Hello IS•LY readers. I'm Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom. And I am excited to be here to share with you my proudest DIY moments. Going through my list of tutorials, I had a hard time deciding which one was my favorite. They all had a special meaning to me at one time or another. After contemplating it for a few days, I decided to go with my pillowcase dresses -- the pleated bow pillowcase dress and the retro ruffle pillowcase dress.

The reason why these are my proudest DIY moments is because they were the first dresses I designed all on my own. The ideas popped into my head then I sketched out the idea, figured out the measurements and how to piece it all together. I also used pillowcases I found from the thrift store for 50 cents each. It was no big deal if the dresses didn't turn out. But since they did turn out, I made my daughter two new dresses for 50 cents each! This pleated bow pillowcase dress turned out differently than I had sketched in my book. Originally it had pleated sleeves and just pleats in the front. Once I started making it, I forgot the sleeves and added the bow because I thought the pleats alone looked a little plain. And the white trim at the bottom of the skirt was a last minute idea. I had scraps leftover from the pillowcase and didn't want it to go to waste. Next, the retro ruffle pillowcase dress was actually my first pillowcase dress design. I found the pillowcase first and loved the pattern and colors. I knew I wanted to make a dress out of it and give it a retro style. This dress turned out great except I made the collar a little too big. It didn't turn out to be a huge deal because I could tighten by shortening the ribbon on the back of the dress. I love little girls in blue dresses, don't you? If you want to make these dresses, go to Simply Modern Mom for the full tutorials. Happy sewing! Tiffany {Simply Modern Mom}