I have been working on my prom dress which, spoilers, is not the original pattern idea I had in mind (see post). It is not because the pattern/idea isn't functional, I just didn't want to make it full length lace-- I am using that to make another dress for everyday in a purple knit. Stay tooned for that! (if you want)
I have a couple other projects going on right now, including the lace evening gown, which I will post in a bit when I finish putting the post/projects together. But, because I have been doing tons of research, I thought I'd share with you the a few of the tutorials I was looking at right now
After a looong hiatus for college apps I decided that, with my newfound free time, I would actually make my dress for senior prom. Despite the fact it is both terrifying and very tempting to buy a dress...I want bragging rights maybe? Basically.
I did a prom round up in the past, but these are going to be more project specific... and hopefully they'll be more helpful too.
So while I prepare myself for the *agony* of dress making, I've been doing some research to get started and decide which one to go through with. First thought was an off the shoulder dress like these that cost $380- 608 from free people.
Or the red dress from the Summertime Sadness music video... for y'all Lana del Rey fans.
I think that it wouldn't be too hard to kind of simplify these by using this tutorial for the top part (ignoring the shorts part), but extending the length of the top to a maxi dress length.
That would presumably make the basic structure of the dress. Then you could use elastic or a belt to cinch the waist and sleeves (if you'd like). For fabric chiffon, lace, and/or jersey were my first thoughts, but I think anything with a good drape would work. Play with adding a slit, different neckline/sleeves, and maybe even fabric paint...
OR you could leave it relatively simple and add a chunky necklace and cool earrings to make it more interesting. Or maybe like a hair fascinator or something. Be creative!
It's here! After struggles with technology and fabric it's finally come together. It's a really fun-- and surprisingly easy-- project that anyone with basic knowledge of sewing can do. The name of the game is random and messy looking, so it's perfect for people (like yours truly) who like to play "fake it till you make it" when they sew.
WHAT YOU NEED
2+ pairs of jeans of different washes, it looks better with more contrast (ie dark and light wash)
Sewing machine and needle/thread (it's faster to machine sew but you can hand sew if you have the patience)
Fabric scissors-- pinking shears, or normal ones work fine
Dark colored thread
A vest or jacket (something with a fit/shape you like and that has little/no stretch like the denim you are using)
Lining fabric (optional)
WHAT TO DO
1. Cut along the inseam and the sides seams on both jeans so you have total of 4 separate jeans fabric pieces.
I've been gone for ages because the end of last school year was crazy..But hey, I've started a new project... and it's surprisingly easy!
I love vests and am really starting to love the look of mixing denims... Inspired by various projects found on Pinterest and the interwebs, I chopped up two damaged/painted on pants (with holes in rather embarrassing places) and meddled with them to fit the pattern of a vest I already had.
I still need to play with other details, so that will be a surprise for all of us
Until then, here are more looks/projects with denim:
So I think it's pretty much a fact that making your dress is the cheapest thing to do-- unless you buy it from a thrift store or get it free as a gift or something which is awesome
But these are some of the videos I think are the best (and easiest for those w/out real training) on the youtubes... hopefully it will be helpful to y'all:
7iggy is a channel that has a bunch of videos, but here's a few
Threadbanger, because seriously they started all of this sweet, sweet madness
*Note: video has three parts, this is the first, but you can find them on her channel or on related videos
** giannyl has a TON of really simple tutorials (I've referenced them on previous blog posts) so check it out! I just put a few of them, but trust me the rest of her videos are worth checking out (dont forget to click read more because, surprise, there's more videos!)
I recently went on vacation to Cape Cod, and at a museum I read about an artist called Peter Hunt whose work is, in my opinion, really wonderful. At that time, the government was trying to create a culture of recycling and reusing. He became famous by teaching how to make old ugly pieces of furniture look new and awesome with paint.
To try your hand at this, you could go to Home Depot or similar stores and get spray paint or paint samples. You just have to remember to sand the surface a bit before you paint, so that the paint sticks.
Whether or not you feel like you are good at painting, you can adjust the designs to your skill set. And really, painting is just breaking down shapes into simpler shapes. And you can always use stencils if you don't trust yourself to freehand it.
In my experience of painting, you can't go wrong if you use colors you like and claim to have intended any/all mistakes.
Helpful tip: To be safe, it's always a good idea to go a few inches bigger than you think you need when cutting.
1) To start, I cut a trapezoid- like shape with my measurements on the bias. I made it about six inches longer and added about 3-4 inches extra on one side just in case. I also draped it on myself to check the measurements. Bias defined here
B/2= Half the waist
A/2= half the hip measurement
C= waist to hip measurement
2) To make sure it was symmetrical, I also cut on the fold of the center front (as seen in the crude paint drawing).
3) Then I draped it inside out as if I was going to wear it and pinned and marked a seam in the fit that I wanted. After marking on both sides of the seam, I took it off.
4) With about a half an inch seam allowance, I cut along the seam line I just drew.
5) As done, in the picture above I finished the edges with a zig zag stich and then did a blind hem at the bottom. This is a good video on how to do a blind hem:
** I hemmed before sewing the skirt together, but generally you want to do this last. 6) Add a waistband (if you want to) and then attach an invisible zipper, and sew the back seam closed. Press all seams. I learnt how to from the same series as the blind hem above.
Final product!!
Done, and happy sewing! (Just so you know, I was not wearing shoes in the picture, which is why there was so much of a train on the ground)
You could also make/buy a top and attach it to the skirt (in that case the zipper would have to incorporate the top) to make it a dress
If there is anything that was unclear in the instructions please leave me a comment! Also, I'm self taught, so any tips are welcome too
This is a project reminiscent of the Great Drapo video I had posted a while ago...
Seriously, this is so easy to do yourself, I had to point it out.
You will need more fabric than the video shows, and you want it a bit longer than you think you need it to be so that you can adjust as needed. For my height ( I'm 5' 6'') I would get about 2 1/2 yards of fabric.
The video shows you the basic steps you would take-- taking the top corners of the fabric and draping it across your body, the corners pulled up to form the sleeves and the excess fabric on the open side pinned and sewed to create the side seam in the fit that you want. However, you wouldn't just tie the corners, you would gather and sew them together so you don't have the bow of fabric (to get the look of the strap in the dress above). There also seems to be a strap underneath the arm to keep the dress in place and covering the bust area. This may or may not be necessary depending on how you drape it.
It's a good idea to choose fabric that drapes well and to consider-- especially when buying prints-- what that pattern will look like on a large scale... and whether you want to deal with trying to them line up. Naturally stretch fabric would be easier to work with, but non stretch fabrics like satin, chiffon, etc would work well for a grander look. Bias cut fabrics, though a bit trickier to work with, would make the fabric drape better as well.
Remember to test it out before you begin sewing or chopping up the fabric
Another example (from the fabulous 1930's) is this red number in silk chiffon.
To make this, you just wold leave a slit in the front of the fabric (maybe using multiple layers of chiffon and a lining fabric)
I did my own version using a synthetic stretchy fabric with awful amounts of loose glitter...
I was procrastinating a bit, and came across this coat by Erdem. Even though it's getting warmer here, I think this would be a really fun project. And there's a lot of stuff that's cheaper since they're out of season
Cut out shapes from lace and sew them to a coat or a blazer... or really anything
If you find a shirt large enough, that's in good condition and (especially if you're worried about making mistakes) inexpensive/free, you could cut the sleeves to desired length, hem it, and use excess fabric to make a belt. Or just use a belt you already have.
If you need to, you could pinch and pin to a better fit around the sleeves and side seams. Pinch and pin darts if you need to as well... It's about making it having a fit that you like, so you would have to play around with it. But then, my friends, you would have this shirt dress.
If it's a bit to short for your comfort, it would look cute with leggings or jeans too
And-- to add the awesomeness-- it's sweatshop-free
** An update, I realized that not everyone knows what pinching and pinning is, so here is the video I used to learn how to tailor shirts.
To do something similar in your own home, get some stencils and paint and your favorite poem or quote... then open out the windows so your air is less toxic paint smelling...
At the end of the year, I always seem to have a pair of shoes that I loved so much I wore them to death...
And then I have to throw them away because they would be too awful to continue to wear or donate, which makes me sad because most shoes aren't very compostable... Plus the most comfortable shoes seem to be the ones that are well used
So this year I am determined to rescue the latest pair from the landfill and make fabulous again. Especially since the shape and soles are still intact, it just looks like I put them in the blender or something
This video by on Threadbanger gives these poor guys hope:
She uses paper, but you can use fabric too I think. And you can decopage on anything-- just ask her husband haha
