LAST OF WINTER

Looking at this picture, I’m realizing I never pressed the hem of the skirt after I finished making it. Doh. I guess I was just anxious to be done with it, and all winter clothing for that matter. 

Speaking of which, I’m really really really hoping this will be the last I’ll see of my winter wardrobe. Tomorrow is the first day of spring (yay!), and I’m not going to have any normal blog outfit posts for the next week or two (more on that later). So heres to hoping that by the time I get back into routine, I’ll be dressing for spring and there will be hints of green around me outside. Isn’t all the brown, dead trees and grass depressing?

Fingers crossed. 

jacket: c/o Sheinside

scarf: c/o The Seam Designs

top: thrifted

skirt: handmade

booties: Target

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!

I whipped up yet another 20 minute knit skirt the other day, this one just in time for St. Paddy’s day! I mean, I’d feel like a bad little Irish girl if I didn’t sport a little green. 

P.S - that cute little shamrock came from Sweet Cupcakes. More on that tomorrow!

jacket: Forever21

tee: Old Navy

skirt: handmade (DIY here)

DIY SIMPLE KNIT BODYCON SKIRT

I’ve made a few of these quick knit skirts over the past few years. And by quick, I really mean quick - I whipped this one up in about 20 minutes. BAM. Now, there are a few different ways you can go about making one of these, depending on how detailed and precise you want to be. But I thought I’d show you one of the simplest and quickest ways I know. It only involves two rectangular pieces of fabric. No need to worry about getting the exact waist to hip curve, since the stretchy knit fabric will just conform to your body. 

Thats it. Two rectangles. Just a few seams. And you have yourself a skirt. read on after the jump to find out how. 

supplies:

- very stretchy knit fabric. how much depends on how long you want your skirt. But definitely less than 1 yard. 

- sewing machine and/or serger (optional)

- measuring tape and ruler

- tailors chalk / fabric pencil

- scissors, pins, thread, etc

1. Using your tape measure, measure around the smallest part of your waist, or where you want your skirt to sit. Don’t suck it in or pull too tight on the measuring tape. Make sure you get a nice, natural measurement. Also, measure and determine your desired length. 

Fold your knit fabric in half. Using tailors chalk or a fabric pencil, draw your two rectangular skirt pieces up against the folded edge, according to the diagram above. Cut out your two pieces. 

2. Using a zig zag stitch on your regular machine, or a serger, sew along the edge opposite the fold on both pieces. Use about 5/8” seam allowance. This is going to be your center back seam. (note - when working with knits, don’t use a regular straight stitch. If you don’t have access to a serger, always use a zig zag stitch. It allows for a lot more stretch). 

3. Fold your waistband piece over in half, wrong sides together. So to seam allowance will be hidden inside. Mark the waistband into quarters - starting with the center back line, directly half of that is center front, and half way between those two points will be your sides. Mark with pins. 

4. Mark the same four points on your skirt piece. 

5. With right sides together, pin your waistband to your skirt piece, matching up the four points. The skirt will be slightly larger than the waistband. 

Sew together using a zig zag or serger stitch. Stretch the skirt layer slightly in between your four points while sewing so that it lines up with the waistband. 

6. Now just finish off your hem. Fold under the amount you left for hem allowance. The best way to sew your hem would be with a double needle. If you don’t have a double needle, again use a zig zag stitch. NOT a straight stitch. 

All done!! Slip that baby on, and let me know if you have any questions. 

LOUNGE-Y

The last time I made a pair of leggings with this pattern, they were a bit, um, flashy. This time around I opted for a really lounge-y grey rib knit. And I’ve pretty much been living in them around the apartment ever since. I knew they would never make it to an outfit post, giving the lounge factor. So I grabbed the tripod (and Henry, too) and documented them on a snowy morning. 

leggings handmade using Megan Nielsen’s Virginia pattern

DIY : CAT EYE MASK

I started this DIY earlier this week and was super excited about it….. and then that same day, A Beautiful Mess posted their own eye mask DIY. Bollocks. Why are they always so good? But whatever, mine has cat ears. So I’m sticking to it.  Read on after the jump to see how I made my version!

supplies:

- front fabric

- back fabric (this will be up against your face. so the softer and silkier, the better.)

-felt or batting (the darker the better. remember, this is to help block out light!)

- elastic

-scissors, pins, needle and thread, and access to a sewing machine

1. You’ll need a pattern for your eye mask. If you have an old one on hand, you could simply trace it, add the ears, and then add 1/2” seam allowance around the entire thing. Or you can draw one from scratch. It’s not hard, since it’s a pretty simple shape. I provided aprox. measurements above. It includes the seam allowance. 

2. Use your pattern to cut out your pieces out of all three fabrics. 

3. Also cut a piece of elastic aprox. 13 1/2” long. 

4. Place your front and back fabrics right side together, with the elastic sandwiched in between. Place this on top of your felt. 

5. Pin all layers in place, making sure to pin the elastic securely on both sides. The rest of the elastic will be tucked in and sandwiched in between the fabrics. 

6. Sew 1/2” from the edge, leaving a small opening. Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end. 

7. Make triangular notches around the rounded edges, clipping as close you can (but not through) the stitching. Clip in the bottom middle, as well as the inner corners of the ears. And then trim the seam allowance in half around the entire mask. 

8. Flip right side out through the hole that you left. Use a point turner/tweezers/whatever you have handy to get those ears nice and pointy.

9. Using an invisible stitch, hand stitch that opening closed. Smooth and press. 

That’s it! It’s super easy, right? I had it completely done in under an hour, at most. And now I’ll be sleeping’ pretty :)

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSAY SHOOT, PART TWO

So I had originally planned for a super snowy, winter wonderland setting for this shoot. And it seemed it was going to happen - Buffalo had gotten sooo much snow in the week leading up to our date. And then the day before…. it warmed up to 60 degrees and all melted away. So instead of a winter wonderland, we were instead left with a few small patches of wet snow and some left over snow banks. But we made the most of it, pretending those snow banks were real mountains of snow, instead :). I actually think it still came out nicely. 

Of course, it snowed again right after the shoot. Typical. 

To see the first half of the shoot, see yesterdays post. 

all photos by Dawn M. Gibson Photography

*** all photos by Dawn M. Gibson Photography ***

my outfit:

cardigan: handmade (pattern and fabric)

snood: ASOS

hat: Urban Outfitters

glasses: Warby Parker

belt: Target

jeans: Old Navy

boots: Lulu’s

I MADE A COAT

My coat obsession is so severe, I’m now making them to add to my collection. 

It’s officially gotten out of hand. 

But really, I’m pretty proud of this one. It’s colorful, has some crazy closures, and is fully lined. And not just lined - the lining is quilted and super thick. BAM. I plan on staying nice and cozy in this one. 

It wen’t together fairly quickly, too. Although I do have some issues with the pattern. It’s labeled ‘easy’, and because of that, the way they instruct you to construct the coat is not the best. It’s just not how a lined coat is properly put together. Or anything lined, for that matter. I made up for it, though, ignoring the instructions. And it also meant NO POCKETS. But with that - by the time I thought to add them, it was way too late. Ooooooh the horror. A coat with no pockets :/. But seeing as it’s just one of nine (9?!) coats now in my collection, I think I can do without pockets on one.

coat: handmade (pattern- V8860, fabric and lining- Mood, buckles - M&J)

skirt: handmade

glasses: Warby Parker

hat: Urban Outfitters

fleece lined tights: H&M

shoes: Shoemint

DIY YARN WRAPPED WIRE ARROW

Have you guys seen those yarn wrapped wire words all over pinterest? Well, those were obviously the inspiration for this little project, but I was envisioning something a little different for our bedroom. So I played around with a few shapes and landed on an arrow. I actually thought this project would be a bit tedious. I was picturing myself wrapping wire with yarn forever. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that it went super fast! I had that baby wrapped in under an hour. BAM. Maybe I should make more of these. 

………………………………………………..

what you’ll need:

- wire. I picked up the thickest gauge craft wire I could find at Michaels. It’s still a bit flimsy, so if you can get your hands on something thicker, it would be better. I’ve seen people use wire re-enforced clothesline. But I don’t think it’s easy to find. 

- a nice, thick and bulky yarn. Your run of the mill, regular yarn is too thin and will just add to the flimsiness. 

- super glue

- needle nose pliers (optional)

- scissors

………………………………………………..

Now continue reading after the jump to see how to do it!

1. Cut a 26” piece of wire. Do your best to make it as straight as possible. Get out all of those kinks! Don’t worry if it’s not completely perfect, though. You’ll most likely have to adjust throughout anyway. 

2. Measure and bend into your arrow shape, following the diagram I included above. You can use a pair of needle nose pliers, or just your fingers. It works just as well, to be honest. 

3. Take that extra 1/2” left at both the beginning and end points, and wrap them around the main part of the arrow to secure. 

4. Time to start wrapping! Heres how to hide your yarn ends -start by placing your yarn alongside the length of the wire, right near where you joined the wire together in the middle. Make sure it is going in the opposite direction to which you are going to wrap. Glue down. Once dry, bring the yarn behind, up, and around the middle, covering the joint. Start wrapping, so that you end up covering that glued tail end. 

5. Keep wrapping around the wire. Place a dab of glue every couple of inches, and at every corner. 

6. When you get all the way around the “triangle”, just continue right onto the “stick”. Continue wrapping and glueing. 

7. When you want to change colors, theres no need to stop and cut your original yarn. First, glue your original yarn where you stop and want to switch. 

8. While pulling / holding the original yarn alongside the length of the wire, start your next color by hiding the end just like you did in the beginning. Glue down along the length of the wire, going in the wrong direction. Once dry, start wrapping back along the right way, covering both that glued end and the original yarn. 

9. When you are done with your color, glue down and leave a small tail. Pick up your original yarn and continue wrapping on, covering that tail. 

10. Repeat this for as many different times and colors you want to add!

11. Continue on wrapping around the last part of the “stick” and onto the “feather”. You’re in the home stretch now! When you get all the way done, glue and snip. 

And that’s it! Admire your handiwork. Comment on how that didn’t take much time at all. Make another one! Hang them up. 

Tip - because it is so lightweight, try using sewing pins to hang your arrow instead of nails. They’ll be nearly invisible because they’re so small, and they will leave a lot smaller holes in your wall. Yay!

Etsy Favorites : Volume Eight

1. Cropped Sweater by Remember A Day 2. Body Chain by Clydes Rebirth 3. Rose Quartz Necklace by Kalinkati

4. Chunky Tie Scarf by Ozetta 5. Clear Clutch with Pouch by Estoite 6. Bumble Bee Bobby Pins by Vintage in Color

I received an Etsy gift card for Christmas and have been painstakinly trying to decided exactly what to get. My favorites are full of such amazing things! It doesn’t help that I’m a notoriously indecisive person. Here are just a few of the things that I’m thinking about.

Holly In Your Hair - a DIY

Does that title sound like I’m about to show you a bunch of photoshopped pictures of miniature versions of myself hanging out in other people’s hair? Because now that’s all I can picture. 

Anywho… I wasn’t born around Christmas, but I’m a sucker for playing up the whole holly thing this time of year. I often use the phrases “holly jolly Christmas” and “happy Holly-days”, and I gravitate towards any decorations that include the leaves and berries. So when I saw all of the christmas stuff at the floral section in Michaels (and at 70% off!), I got an idea. This Christmas, I’ma be Holly… wearing holly. 

Genius, I know. 

Here’s how I did it….

You’ll need: fake holly leaves (you can get it for a few dollars at a craft store) - adhesive - felt - alligator hair clips

1. Most likely, the leaves and berrys will just pop off of the main stem with a light tug. But if not, just simply cut them off. Cut the little stems off of the berries, too. 

2. Glue a couple of leaves together to your desired look. Once they are completely dry, glue the berries to the leaves where the come together near the bottom. Note - I started out with tacky glue, which worked  really well glueing leaf to leaf. But not so much for the berries. I ended up using super glue for those. 

3. Cut a small piece of felt that is just slightly bigger than your hair clip. 

4. First glue the piece of felt to the back of your holly leaves - right in the middle, but closer to the bottom. Once dry, glue your hair clip to the piece of felt. Adding the felt gives it a little bit more stability. 

5. Voila! Stick one in your hair, or wear a bunch together. Happy Holidays!