DIY fashion

tutorial: waterfall or peplum or high-low kimono top

If current style trends had some sort of an orgy and said event resulted in an offspring, this top would be it.

Materials: 1.5 meters of pretty satin in jewel tone, contrasting bias tape, bias tape in matching color to the satin, around 120 inches of cording cut into 4 pieces.

A – Base of your neck to 1 inch below your under bust.

B – Length of your sleeve from one end of one arm to the other. Mine was 37 inches in total. Measure shoulder to shoulder and add twice the desired length of your sleeves.

C – Same as B.

D – This is the front waistband. Measure 2 inches.

E – Measure around your body, 1 inch below your under bust. E is half of this measurement.

F – Same as E.

G – Same as A.

H – Mark the center of B. From this point, to opposite directions, mark your neckhole. Mine was 10 inches so I measured from the center, 5 inches to both sides. H is the measurement from these neckhole points to the ends of the sleeves.

I – Half of C minus 1 inch.

J – Diagonal line from end of H to end of I.

K – 2 inches.

L – Half of D minus 1 inch.

M – Same as L.

N – Waistband to desired length of peplum tail. This would be the longest points of the peplum and will hang from the back. For my peplum, the shortest length was 6″ while N was 12″

O – Circular waistline but minus 2 inches along the longest peplum. To get your O, refer to THIS TUTORIAL.

Note: 1/2-inch allowance all around for all pieces. 

I realize at this point that this may be one of my more complicated tutorials. Well, we shouldn’t give up; soldier on!

SEWING:

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tutorial: how to make a satin rosette belt

I’ve come to a point in my crafting life where I prepare materials for several projects but never actually finish anything. And when I say prepare, I am not talking about choosing fabric or drawing a pattern. I am talking about pre-singed rosette petals, pre-cut yoga mat bag pieces, and small cardboard pieces ready to be transformed into miniature books. I prepare these materials with no particular end result or deadline in mind. I cut, leave them about, and then cut some more. Due to this recent development, only about half of my craft room floor is visible.

And because I was feeling a little bit sorry for my floor, I decided to make something, anything.

I made a belt:

And here’s how I made it!

DIY Satin Rosette Belt Materials:

1 – satin strip, 2 inches x desired length. The length is completely up to you, but I suggest that you measure half of your waistline and add 2-3 inches to both ends. Don’t forget a 1/2-inch allowance for all sides.

1 – interfacing strip, 1 inch x desired length. No allowance.

A good number of oval-shaped satin pieces. 

2 ribbon strips, 20 inches long. Can be the same color as your satin fabric or in a complementary hue. 

How-To:

1. Singe the circumference of the oval pieces. Be careful. Don’t burn your fingers. Don’t burn your house down.

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tutorial: easy halter dress

Also known as The Early Dinner Dress. I wanted to call this The Brunch Dress but the words seemed unwieldy in my mouth. “High-neck, gathered halter dress” didn’t sound appealing as well. I entertained the thought of using a name for it but I was stuck with Bettina. Don’t get me wrong, that is a pretty name. But there was something non-Betty-like about this dress. So I rerouted the name searching to something meal-related.

(Aherm, I shall stop rambling because I can never be as funny as Bethany when it comes to long-winded writing…)

The dress:

DRESS PATTERN: 

A – Half of desired width of hem of dress. The wider A is, the flowier your dress.

B – From under bust to desired length.

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tutorial: how to sew a high-waist tabbed skirt

There’s nothing like waking up very early on a Monday and getting work out of the way before lunchtime. It’s the best feeling in the world, especially if you also happen to be running on strong coffee.

Now that I’ve gotten work out of the way, let’s get some sewing done! I give you here the tutorial for my birthday skirt. This DIY skirt, like I said, is inspired by a Burberry Prorsum piece. Hope you like it!

SKIRT PATTERN

A – Half of desired width. Mine was 50″ in total. I like full skirts. I stand at 5 feet and has a 34-inch hip.
B – Desired length. Measure from the true waist or where you want your waistline to lie. Measure from the true waist if you want a high-waist tabbed skirt.
A1 = A / B1 = B
C – Hip measurement + 4 inches.
D – Waistline width x 2. Mine was 4 inches in total.
E = D

Your tab can be longer or shorter. The length is up to you. Or your waist measurement.

Note: Do not forget allowances for all pieces. 

You will also need elastic (must fit your desired waistline width), two buttons, & matching thread.

Sewing:

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