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Fibers To Fabric x Nichelle B. x Simplicity #8644
Hey boo Heyyy,
The fabric for this dress was provided by FiberstoFabrics. An online Etsy shop that can be found HERE!!!
First let me tell you all the reasons I love this fabric shop:
- Authentic Artisan Fabrics
- Made in India
- Sells Trims and Notions
- Supports sustainability in the textile industry
- Take custom orders and can create custom garments
- They offer handprinted and hand woven fabrics
- They welcome wholesale resellers
- Shipping was super fast and FREE for this order to come from India
If that’s not enough reason to make you love this shop then I don’t know what else to tell you! lol I ordered 3 yards of this printed cotton fabric. This pattern is for a wrap top, I just extended the bottom/peplum to have it be a wrap dress.
I love how this came out. If you can’t tell by now, I have many different styles. LOL Some days I’m thrifty chic, sometimes I’m glam, sometimes I’m all black, and sometimes I’m what I like to call “grandma chic.”
“Grandma chic” style is wearing outfits or pieces that look like they could have possibly came out of your grandma’s closet, BUT you actually look hella chic wearing it. LOL So this is a perfect example of grandma chic to me. This fabric is really lightweight and would be perfect for a top but I decided on dress at the last minute. Since it is so lightweight I did wear shorts under this dress.
How do you feel about “grandma chic” style? Is it a style you would rock? Leave a comment let a sistah know!
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Satin Midi Skirt D.I.Y
Heyy boo, thanks for stopping by!
This is a quick post about my satin midi skirt. The silhouette and construction of this skirt is exactly the same as my snakeskin midi. I always tell people who sew and are trying to build a #memade wardrobe not to sleep on the basics! Simple shirts, leggins, and/or skirts are always in style and great for layering. Depending on the fabric you can take a basic skirt or legging pattern and have it look super expensive and chic.
This yellow stretch satin fabric was on my fabric haul video. I got it from a fabric store in NY. Originally I wanted to make the dress I made for New Years out of this fabric (McCalls #7635) and I did, but I didn’t like it. lol I think this satin was a bit too heavy for that dress so I decided to cut the top part of the dress off and turned it into a skirt. Now I’m happy with the results!
I paired this skirt with a vintage button up top that I tied instead of buttoned. I really wanted to wear a solid blue shirt, yellow skirt, and red shoes to give primary color vibes but I didn’t have a plain blue shirt so I went with this.
Overall I like this skirt, it has the vibe of a slip skirt except a bit heavier because its satin and not silk. lol I do want to make more items out of lighter fabrics like chiffon and flowy satins or silks. For some reason I just tend not to gravitate towards those fabrics. So at least one flowy piece is on my list for sewing this summer.
Speaking of slip dresses and flowy fabrics, if you missed the slip dress I made last year you can view that post here!
Thanks for stopping by! XOXOXO
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D.I.Y. ANKARA KIMONO & Flexi Rods on Locs
Hey boo heyy,
I posted the ruffle skirt on my IG page and if you want to see the original post click here!
About this kimono.. I mean you honestly can’t ever go wrong with a kimono. It’s a great beginner project. I’ve taught classes on how to make a kimono, we have one coming up this weekend if you’re in the DMV.
I love kimonos because they are so versatile! I’ve worn this one with a black dress and flats to work, and with jeans and heels as you can see below. At this point I’ve made many different styles of kimonos using a variety of fabrics.
Making a kimono out of ankara fabric is great for the fall/spring, however I wouldn’t advise using an ankara print for a summer kimono because it would be too heavy and hot. For a summer kimono I recommend a poly or even a chiffon type of fabric. Chiffon kimonos are great for layering and can also be worn as a swimsuit coverup. I did patch pockets on this kimono because I really never do them and I wanted to switch it up. lol
Also how cool is this fabric? I love it!
Now about this hair. Where to start?? lol When I was natural I used to always wear my hair in flexis. Although the style is time consuming to do, it lasted a long time. Now that I have locs I still like the look of flexis but it does take a bit longer to do them, especially if I’m retwisting and doing flexis at the same time.
I didn’t want my curls to be tight so I did 2 locs per flexi. I love the way it came out. I do want my locs to grow, but doing my hair at this length makes me think when it does get long, my hair is gonna take forever to do. lol Washing, retwisting, and a flexi set takes about 2 hours, then sitting under the dryer for about another hour. So its about a 3 hour process when I do my hair myself.
After my flexis dry I normally just pin my hair up. By pin it up I mean I put it in a loose ponytail at the top of my head. lol I really like loose chill loc styles. lol Like I said I feel like I’ve become a bit tender headed since having locs so I don’t do much “styling” to my hair. To maintain the curls I pineapple my locs at night and sleep with a satin bonnet on. I don’t really do anything else to my hair in between styling except oil my scalp and hair with almond oil. The curls normally last about 2 weeks or so.. When my hair is not curled I spray my locs with a water based leave in so they don’t get dull or super dry. I know this picture isn’t the best of my before and after of my curls but hopefully you get an idea of how they turned out!
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Sequin x Snakeskin Midi Skirt
Heyyy Boo
Just dropping by with a super quick and easy D.I.Y. midi skirt!!! A simple upgrade to a simple midi skirt is to do it in a fun fabric. I chose this sequin snakeskin print knit fabric which I’m in love with!!! I normally hate working with sequins but the sequins on this fabric are really small so they weren’t that much of a pain to work with. Check out my fabric haul video here if you want a close up of this fabric. I paired this skirt with a sweater and a nude heel for a cute laid back look. In the summer I plan to wear this with a silky cami!
I did bind the side seams of this skirt so the sequins wouldn’t be uncomfortable against my skin. For the waistband I did a knit facing. I used some knit fabric I had in my stash already for that. A facing is a great option for a flat nicely finished waistband, especially with a sequin or itchy fabric.
Elevate your next piece with an interesting fabric! Step outside the box! What do you think of this simple chic look? I think its perfect for spring and I can easily dress this skirt up or down wit flats or heels!
Thanks for stopping by! XOXO
P.S How gorgeous is this background??
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Kwik-Sew #4163 Activewear Pattern Review
Heyy Boo,
Hope your are enjoying this spring weekend! This post is all about Kwik-Sew pattern #4163. If you watched my fabric haul video you saw this swimwear/spandex fabric I got from NY. I have never made an activewear outfit but I do yoga all the time and I teach classes, so I wanted to try it out! I’m honestly surprised this Kwik-Sew pattern is still in print because I’ve had it FOREVER. I think its the only Kwik-Sew pattern I own.Â
So the fabric is basic printed spandex, nothing fancy. I wouldn’t say its amazing quality but it’s not bad either. lol I didn’t want to buy an expensive activewear fabric because I didn’t know how this was going to turn out. Now that I’ve tried it, next time I would probably spend a bit more and get a fabric slightly heavier in weight.Â
This pattern did call for a contrasting fabric for the top so I got the black activewear mesh fabric from Jo-Anns. That fabric was great, I recommend it if you want to do some mesh inserts on your leggings or workout tops. You can also use it around the neckline and armholes like I did with this top.Â
These shorts have front seams. The top is a racerback tank
top.. I like that the top had some detail and just wasn’t a plain racer back tank top. The mesh inserts on the shoulders and sides gives this top some interest. The only modification I made to this pattern was lengthening the shorts to a “biker short” length. Overall, I like this pattern and outfit. I even think its cute paired with the cropped hoodie I made a while back. Next time I want to try to do a sports bra!ÂI’m not saying sewing activewear is gonna be my thing now… but I like the end result and it was cheaper and a Nike set. lol
Here are a couple pics of me in the outfit leading a yoga class on the rooftop of a building in D.C!
Â
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Yoga, Sewing Activewear, & Essential Oils
Heyyy Boo,
I hope you are having an amazing week! I wanted to fit all I have to say about sewing, yoga, and essential oils into one blog post but I don’t think that is going to happen. So this post is about how I got into yoga and me showing you a quick yoga flow. The next post will be my review and all the details on this Kwik-Sew pattern! Then I’ll share my favorite DoTerra Essential oils with you.
So lets get into it.. If you watch my IG stories then you know I’m an Elementary School Art Teacher! In addition to teaching Art to the kiddies, I teach sewing on the weekends, and I’m a certified yoga instructor!
I used to not share that much about my yoga journey on here because I didn’t want to confuse you all with all the things I do. lol However, I’ve come to the conclusion that “all the things” is just what I do. I can’t hide any longer! Hair, sewing, yoga, hair accessories, art, jewelry it’s all apart of my everyday life. It’s just what I do. LMAO
As a child I was always into physical in activities like dance and gymnastics. As an adult I turned to yoga for my physical exercise. I never really had a consistent yoga practice I would just “stretch” whenever I felt like it. I started to get more serious and turn my stretching into a real yoga practice a couple years after graduating college. Post grad life was really hard and weird for me. I went through about 2 years of just feeling lost as far as my career. I hated my job so I quit, my car broke down shortly after, I had no clear path of what I was doing or where I was going. I felt so defeated during that time. Yoga and sewing is what saved me. Having those 2 outlets really helped me find myself and develop a creative career path that makes me happy!
After practicing yoga for years I decided to get certified, and in 2017 I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training.
So onto how I’m teaching yoga on the rooftop to a group of teachers. lol My company knows I teach yoga, they asked me to lead a class, I agreed. Boom! lol
I had already been working on an activewear outfit before they asked me to lead a class. This fabric was in my fabric haul video. So I figured why not try the outfit out during this yoga class. lol
I want to encourage you all to MOVE YOUR BODIES! Yoga has been so amazing to me. Having the opportunity to express myself, heal, meditate, reflect and teach other people to do the same is a blessing. Im still early in my yoga teaching journey but my goal is to encourage you to move your body EVERYDAY! Take a walk, do this quick yoga flow, run a mile, dance like no one is watching, just something to move it! Movement is therapy!
If you’ve been sitting down for a long time, need a warm up to your yoga practice, or you are a beginner wanting to get into yoga, the to yoga the sun salutations are a great place to start. I feel like this excerpt from a Yogajournal.com article sums up Sun Salutations perfectly.
“Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutation, is a series of postures that warms, strengthens, and aligns the entire body. It serves as an all-purpose yoga tool, kind of like a hammer that’s also a saw and a screwdriver, if you can imagine such a thing.
There are many variations and you can alter most Sun Salutations by playing with its pace or slightly modifying a pose. If you move through the sequence rapidly, you’ll warm up fairly quickly. Start with 5 or 6 repetitions and gradually build to 12 or more or set a timer starting with 3 minutes and gradually increase to 10 or more.
Or try moving slowly and deliberately, and you’ll feel how the sequence becomes a sort of moving meditation. As you practice this way, center your awareness at some point in your body (such as your third eye or your heart) and challenge yourself to keep focusing there for the duration of the practice.
Moving quickly is more stimulating, while moving slowly is more calming. Whichever way you do it, the sequence can serve as either a self-contained minipractice on days when your practice time is short or a warm-up for a longer session.” YogaJournal.com Article
As a teacher its soo important to take time out for yourself to fill up your own cup. Teaching is both physically and emotionally demanding so self care is essential!!! Take time out to just BE STILL. Don’t let “not being flexible enough” be the reason you don’t do yoga. Flexibility has nothing to do with it. Yoga is not about self -improvement, its about self- acceptance!
Let me know if you want to see more yoga videos, pics, tips, tricks. I’m totally down for helping you get into yoga and developing a healthy lifestyle! Scroll down to see the list of all the poses and modifications in this yoga flow.
- Mountain Pose- Feet slightly apart, hands in namaste, this is a very grounding pose
- Backbend- * Modification stay in Tadasana and list the hands towards the sky and lift the heels off the mat coming onto the toes
- Forward Fold- Bend the knees slightly if you need to
- High Lunge- *Modification Lower your knee to the ground and take low lunge
- Plank
- Knees, Chest, Chin or Chaturanga *Modification- From plank drop both knees to the mat, then slowly lower the upper body down flat onto the mat.
- Cobra
- Downward Dog
- High Lunge (Other Side)
- Plank
- Downward Dog
- Walk feet towards hands and come into rag-doll or forward fold.
- Roll up slowly and take another backbend or go right into mountain pose. Hands heart center in NAMASTE!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS BLOG POST!
Please feel free to leave a comment or tell a friend!
Come back tomorrow I will be posting my review on this pattern!
XOXO, NAMASTE!
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Simplicity x Mimi G. Jacket
Hey booo,
As always. THANK YOU for stopping by my blog!
Just FYI, I don’t say “thanks for stopping by” as some tired intro, I really mean it and I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to visit, read, and support my blog!
So this blog post is all about the Simplicity 10142 jacket! I did a post on the shorts so check that out if you haven’t seen it. I know you are probably tired of this outfit by now but I just wanted to share what the 2 pieces look like together.
So, let’s talk about the jacket, this jacket is unlined, lightweight, and perfect for spring! There is a sew-along available on Youtube.com, so if you are nervous about sewing this check out the video first! A few sewists I know said they were kind of intimidated by this jacket but if you take your time and sew slowly you should be fine!
I finished the inside of this jacket with pink bias tape. You can fold under to finish the inside of this jacket but the bias tape is a nice finish. Overall, I love how the jacket came out. I will try to get a few wears out of this jacket before it gets too warm.
As far as fabric, I actually would not advise doing the jacket in this cotton canvas fabric. Although this print is amazing I think this fabric is a bit too heavy for this jacket. Around the collar area you have to sew through several layers of fabric. I had to clip a lot around every curve and press, press, press, this jacket. Although this jacket came out great, if I make it again, I would choose a slightly lighter weight fabric, like a twill. The navy blue lining I put under the flap of the jacket was just a lightweight poly fabric I had in my stash.
Thanks again for all your comments on this post! I appreciate you all!!
The next post is a health and wellness post combined with a little sewing D.I.Y.! I finally got around to combining my love of sewing and yoga to create a activewear outfit and I cant wait to share!
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!! Tell a teacher how much they matter today!
XOXO
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Simplicity x Mimi G #R10142
Heyy Booo,
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I had some fabric left over from my jacket and I decided to hack this pattern and turn it into shorts. I love how these shorts came out and want to give you the details on how I created them!
Here is a pic of the pants on Mimi G.
Instead of doing the faux flaps on the side, I did real side pockets. I did a fly front zipper instead of buttons, no flap on the lower side pockets, and of course making them shorts length. I didn’t alter the size, fit, or shape of the pant in any way, I just shortened the pant legs. If you take this route of turning the pant into a short, measure where you want your shorts to stop. Then add about 4 inches to that, in order to create the cuff at the bottom!
This fabric is cotton canvas from Mood Fabrics and it is honestly a great choice for a cargo short. It feels like a medium weight denim, but it’s a bit more breathable than denim. At least to me it feels that way. lol The only thing I have to say about cotton canvas is it does not like to be seam ripped. If you do have to seam rip, it probably would not be noticeable on your garment, but it does leave small holes in the fabric. Similar to trying to seam rip leather but the holes aren’t as noticeable.
Overall verdict, I love how these shorts came out. I will be posting the other looks tomorrow so come back! lol
I mentioned this was my first pair of “cargo” shorts and I think I only like these because I made them. lol
How do you feel about the cargo short? Is it your style or nah??
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Vogue #9363 Pattern Review
Hey Boo!! Today I’m gonna do something a little bit different and greet you with an affirmation on this here Good Friday.. Here we go.. Feel free to read this out loud or repeat it a couple of times…
“Today I complete this week with love. I acknowledge my mistakes and let them go. I will keep the pearls of wisdom and leave the rest in the past. I carry no burdens into the future. Only freedom, joy, and love.”
I love affirmations, quotes, and mantras. I have my favorite ones saved and posted everywhere. I figured I would start sharing them! You never know when someone is having a bad day and a small word of hope or affirmation may change their mood. So onto the pattern review.
This is a “Very Easy Vogue” pattern that was fun to sew and even more fun to wear. This dress has back darts, kimono style sleeves, an 18 inch zipper going down the center back, asymmetric hemline, pleats at the front and on the belt/tie, and the neckline is finished with bias tape. lol Sounds like a lot, I know, but this is a great pattern to introduce you to some new and easy techniques.
I love the fact that this dress can be worn with tennis shoes or heels. I also love that its appropriate for work as well!
As always if you are doing this dress in a print be careful to match those up when cutting because this dress does have a center front and center back seam. This dress calls for about 4 yards of fabric. Since the bottom part of the dress is so big I wouldn’t do it in anything thicker than a cotton or lightweight linen type of fabric.
This dress is perfect for a daytime lunch, spring date, or work. This pattern also comes with a view to make the dress a shirt/tunic and a skinny pant. Overall I love the pattern, really fun, easy and perfect for spring!
Do you have this pattern in your stash? Have you made it before?
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Mimi G. R10142
Heyy Boo! Ok I’m here with a pattern review! This pattern is a Simplicity/ Mimi G Spring 2019 pattern. I got lucky because the day I went to Joanns an employee had just put out all the new patterns, they were on sale, and the store was pretty empty! The Sewing Gods were lookin out that day! LOL Ok so the pattern.. The short response is, I love it!
When I saw Mimi G. post this pattern on her IG page I knew I had to have it! Y’all know I love a good button up! I didn’t alter anything on this pattern. When I saw it I was wondering how that hem was going to work out. It is a facing. It’s 3 pieces you sew together to make one long piece then you sew it all along the bottom of the shirt. Pretty simple.
This shirt has a hidden placket. I love those, I think they make the garment look really neat and professional. Normally I have to take in patterns a bit even the size 6 but I didn’t have to do that with this pattern. The size 6 fit me perfectly.
As I mentioned on IG, I did match the prints up in the front but I forgot to take into consideration the folding I would have to do to create the placket, (especially on the right side) which is the side that hides the buttons. Instead of matching the prints at the center front I did it at the edge of my fabric so after folding the prints no longer matched in the front. I honestly sewed this entire shirt and didn’t notice that until I attached the the collar and laid the shirt out. The first thing I said was I knew I should have just did white. LMAO
Not gonna lie I was a bit irritated by the prints not matching up. LOL I did kind of throw it to the side in disgust and walk away. I was just being dramatic lol Mistakes happen in sewing. Its important to learn and grow from your sewing mistakes! So I’m still going to wear it this shirt but I do plan to make another one in white! lol
I don’t want you all to think I sew everything perfectly the first time or I don’t make mistakes. I do, but I learn from them and keep it moving. You’re either going to fix it or start over in sewing. The sooner you decide how to fix your sewing mistake the faster you can be done and onto the next project is the way I look at it.
All in all this is a great pattern and besides the pattern I love how this shirt came out! I do think because of the facing and the hidden placket this pattern is suitable for intermediate sewers.
Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate you!
