Archive for the ‘sewing’ Category

Sewing: Stripe Scoop Top

May 16th, 2013
8 Comments

Is it a sad day that this was inspired by a tee I saw at Walmart? I got this striped jersey from a fabric destash last year and have been at a loss for what to make with it until I saw this product listing. istillloveyou-sewing-simple-knit-stripe-top-1

I’m obsessed with those cheap jeggings, btw. Perfect for a baby bump. It’s no announcement, beyond the fact that I’m getting baby hungry.

istillloveyou-sewing-simple-knit-stripe-top-2

I already had a pattern drafted up from a floral shirt project from last year that just needed a couple of tweaks. The pattern now fits me perfectly. You better believe I’m going to make a million more shirts in this shape. Since it only has two pattern pieces, it took me about an hour and a half to sew this thing up. I had plenty of fabric left over, I made a shirt for my neighbor and still had more left over for a bubble skirt for Penelope. I’m still not done with that skirt, but it’s close. I’m just dragging my feet on attaching the waistband.

istillloveyou-sewing-simple-knit-stripe-top-3

It’s a light-weight jersey that I know I’ll be wearing the heck out of this summer.

istillloveyou-sewing-simple-knit-stripe-top-5

My friend Kristin just made a similar shirt and posted her pattern as a free download so you can make your own.

istillloveyou-sewing-simple-knit-stripe-top-4

Outfit details:

Sewing: Cascade Wrap Skirt

May 9th, 2013
13 Comments

You know I’m obsessed with Megan Nielsen patterns. Maybe because she’s my favorite client, or maybe because she makes kick-trash patterns that are modern, simple and on-trend. Maybe both.

istillloveyou-cascade-skirt-sewing-knit-1

I tested out her cascade skirt pattern months ago, and I’ve been so anxious to share it with you. Now that her collection is released, I want to show it off!! I made it out of a purple heather knit (this will be the pantone of the year next year, I’m convinced), and I LOVE the drape, texture and fit.

istillloveyou-cascade-skirt-sewing-knit-2

I was a little hesitant to try a wrap skirt pattern, but I loved the technical drawing so much I couldn’t resist.

See, one of the first skirts I ever made was a wrap floral skirt, with the help of my mom. I liked it and hated it. Any time a gust of wind came, there my panties were to say hello. And I live in a fairly windy spot, on top of a mountain. I didn’t want to go to the trouble of making an awesome skirt that I could only wear on “special” (aka non-windy) occasions. But I did it anyway.

I’m glad I used a soft jersey here, the jersey tends to stick to itself to conceal not-cute mom undies.

istillloveyou-cascade-skirt-sewing-knit-3

I totes feel like a salsa dancer or something in this skirt.

istillloveyou-cascade-skirt-sewing-knit-4

I wore just about this exact outfit at Alt Summit earlier this year (minus the shoes and plus a blazer). I felt so fancy and comfortable at the same time.

istillloveyou-cascade-skirt-sewing-knit-5

Outfit details:

High Low Circle Hem Tutorial

May 7th, 2013
13 Comments

Brewing in the back of my mind has been this pink and orange circle dress. I’ve had the fabric for months, it’s just been such a busy couple of months I was almost too scared to start on it.

istillloveyou-orange-pink-high-low-dress-sewing-tutorial-1

I certainly shouldn’t have been scared. This thing took 2 hours to make from start to finish. Clean studio to clean studio, I might add. I didn’t test anything out before I started sewing, and I ended up paying for it a little bit with the waistline, but overall everything worked like a dream.

I included a high-low circle hemline here because I had enough requests for a tutorial, I thought I would do it again so I could better explain it. It’s really easy. So easy that I’ve made a printable pattern. Not printable from home, (it takes forever to format to print on 8.5×11 paper) but you can easily take the file to your local copy shop and they can print it out on their gigantic plotter for something like 15¢-50¢ per square foot. Or you can draft your own using the instructions after the jump.

istillloveyou-orange-pink-high-low-dress-sewing-tutorial-2

The two colors are very similar in content and weight, the orange being a bit heavier. I wanted to have the pink on the bottom when I first conceptualized this dress, but I didn’t have enough fabric for it. You’ll need at least a yard and a half if you want it to come close to hitting at the knee. I’m a knee length gal, so more yardage was required.

istillloveyou-orange-pink-high-low-dress-sewing-tutorial-3

I drafted my own skirt and used the Renfrew tee as a base for the bodice. I took in the Renfrew tee about 3/8 inch at the fold line, none at the shoulders or arm pits then just about 3/8 inch at the waist line. I wanted the top to be form-fitted so I can wear the dress sans belt.

istillloveyou-orange-pink-high-low-dress-sewing-tutorial-4

I made the mistake of cutting the bodice too short, so I ended up adding a waistband for the needed length. It worked out just fine, and looks like it’s supposed to be there in a way. Next time my dress won’t have one. And I will be making another one of these. I sort of wish I had made this skirt last year or the year before in the height of the orange/pink craze, but I still love it regardless of what’s trending.

istillloveyou-orange-pink-high-low-dress-sewing-tutorial-5

The jersey is crazy comfortable, it feels like I’m wearing lounge clothes. I can’t wait to make another one. Next one will be out of a print, I think. Now I need to find the right print.

Outfit details:

  • earrings: Brazil
  • necklace: Annily Green
  • skirt: handmade
  • belt: hand-me-down from grandma
  • leather bracelets: handmade
  • bangle: c/o Apricot Lane
  • shoes: thrifted

Click to read more for the full how to make this skirt!

(more…)

Sewing: Stripey Tee

May 2nd, 2013
6 Comments

Cleaning up my studio is slowly happening. The snails pace is certainly frustrating, but I’m trying to complete projects rather than just tidy up. I’ve made 3 shirts, 1 skirt and mended a few items thus far.

Up next: sweatpants, jeans, more shirts and a dress. I want to get all of those done before I head out to LA for more fabric shopping. AND YES! I’m going to be in LA the end of this month!! Let’s get together if you’re in the area, k?

istillloveyou-sewing-stripe-tee-4

I scored this fabric at a swap last month, planning on sewing it into a comfy cardigan. A dolman long-sleeve top it is! It’s ironic that as soon as I finished sewing this we had several days of warm weather. Of course we did.

istillloveyou-sewing-stripe-tee-5

We had a nice cold spell yesterday and today, so I’ve put it to good use. I drafted a pattern loosely based off a dolman-sleeved top I found at Target over Christmas break. That shirt gets worn a ton, but I did want a slightly longer hemline and a narrower neckline. Making those adjustments were pretty easy.

istillloveyou-sewing-stripe-tee-3

I added perpendicular detailing at the collar and cuff (inspired by my new hoodie) because I wanted to. And vertical stripes are kinda hot right now. I want some striped pants like these.

istillloveyou-sewing-stripe-tee-2

Last night I hosted a sewing night with the girls from church. We talked about sewing and I helped them make aprons. One of the girls asked if I bought my top at Nordstrom. That certainly made my night. It’s so satisfying when my handmade creations fool people into thinking they’ve been professionally made.

That certainly hasn’t always been the case.

istillloveyou-sewing-stripe-tee-1

Outfit details:

istillloveyou-sewing-stripe-tee-6

Lots of cuddles and tickles are in order for today.

Sewing: Military-Inspired Knit Shirt

April 25th, 2013
4 Comments

Chris is enormous. Lifting weights ferociously over the course of 4 years has a way of adding mass. Unfortunately all of his awesome thrifted tees from when we were dating don’t even come close to fitting around his massive shoulders.

melissaesplin-sewingforman-chris-1a

Someone is not happy about me stopping him on his way out the door to snap some pics.

 

Chris isn’t much of a clothes shopper now that he has a wife (and doesn’t have to impress girls with his expansive wardrobe). Now this means the only clothes that he tends to wear are the free teeshirts he’s collected from work and other miscellaneous sponsored events.

His favorite of those tees is a Flipboard tee I scored for him at Alt Summit. It’s a soft American Apparel long sleeve tee that he wears ALL THE TIME. The flipboard logo and grey shirt aren’t totally offending, but I wanted him to have something new with an identical fit. So I drafted him a shirt from the Flipboard tee.

melissaesplin-sewingforman-chris-2

The fit turned out practically identical, but it was a bit loose to begin with. I quickly zipped around the sides to get a better fit. Admittedly, I wasn’t too nice when he commented about how tight the new fit was.

Of course if Penelope were to complain I wouldn’t have been nearly as offended. If I didn’t know better, I would assume I was pregnant. Chris lovingly deals with a lot of my emotions, he should at least get a nice tee shirt out of it.

melissaesplin-sewingforman-chris-3

I used paper thin leather on the shoulders as a fun detail. I didn’t want to go to all of the work to make just a plain tee. I love what the leather patches do.

melissaesplin-sewingforman-chris-4

Drafting and sewing took about 3 hours for this shirt. I’m sure another shirt would take less time. The fabric used is a waffle thermal knit in olive I scored on a fabric destash. I got about 3 yards of fabric and used about a yard and a half, so I have just enough for a few tees for the kiddos. I think Felix needs a hoodie out of this knit. It’s super soft!

I feel pretty proud of myself for making something manly for my man. I now have a pattern I can use to make more of these tees for him. Maybe a V-neck pocket tee is in his future.

mobile site