DIY Inspiration: Cut Out Skirt

Yep. I need to make this ASAP. Possibly the easiest upcycle/DIY/etc project ever.

Though this model looks way less than enthusiastic about it than I am...


P.S. I've been having some issues getting a couple other posts up, but I've got a couple really awesome DIY's on the way once I figure it all out! Sorry for the silence!

DIY Inspiration: Asymmetrical Wrap Skirt

My namesake over at Late Afternoon posted this outfit recently, and my first thought was "oh geez, I both love and could totally make that skirt!" It's a beautiful leather (which, by the way, is so totally unbelievably in this fall) asymmetrical skirt by StyleStalker that basically looks like it's being held in place by a zipper on her left hip.

Oversized leather skirt + scissors + zipper = so easy (at least in my head). Definitely need to see if the reality would work out well. Goodwill here I come!

Images via Late Afternoon

DIY Inspiration: Just a Hint of Glitz and Glam

I stumbled across this incredible DIY project on WhoWhatWear the other day, and I need to get myself a plain gray skirt and some sparkles ASAP. I might sew on some glitter trim instead of stapling paillettes, but I love the idea. Check out the original here.

Guest Post: Skirt to Dress DIY

So today I have my very first guest post! Berenisse has been one of my best friends for the past two years and is seriously one of the most awesome people I've ever met. Not only is she originally from Peru, but she's also like quadlingual (working on languages five through 30 as we speak), a wonderful painter and artist, and a fellow DIY'er! She also leaves today for a six month journey through Hindu temples across four continents, which she'll be blogging about in English and Spanish over on Between Two Worlds.


In honor of her departure, I asked her to write a guest post about a recent lace skirt-to-dress DIY she did. And here it is!

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I started with a long flowy white skirt that was given to me by a person who loved the fabric but was too short to wear it as a skirt. Before making any alterations I attempted to used the skirt as it was as a dress by adding a belt.

However, I was not happy with the length or way the bust looked, so I took off a few inches of the bottom of the skirt and decided to reuse the part that was "cut off" from the skirt.

The cutting part was easy peacy! All I did was carefully pull the thread that attached the "excess" from my skirt and boom!

Carefully taking the bottom tier off the dress

Detached!

With the remaining part I decided to attach it to the top part so that it could be more flowy, and so that it could cover up part of the bust line I was not happy with. After a few minutes of hand sewing this top part, and adding a belt, I got a nice white dress to sport during the summer.

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Oh yeah, did I mention she's also be-a-utiful?? I love the lace and love what you did with the skirt, Bere! Thanks so much for sharing this with me, and I'll be following your every move on your blog! Safe travels love <3

All images provided by Bere

DIY Inspiration: Dressing Up Skirt Seams

I saw this skirt by Patricia Chang on GaryPepper's site on Fellt and fell in love. The intricate beading, the beautiful pattern, and the really interesting fabric waterfall on the side seams. Kind of reminds me of a DIY Geneva over at A Pair and A Spare did a while ago, inspired by the Gucci SS11 show. Check them both out, here and here.

Things I Love: TopShop Skirt

I want this TopShop skirt in my closet like yesterday. Wrap skirt, sort of watercolors, sort of galaxy print, fishtail hem, and sheer. Love love love love love.

Now if only it weren't $100 and only available in Germany :(

Shirred Skirt, The No-Sew Version

Ahhh, look what I just found!! A brilliant way to re-create the shirred skirt I made, without sewing anything!!

My version:

Her version:

DIY Inspiration: Structured Skirts

AHA! I figured out why these Proenza Schouler skirts from NYFW were giving me dejavu!

Several weeks ago, I was looking at the blog ExtraSkinny and fell in love with this skirt by Hussein Chalayan (the blouse she's wearing is pretty awesome too).

I so so so want to figure out how to DIY my own version of this.

Shirred Copycat Skirt Tutorial

Okay, well by popular demand (okay, two people), here's the tutorial for my DIY'ed shirred skirt! It's kind of confusing if you're unfamiliar with sewing, so feel free to ask me to clarify things!

Another picture of Rebecca modeling, just cause I think it's adorable.

What you need:

A bodycon/formfitting skirt to use as a pattern
Jersey knit fabric
A sewing machine
A ballpoint sewing machine needle
Lots of pins

Tissue paper

What you do:

1) Trace a formfitting skirt onto your fabric and cut two pieces (this will be your lining). With your tissue paper underneath your fabric (so the "teeth" can get a better grip), sew up the sides with a zig zag stitch (so the fabric can stretch without breaking your seam) and your ballpoint needle (so that the jersey doesn't catch the needle and cause runs). This will be the "lining" of the skirt.

2) Cut two vertically stretched out versions of the above pieces (don't know how else to describe it - basically exaggerate the length of your skirt by like 1.5X, depending on how much shirring you want. the longer you cut this piece, the more shirring your skirt will have). 

3) Baste up the sides of each piece with a long stitch. Pull the threads to "scunch"(yes, that's the technical term) your fabric until each side of both pieces matches the length of the lining piece.

4) Attach the two long strips of fabric to one of the scunched pieces using pins in whatever design pleases you. I'd recommend not making any X like this too even, or it'll have that awkward "X marks your crotch" effect. But to each their own!

Sorry the color is weird in some of these photos...

5) Sew the X design down, again using the tissue paper and zig zag stitch. Cut off any extra fabric.

6) With right sides together, sew the X'ed scunched piece to the other scunched piece at the side seams.

7) Try on the lining and the outer skirt, and take in seams as needed to make it fit properly. Press the side seams down.

It looks kind of funny just laid out...

8) Sew the lining and the outer skirt together around the top of the skirt, with right sides together (so the lining will actually be outside the scunched pieces). Flip it right side out and top stitch around the bottom to close it off.

Steps 9 and 10 here

Gimme yo' questions!

DIY: Shirred Copycat Skirt

Remember me talking about the jersey skirt I sewed for a friend forever ago? No? Irrelevant. I sewed my friend a skirt! Here's the inspiration:

I saw it on Pinterest originally (before I realized I should actually mark where I got photos, d'oh!) and immediately put it in my "Make This!!" file on my desktop. Well, with hips like mine, emphasizing them with shirring is a big no-no. But this still looked like a really neat project, so I decided to make it for a slightly more lithe friend of mine.

And I'm pretty damn happy with the outcome:

Awwww whatta cutie!

Extreme close up! She picked out a red jersey, which I super love.

I was going to try and post a step-by-step DIY but it was just getting super cumbersome and boring. If anyone really wants to know how to make this skirt, I can post it. Otherwise, let's skip to the best part of any DIY project. Step 9!

9) And HAIR FLIP!

10) Now, MODEL POSE!

Thanks Rebecca for posing for me!!

DIY: Fishtail Skirt

I saw this skirt at Goodwill last semester and immediately thought Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters, and knew I had to get it. It was a super awkward length so I hemmed it, and although I liked the outcome, it just wasn't all that great.

So I did what anyone else would do: make it into a fishtail skirt a la Geneva (see also this and this - not really a fishtail skirt, but a gorgeous maxi skirt nonetheless). Et voila! I'm in love.

Just have to point out these shoes. They're Ralph Lauren (made in Spain?), found for 5 bucks at Goodwill. SCORE.

What you need:
A skirt
Thread/needle (or fraycheck, or fabric glue)

What you do:
1) Put the skirt on.

The before. See what I mean about it just looking weird?

2) Mark in chalk where you want the skirt to hit at its shortest in the front, and at its longest in the back (I wasn't going to shorten the back of mine so I skipped this half).

3) Lay the skirt out on its side and connect those two points with chalk in a smooth line, remembering to leave a small hem allowance (you may have to curve the line more if the length difference is more extreme than mine is), and cut.

Note: that button on the waistband is on the side of the skirt - make sure you lay the skirt like this, on its side! Also, since I wasn't shortening the back of mine, I only cut about 3/4 of the way around the skirt.

4) Try on the skirt to make sure the length/shape is what you want (not pointy in the front, even slope all around, etc). Alter as needed.
5) If you're lazy like me, use fabric glue and Fraycheck to hem the skirt (it's made of non-machine washable fabric anyways). Otherwise, sew.

6) Wear it like you own the place. Admire how the skirt floats behind you when you walk. Because everyone else will be.

It's moments like this when I really really wish I had a leather jacket...

MOAR FISHTAIL!