jen, Andrea, Bethany (not pictured) All joined in.

The idea came that we should all see what we could do with one yard. The idea for a link party was born. And I failed at it miserably.

I love this fabric so much, I want it all over my body at all times. What to make? A dress would showcase the fabric beautifully, but unfortunately the yardage is too short to just use for a simple shift (it shrunk a little in the pre-wash). I could do a raglan dress with the yardage, but I’m not stoked with the patterns I have. I tried to draft a raglan sleeve with my dress form, but the lack of shoulder/arm failed with the muslin test.

Sewing confidence is waning at this point. Also, I’ve been trying to be a good little girl and prioritize business to-dos over blog to dos this week. It’s been hard to get anything done. Do you ever feel so busy that you just freeze up and can’t do a thing? I’m going through that at the moment.

So in a moment of desperation, I made myself a skirt. Sort of. And I didn’t have to commit to sewing or cutting up my precious yardage just yet.

Want to know a secret? I’ve actually done this very thing before. I needed a red skirt, but it was about 5 minutes before church so I grabbed red jersey, wrapped and walked out the door. This works surprisingly well.

Simply wrap and knot. Boom. Done. If you’re looking for a cheap way to make your own mini, midi or maxi skirt and you don’t know anything about sewing machines or knits. . . here you go.

Outfit Details:

top: thrifted
jacket: thrifted
necklace: handmade
earrings: c/o Tai Pan Trading
boots: c/o Sole Society (Kelsa)

Is anyone in the same boat as me? Who else has had a crippling to do list lately?

Above are similar knit skirts (although the print I have is a mystery. I wish I could find it online) for under $35.

Sewing: Leather & Ponte Knit Wiggle Skirt

November 1st, 2013

9 Comments

I’ve had this gorgeous leather since my LA trip in May. I’ve known all along that I’ve wanted to make a leather skirt. After seeing my friend wear a leather and ponte knit blocked skirt, I knew for sure that I wanted to knock it off. Mustering the guts to work out a pattern and actually cut the leather has taken some time, however.

Not having the most confidence in the world, I opted to draft a dart-less pattern from my wiggle skirt block. I borrowed Franciane’s skirt to make sure that the proportions of leather and knit were just right then went to town.

And I was too lazy to make a muslin. Scary. I should’ve done a faux leather for the muslin, because I learned quite a few things along the way. And I messed up in a few spots. Do you see the puckering in the back zip? Yikes.

The knit I had on hand was not quite right. It completely justified a trip to JoAnn to see if they’d have anything remotely close to what I had in mind. Surprise, surprise, they had this lovely (super stretchy with great recovery) ponte-ish knit.

I didn’t need much give since I was planning on a zipper for the waist, but I wanted it to have enough stretch that it would compensate for any fit issues on my part (as I’m no expert pattern drafter). Turns out it was a really great idea on my part. I should’ve cut the skirt a little bit bigger especially in the thighs, but it’s not the end of the world.

The tightness creates of a va-va-voom effect. It’s a little more restricting than my other pencil skirts, but that’s not a problem. This is a dry clean only piece, so I won’t want to wear it while chasing my kids anyway. I will, however be applying nikwax to protect the leather from damage.

I don’t have big hips or thighs, so it really accentuates any hourglass that I may have. I’d say this kind of piece would be great on any body type.

Outfit Details:

earrings: etsy
top: Ruche
skirt: handmade
shoes: c/o Sole Society (willow)

I’m trying something new. Above is a list of similar leather skirts to the one I made. All are under $89. There’s even one for $10 – a great way to see if leather skirts are your style.

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