NOT OVER YET

While everyone else is diving head first into fall, we still had a couple of 90 degree days this past weekend. Summer hasn't gone anywhere yet. Which is probably a good thing. Because I meant to make this matching shorts set about, oh, 2 months ago. But of course I waited until September. And the very end of summer. I;m so slow, you guys. 

And can we talk about how much I now love making matching sets?! I think from now on I'm going to start making a matching top for all bottoms that I make, and vice versa. Just to have. I mean, think of the possibilities!

two-piece set: handmade (self drafted basic shell top, shorts- Burda Style 6938)

sunglasses: Warby Parker

necklace: H&M

purse: c/o Boden

flats: Anthropologie

MAKERS GONNA MAKE

Like my new ink?

…JK, It’s a fake. I’m kind of in love with temporary tattoos. I think I’m too much of a chicken to get a real one, but being able to change it up and pretend for a while is pretty fun. 

I whipped this outfit up real fast a few days ago to wear to the Boston Blogger summer soiree. Of course it’s almost the end of summer and I’m just now getting around to making some of the items on my summer sewing to-do list. I’m sooo behind. Here’s to hoping the warm weather sticks around for a while longer so I can get some use out of them. 

top and skirt: handmade (top - cropped Eucalypt tank, skirt - hand drafted)

sunglasses: Warby Parker

necklace: shopHollyDolly

tattoo: Tattly via Crompton Collective

shoes: Lulu’s

I'M BRINGING BROOCHES BACK

I love little brooches. I have a small collection of them, and I usually pin them to my jackets and vests. But recently I’ve taken to pinning them right to whatever top or sweater I’m wearing. I’m sure it only elevates my old lady status, but I love it anyway. 

sweater: thrifted

skirt: handmade (DIY here)

sunglasses: Warby Parker

bag: H&M

sandals: Seychelles

DIY TRANSPARENT CLUTCH

Geez, guys. I’ve been wanting one of these babies for awhile now. I actually bought some vinyl months ago. But you know, life. Better late than never, though! I’m actually thinking about doing one with white machine stitching too, for an almost completely transparent look. But for this one, I decided to start with a bolder, brighter look.  

See how to make it after the jump, and don’t forget to check out how I styled it in yesterday’s post!

1. Cut your piece of pvc. Start with a 12x14 1/2” rectangle, and then add your triangular top, with the peak being 5” tall. 

2. Fold the pvc up into the envelope shape, making sure to leave 1/2” at the top. My vinyl stuck to itself when I folded it over, but if it doesn’t, you could use a thin strip of clear-drying glue to hold it together. 

3. Use an awl or something pointy to mark where you want to stitch. I went with 1/4” in from the edge, 1/2” apart. 

4. Cut a reeeeeeally long piece of embroidery thread and thread your needle. Knot the end. Start your stitching from the inside of the clutch, so that your know is hidden. 

If you know some really neat edge stitches, by all means, be creative! After playing around with a few things, I decided to stick with a basic over under technique for a zig zag look. 

5. Work your way around the entire edge, finishing by bringing it back inside the clutch and knotting it. 

6. It’s time to mark your placement for your button stud. Place a small piece of cardboard, or something like it, inside. You only want to punch a whole in the first two layers - the flap and the front. 

7. On the front, make your hole a little bigger by pushing the awl through farther. Place the screw threw the hole from underneath, and screw the button top on. 

8. Make the hole on the flap just a tiny bit bigger by clipping it with a pair of scissors or exact knife. 

9. Done! Fill your clutch with all your goodies (what you want seen, at least).

P.S - see that little pink pouch? It’s a business card  holder, and they’ll be coming to the shop soon!

KIMONO

I love this fabric so much. But I didn’t know what to do with it when I first got it. It’s just so good, I didn’t want to screw it up and have it go to waste! But after posting it on Instagram (psssst - follow me here!), a few people mentioned that it would make a perfect kimono. Genius! So a kimono it became. 

This is seriously one of the easiest things you could make. Especially out of a knit like this (no need to finish the edges!). I didn’t make a tutorial, but both Leanne and Liz have some good ones, so you should check them out!

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kimono: handmade // fabric here

sunglasses: Warby Parker

tank: thrifted

tassel necklace: shopHollyDolly

key necklace: L’Avenir

jeans: Old Navy

sandals: Urban Outfitters

PINEAPPLE LOVE

I wore this outfit this past weekend while we wandered around Harvard Square. We walked through the Harvard campus, had some pizza and ice cream, and enjoyed the last bit of sunshine before the sun set. 

P.S - for those of you that sew, let this be a lesson in pre-washing your fabric. I, obviously, didn’t with this one. I’m lazy. But I swear that hem was even when I made it…. and then I washed it. Yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and pretend I intended it to be that way. 

dress: handmade

jacket: Forever21

sunglasses: Warby Parker

sandals: Wanted Shoes

FANCY PANTS (TIMES TWO)

Fancy sweatpants, that is. They’re my jam. Or well, they are now. I’m obsessed with the idea of dressing them up and actually being able to wear them out of the house. So I bought a basic grey and black pair from Old Navy back in the winter, and then theres my lacey Lou and Grey pair. 

But I wasn’t satisfied. I needed more. So I took matters into my own hands and made myself not one, but two new pairs. Two fancy pairs. And I love how they came out. I even wore the black and white and pink outfit to work the other day. Yeah, sweatpants to work. That happened. 

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pants: handmade // Simplicity 2061 // floral fabric here // b&w fabric no longer available

glasses: Warby Parker

pink shirt: LOFT

necklace: shophollydolly

flats: Blowfish Shoes

tee: Old Navy

vest: Old Navy

heels: Swedish Hasbeens

SOFT KITTY, WARM KITTY

Meow. 

And If you know what the title of the post is referring to, we can be best friends. Big Bang Theory is currently one of our favorite shows! Of course, Boo and I have discussed which character we are (as you usually do with your favorite tv shows and movies, right?!). Anyway, It only took us about a whole two seconds to determine that I’m most definitely a Raj. Most definitely. 

dress: handmade // Megan Nielsen Darling Ranges pattern

cardigan: C&C California

sunglasses: Warby Parker

purse: Sarah Oliver Handbags // SoWa market

boots: Shoemint

SHIBORI, DARLING

Here it is! My first project with my DIY-ed shibori fabric. I’ve been dreaming up a knit/woven combo Darling Ranges dress for a long time, but just needed the right fabric. I did make a few mistakes, and ended up having to add some green binding to the armholes after cutting them too much (grrrr), but, overall, I am soooooo happy with the way it turned out! Just what I’ve been picturing :)

dress: handmade // Megan Nielsen’s Darling Ranges pattern

necklace: gift

glasses: Warby Parker

shoes: c/o Swedish Hasbeens

DIY SHIBORI DYEING

In college, I took a fabric arts class where we did a lot of dyeing, stamping, and painting techniques. That is where I did my first Shibori dyeing, and absolutely loved the results. I’ve been dying (pun intended) to try it again ever since (um, 6 years?!). 

So, if you don’t know, Shibori is a Japanese form of resistance dyeing. It involves folding, wrapping, binding, twisting, stitching…. anything to provide resistance to create patterns with the dye. There are soooooo many different methods, and different looks you can create, but I decided to show you the 3 most common ones. Read on below to see how you can do it!

supplies:

-fabric dye (liquid or powder)

-fabric

-bins or buckets

-plastic

-rubber gloves

-string or rubber bands

- 2 long planks of wood

-dowel or pvc pipe

-rocks

METHOD 1

accordion fold your fabric. Place between your two long pieces of wood and hold in place with rubber bands or string. Make sure they’re reeeeeally tight. The rubber bands / string act as resistance for the dye, so how many you use will give different design results in the end. It’s up to you!

METHOD 2

Method two is a pole wrapping technique. PVC piping is probably the easiest tool to use, but you could use and cylindrical object.

Wrap your fabric (you can do it vertically or diagonally) around the pole and hold it nice and tight. Tie a a piece of string around the top, and continue to tightly wrap down the fabric and pole. When you reach the end, knot it off. Now push and scrunch the fabric up towards the top as much as you can. Again, the tighter the compression, the better. 

METHOD 3

The last method involves binding objects. The most common object used is rocks, but you can use large beads, marbles, etc.  

Place each object under the fabric and bind tightly with string or rubber bands. Place each rock as close or as far apart as you’d like. Do it in one section, or cover your entire piece of fabric, like I did!

Place plastic down everywhere you are going to be dyeing. This is very important! Cover more than you think you need to, just to be safe. You don’t want to accidentally stain anything :|. And wear rubber gloves when handling the dye!

Prepare your dye in your bins or buckets according to the provided directions. You can add salt for cotton fabrics, or vinegar for silks, wools, or nylon. Immerse your fabric pieces in warm water first, and then place in your dye baths. Now, you can keep your fabric in the dye for as long as you would like, depending of the color / effect you are going for. For example, I left all three of mine in for about 7-10 minutes each. It ended up being perfect for the rock bound fabric, since I was going for more of a pink color than a deep red. But I wish I would’ve left my pole-wrapped fabric in for longer, since the majority turned out pretty light.

When it is time to remove your fabric from the dye, rinse in cold water. Remove your twine/rubber bands and rocks, etc. and continue to rinse until the water runs clear. Afterwards, make sure to wash (by hand or machine) in warm water with a little detergent, too, to eliminate all color running. let dry. 

Ta-daaaaaa, you finished your shibori!

Check back tomorrow to see what I made with my first of three new fabrics. It’s pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.