Fashion Friday: Maxi-Dress Re-Fashion - it's done!



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This dress has been living in my head for some time now...actually back when I was pregnant with Scarlett. I was wearing lots of maxi-dresses, and when I saw this one at Wal-Mart I thought I would try it. Not sure what I was really thinking because horizontal stripes are especially not cute on 8 month pregnant women...and particularly in bright colors.

I started to think about how I could "save" the dress by adding a new top and possibly bleaching it all white...then I thought hmmmm, maybe navy blue instead. I began the process last January in California, I actually removed the top and replaced it with a t-shirt (also from Wal-Mart). The top looked really boring so then I added the ruffle bib and shortened the sleeves a tad. I love that raw edges are in-style!


Shirt before



Mid-process

Still too boring and the colors were just not me.



Quick pic of the ruffle-bib before I start the dye bath.



I pulled out the dress a few weeks ago when we moved into our new house and didn't really have a minute for it..well every time I got on the treadmill that thing haunted me. It was saying, "Please, can you just give me a chance?! I know I can be sooo cute and you'll love me - just trust me on this." "Sheesh - fine, I'll work on you after dinner." I telepathically replied...I'm so weird! haha

Step 1 to dye the dress was actually to remove the color. I used Rit Color Remover and a pot of water on the stove. Let me warn you that it was a very stinky process. The kids giggled uncontrollably and asked over and over if we were going to eat the dress.



This is how it came out - weird, huh?! I was pretty worried at this point that the whole project was a failure.

Step 2 was to wash it.

Step 3 I dyed it in our kitchen sink (which happens to be black and so I wasn't worried about how the dye might affect it...no problemo.)

Step 4 Wash and dry

I pulled the dress out of the dryer this morning and wasn't sure if I was in love. Darin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you want it to look like denim?" I asked him to go find Coco in the garage and let's see how the dress really looks - he was so great and ran right out to find her (still packed) and also brought in several of my purses and the baby bjorn (woo-hoo).

back on topic...

I put the dress on Coco and was soooooo excited. I love it. What do you think? It definitely turned out different than I expected and the original color of thread is showing but I think imperfection is beautiful. So, yay little dress for coming to life! I can't wait to wear it tomorrow to lunch with a friend and then to get my hair did ;-) !!!





Coco has a cute bum like Pippa..that's why she's modeling.




Love raw edges but I don't love the quality of this fabric, but what can you expect for $4 at Wal-Mart?! Overall, cute.



I have two more dresses living in my head right now and two pillow-case dresses for the girls - can't wait to show you how they turn out.

Be brave..sew or dye something this week - you never know, it just might turn out better than you thought possible!

Quick pic on my way out the door for my hair appt...ya, those roots aren't looking too good!

So whadya think???

Fashion Friday...Flashback

A few weeks ago there was a lovely, sweet lady at church who wore a dress that made me smile inside...as soon as I saw her I had a flashback to my ten-year old self going to church and seeing my mom in a similar dress. She usually paired it with a large belt, earrings, necklace, and some beautiful pumps...my mom was always (and still is) very stylish. It made me feel proud to walk into church or any other place with her - she was a wonderful example to me of being proud of motherhood and who you are no matter your job or title.

She woke up every morning to the same routine: get dressed, put on makeup, brush teeth, make bed (if dad was out of it), read scriptures while making a big breakfast for her 10+ kids, wake up the kids in a sweet way (how did she do that with teenagers?!), get us all ready and out the door...and then on to laundry and the other household chores. She taught me so many lessons in that simple routine. I still haven't perfected it.

I loved that moment and the flood of memories and that made me think....from now on, when I see someone who chose to hold on to the fashions of a certain era, I'm going back in time for a moment too. So many great memories from the 80s and 90s!

I have a few favorite fashion bloggers that I love to follow. I love to see their creativity in putting outfits together. I've considered doing a Fashion Friday but I get nervous...there are a lot of people who criticize anyone involved in the fashion industry...I've had my share of criticism already and not sure that I'm ready for more....so we'll see how permanent Fashion Friday becomes.

For now..here's what I'm loving for the 4th:

Dress and sweater from Forever 21...actually own the dress and LOVE it. I usually wear it with a soft green cardi and white undershirt, but for the 4th I've got to add some red and I think a flower will be perfect.

PS - I'm doing a maxi-dress re-fashion that is almost done. I finished the sewing but need to dye it...so excited to see how it turns out.

Some beautiful inside and out fashion bloggers...

Kristina J. (also sews)

The Daybook (happens to be a cute *currently pregnant* Mormon so very modest styles)

StylePantry (love her bohemian looks!)

I'll post more next time.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Oh..head over to my sister's blog for an awesome give-away!

Sew Fun! 5 New Projects

Yes, making babies makes me crafty. Maybe it’s part of my “nesting” stage. It seems that my little sister, Jill, is going through the same thing. I’m loving it and wanted to share some of my fun with you.

1st project – Binky Clip
The fabric (ric-rac ribbon from Joann's) snaps on and off so I can wash it. I sure hope she’ll take a binky because this turned out so stinking cute – AND because I’m a big fan of “plugs”.


This is an old broach I had. I clipped off the pin and sewed some elastic around it so it slides over the clip. I should have taken a picture of the plain clip..oops.

2nd project – Headband that matches the Binky Clip (Allie made this!)

Allie has the sewing bug even more than I do and she’s planning a big post soon to showcase her creativity. For now she said it’s okay if I show you this cute headband that she made Baby S or Baby B (read and vote below!). Didn’t she do a great job?!

3rd project – Boutique-d Outfits for the Girls

When we were in Utah, Darin’s cousin’s wife (did you follow that?) had their daughter in THE CUTEST PANTS EVER. I asked her about them and sure enough, she’d made them. I took notes and came home determined to make some for my girls.

The girls refused to wear these cute white jeans – it was too hot or they didn’t have anything to match…well, time went by and they got too short. So I turned them into capri’s and added the “Boutique” accents.

I purchased these shirts at Target for $7 and just added the grosgrain ribbon down the front and ruffled it for the sleeves.

This was the shirt before. It had some lace and rhinestones...tacky ;-)!

4th project – Hospital Gown for Post-Delivery

No, I AM NOT wearing this to deliver in! BUT, I really don’t like the hospital gowns that you have to wear after you deliver either. The nice thing about the hospital gowns is that they are easy to nurse in. I saw some really cute ones on Etsy but I didn’t like the feel of the fabric nor the price tag.

One night as I was going to bed I thought up this little creation, went to Target the next day and found the perfect dress to make it all happen! So…this is a regular Liz Lange black jersey maternity dress. It cost $25. The sleeves were one simple seam, so I unstitched it, added snap ribbon (find it at Joann’s), and have since been deciding how to embellish it. I think I’ll add a black braid to the neckline (it’s so boring)…paired with leggings I can wear it as a regular post-delivery dress but it will be so easy to nurse in! Yay!

This was one of my first ideas to embellish the neckline...but uhhhh it doesn't quite look like hospital-wear. This is why I love my "Coco"..I get to play around with designs before it's too late. So...now I'm thinking I'll simplify this to just a black braid (out of jersey) around the neckline. I like that it will hide the snaps so I can still wear it to church or on errands but can nurse so easily. I think I'll look for more tops like this convert into nursing tops!

I still have some projects on the brain…so we’ll see if I can squeak them in before THE BIG DAY!

PS – I’ve loved reading everyone’s opinions below, thank you! If you haven’t commented yet, feel free to! Oh and Ellen – thanks for the warning…she will never be called Scar!!!! Hahaha

Allie's Baptism and Baby News

We've had a very eventful weekend for several reasons.

1. We are moving! Same town but different house. No, we didn't buy yet. Our landlord is selling the house we're in so sadly we must move....ya, pregnancy and moving should NEVER be combined! (Luckily my in-laws are here helping!) Oh..email me if you want our new address.

2. We found out we're welcoming another baby...........GIRL! We were sure it was a boy but we were certainly wrong...she is adorable and we're really excited! Wow, I have SO missed the baby girl section at Target!!! We'll talk names some other post...I have to get my boy names out there, even if we have another boy Darin won't let me use them. HA

3. The most exciting news is that our Beautiful Little Allie was baptized on Saturday! What a beautiful, spiritual, and amazing day...actually, what a beautiful, spiritual, and amazing girl! We were blessed with the Lunt Grandparents to be a part of it and their talents sure brought in the Spirit during the meeting. Grandma played the violin and Grandpa gave a talk on the importance of the Holy Ghost. Darin did a perfect job of baptizing Allie and blessing her with the Holy Ghost. I thought my only role was going to be sewing her dress but she asked me to speak about baptism too...I made it through both, so that's a success. She had many wonderful friends attend which made the experience extra special!

Allie has been excited about being baptized since she was 3, and I'm so happy that the experience was all she wanted it to be. She glowed all day. She's already setting a wonderful example for her little sister(s) and brother...Kate is counting down the days!

Seeing my little girl baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost is an experience I can't put into words...I just hope I really took it all in and need to go journal about it. (Allie already did!)

A special THANK YOU to my sister Cari, who made Allie a beautiful DVD of "Allie" pictures to music. We've watched it countless times and tear up every time. At the baptism some of the moms asked if I made it, I replied, "No, my sister did." They all asked if she would like to be adopted into their families too! Love you Cari, Thanks isn't even big enough!!!

Lucky us - the church building where she was baptized is right next to our Temple!

 

I wish I had taken more pictures of her dress - it's the first pattern I've followed from beginning to end. It feels good to know that I can actually follow directions.

 

Such a beautiful daughter!

Voila! Skirt to Dress During Naptime

First, I HAVE to say THANK YOU for all the super-nice comments! Wow, you all seriously made my week!

I'm really not a great seamstress yet but with each project I can see improvement. What I LOVE about sewing is that I feel a connection to my mother and grandmothers who sewed out of necessity, as well as out of love. I can remember going with my mom to choose a fabric and pattern for a new Easter dress, school clothes, or play clothes. It was always fun to look at pattern books and anticipate the new dress that would soon be mine - so different than shopping for regular clothing (which is still super fun ;-). I hope I'm re-creating for my children a piece of what I had growing up. Allie is already asking me to teach her to sew and watches over my shoulder...she loves ripping out my mistakes for me! The other part that I love is the creativity - my brain SERIOUSLY needs to create (we all do in some way) and sewing is fulfilling that. Anyway, if you are considering sewing, this blog gave me the SUPER SIMPLE instructions for this skirt to dress.


LOVED this skirt when I bought it at target for like $6...but for some reason I RARELY wore it. I was planning to give it away when I started re-designing and so I saved it, SO glad I did! This probably took me an hour or so from start to finish.

Before:

After:

PS - My mom tried and tried to teach me to sew as a teenager but I was FAR too cool for that. So many regrets! ;-)

More Re-Fashions....

I've had two sewing projects in my mind that I had to either complete or go crazy thinking about. I finally completed them and decided it was a fun idea to name them (like a serious designer) (haha).

I call this one "Roman Holiday" because this shirt was originally bought to wear home from the hospital after I had Roman...just a basic Tee and track suit idea. Well, now the shirt is too big and was begging for a makeover!

Before:

OMG - WARNING: UGLY PHOTO AHEAD!!! THIS WAS TAKEN JUST HOURS AFTER ROMAN WAS BORN SO DON'T JUDGE THE PUDGE!!! haha

After:

The 2nd project is called "The Laurie" because Laurie Andrews has been such a great cheerleader to me as I've been crazily discussing what projects I want to make. It's also a gift for her if I can talk Coco (my dressform) into taking it off!!!! She thinks she looks too cute in it. hehe It's made from a size XXL $3 (clearance) shirt from Wal-Mart...I must be crazy because I saw such great potential in something no one else wanted! Laurie, I hope you like it!

Before:

During:

After:





My next project is turning one of my old skirts into a sundress for the girls...wish me luck! Actually wait and wish me luck on the project after that, which is Allie's baptism dress. No, it's not a remake either so I'm extra nervous. The good thing is that I have plenty of time for Grandma to come to the rescue, right?! ;-)