diy inspiration: silk tops

After successfully finishing my most recent clothing project, I've been itching to do more like it - thrifted silky tops spruced up with a quick modification to the hemline.  Some variations to consider:

Samantha Pleet blouse

I'm enjoying this pointy detail!  

NW3 blouse

A scalloped hem would be darling as well (see here for a great tute on making a scalloped edge), though I'd probably do it as a full-on crop top with a swingy, less fitted shape.

Vero Moda blouse

And, of course, the mullet.  This shape will long be one of my faves.

Refashioning projects like these are at the top of my to-do list.  Can't lie, though - said list is out of control!  What are your priority DIY projects for spring/summer?

diy: silk crop top

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Like everyone else, my sights are firmly set on warmer-weather dressing.  This breezy crop top is one of my faves, equally perfect with cutoffs/sandals or a pencil skirt and blazer:

Inspired by the shape of this top, I did a little operation on this oversized thrifted silk shirt:

Before

After

What I did:
1. Drew a curved hemline (yeah, I'm an addict) on the inside of the shirt, then sewed a line of stitches along that curve.
2. Cut off the bottom of the shirt about 3/4 inch below the line I had just sewed.
3. Carefully pressed the hem up so that the line of stitches was just slightly on the inside of the shirt, then folded the hem in about 1/4 inch and pressed that one more time with steam.  This helps manage the wonkiness of the curved hem and gathers the resulting excess material before you finish the hem.
4. Stitched the hem down in place.
5. Took in the sides a bit to create slightly more triangular shape.

I decided to just roll up the sleeves instead of cutting them off, as I like the option of having sleeves for a little coverage when the sun is just too much.  I'm ambivalent about whether to keep the pointed collar, though - what do you think?  Should it stay or go?

diy inspiration: ikat blouse

My next blouse revamp just might have to be inspired by this Thakoon Addition top:

You could either cut and fold a panel of patterned fabric to fit and simply stitch it to the front of a blouse (like here), or remove the front and sew on a new one.  I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of the colors or patterns used here - not really up my alley - but I do like the concept.  And I appreciate its sharp take on the ubiquitous asymmetrical hemline.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekends!  After a very Madrid Friday night out, I'm going full-on homebody tonight.  Books, soup, blogs.  Ta!

diy: metallic triangles

On a recent thrifting run, I spotted this fitted, metallic gold/black crewneck top, which is so not me:

Though I'm pretty sure that many fashion bloggers would make it look fly, this particular piece was clearly not headed for this girl's closet.  However, I knew that it would make a good raw material for something else, and I had a comfy but soporific black sweater in need of updating.  Thus, this easy and sewing machine-optional revamp:

Materials:

- Sweater, sweatshirt, or whatever top you want to use as the main garment

- Fabric - here, another top

- Sewing machine or needle/thread

- Fabric glue (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut out 2 triangles from your fabric, leaving an extra 1/2" as an allowance on each diagonal side.  If you're cutting the triangles from a top, the side seam should run down the center of each triangle.  My triangles measured 13.5" (sides) x 15" (base) x 11.5" (height).

2. Along the sides of each triangle, fold down the extra 1/2" allowance towards the underside of the fabric.  Press.  Because the fabric I was using was synthetic and difficult to press effectively, I used fabric glue to secure the allowance.

3. Arrange each triangle so that the middle is aligned with the side seams of the main garment - this is easy to do if you cut the triangles out of another top, since you can just match up the side seams of the main garment and triangles.  

4. Hand- or machine-stitch the triangles in place.  Again, I attached the triangles to the sweatshirt using just a bit of fabric glue to keep everything tidy before sewing.  

Easy projects like these, using thrifted pieces and/or pieces from your current wardrobe, are so damn satisfying!  I'm an addict for sure.

inspiration: classic contrast

1. Sea NY silk and leather blouse

2. DKNY black lace blouse
3. See by Chloe silk blouse
4. Valentino embellished cardigan

5. Jaeger contrast collar jacket
6. Peter Pilotto sleeveless top

Ever since my last DIY, I've had contrasting details on the brain: collars, plackets, pockets, cuffs.  I love that details like these, in a neutral palette, provide built-in interest (essential for me, the laziest dresser), without overly limiting the pairing possibilities within one's wardrobe.

I'm on a laid-back vacay in the Bay Area this week, and I'm heading out to SF to scour and ravage its thrift shops.  Hopefully, I'll be back with a truckload of raw materials, including some to patch together some tops/dresses inspired by the above.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

diy: a little edge

I love silk, especially in the summer.  It's true that it leads to wrinkleville, but I don't care.  I just love it.  Picking up thrifted silk blouses has been my latest thing, and I was drawn to the neutral color of this one, which I promptly restyled to my liking:

Though I liked the fabric and hue, the fit was off: as usual, the sleeves were way too long and the shoulders a bit too wide.  Solution: peace out, sleeves, and hello, bias tape!  Here's the original:

And details post-revamp:

I am suddenly overwhelmed by the possibilities presented by this refashioned blouse.  Knot in front and wear with denim shorts now!  Belt and wear over a mini!  Pair with a cropped sweater in the fall!  I clearly can't deal.  

This was so easy that I feel ridiculous laying out the steps, but here's what I did:

1) Remove the sleeves.  I just cut right above the seams, rather than carefully picking them out with a seam ripper.
2) Check for fit and make adjustments if needed.  In this case, the armholes were way too big.  So, under the arm, I slimmed the sides about half an inch.  I also sewed a gathering stitch right next to the shoulder seams - you just sew a line of long stitches where you want to gather the fabric, pull the bottom thread while smushing the fabric together along the thread until it looks good, and sew the loose thread into place (I also stitched over the gathering when I was done to secure it).  With this step, I was able to make the armholes smaller and add a bit of interest without having to get too precise with the armhole shaping. 
3) Sew on bias tape to cover the armhole and collar edges.  You can buy or make bias tape.  I made mine from some lovely raw silk I had lying around (I love how its nubbiness contrasts with the smooth silk of the blouse).  Just fold the tape in half, press, and stitch it right over the edges.  Make sure you fold the ends of the bias tape to the inside for a clean finish.  

Hooray for (relatively) quick fixes!

diy: linen tee update

Inspired by this, I did a quick revamp on a ghastly-fitting J. Crew linen tee:

Behold the before.  See how it does nothing for me?

I just stitched on a bit of lovely gold trim at the top of the pocket, and to make the most of the ample, drapey fabric, I cut and sewed a curved hem (something I can't stop doing, as you'll soon see).  The new shape gives the fabric some much-needed swing.

This is the type of low-commitment, high-satisfaction project I'm going to try to do more of from now on.  When I first learned to sew, I became characteristically wild-eyed.  Hell yeah, why would I buy a trench coat when I could just make one?  Heh!  After some notable failures in the early days, I've accepted this fact: I just don't have the patience to produce, from scratch, a garment that I would actually want to wear.  I give couturiers serious props, but I'm happy to leave the heavy stuff to the pros.

But still, I need to make things.  I like sewing, just not for hours at a time.  And this is where a project like this one is such a treat: no fretting about precision, no grand technique.  Just a bit of hand-sewing and an easy hem, neat and simple, the way I like it.