handmade wardrobe // silky slip set

top: Tessuti Fabrics Romy top, cropped

skirt: Tessuti Fabrics Evie bias skirt

fabric: silk-like polyester purchased from Shop Well Fibre

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I’ve been hoarding this pretty fabric since February. I fell in love with the peachy color and abstract print right away and was quick to type ‘sold’, but its not a type of fabric I usually work with, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to do with it. Fast forward to more recently, and Ive started to fall in love with the slip skirt/dress trend. And then I remembered- wait a minute! I have the perfect fabric for that! The skirt pattern gives you the option of finishing with an invisible zipper or lingerie-style scalloped elastic. I chose the elastic. It was my first time finishing something with an exposed decorative elastic, and I am in loooooooove. It totally completes the look. And because it’s elastic and forgiving, I can easily pull the skirt up a little higher when I don’t want any skin showing with the crop top.

Speaking of the top - I had a tiny bit of fabric left, so I was able to squeeze out a cropped version of my favorite Romy top match. Now that I’m looking at the photos though, I’m realizing that the front hem edge of the top is a tiny bit wonky (the perils of cutting out slippery fabric, I think). So I might go back and try to straighten that out.

And I already have another styling idea for the skirt. I saw someone pairl a bias slip skirt with a loose white button up and some converse sneakers. Cute, right?! I’m totally trying that next. SO I’m sure you’ll be seeing this skirt around here again soon.

handmade wardrobe // tie strap cottelsoe, round 2

swimsuit: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe swimsuit with tie strap hack in a ribbed tricot from Blackbird Fabrics

pants: Simplicity 8605 with modified extra wide paperbag waist in rayon from Harts Fabric

bag: thrifted Free People

sandals: old Zara

Penny’s swimsuit: Kortni Jeane

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The best part about a cute one piece swimsuit? The fact that it can easily be worn away from the beach or pool! Throw on some cute pants or shorts or skirt, and it doubles as a cool bodysuit. This is my second Cottesloe with tie straps (see the first one here), and I wrote up a tutorial over on Megan Nielsen Design Diary. Whats great is that it is a basic tutorial, but could be used to make all different kinds of ties, I kept these ones short and stubby, my first ones were tied in little bows, but I kinda also want to make a third one (I’m crazy, I know) with super long ties that drape down my shoulders. Wouldn’t that be fun?

handmade wardrobe // in bloom

my skirt: self drafted

Penny’s overalls: Hello Dear Kids ruffle overalls

fabric: floral cotton sateen c/o Measure Fabrics

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Have you noticed that all of my projects with Measure have been pink. I obviously have a favorite color, haha. But I just couldn’t resist this pretty pink floral sateen. I actually struggled a bit with this one. Not because I didn’t know what to make with it, but because I had so many ideas of what to do with it that I just couldn’t choose. I thought about making a romper for myself, or maybe a pretty full-skirt structured dress, or maybe a shorts and top matching set, etc. But in the end, I kept coming back to the simplest of all my ideas- a simple and basic paperbag waist skirt. It was my first original idea, and I just kept coming back to it. I think I kept trying to change my mind to one of the other ideas because a basic elastic skirt seemed, well….. too basic. But sometimes basic is sooooo good. Especially when using the perfect fabric. The print really makes the simple shape shine!

But lets face it - it didn’t matter what I made for myself, because Penny’s overalls are the real star of the show anyway. I mean, those ruffles, those little pockets, the cuteness. All the heart eyes.

But seriously - get this fabric! It is seriously the most perfect fabric for so many projects. Cotton sateen has a nice medium weight and it completely opaque. No need for a lining, so its perfect for bottoms like pants, shorts, skirts, jumpsuits, etc. But would also make a really pretty voluminous dress or even button down shirt. Options are endless with this one.

Handmade wardrobe // lena horne

Dress: Tabitha Sewer Lena Horne dress

Penny’s dress: McCall’s 7739

fabric: bubble crepe from Cali Fabrics (interfaced and lined for body and stability)

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GUYS, I’m SO excited about how this dress turned out! When Tabitha Sewer first released her Lena Horne pattern, I immediately pictured it in this mustard-y medallion fabric I’ve been hoarding in my stash. Problem was, this fabric is a crepe. A lightweight and drapey crepe. Something suited more for a flowy dress or blouse, and I really wanted the ruffles on my Lean Horne to have body and weight. But I was determined, so I interfaced the ruffles to give them stability so they stood up more and didn’t drape, and I lined the bodice in a cotton for more added stability. and as a quick add-on, I attached a ruffled flounce along the bottom hem. It just made sense to me with the whole vibe of the fabric/dress combo. Kind of like a 70’s boho vibe, I think. Yes?

I did have a few set backs with this make. I had to completely remove the bust darts, but thats my issue, not the pattern’s (no boobs problem. Like literally, no boobs. I can get away with no bust darts at all). I also struggled with the fact that the interfaced underside of the ruffle was visible. I really wanted to double layer/line the ruffles, but didn’t have enough fabric since I was determined to make a dress for Penny too. And speaking of Penny’s, I also kind of struggled with hers, too. The pattern seemed like a perfect match. But because I was working with limited leftover fabric and I was in a rush to finish it, it didn’t turn out quite as much of a match as I was picturing. The dress itself was huge, even though I cut out her size. I ended up having to add a little pleat in the front to help keep it on her shoulders. And the shape of the ruffle is much wider and drapy-er than the Lena Horne ruffle. If I would’ve been paying more attention and slowed down when making it, I would’ve modified her ruffle to be less wide, longer and more gathered. So that it looked similar to mine. But c’est la vie. It’s still a really cute dress once I get past the fact that its not a perfect match for mine. She looked freakin adorable twirling around in it. And since its so big, she’ll be able to wear it for years, ha.

But seriously - my dress? OBSESSED. I need some place to wear this baby more often.

Handmade Wardrobe // laced up foliage

my dress: Vogue 9100 hacked with a center front split, grommets, and ties in a cotton sateen from Mood Fabrics

Penny’s skirt: self drafted

my shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

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This dress has been a long time coming! I have had a laced up dress in a similar shape inspiration photo saved in my photo library for YEARS. And I’ve also had this fabric in my stash for almost a year. It just took me awhile to figure out that the project and fabric were a perfect pair!

I used Vogue 9100 because it had shape i was looking for - scoop neck, princess seams, full gathered skirt. But instead of cutting the center front piece on the fold, I added 5/8” seam allowance to the center front and cut mirror images not on the fold. After fully lining the bodice the front had the front split, so I added large grommets on either side and thread a long 1.5” wide tie through it. GAAAAAH obsessed. Seriously. If theres one thing I wish I would’ve dome different, I wish I would’ve moved the top two grommets up to right next to the top edge of the bodice. And I might eventually add a wider, fuller, and longer tie. I feel like this one kind of gets lost in the photos. But that last thing is something I can fix! Another note on the pattern - It comes with multiple cup size options (so good!) But even cutting out an A cup, I still had to adjust the princess seams and shape of the neckline for my itty bitty bust. Everything was worth the adjustments, though, because it fits and it turned out just as I imagined.

Penny just got a basic elastic skirt with paperbag waist, because that is all the yardage I had left, ha.