Lime New Headband

Today was a new new new day.

- new bikini top and bottom

- new way of paying for Starbucks

- new headband!

I made The Long Thread's pattern for a reversible headband. It's made of scraps and thread from my new summer dress. 

Free-Stylin' Pajamas

When I sewed my new summer dress, I came across a few yards of yellow seersucker. I have no recollection of purchasing the fabric, though I had the hazy sensation it was for pajamas. Ergo, new (completely free!) pajama pants.

My (free!) supplies:

Fabric: my closet

Thread: left over from my new sundress

Pattern: the good ol' pattern drawer

Elastic: pieced from remnants at home

My edits: 

A ribbon tab: who can ever find the back on pajamas without them?

The waist band: the crotch of this unisex pattern was way too low to be cute. At all.

Make your own Free-stylin' Pajamas:

Pattern: Simplicity 2823

Ribbon: 3/4'' Grosgrain Ribbon Yellow

Fabric: Classic Seersucker Stripe

Elastic: 3/4" Ribbed Elastic

Now, a question for you! I have left over yellow fabric - enough to make or embellish a (pajama) top. What style would you make? Do you have a favorite pattern? A link to something cute?

Make-your-own Modcloth: the grand reveal!

Yay! Thanks to Sarah for such cute pictures. These photos are the result of my project to recreate the look of the Lime in Love Dress from Modcloth for less.

My favorite things about this dress:

• The belt! It's a false belt, really. The white band is stitched in the zipper seam and tacked where the adorable button is. Belts provide added detail and interest, but when belts slide up or down... I never have to worry about that malfunction with this dress.
• The pockets! Talk about practicality.
• That I bought the fabric on Sunday and have the dress today! I worked on the dress in little spurts and still finished it before I would have received the Modcloth dress in the mail.

Make-your-own Modcloth Part III

It's finished! I love everything about the dress.

I know. I'm a tease. More photos to come!

The grand reveal!

MTL: Lime in Love Dress - The Sew Weekly Sewing Blog & Vintage Fashion Community

Shout out to the makers of The Sew Weekly! They created a super simple diagram if you want to "make the look" of the Lime in Love Dress

Their description includes fabrics too from fabric.com. Just a hint - white polka dots on lime can hide in the oddest of places. Like the Christmas section at JoAnn fabrics. That's where I found mine.

Hoping to show you the finished dress tomorrow!

Lindsay

Make-your-own Modcloth Part II

Preparation

Measure, trace, pin, cut, and innovate. By the time a sewer reaches for the sewing machine, the size and specifics of a project are mostly determined. Beforehand? Anything goes. I can adapt the pattern to fit me exactly and add personal touches.

Don't assume your dress size is your pattern size! I'm almost always size one or two, but for my take on the Lime in Love Dress I'm an eight and ten. Notice the 'and'? My bust is a small in proportion to my hips, so I blend the size of the skirt and the bodice. Blending, as the previous link explains further, involves cutting one portion (the bodice) the correct size (eight) and the other (the skirt) another size (ten). This only works because as I reach the part of the piece where the seam will be between sizes, I average the two.

A man posing with his handy-dandy pocket

My personal touch is to add pockets - which is super easy with a pattern piece from another project with pockets or with help from this post at see kate sew. Pockets are handy and great for ID, or my room key, or lip balm.

Not every detail is exactly the same as the lime in love dress. A simpler and easier straight white band replaces the scalloped neck detailing, though I could replicate it if I really, really wanted to.

More details and photos to come!

Hasta luego,
Lindsay

Part III

Make-your-own Modcloth

If you love vintage charm, take a cue from decades past and sew your own. Not sure what vintage charm looks like? Modcloth is the center for retro clothes. I modeled one of their gorgeous halter dresses at graduation this spring. As much as a Modcloth spending spree would build my wardrobe beyond the oh-too-easy jeans and sweatshirt, it would break my college student budget. Thus, my decision.

I'm sewing.

Modcloth's Lime in Love dress

The Lime in Love Dress, which I'm totally in love with, costs a pretty penny at $90+. The designers deserve every penny of it because it's totally cute. (UPDATE: And they got it! As of 8/1/11 it's sold out!)  If I could find a dress at all similar for only $35? Of course I'd jump on it. And that's how much a pattern from Simplicity, fabric, and notions cost. (I didn't even use any gas because I rode my bike to the fabric store! Eco-friendly, and budget friendly!)

Simplicity's look-a-like pattern

The look I'm going for with this dress is summer wedding; I'll pair the cute frock with wedge sandals and braid my hair to the side. I have an event on Saturday, so we'll see if I can outrace standard shipping with my sewing machine.

Till tomorrow!
Lindsay

Part II