First Sewing Project

So, I promised pictures of my sewing progress. This is actually the first thing I completed and I have to say, it doesn't look all that terrible! It's a purple and black snake print skirt I made for my mother. She allowed me to take a picture but she wouldn't allow me to show her face. lol It looks kind of blue in the first picture, but you can see the true color in the 2nd picture. Might I also add that I made this with no pattern? Pretty proud of that fact, I must admit!

Anyways, this is my first completed sewing project! Yay, me. I have several others done as well, but haven't taken any pictures as of yet. I'm so excited to actually be learning to make clothes that don't fall apart the first time they are washed. Only simple things so far though... I seriously doubt Project Runway will be calling me anytime soon. :)

Sewing for Beginners

So for about the 500th time, I've decided to tackle the task of learning how to sew. Beyond a few basics I learned back in the day with my grandmother, I really don't know what to do! I've sewn a lot of extras onto clothes (ribbons, trims, etc) but I've never been able to follow a pattern and actually make a piece of clothing that was wearable. The closest I came one time was when I laid a dress on some material, traced around it, then cut two identical pieces of material out and sewed them together. Surprisingly, it didn't turn out that horrible! The dress looked ok, but the collar did not- I was forced to wear a jacket all the time to cover up the crooked neck. :)
Oh well... moving on.

I am notorious for getting super excited and buying everything I need to learn a new hobby. I try it... fail... try again... fail again... and then give up. My house is filled with the remnants of various crafts, drawing books, sewing materials, etc, etc, etc. Since this give-up attitude is ridiculous (and very immature for someone of 28 years of age), I decided to tackle sewing AGAIN. But this time, I've committed to follow through!

Guess what??? I'm actually doing it! I've made 4 skirts so far and am working on a shirt! What's more is I'm actually really enjoying it. Whats has brought about this amazing change? My new book Sew Step by Step by Alison Smith. It has over 200 essential techniques for beginners, from threading a needle to sewing ruffles. The reason I love this book is because it is has clear, color photographs to demonstrate every technique and tip. I'm really learning a lot and even though I'm not a professional yet, at least my clothes are not falling apart! :)

Pictures to follow soon! In the meantime, challenge yourself and learn a new hobby. If sewing and design is something you would love, check out the Sew Step by Step book by Alison Smith. I got mine for $16 at Barnes and Noble but it is also available here on Amazon for the great price of $10.

DIY: Tie-Dye Tanks

Normally tie-dye shirts make me think of 70's day during school spirit weeks, but these tie-dye tanks are low-key and not too bright! They are super easy to make and look great during summer. Wear them alone or layer them under a jacket to transition into fall! Plus, it is a fun, cheap project- one pack of dye is usually just about $3.

Step 1: Make sure you start with a wet garment. You will need to fully immerse your garment in water and then ring out the excess.

Step 2: There are a lot of dyes and methods you can use. I like to use a powder dye like the ones available from Rit Dye. Start by filling your washing machine with hot water. Dissolve the powder in a small bit of water and then add to the washing machine. Mix well.

Step 3: Add wet garment to the washer. Set the washer to an extended wash- the garment needs to be in the dye for at least 30 minutes before letting it go through the rinse cycle with cold water.

Step 4: Remove garment, take off rubberbands if doing a tie-dye method and hang to dry. Darker garments may need to be washed before wearing. Enjoy your newly colored garment!


Tie-Dye Methods:

1) The olive green tank in the picture started off as a plain white tank. To get the one circle pattern, pinch a bit of fabric in the middle and pick it up. Twist the fabric as you would a mop (the less material you twist, the smaller the circle). Once it it twisted, fold the twist in half and secure with a rubberband. Follow the directions above. Remove rubberbands before hanging the tank to dry.

2) To get a design similar to the white and blue camisole, twist the entire shirt as you would a mop. Once it is twisted VERY tightly, fold the twist in half and secure with rubber bands towards the bottom. The material you leave hanging lose below the rubber band will give you the solid color on top and bottom of the camisole. If you want more solid color and less tie-dye pattern, simply adjust the rubber bands to allow more fabric to hang loosely. Wash as directed and remove rubberbands before drying.

3) For the blue and gray tank on the right, simply start with a gray tank instead of white and use blue dye. Follow the instructions for the first pattern and just vary the size of the circles by doing some small twists and some large ones. Wash as directed and remove the rubberbands before drying!

4) Experiment with various patterns and methods. For more ideas, check out these different tie-dye projects.

How to Salvage a Stained Shirt

How many of you have favorite tees or shirts that have gotten stained right on the front, yet you just can't bring yourself to throw it away? You can't hide it under a jacket or coat because the stain shows blaringly on the front- a testament to your messy eating habits. Well that's true in my case at least.

One of my favorites in particular is a super soft, white t-shirt from Kohls that fits perfectly. It doesn't cling and doesn't lose it's shape, no matter how often I wear it! So imagine my distress when drinking my coffee, I was distracted by some major love drama between 2 young people and spilled coffee all down the front of my shirt! *sigh* I suppose it serves me right for being nosy and listening to their drama. Although, they must not have been concerned about privacy since they were playing out said drama in the middle of Starbucks! Anwyays.. moving on.

No matter how hard I scrubbed or how many times I sent it round the wash cycle with a double load of Oxy Clean, the stubborn stain stayed! Therefore, I had an idea! Why not use extra material and accents to cover the stain and create a cute, one of a kind t-shirt in the process?

And so, good people, using a few basic supplies I was able to salvage my favorite tee and make it into something unique within a matter of minutes. And since I was pleased with the results, I thought I would share the how-to on this DIY project!

Here's what you'll need:

1 t-shirt (stained or not... your preference!)
scrap of colorful material
accents (such as strand of sequins, etc)
scissors
pins
stitch-witchery (a.k.a. the best invention ever known to man)





1) Start off by ironing your shirt. Cut the material to the desired width. I chose to cut my material to about 7 inches wide and lay it from my neckline to the hem of the shirt. I was hoping the long pattern would draw attention down the one, skinny strip in the middle and create the appearance of a long, lean center. (Stop laughing, please. It actually did make it flattering, though long and lean are still not 2 words you would use to describe my body.)

2)Next, line up the material along the hem and pin in place if necessary. This will give you an even base from which to pull and stretch the material tightly along the sides. Using a long strip of Stitch Witchery, iron the material flush with the hem. If you've never used Stitch Witchery, it's really simple and cheap. Just follow the directions on the package. As you iron, remove the pins from the material.

3) Follow the directions above for ONE of the sides of the material. Leave it plenty long around the neckline.

4)Pinning the other side, start trimming the extra material around the neck. If you are using a v-neck tee, make one long cut towards the V. Then fold the excess material around to the inside of the neck. Pin and then turn inside out. Proceed in using the Stitch Witchery to "sew" the material into the neck of the shirt.

5) Once the bottom, side and neck are complete, then you can move on to the last side of material. Stretch it tight so you lose any wrinkles in the material. (Hint: don't use cotton on cotton, it sticks to badly and is hard to pull tight.) Once it is in place, iron it shut with the Stitch Witchery. (isn't that fun to say? lol)

6) You should have a long, rectangular piece of material now attached from neck to hem. Using your accents (I used long strips of oversized sequins) you can attach those down the sides of the material. It also will help cover any wonky lines in the material you might have gotten as you ironed it down. Use Stitch Witchery for this too. Make sure to let the towel cool and use caution when peeling it off. The sequins can stick to the towel and you don't want to pull them off as you lift the towel.

7) NOTE: When ironing on sequins or anything plastic, fold a thick kitchen towel in two and hold over the sequins as you iron. Since they are so thin, you will only need to hold the iron in place for a few seconds. This will help the sequins be attached but they wont' melt or lose their shape. HOWEVER... if you want to create a slightly different look, don't double the towel and let the iron sit there for a good 15 minutes. It helps the sequins melt and mold together, creating almost a shiny, rubber affect. And I totally did NOT find that out by accident when I got distracted and left the iron on for too long. *clears throat*




Hmmm... since my pants are on fire (liar, liar) I will confess and say I did in fact slightly melt one small group of sequins. But I liked how it looked, so I melted them some more and proceeded to do it the all the rest of them as well. And I really think it looks cool and unique. Plus since I'm constantly snagging my clothes, now I dont have to worry about one stray sequin popping off or anything when I run into something. Which I most undoubtedly will at some point when wearing this shirt.

8) When you're finished, just let it cool completely. You'll want to stop and try the shirt on several times as you do the project- making sure it fits properly and the material doesn't bunch when you put it on. If you don't feel secure enough with the Stitch Witchery, run over all the seams quickly with your sewing machine and voila! YOu now have your very own custom-designed, one of a kind, unique t-shirt.

Personally, I'll be wearing mine this spring with a long black boho skirt, sandals, and chunky jewelry!!! :)

Good luck!

Frugal Fashion Tip

So... now that you know my entire life story and reason I started this blog, I decided it's time to get down to business! :)

Here's a quick fashion tip to help you look great and save money too.

If you don't have the money to invest in a bunch of new, cute shoes for spring, just try adding life to your every-day shoes with accessories. You can use bows, ribbons, clips, etc. I'm not talking about going to the store and buying shoes clips and accessories, but simply using things you already have in order to revamp your current shoes.

Take these plain black flats for example... they cost me $8 on sale at K-Mart and are some of the most comfortable flats I have in my closet!




These are 2 children's hair barrettes that I bought to clip onto scarfs and coat lapels as "pins". They cost $2!



The other day though, I needed an aqua shoe to tie in a scarf I was wearing. I thought "Hey, why don't I clip those barrettes on my black flats as a fun touch of color?" I just slipped the clip part of the barrette into the velcro tab on top of the shoes and... Voila!



Adorable shoes to go with my outfit without having to invest in ready-made black and aqua shoes that I could probably only wear with a few outfits. The best part is that since the barrettes clip on, I can take them off to go back to the plain black flats or try other clips for different styles and colors. All for the grand total of $10 and about 30 seconds of my time to clip them onto the shoes! Well worth it! :)

Since this shoe revelation, I've thought of several other ideas for sprucing up plain shoes! Ribbons, bows, buttons, clips, flowers, etc.

I've already dressed up a pair of basic, black, high-heeled sandals with delicate pink ribbon tied into a bow on the ankle strap. The result was a soft, feminine touch to an otherwise plain shoe.

If you can't find a cheap clip or accessory to go with the colors or style that you want, you can always make your own! Craft and hobby stores sell the plain, silver clips at a low price. Buy several and make your own designs. You could use ribbons to make a multi-color flower for each shoe. You could glue buttons onto the clip in whatever design you'd like... squares, circles, hearts, etc. You could even glue coins or other unexpected items onto a clip for a whimsical touch to any outfit. Have earrings you don't wear anymore? Take them and glue onto the silver clip for a one-of-a-kind shoe!

Try accessorizing your shoes! It is an easy, cheap way to revamp your shoe wardrobe and "design" the perfect shoe to go with your outfit.

Au revoir my fellow fashionistas! :)

Viva La Fashion!
-Amy