OMG.
Prior calligraphy student Marilenne sent me a load of beaded collars she bought from the Philippines and I couldn't wait to get sewing with them. What was likely supposed to be a beaded waist detail ended up being a popped collar of sorts for this lightweight linen kimono I sewed for myself.
The fabric is a lightweight linen I got from Miriam (turns out she bought it from Walmart - seriously sometimes they have fabulous fashion fabrics!). It's breezy, which is perfect for the long hem, so it catches in the wind and looks freaking awesome. Paired with the black faux leather leggings, I'm channeling Trinity over here (minus the shiny leather).
Sewing the beaded collar wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I ended up relying heavily on my zipper foot and it worked like a champ.
Pattern-wise, I went off
Leanne's Kimono tutorial. I made some adjustments from
the previous iteration, but I ended up making the sleeves too tight. So small, that they didn't fit my shoulders (oops). I ended up unpicking the side seams and adding a gusset in the armpit to accommodate. Worked like a charm. Putting in a gusset wasn't nearly as tricky as I thought it would be. The trickiest part of the whole thing was unpicking the serger seams (which isn't so bad with
this tutorial).
I love how this blazer/kimono/blazono works with black leggings. I'd like to try it with a floor length chiffon skirt (black or marbled grey?). I've been thinking about black tie attire lately. I'd like to have a go-to outfit for fancy stuff. So far I don't have anything like that.
Outfit Details:
