Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

thank you

~ Etc.

all because of you wonderful readers/voters and the support,
my dress won the dress design contest.
I think I’m more shocked than anyone else,
since the other 14 dresses were stunning and
the other designers did a truly great job.
I knew they were announcing the winners today
but I was so sure I wasn’t going to win
that I didn’t even bother to check.
Then when I checked my email shortly after 6 pm,
sweet Cami commented on my blog congratulating me
for winning the competition.
And that’s how I found out. Thank you for letting me know Cami!
on a side note: I’m grateful for my husband who watched eclipse with me
tonight who groaned and rolled his eyes everytime there were
cheesy parts(which were not as many as I expected! remember
the last movie, “the best present you could ever give me is just
you breathing?”)
but deep inside, i know he wanted to watch it secretly.
“no need to watch it with your girlfriends, i’ll watch it with you.
no really, i’ll watch it with you.”
uh huh jay, uh huh.
but thanks for watching it with me.
here are some pictures from Disney on Ice.

my two silly little girls. i can never get enough of them. k, let me rephrase that, sometimes i want to scream and just be alone for a sec. but most of the time, i can never get enough of them and miss them all the time when they’re not with me.

i made it to the top 15 dress design contest!

~ Etc.

my dress made it to the top 15 for the dress design contest!!!

i can’t believe my dress that i made from an old vintage skirt
even made it to the top 15 because the 14 other designs are
great! but of course i’m so happy and grateful!!!
if you’d like, you can vote for my dress #9 by voting here.
voting ends monday, nov.15th.
thank you for all your support, you guys are awesome!

dress design contest

~ DIY DREAM HOUSE

*this dress won the dress design contest for shabby apple!
thank you for your love and support, it was all because of you!
(and i mean that quiet literally.)

i decided to enter the dress design for Shabby Apple dresses again.
to see my last year’s designs click here.
i didn’t make it to the top 15 last year but it’s the journey that
counts, not the results right? if you don’t win that is. hahaha
but seriously, there’s nothing you lose by trying, you can only
gain experience and wisdom with every dream you pursue i believe.
like remember when i never made it to oprah’s next t.v star? haha.

but the funny thing is, after i designed the dress, i’ve been seeing
the same designs everywhere! is it just me? like this michael kors
dress. a year after i designed it!
does he read my blog? haha jk, i highly doubt that.
but seriously…it’s kind of weird, dont you think?

so here is my design for the contest. i think many of you are familiar…




what if i told you i made this dress from a long vintage skirt? click here to see the before transformation.
one of my very favorite photographer Jessica Peterson took these photographs.

she is simply amazing. check out her website and her blog.
you’ll fall in love just like I have.
i mean who else can make my awkward brace-mouth look decent?
here are more detailed pictures of the pleated design.



my inspiration for the design: this was actually a long vintage skirt(click to see the before)that’s been transformed into a dress. i was just brainstorming on how touse this long skirt to use when i had a sudden idea. so i just went with it, and viola!

color and fabric: vintage white and silk.

DIY pleated dress

~ 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!

Dress design for Shabby Apple dresses

~ Etc.

I’m entering a design contest and I’m very excited. I would like to thank my beautiful and talented friend Gloria for taking her precious time to draw the final piece below. I wish I was as talented so I could’ve drew the whole model and colored the other sketches I did.

This dress is the final pick out of my 3 dresses. It will have 3 color options:a very clean and bright creme color, a moss green or a magenta/violet. It will be 95% cotton with 5% spandex for comfortability and flexibility. I chose this shape of the dress for my 1st and 2nd dress because it appeals to most body shapes and flatters figures. The waist is the skinniest part of the body and emphasizing it with a waist line like this will make any figure look thinner and fabulous. 🙂 The sleeve length is not too short like a short cap sleeve but not too long so that for those conscious of the not-so-toned arms can relax and wear it at ease. The dress comes out in a gentle A-line to emphasize the waist to create a more hour-glass figure. The focal point of the dress is the bust area which has a beautiful unique design that is folded in variety of angles to create a sophisticated look. The dress will be all in a solid color but it will come with an extra sash like shown in the above the picture that has snap closure in the back. So you can either wear it all solid or wear it with the sash for extra color and fun to match it up with accessories. My inspiration for this design came from Jacqueline Kennedy. She always wore beautiful dresses that were a solid color yet fancy and classy.

This dress is beautiful, simple and classy. I love the classy style because it is timeless and appeals to women of all ages. The waist again is placed on the tiniest part of the body, thus creating a most flattering figure. It is 100% cotton so that it can be worn on a dressy occasion like to a wedding with some high heels and fancy jewelry or can be worn casually with some flats or pumps. This dress has pleated pattern in the middle that starts from the neckline down to the bottom of the dress. The dress will have two options for colors: a clean light blue or a bright orange-ish red. My inspiration for this dress came from just thinking what dress would appeal to many women of different ages and to many styles of women.

This one I cannot take credit for the design for I have a dress very similar to it which is where my inspiration is from. But I got so many compliments on the dress and I wished I had one in black, so I might as well add it to my design list. A girl can never have enough black dresses!

The dress is black with lace on top and 95% cotton and 5% spandex on the rest of the dress. The lace top and the dress is all connected, thus a one-piece dress that has a hidden zipper in the back. It is a round neck with a beautiful antique-design lace. I couldn’t quiet draw the lace the way I wanted it to and it looked a lot better in my head. The dress is slim fitting all the way down with a emphasis on the waist and the skirt line hugs the legs a little thus creating a hour-glass looking figure. Match it with some black stilletos for a very polished, sophisticated look.

Which dress do you like?