Hey guys! I’m back over on CraftyChica.com to share a quick and easy holiday DIY. Head on over there to check it out!! Happy Holidays!
xx Meagan
Selena Costume DIY for CraftyChica.com
My October post for CraftyChica.com is up! I made not one but TWO Selena costumes. Head on over there to check out all the details. While your there take a look around, she has tons of amazing posts by an array of talented creators. Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone.
xx Meagan
Sekka Shibori Dress for CraftyChica.com
I’m over on www.CraftyChica.com today sharing an off the shoulder dress I made using tie dye and the Sekka Shibori technique! Go check it out!!
Twisted Tuesdays
Today I’m sharing a look I made for the Twisted Tuesday’s Blog Tour! I was so excited when Laura of Titchy Threads asked me if I wanted to join in on the fun. I’m a big fan of her work, she’s a very talented pattern maker so you can imagine my excitement! For the tour, I had the option of sewing up a Twisted Tank, the Twisted Trousers, or both. Of coarse I chose both!
The amazing thing about these patterns is that they don’t have your usual straight side seam, hence the name Twisted. On the Twisted Tank, there are NO side seams. I was pretty excited to figure out how this was all going to come together.
Genius enough, the seams are cut diagonal across the front and the back. It’s really cool. If that’s not your thing though, there’s also an option for a regular straight cut side seam. There is so much you can do with this pattern. Color blocking, print mixing, even fabric mixing.
I ended up going with an all black jersey fabric, and adding some fringe to the front seam. Sounds easy enough right? Apparently not! Not sure where my brain was while I was cutting the fringe. I for some reason thought it’d be a good idea to cut the fringe diagonally, basically cross grain. This is not the best idea because the fringe ended up spiraling, like a unicorn horn. Sometimes you’ve got to roll with the punches, so I went with it. I think it actually gives it a fun texture! I left the fringe pretty long. I love the way it looks hanging over the pants. When I was trying it on Ava to make sure it fit, she had some denim shorts on and I LOVE the way it looks with them! The fit of the tank is spot on. I made no changes size wise and sewed up a size 5. I see many more of these in our future.
Since the tank top was all black, I knew I wanted something bold to go with it. The Twisted Trousers are impeccably designed. The outer side seam twists towards the front, and the inner seam twists towards the back, so fun right?!
The pattern suggests a bottom weight fabric. I just wasn’t sold on any of my heavy to mid weight fabric choices. Then I remembered that I had some amazing viscose twill from Blackbird Fabrics. It’s very light weight and drapey so it was gonna be a risk.
The trousers feature a ton of details and can pretty much be jeans. Since I was using such a lightweight fabric, I left the back pockets off so they wouldn’t weigh the backside down. I also really wanted to show off the twisted seams, so I added a black mini pom pom trim to the side seams and pocket seams. I used a black ribbed knit for the waistband. That detail might be Ava’s favorite part, it makes the pants super comfy!
Because Ava’s pretty tall for her age, I cut a size 6. I used the size 5 elastic length and it ended up fitting perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed making these pants and love the way they look with the lightweight fabric. The Twisted Tank and Twisted Trousers patterns are both amazing and extremely versatile! Just think of all the different ways you can use them. I highly recommend them both.
Thank you so much Laura for inviting me to participate in the tour, I had so much fun. Don’t forget to check out all the other stops!
Festival Style for CraftyChica.com
I contributed another post for the wonderful Kathy Cano-Murillo of CraftyChica.com today! She’s seriously so awesome, she has her own CRUISE! Yes, a Crafty Chica Art cruise. I mean really, it doesn’t get much better than that. I made a swimsuit and cover up for a bohemian “Kidchella” style look. It’s really fun, go take a look!!
WWW.CRAFTYCHICA.COM
An Iridescent Sequin Birthday Dress
Ava turned 5 on Valentine’s Day! I can hardly believe it. Time definitely flies when you’re having fun. Since she was two, I’ve made her a birthday dress every year and this year was no different. For my creative process, I’m usually inspired by a textile first and then I search for a pattern or shape that would suit the fabric well. I was actually inspired by iridescence in general this time. I did a quick search for iridescent fabric and came across some iridescent sequin variations. The one that caught my eye the most was this one from Mood Fabrics. I knew that fabric would work great and it would have high impact visually! When it arrived I was amazed that the wrong side of the sequins was actually matte white. You could actually “write” on the fabric by flipping parts of it up.
My next decision would be how I could turn this crazy fabric into a cute birthday dress for my five year old. I knew it would have to be a simple silhouette. I mean, I really just wanted a shape that would showcase the fabric and in turn also be practical. I let it marinate a bit, and finally thought, a shift dress would be perfect!
Now that I had an idea about how I’d want the final dress to look, I needed to find a pattern that would get me there. I searched through my pattern collection and came up empty handed. I knew I was going to have to get a little creative here. I’m not sure exactly how I thought of this, but I realized that the Jump Rope Dress pattern by Oliver + S actually had a very similar silhouette to what I wanted. The only problem would be the button placket. After taking a look at the pattern, without the placket it was actually the perfect simple shift dress.
Then, I needed to figure out what kind of opening I could use to compensate for the omitted button placket. I quickly settled on a key hole opening in the back. An easy technique I knew would work perfectly.
At this point, I was ready to start actually constructing the dress. I cut a size 5 of the sequin fabric and the lining fabric, a white satin. My plan of action was actually to fully construct the dress both in sequin and in the lining fabric and then join them at the neckline. That way, it’d be fully lined. It worked perfectly.
I wanted to include a tie of some sort to keep the keyhole closed. At first I thought I’d use a ribbon, but I just wasn’t completely satisfied with that. Then, I remembered I actually had a really pretty magenta colored vintage lace hem tape in my stash waiting to become something great. Bingo! It was perfect. I sandwiched that between the lining and the sequin fabric at the back neckline. It added a little delicacy to it all.
I had such a good time making this dress. There’s something magical about taking pieces of fabric and turning them into something so special. It gets me every time. I think that’s why I’ve stuck with sewing for so long, It’s MAGICAL!
Make sure to follow me on social media for plenty of behind the scenes photos that don’t make it to the blog! xoxo
Blue Velvet
Ava has such a versatile style. Most of the time, I would describe it as feminine or girly. But, she can sure pull off a sporty look pretty well too. I love the way she wears this look. The girl has confidence for days.
With my winnings from the Project Run and Play Denim sew along, I ordered some royal blue stretch velvet. It was super random that I’d choose that out of all there is to choose from on the Michael Levine website, but it spoke to me. So, when it arrived I thought to myself, how amazing would this be as a pair of Mini Hudson Pants?! And that’s what they became. I LOVE the way they turned out. I made them up in a size 5 but added one inch of length since my girl grows like a weed. I used the velvet for all the bands and pocket details. It looks really lux. For the drawstring, I used a black glitter ribbon. I think it adds a fun touch of whimsy. The leopard shirt she’s wearing is a Lunch box Tee. I love this tee pattern. It sews up super quick. I think it took me 45 minutes, if that, from start to finish. A great instant gratification project. I made it in a size 5 with about 3 inches of length added. I got this fabric from a warehouse fabric store we have here in Phoenix. I love it. Under the radar fabric stores are my favorite. I can already tell we’ll get a lot of use out of this. Leopard’s considered a neutral right?! 😉
Valentine’s Cape and Leggings
Today, I have a few things to touch on. YAY! I won the January edition of Project Run and Play! I’m so excited. Thank you to all those who voted for me!! Also, I’m so honored to announce that I’m guest posting over on CraftyChica.com today, the blog of award-winning artist and novelist Kathy Cano-Murillo. She’s amazing!! I made a fun Valenitine’s Inspired look. Hop on over and check it out! www.craftychica.com
Black and White and a Little Vintage
Who doesn’t love a good black and white look? Project Run and Play changed the way they’re doing things this year. It’s different, but it’s a fun change. The challenge for the month is to create a look inspired by a bubble dress tutorial by Alida Makes. I’m loving all the other looks so far! The online sewing community is so fun and supportive! I love every part of it and can definitely say it contributed to my love and affinity for sewing. For my entry, I decided to make a bubble skirt. I used a lightweight Aztec inspired fabric for the skirt. I love a good graphic fabric. It’s pretty versatile. The skirt actually turned out pretty well, I was happy with the amount of bubble-age. I paired the skirt with a black tee from Crazy 8 and a black sparkle tweed Forest Path Cape. I lengthened the cape a little and left off the three front buttons. It’s a fun look, isn’t it? I cant wait to see how else i can style this cape. For her hair, I braided it, I put a bun in it, and I put a vintage Chanel button in it. I simply attached it to some felt and an elastic hair tie. I got this button a few years ago from one of my good friends that owns a vintage shop in Scottsdale. Its called Vintage by Misty, It’s insanely good! If you’re ever in the area, it’s a must see.
Eye See You
Hey guys! Yay, 2nd post of the year! I hope 2015 is treating you well so far! Today, I’m sharing an eye embellished sweater. Is it just me or are there eyes everywhere right now?! I’m obsessed. A little crazy, but a lot of fun.
I used the flashback skinny tee by Made by Rae for the pattern. I needed to size it up so it would fit like a sweater as opposed to a skinny tee. SO I made it in a size 7/8…it’s still sinking in that Ava can fit in that size. She’s FOUR!!! I’m feeling a bit bittersweet about this whole growing up thing. She’ll be five next month. Craziness. Anyway, the sleeves ended up being a touch long, so we decided to roll them up. It worked pretty well visually because the underside of the fabric is black. Speaking of the fabric, I used a white quilted knit from Blackbird Fabric. It’s so lush. Super comfy, I highly recommend.
Now for the embellishments. I used some faceted gems and some pearl beads. Pretty straight forward. Ava was actually pretty excited about it though…the girl loves anything sparkly, glittery or pink. It seemed to fit the bill :). We paired the sweater with some Joe’s jeans and these glorious sunset Vans. I LOVE these shoes. So fun.
That’s pretty much it for today! Have an amazing weekend guys!
Xoxo
Meagan