This session of upcycling is at ultimate intensity due to my use of... nursing scrubs. I'm always pretty desperate for something to sew with, but just like I don't have as much money as I would like to spend on clothes, I also don't have a lot of money to spend on fabric! So, I take literally anything and alter it. This time, I took scrubs! The thing about scrubs is they usually come in lots of bright colors, especially the older ones my mom doesn't wear anymore, so I can really do cool things with them! Here, I decided to create a design idea I had by making the pants skinnier, and doing a bit more with the shirt... For the pants, I simply brought them in along the outside of each leg, going inch by inch, the bottom more than the top to get a classic skinny look. I also hemmed the bottom a couple centimeters to shorten the pants a little. The shirt was a little more complicated. I started by cutting off the sleeves and cutting off the top of the shirt, then cutting the sides so I would end up with two nice square pieces of fabric. I then used my own homemade tank top pattern to cut out the basic outline of a shirt. After I made the tank top, I reattached the sleeves and ended up with a cute tee! With pockets!! I'm very happy with the results and glad to know I can bring my designs to life even when I don't have proper fabric! Wow!!! To see more, follow me on instagram, NOW @hope_sewinstyle ! Thanks for reading!
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Hmmm... What's up with this dress? It looks... Big. Well YOU'RE RIGHT. It is in fact very large.. and made for pregnant women. I've always loved this pattern, but not the shape. So, this afternoon, I completed a project that took this dress from large and shapeless to cute and stylish! Wow! Here's how... 1. SleevesFirst, I had to ditch the long sleeves. I simply cut until the sleeve reached the length I wanted (never forgetting to measure!!) and hemmed it. I folded the hem over the outside of the dress for a white piping along the sleeve's end, but you can make a traditional hem for a cleaner look. I recommend going inch by inch. 2. Cinched WaistNext, I decided to cinch the waist in order to lose the body-swallowing maternity midsection... This part was a little tricky. I decided to recycle those sleeves I cut off. I basically cut the sleeves into strips, then sewed them around the waist of the dress (inside out). I made sure to leave a space for elastic to be strung through. As for elastic, I didn't have any of the real stuff on me, so I just used strips of very stretchy fabric. To easily string the elastic between the dress and the sewed on strips, I always attach it to a paperclip or safety pin- it's easily pushed through that way. And... Done! Pretty easy, right? And so cute! I hope you get to try this out sometime! Thanks for reading! See more on my instagram @hopewritesfashion, leave a comment, or email me feedback, ideas, or if you have any interest in collaborating- [email protected]. :)
Over break, I have had the time needed to take one of my drawings and bring it to life. By making my own pattern, I feel I can say that this shift dress is my first design. I have tried on numerous occasions to create a piece from scratch, and through failures I have learned that time and experience is what you really need when designing. Studying the body in multiple drawings by professionals and finishing many sewing projects using a purchased pattern, I was able to gain an understanding of how my own pattern needs to look in order to make a dress that fits. After learning how exactly to make a dress, you can have a little fun. Picking out your own material and adding embellishments makes the dress you and even more stunning. Making something from scratch successfully is an amazing feeling, and I can't wait to share more with you! Keep up by following me on instagram @hopewritesfashion. Thanks for reading!
Lately I have been stealing my mom's old clothes and wearing them myself, or tailoring them to better fit my body and my style. Most of the actual tailoring I've done has been simply chopping the bottoms off of maxi skirts or bringing in the waste, but today, I decided to take it to a whole new level. Above is a picture of the maxi skirt in its original form. Here's what I did to it... First I cut off the fabric on the bottom so that i had to skirt at the length I wanted. Once I finished cutting, I quickly hemmed the bottom, and I brought the waste in my simply sewing all the way down one side of the skirt, far enough from the end so that I was reducing the right amount- really pay attention to how much you really need to reduce, not doing it right the first time is a hassle. When the skirt portion was done, I decided I wanted to make a sleeveless cropped button down top out of the remaining fabric. The only problem was the I didn't have a pattern. I decided not to let not having a pattern stop me. I found a button down that still fit, but was a hand-me-down that I never really liked. I used my seam ripper to tear it up into its basic pieces, taking notes on the process and measurements in order to compare them to mine in order to see how actual measurements end up relating the the clothes- this step is pretty unnecessary, mainly just for me trying to understand patterns. I then traced the pieces on tissue paper, and proceeded to treat them as any old pattern , leaving some seam allowance before cutting the fabric. I was kind of surprised to discover how smoothly everything went. It all looks great, and I now have a great sense of accomplishment! I hope you give it a try if you have the chance! Please follow me on instagram @hopewritesfashion and leave a comment to tell me what you think!! Thanks for reading! About a week ago, I woke up feeling under the weather, but my condition wasn't bad enough to miss school. Wanting to make the rough day ahead as comfortable as possible, I wore sweatpants to school. It was a moment of weakness that I thought wouldn't end up being such a big deal, but as the day went on I, continued to feel bad, and looking down on an old pair of sweats only made matters worse.
I've now had ideas that clothing truly does affect your mood, and It's a theory that's proven everyday. So, how do we manipulate clothings' mood changing abilities to brighten our days? Dr. Alastair Tombs states "We demand many things from clothing. Quite a few people talked about using clothes to change their mood. If they get up and aren't feeling great, they would put on something that would brighten them up" (Ballinger,4). There's a great tip- Put on something that you love wearing when you're feeling down, something I should have considered on that sick day. So now, you do you find what clothes will brighten your day? Well...
Don't forget to check out my instagram @hopewritesfasion for more helpful tips and inspiration and email me at [email protected]! Ballinger, Lucy. "How Clothes Can Boost Mood." - Body+soul. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. As stated in my piece below, skinny jeans are becoming a thing of the past as today's stylish pants take a sharp turn in the opposite direction. A new trend that's growing on me would be boyfriend jeans. If you are unsure of how to wear yours, you have come to the right place! Boyfriend jeans are baggy and a bit masculine looking, hence the name. Therefore, it's best to wear them with with nice pieces. Avoid baggy or ratty looking shirts and sweatshirts, as well as dirty sneakers or flip flops. These rugged pants need balance that they can only get from polished tops and accessories. Roll them up, have fun with them, and comment and let me know what you think! Check out my other posts below, email me at [email protected], or follow me on instagram @hopewritesfashion for daily inspiration! Thanks for reading!
This school year, things may get heavy, leaving your tired and unmotivated. But, before you reach for the sweats, I would like to interest you in something just as comfortable and far more stylish. This season, pant trends are the opposite of years past. Ditch the plain skinny jeans- it's time for loose pants, fun prints, and most importantly, comfort. In looser pants, you can do anything, go anywhere, and feel so comfortable, and if you're short on cash, there are plenty of places to purchase some of your own at an amazing price. Here are some great places to try: Along with simply looser pants, another fresh look would be a pair of skinny joggers. When I say skinny, I don't mean cut-off-circulation-skinny, just not baggy. Thank you for reading! keep scrolling for more on style and savings, contact me at [email protected], and follow me on instagram @hopewritesfashion for constant inspiration!
It's about that time of the year! The leaves are changing, the air is nipping, and all your summer clothes migrate to the back of your closet... Wait a minute, there goes half of your wardrobe! I hated dealing with this, so I decided to come up with a few tips to share for continuing to wear my favorite summer pieces so you don't have to deal with it either. changing colors with the leavesMost summery pieces have lots of bold, bright colors, but the fall and winter bring out rich, earthy tones. A major staple to transforming your summer look is mildly colored accessories, shoes, and sweaters that you can add to bright dresses, tops, rompers, skirts, etc. Layering!!!!This one is super obvious. Really. When you gets cold, you pile up the layers. So, remembering the season's color rules, and pile on items to cover your skin and keep you warm. Some items for layering you especially need are:
I really do hope this helps you this season- I completely understand how hard it is to say goodbye to your favorite summer looks, so now you don't have to, all without sacrificing warmth and comfort! Please let me know what you think! Comment send me an email- [email protected], or follow me on instagram for inspiration @hopewritesfashion! Thanks for reading! This week, I finished my first week of school, and when I was dressing myself each morning, I had one main idea in mind: Balance. School is tricky. If you are too dressed up, you may become uncomfortable and unable to focus. If you look a bit shabby, you don't feel successful or live the successful-student life style. Basically, I have come up with a few ways to maintain balance while you hit the books. First, think of the basic items of clothing that you wear- top, bottom, shoes, and accessories. You must balance out the amount of pieces that are casual with the amount of pieces that are cleaner. Also, remember that some pieces measure up with others combined, such as shoes. Heels with a sporty outfit automatically give a sporty/posh look, and sneakers can dress down any dress or button down. Also, remember your accessories. Statement jewelry can say it all, as well as a sweet bow. Here are some examples: I hope this will give some inspiration! please check out my other posts and tell me what you think! Check out my instagram for more looks @hopewritesfahsion or shoot me an email @[email protected]!
These shirts are all great tops from http://www.pacsun.com/. This style of tee shirt is very popular, but the prices go up to about $37. My favorite project this summer was figuring out the cheapest way i could get a similar look. I was then inspired by my pile of old tee shirts. Now, I will share with you my step by step tutorial on how to create your own tee just like these. this DIY is meant for old sports tees. If the shirt has graphics, I sew it so that they are on the inside which means the piping is on the original inside, which becomes the new outside. However, if you want the graphics to show, you can make it so. So go ahead, find your stash and get started! supplies
cuttingChoose a main tee shirt and set it out on a flat surface. Cut the sleeves and bottom to the lengths you want, leaving a couple centimeters on for hemming over. |
AuthorHope Vaughan Archives
July 2017
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