SEWING Archives | Page 28 of 31

Anthro-one after another cardi DIY

September 29, 2010~ SEWING

my inspiration: one after another cardi from anthropologie.

in my closet i found:

a cardigan from express I got about 10 yrs. ago.

and a sweater dress that shrunk and is too short to wear.

1. the bottom part of the dress is ribbed and and the top part is plain
so i cut about eight of 8″x5.5″ rectangles from both fabrics, totaling 16 rectangles.

2. to make the ruffles, use stitch length 5 and sew it across the length,
then pull one strong to cause the ruffle effect.

3. it should look like this

4. start from the bottom and put one rectangle on top
of the cardigan horizontally. then sew it across.

5. place another rectangle above the previous rectangle,
just high enough to cover the seams.

*i used ribbed fabric first, then the plain fabric over it and so forth.

6. also, some rectangles i sewed, i folded down the top part
so the stripes won’t be all exactly the same width apart like the anthro one
but some are same widths and some are closer together.

i think it makes it unpredictable thus more edgy. 😉

the after:

if you can tell, the left side is more ruffled than the right side.
this is because i couldn’t decide on which i liked more!
so i did both sides to see which i liked best. and i still can’t decide!
i’m usually not indecisive with my sewing and know exactly how
i want it, but this has been so hard!

so the question is: which side do you like more?
or do you like it the way it is?

i saved over $100!

DIY pleated dress

September 20, 2010~ SEWING

I’m in love with pleats. So I was ecstatic to find this when I was rummaging through my mom’s closet.

a white pleated skirt!

My mom’s out of the country for 6 months so I’m just hoping she won’t notice it missing when she returns.

I’m so kidding! I found this in the “old” clothes pile where she no longer wears it. But mom, if you had changed your mind, I’m sorry…. you can borrow it anytime? 😉

the after:

Now, I knew you would ask for a tutorial so here it is. You’ll be surprised at how simple it is!

Directions:

1. Put the skirt over your head. The elastic waist part will go around your neck. To know how far along to cut the horizontal lines(for the sleeves), mark where you want the sleeves to end. Mine is about 2-3 inches above my elbows. To know how far along to start the vertical lines, pinch the sides of the skirt to where your waist ends, and mark it, while making sure the pleats are not stretched out. Leave an extra inch or two on each sides and mark it. That’s where you’ll start cutting the skirt vertically.

2. Flip it inside out and sew the vertical lines on both sides. Cut off the extra fabric.

3. Use fray check on the seam of the sleeves.

That’s it! It’s easy as 1,2,3! You just pull it over your head and you’re ready to go. I made the belt using the extra fabric I cut. Or you can use a belt you already have.

the necklace I made here.

Here are better photographs of the dress taken by Jessica Peterson. These pictures were submitted to the dress design contest for Shabby Apple, and I won the contest! For winning the contest, they have manufactured my designs and are now sold at their online store. *update: they are sold out and no longer sell the dresses.

Now go see if you have any old skirts you can transform!

Estimated time: 30 mins.

Budget: $4

Skill level: very beginner

FAQ’s

Q: How did you make the neckline?

A: I didn’t! I left it just as it is. The elastic waist just fell nicely around my shoulders so I didn’t change it.Q: What kind of lining does the skirt have? Does it have a lining?
A. No, it doesn’t have a lining. You’ll need to wear something underneath like a slip because when you hold up your arms, it will show a huge chunk of your sides. I wear a spaghetti strap tank dress under it that’s similar to a slip.

Q: It looks too good to be true. I wonder about the waistband and how it lays so perfect. What size skirt would I buy?
A: More important than the size of the skirt, I would first try on the dress around my neck and see how the waistband falls around your shoulders and neck. If it falls nicely, no need to change anything. If it’s too loose, you can sew one side of the skirt smaller(no need to sew two sides since the elastic waistband pleated skirt has no center/sides/back really. If it’s too tight, find another skirt.

Q: How long was the skirt when you started?
A: It hit my ankle bones when I had the skirt on regular. You’ll need an ankle length or longer to have the outcome as shown above. If you don’t mind the length shorter, go for it! I think it’ll be adorable shorter.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask me in the comments section or at sarahtyau at gmail dot com!

DIY-J.Crew crepe myrtle cardigan

August 31, 2010~ SEWING

inspiration: crepe myrtle cardigan from J.Crew

before: a cardigan from express from 7+ yrs. ago.
it used to be a white and silk/cashmere
but I didn’t dry clean so it turned cream. oops!

a tie from a cardigan i don’t use.

cut a hole, make ties and put it through.

then i sewed the ties securely.

and after:

saved over $160!

DIY-how to make a twist-top

August 23, 2010~ SEWING

inspiration this week was this shirt from Anthropologie.

I bought this shirt from wal-mart for $4 in XXL.

HOWEVER, I thought I would never say this but I think I’m done with ruffles. GASP, I know I know, I’m a ruffle queen and i still love them and will still wear them, but after owning 15+ items with ruffles on it, I think I quenched my thirst for ruffles. for now at least. 😉

so my newest craving? knots and twists.

I seperated the front and back

traced out a pattern

and twisted it using this how-to video I found. it’ll also show you the pattern.

and the result:

I sewed the back on and made the sleeves.

now that i got the twist top done away, the ruffled top does look pretty cute…

maybe i’ll make one later. ^ ^ ah, girls. we can never have enough clothes right?

DIY- Knotted Tee

August 9, 2010~ SEWING

I made a simple knotted tee using this plain gray t-shirt I had.
I cut the neckline of the shirt into a bigger roundneck and cut the shirt all the way down on the middle-left of the shirt. Then I knotted the top part of the two sides and sewed the knotted part from the inside. (I tucked the knotted part inside the shirt.) *note: when knotting, it’s more like twisting one side around and under the other side while the other side doesn’t really move except just bunching it up.)
and after…