Cinderella Tunic

I finally got the chance to make it to the fabric store up here and they were having an awesome sale. As we were going in, I was trying to explain to my little one that we won't be long and Mommy was trying to find some fabric to make some new clothes so she needed to be good while we were in the store. She got super excited and asked if she could have a Cinderella dress. I told her we would look at the fabric (it's usually $10/yard! eek!) but it ended up being on sale! So, she picked out her fabric and proceeded to tell every person we passed that she was getting a Cinderella dress and then would start singing a Cinderella song to them. She thinks she is the center of attention everywhere we go, and she ends up being just that. I told her I would start the dress the next day and she didn't forget that! As soon as she woke up, she took her jammies off and was tying to put the yard of fabric around her as a dress. So, I had to start the dress. She watched me the entire time and tried to help until she had to take a nap. Her nap didn't last long and Mommy still had to hem the dress. As soon as it was done, she stared at her self in the mirror for a while then was ready to show it to everyone. She's had it on the past 2 days...I think I'm going to have to make a few more. So if your little one is as crazy about "Erella" as my little one is, this a simple dress to make for them. Heck, you can make one for each day! 

Materials:

About a yard of fabric

Matching thread

A loose dress to use as a pattern

1/4" elastic and 3/8" elastic

To get started, turn the dress you're using inside out and fold it in half. Put it on the fold of your fabric, leaving a couple inches from the fold to where your dress starts. Trace around the dress, extending the neckline and bottom of skirt and leaving enough room for seam allowance around the rest of the dress and cut out 2 of these.

Once you have your pieces cut out, put right sides together and pin the shoulder seams and the side seams. Then serge or zigzag stitch your seams and press.

At this point I tried it on Aubree to make sure the armholes were large enough. That was a huge mistake! She thought her dress was done and would not take it off.

Now, get out your iron and ironing board and press the neckline over (to the wrong side of the fabric) with enough room to put 1/4" elastic and having room for stitching. You may need to notch some places to get the curve to fold over correctly. Then pin in place and stitch down, leaving at least an inch opening to get your elastic in. Then measure around the neckline of the dress you used for your pattern and cut your 1/4" elastic to that measurement plus 1 inch. Slip a safety pin on your elastic and feed it through your casing. Once it is all the way around, overlap your elastic by 1/2" and zigzag stitch together. I always go down, then reverse, then back down and tie off. Get all of your elastic back in the casing and stitch the opening closed.

Time to put the elastic waist in. Instead of making a casing; which I normally do, I cut the 3/8" elastic to my daughter's waist measurement plus 2". Overlap your elastic ends by 1/2" and zigzag stitch together the same way you did for the neckline elastic. Lay your dress out flat and mark a straight line across the waist on front and back (making sure they match up!). Now, slide your elastic band around the dress and pin on one side seam then pull the elastic and find the middle and pin that onto the other side seam. Do this again to pin equal sides of the elastic to the front middle and back middle. Once pinned down, you're going to zigzag stitch the elastic down. Sewing elastic down can be tricky, but all you have to do is pull both sides of your elastic while sewing it down. It will stretch out the elastic to sew down properly then will gather once it's stitched.

 
















Last steps are to hem the armholes and hem the bottom. Hemming the armholes can be tricky too, just notch where needed to get the fabric to lay down flat. I always serge my hemlines so I don't have to press 1/4" in then press another 1/4". If you serge it, all you need to do is serge then press over, pin and stitch. 

Now you have a fabulous Cinderella Tunic that your little one will NEVER want to take off! I made this for my daughter, but you can always use these steps to make one for you too. It doesn't have to be Cinderella fabric, but I won't judge it you want to be a pretty princess!

If you like this tutorial, feel free to share and follow me on pinterest to see all the tutorials I post at makeitlovediy 

Update on color block dress: I STILL CANNOT FIND WHAT BOX IT IS IN!!!!!! It is driving my crazy! This dang dress is almost done and I have no idea what box I put it in while packing. As soon as I find it, I will finish it and post the blog. 

  

Galaxy Shoes

I haven't been able to post ANYTHING in weeks!!! Between moving, finishing school and having family over all the time (yay!) there has been no time for anything. Thankfully my sweet little niece is crafty! She started painting Galaxy Shoes for her, her sisters, cousin and friends. She's been pretty busy painting and I'm sure is just about sick of anything galaxy. Lucky for us, she is guest blogging here today to show us how she makes them!

I love my Shelby. She's 13, super smart, loves anything crafty (she's always asking what we can make that day), a huge 1D fan and just all around one of my favorite girls and now y'all get to see her crafty side! I hope y'all enjoy the blog!

Materials:

Canvas Shoes in any color you choose

(Vans, Keds, Toms, or something similar)

 4 different color paints

(I used blue, teal, pink and white)

Sponge Brush

Paint Brush or Tooth Brush

 Painter's Tape or Vaseline

First put your painter's tape or Vaseline around the rubber (white part) of your shoes so the paint won't dye them.

Then use your first color (I used blue first) and your sponge brush and lightly dab streaks across different parts of your shoe.

Once the first color is dry, use a lighter color (I used teal) and dab around the first color used. 

Then use a bright color (I used pink) and again, using your sponge brush, put a couple more streaks around your shoe.

The last color to use is white. Sponge the white in any open areas and around the lighter colored paint. 

Last step is to get out your paint brush or toothbrush, dip it in white paint and splatter it onto your shoes to create a star effect. Then you can use your paint brush to paint on a couple stars around your shoes.  

Take off the painter's tape and wipe off Vaseline when your shoes are all dry and you're all done!

I hope you enjoyed Shelby's blog! She was very excited to get to make one and put her ideas out there.

If you like this blog, follow me on Pinterest at  makeitlovediy

I know I promised a color block dress and I am almost done with it but I need to find it in the tons of boxes of sewing stuff that has not been unpacked yet. We now live in one of my favorite cities in the middle of the forest, right on the lake. The only downside was downsizing our house. I now have no area to keep all my sewing stuff out since the little one thinks she can sew too and knows how to turn my sewing machines on (Yikes!). So I will be posting as I'm able to make things and when the little one allows me too!  

Framed Wedding Ring Holder

This week is a simple tutorial. One of my bestest friends got married in February and she found this beaded frame that she liked that holds your wedding ring so you won't lose it when you have to take it off. She sent it to me probably in January and asked if I could make one for her and I have finally found the perfect frame for it. (Thanks to Hobby Lobby being closed on Sundays, I had to go to Michael's and there it was!)

Materials:

Frame

Tiny Glass Beads

Foam Board

Scraps of Material

Glue Gun

Modge Podge

Sponge Brush

Pin

The frame I used, I got at Michael's. It's an open (no back) laser cut wooden frame. You can find it on the wood aisle. Use your glue gun and only doing a little at a time so the glue doesn't dry, squirt some on evenly and immediately sprinkle some beads over it to cover all the glue you put down. Doing this on a paper plate works best so all the extra beads don't fly all over the place. Press the beads down and shake the excess off. Anything that covers the holes, I moved around or loosened them off the frame with tweezers. Do this all over your frame until everything is covered in beads.

Once all the glue is dry, get a sponge brush and your Modge Podge out and put a thin layer all over your beads. This will help hold all the beads on since the glue gun glue is no Gorilla Glue. If you think it's needed, put another layer of Modge Podge down. Confession: I haven't put any Modge Podge on mine yet since I accidentally poured black glitter into it! Whoopsies!

While your Modge Podge is drying, measure out how big your foam board needs to be. Make sure there's enough around the edge to glue to the back of your frame. Once cut out, measure your material out. Make sure your piece of fabric is big enough that it will stretch to the back of your foam board to glue it on. I used burlap since my girl's wedding had burlap in the decor. Put your foam core board in the center of your fabric and stretch it around and hot glue the ends to the back of your foam board. As long as the Modge Podge is dry, flip your frame over and hot glue your foam core board to the back of your frame.

Now, put your pin in that will hold your ring. I just used a sewing pin, but one of the fancy ones. It can be a bit tricky, I had a few trial and errors. Once you find where you want the pin to be, push it into your foam core board but not too much and force it down towards the bottom of your frame so it's not sticking out the back. It doesn't have to be too deep, as long as it's secure. You should have enough of your pin sticking out that you can bend the pin forward slightly so you can get your ring on there comfortably but it won't fall off. Once your pin is on, you have a fancy lil' ring holder for your wedding ring! You can either hang it where it would be most convenient, or get one of those cute little easel type frame holders.

Hope you enjoyed this simple tutorial! Check back next week, I think I'm wanting to make a form fitting color blocked dress. Hopefully the little Love Bug will let me! Have a fantastic week!

 

   

Twisted Bandeau Bikini

It's now "unofficially" Summer! Even though my "bikini body" might not be in tip top shape, it's time to make some swimsuits! For Memorial Day weekend, we got to go up to Hot Springs, Arkansas and hang out with the family on the lake. If you have never been there, it's a must! Everything up there is so beautiful, the people are so nice and you'll never want to leave. While we were up there, our big love bug (my step-daughter) showed me this swimsuit top she liked. It was a twisted bandeau top, one side with a pattern and one side a solid color....it was $30 just for the top!!!! She said "it's ONLY $30!" If you don't know by now, I'm insanely fruggle! I don't pay $30 for ANYTHING. Especially a swimsuit top. So, I told her instead of buying it I'll make one and go even further and make her an entire swimsuit for under $10...then I had to make myself one. Not to brag, but they came out pretty awesome!

Materials:

1 1/2- 2 yards of Nylon Fabric (It's on sale right now at Hancock's! 40% OFF)

1/2 yard of Swimsuit Linning (on sale too!)

Corresponding Thread

First we'll start with the top. You need to take your bust measurement and make sure it's not too tight! You're going to make two strips of fabric to make the bandeau top. With your bust measurement, subtract 3 inches and that's how long each strip will be. To get the width, measure from where you want your swimsuit top to start on top to where you want it to end under your bust and double that measurement. Once your two long strips are cutout, fold in half lengthwise with right sides together, pin, zigzag stitch or serge, press your seams and turn right-side out.

 Now that you have two long strips, lay one out flat and fold it in half end to end. Take your other strip and pinch the center and lay it inside the fold of your other strip, going top to bottom.

Then take the ends of each strip and pull them out to their corresponding sides. 

The easiest way I found to hem the back of your swimsuit is first to zigzag stitch or serge each end closed (on mine, the black side closed then the stripped side closed) then put right sides of your swimsuit top together and serge or zigzag stitch your seam closed and press.

To make your swimsuit bottoms, find some bottoms you like and make a pattern from them. Make sure you make the crotch seams the same length on front and back! I made a mistake with that and had to add more fabric to make the seam correct. And make sure you leave room for seam allowance. Cut out your swimsuit fabric and your lining fabric.

To sew your bottoms together, sew the side seams and crotch on your swimsuit fabric and lining fabric with right sides together. To attach your lining to your swimsuit fabric, have your swimsuit fabric right-side out and your lining inside out. Slip your lining into your swimsuit bottoms, matching up your side seams and crotch seams. Pin along all sides so the lining and swimsuit bottoms will be pinned together. Then zigzag stitch or serge together.

Now that the swimsuit bottom and lining are together, turn it inside out and press over for your hem, pin then zigzag stitch closed.

Bam! Bam! Shazam! You've got a cute new swimsuit for a fraction of the cost you would buy one of these for! Hope you enjoyed this week's tutorial. Feel free to share and follow me on Pinterest where I post all the blogs @ www.pinterest.com/makeitlovediy. 

  

Sweet Spring

This week, we're making an entire outfit! A loose polyester tank, a bandeau top and a "skater" skirt. I haven't been able to wear anything (out in public) that shows my belly since I had the sweet baby. Stretch marks galore! I want to participate in this bandeau with a sheer flowy top trend, so I had to make a high-waisted skirt to do so...and this was the outcome...

If you shop for your fabric right, you can find some great deals. I don't like making clothes for the same price I can buy them for. It makes all the time completely pointless, so I always buy sale fabrics or take coupons in. I ended up spending $10 for this outfit. Including the fabric for the top, bandeau, skirt and zipper. For the top, I used Hancock's "value fabric" polyester. Only $4.95/yard! I only bought 1/2 yard, but next time will get a yard. The bandeau top, I used a stretch lace. And for the skirt, I found some amazing cotton floral fabric at 40% off! I'm a huge bargain shopper, but I have never been able to go buy 3 pieces for only $10 so I was super excited to make this outfit.

First we'll start with the top:

Materials

1/2-1 yard of loose fabric

Double fold biased tape (optional)

To make the pattern for your shirt, find a shirt you like the fit of but make sure it's loose and has a wide enough neckline that it will fit over your head without stretching. Turn it inside out and mark your pattern, leaving room for seam allowance. Cut your pieces out. Cutout a 4x4 piece of the fabric that we'll use for the pocket on the chest.

Once cutout, put your shirt with right-sides together and zig-zag stitch or serge your side seams and shoulder seams then press. Now you can either use double fold biased tape for your hem or fold over your hem 1/4" and press then another 1/4" and press, pin and stitch. (I've learned that if you serge the edges or put a zig-zag stitch around your edges, it will help with hemming them. It gives the fabric a little more weight and helps you keep an even hem.)

Now to just add your pocket. With your 4x4 square, either hem the edges or use your biased tape. Put your shirt on and mark where you want your pocket. Pin your pocket down and don't forget to leave the top open! I really wish I would have just used my poly fabric for the pocket. I think the print is a little too much with the outfit. Anyways, done with a simple little top!

Now to the Bandeau Top!

Materials

1/4 yard of fabric (something very stretchy)

1/4" elastic

Bandeau tops are so easy to make, that you want to but one again. First, take your chest measurement and subtract 5" from it. We're taking inches off so it will fit snug. Then measure from where you want your bandeau to start and down to where you want it to end and add seam allowance. (With the stretch lace, I didn't end up hemming the top and bottom.) Once cutout, put right sides together and sew up your side seams and press. Then sew down your hem. Now, get out your elastic. I cutoff enough elastic for the length of my top, but you won't need that much. Make sure your top is turned inside out and mark a straight line down the center front. Start sewing your elastic with a zigzag stitch if you're using something like lace, or a straight stitch. Pull the elastic pretty hard while your sewing it down to create the ruching. Once it's sewn down, cut the excess off. Sewing the elastic down will create a sweatheart neckline.

Then to the Skater Skirt. The skater skirt is really just a full skirt like a pleated skirt but without all the pleating. You need plenty of fabric for it since we'll be cutting it on a fold.

First you need to make your template for your waist which will be a half circle. Measure your waist then add seam allowance for your zipper. Then figure out the diameter of the circle by dividing your measurement by 3.14. Make your half circle like this:

Decide how long you want your skirt and add room for seem allowance then take 2" off that measurement so we can add a waistband. Lay your fabric out, folded in half like it comes off the bolt. From one end, measure up how long you wanted your skirt then pin down your half circle on the fold. Then mark on the other side of the circle down the length you want your skirt and mark from the center of your half circle down the length you want your skirt. Now connect your marks then cutout and cut your waist hole out so it will make large half circle like this:

Then cutout your waistband. I always cut waistbands on the fold so I have less sewing to do. If you don't have any more fold, just cut 2 strips out the length of your waist measurement plus seam allowance and sew right-sides together at the top and sides.

Lay your skirt out and cut straight down one side of your skirt. Then lay it out and attach your waistband with right sides together and sew then press. Once your waistband is sewn on, install your zipper according to manufacturer's instructions then finish sewing your seam together.

Lastly, all you need to do is hem your skirt and you're done with your outfit!

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial this week and thanks for checking it out! You can also follow me on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/makeitlovediy

 

The "Beach Hair" Spray

It's almost time for summer and "beach hair" is a must! I've always loved the way my hair curls after spending the day at the beach, but then you have to go wash it out asap! (Galveston isn't the cleanest water.) A few years ago, I started making some "beach curl" spray. I used to buy it, but when I realized all you need is an empty spray bottle, sea salt, conditioner and water; I started making it! It's so insanely inexpensive and gives you the perfect Beach look!

I use a 6oz spray bottle. Add about an ounce of conditioner, 2tbs of sea salt and fill your bottle up with warm water. Shake it up and spray all over your wet locks. You can let your hair air dry, or speed up the process and use a diffuser attachment (the one that looks like it has crazy spikes) on your blow dryer. Using the blow dryer, I've found gives a lot more volume to the top, which I LOVE! The bigger, the better!

I love using this spray because it gives my hair so much texture and volume! Hope you enjoy your new beach spray and get to rock some voluminous curls even when you're not at the beach. 

Your Favorite Romper

This week's tutorial: a Romper! Rompers are one of my favorite pieces of clothing. They are so comfortable and a perfect piece for summer! I wanted to make myself a romper because every one I find that I like is way too short or just doesn't fit right.

For my birthday, my awesome Grandma bought me a dress form and then wanted me to pick out some fabric. My Grandma loves batiks fabric and we saw this one at Hancock's. I'm usually not a huge fan of them, but they have some awesome tribal prints and tie-dye ones now and they're 40% OFF this month! Batiks are 100% cotton and pre-washed. If you're using a fabric like this, you need to have a low neckline so you can get into your romper without tearing it. If you want a higher neckline, try using a knit or cotton t-shirt that has some stretch to it or find a poly blend with spandex in it. 

Materials:

1 1/2- 2 yards of fabric

1/2" elastic- enough for your waist

Double fold biased tape

To make a romper, you want it loose. I did mine about 2x my measurements. The least I would do is 1 1/2x your measurements. To make your pattern, use an old tank top that you like. Make sure that the top you choose for your pattern has a low enough neckline that it will be able to slip on easily. Turn it inside out and trace the armholes and neckline then angle it out to the width that you need. Your top needs to be long enough to hit your waistline (or where you want your elastic) plus seam allowance. To make the shorts pattern, use a loose pair of shorts to trace out. Turn them inside out and fold them in half, tracing around them leaving room for seam allowance. Extend the bottom of your shorts down to the length you want plus seam allowance. Then extend the top of your shorts up high enough to reach your waistline plus seam allowance and at least another 1" for your elastic casing. Extend the waistline of your shorts out to 1/2 the measurement of your bodice pattern. Make sure you have enough room from your crotch to the top of your shorts to fit comfortably. If it's too short, you'll have a perma-wedge or even worse, camel toe!

Cut out your bodice front and back and your shorts. To cut out your shorts, have your fabric folded in half and cut the pattern out twice. If you want to add pockets, cut them out too. I cut out (4) 5x7 rectangles for the pockets.

Start with your bodice and put right-sides together and zig-zag stitch or serge your seams and press. 

To sew your shorts, start with the pockets. With each quarter of your shorts, mark where you want your pockets to start on the right-side of your fabric. Keep in mind the extra inch and seam allowance we added to the top of your shorts. I measured down 6" and marked to start the pockets. Pin the right-side of each piece of pocket to the right-side of your shorts. Zig-zag stitch and press your seams.

Now to sew your shorts together. Put right-sides together (front and back) of each side of your shorts. Lining up the pockets and side seams. Pin starting at the top of your shorts, down around your pockets and down the rest of your seam. Then pin the seam under the crotch of your shorts. Zig-zag stitch or serge and press your seams.

Now, this part is a little confusing...once you've sewn up each "leg" of your shorts, turn one right-side out and put it inside the other leg so right-sides are together. Line up your crotch and pin together. Zig-zag stitch or serge and press your seams.

Now that your bodice and shorts are sewn, we need to sew them together. With your shorts turned right-side-out and your bodice turned inside out, pull your bodice over your shorts so the waistlines are together. Pin your bodice about 1" below the waistline of your shorts and zig-zag stitch together. Once they're stitched together, fold the casing down to your shorts. Pin in place and zig-zag stitch down making sure to leave enough room in your casing to push your elastic through. 

 (I forgot to take a pic of this, so here's one from the Maxi Dress from last week of how to create your casing.)

Now to put in your elastic. Measure your elastic out to the measurement of your waist minus 1". Hook a safety pin through one end and feed it through your casing. Once all the way around, overlap your elastic by at least 1/2" and zig-zag stitch together. Then finish closing your casing.

Now keep your Romper inside out and hem your shorts. Fold over 1/4" and press and another 1/4" and press, pin and stitch closed.

Last step is to finish the bodice. Like I've said before, I hate hemming necklines and armholes. That's what we have the double fold biased tape for. I pinned the biased tape to the raw edges of my neckline (I started in the middle of my "v" neckline) and when it got to where the straps should be, I measured out how long I needed my straps and continued to the back middle. Then repeated for the other side of my neckline and the same for the armholes.

Now you've finished your romper! Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Sometime in the future, I want to make a structured romper, but I've never done boning before so I'll probably have a few too many mistakes before I can perfect it. Fingers crossed it will work out!

I also wanted to talk about sergers. I've had a few questions about them, so I thought I would explain exactly what they are. A serger has 4 different threads in it that basically ties up your seams. Look on the inside of your shirt. The seams that you see are what a serger creates. Sergers also have little knives on them so they can cutoff any excess fabric while sewing your seam up. Sergers make sewing garments so much faster and looks a lot cleaner. You won't have any raw or fraying edges. Another plus about a serger is that you can change the hem. On my maxi dress, instead of hemming the bottom, I used a rolled hem on the serger. A rolled hem is smaller so that you can hem the bottoms of some garments without having to fold, press, fold, press and pin.

 I love my serger! Again, I have an awesome Grandma and she bought me my serger for my birthday last year. I was just expecting a peddle foot for an old serger and she surprised me with a Janome Harmony 9102d! Hancock's tends to put Janome sergers on sale fairly often and you can find something in your budget. The only down side to a serger is that if you make a mistake, you're screwed! If you have the knife up, it will cut any excess fabric off, which sometimes you might need back. If you have the knife pulled down so you're not using it, and you make a mistake, you still have to seam rip 4 threads! It takes forever! I was making a hi-lo dress one night and was so excited that I was almost done. Just needed to sew the skirt to the bodice...I sewed it on backwards and had to rip the serged seam out to turn the skirt the correct way.

Anyways, if you want to start sewing more often, I would highly suggest getting a serger. Even though it takes 4 threads to run it, the maxi-lock thread is only $3/each with something like 3,000 yards on it. You'll use it forever! And it will make sewing garments so much nicer. 

Y'all have a great week! I don't have in mind what's going to be posted next week...there are too many things I want to make and not enough time. It usually comes down to what fabric is on sale.