Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
It's finally getting to the time of year when I can wear a cute top out to dinner and not freeze! Maybe even a dress. I'm getting excited for summer sewing, and made myself this top to start it off!
Last summer I feel like the off-the-shoulder trend really kicked off, but it's still here and I'm glad, cause this style is really fun to make and wear!! There are quite a few cute patterns out there but last summer I made McCall's M6558 up several times (it's from 2012), and have learned some modifications to make it a little cuter and more current!
This top is so summery! Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, we can wear sandals and cut-offs and lightweight cotton tops with abandon, right?
I made this very festive off-the-shoulder top as a total knock-off of this swimsuit cover-up, pink trim and white cotton lace and all. Read about it after the jump...
Happy spring! I'm so glad it's time to transition away from all the grey, black, and navy I've been wearing and switch to some lighter colors. But unfortunately.. the other weekend when I was getting dressed for something social I realized I've pared my wardrobe down so much, I hardly have anything that isn't a very basic piece in a neutral color. Seriously, I have an aqua t-shirt and an orange t-shirt, and the orange one has a hole in it. I have some colored layering tank tops. Pretty much rest of my wardrobe is neutral and has no texture or interest. I really wanted to wear something long, something lacy, something not knit or denim.
So, I pulled out a few cuts of fabric from my stash over the weekend and am working on giving myself some options!! I put together this lace top in only an hour and a half or so of sewing time (not cutting the time I spent cutting it out while watching Fixer Upper).
I used a simple top pattern, Simplicity 1693. I thought about modifying one of my favorite dress patterns, like I did on this peplum top, which might have had a better neckline... and I didn't use the length of the top pattern for the lining or the lace layer. Oh, well.
How cool is that lace?? It was left over from this dress. I used a really nice, very tightly woven off-white cotton shirting for the lining.
I didn't have to do any special finish on the armholes since I used the lining.
I paired it with the olive cargo jacket I wear at least once/week (mine is ancient J.Crew but Old Navy has a very similar one this season!) and some black stretchy jeans I recently distressed. It felt very refreshing to wear this transitionally springy outfit during a sun break over the weekend!
Cut the outer layer longer but didn't hem it; used the edge of the lace
Gave it a short lining
I feel very proud of DIYs like this that are so wearable and work with pieces I already own and wear a lot. I rounded up some similar pieces here for the rest of the outfit!
I'm super proud of this one. I made my own version of an amaaaazing dress, and wore it to a murder mystery dinner party over the weekend! I had so much fun coming up with the modifications of the patterns I used and variation I wanted to do on the original, because as you'll see below, the real one is much more runway than real party! I love what I came up with and it felt great to wear for a glamorous evening of glitz and champagne!
You may remember this one of Taylor's 21 outfits in the Blank Space video, this dramatic lacy lingerie-ey thing she wears with hair up and fantastic dangly earrings.
It's hard to see what's really going on in the video, but the dress is by Elie Saab and appears to be mostly sheer in the bodice, with bias trim down the center front and on the shoulder and neck seams, as well as under the bust. The skirt is long and tulip-shaped but with a miniskirt shape of cascading ruffles of more lace.
Here's the wonderful Blank Space video if you want to see it in action!
Looking at the up close runway photo, I gathered that the shoulder straps are probably part of a bra worn under the dress. The other solid black lines come from some kind of band (I used bias I cut from the satin of the skirt and bodice base)... and I did try to do a horizontal band under the bust but it pulled the lace too much and I took it off. Ha.
I had some extra lace that I cut into narrow strips and gathered and rather than put on the hip area like the miniskirt shape of the original, I put on the bottom of the hem. I was actually kind of conflicted about this part, because I liked the skirt a lot just as it was!
I took it apart several times to get the fit right (modern patterns are not flattering, usually) and cut down the bust so it was lower cut. I also added the sweetheart shape. It's not the bra shape of the original, but, uh, I'm okay with that.
Dramatic Taylor Swift video face.
The pattern I used for the bodice has princess seams in the lace overlay, which adds the seam allowances showing through. I'm not crazy about that part.
I don't know what the back of the original looks like but I love the V shape of this one!
I wished I'd had boning in the strapless bodice to keep it upright a little more... I might still add some before next time I wear it.
I don't have massive gems hanging off my ears like Taylor did, but a fancy occasion + hair up is a great chance to show off fancy earrings!
Added full lining to strapless bodice (plus facing)
Shortened waist of strapless and lace bodices
Cut down for lower-cut (and sweetheart neckline) on strapless bodice
Made higher-waisted by deepening/trimming waist/skirt seam
Added lace ruffle at hem
Added sleeves from Simplicity 1913, but made them as long as possible and a little snugger fit
I haven't made a dress this fancy in a long time!
And if you don't have time to make your own before your New Year's Eve party... here are 14 very similar ones, most of them under $100! (Even two romper options!)
It was SO fun to wear such a special dress for a whole festive evening!
I did it again. A shift dress, my favorite plain pattern, neutrals/basic fabrics. Several of my recent dresses have been white, denim, or black... and I've used Simplicity 2584 for 3 dresses this year!
This dress was inspired by a few much more elaborate denim and chambray and lace dresses... how pretty are these??
I thought about doing something similar when I had a chance to try some organic cotton naturally colored lace from Organic Cotton Plus, but I was so overwhelmed by all the designs and options that I just had to go with something simple. I know that things are always nicer when you take the time to do them right... so I sewed these rows of lace on by hand (small stitches on top, large on the underside, in a consistent pattern).
I used used Simplicity 2584 without the neck slit and with the sleeves, though I cut everything a little longer and looser than the pattern called for. I wanted something very relaxed and comfy!
I've had a thing for Lilly Pulitzer for a long time now. I haven't owned many pieces, just a few vintage things I found at thrift stores way back, and I don't wear the bright, retro, Palm Springs-ey style much, but I really like it! So when Target came out for their Lilly Pulitzer for Target line this spring (view the official lookbook here and collection here), I was totally into the dresses!
The bold stripe of lace down the front is cute and unique. Chunky lace that wide is not easy to find, either--I went to 4 stores when looking for the trim for this project. (I made a shift dress with a wide lace band down the center front back in 2009, a few months before starting this blog (see it here), and I had a hard time finding wide enough lace then, too!)
I had this very cool bright green and white print vintage fabric that a friend found at a thrift store and bought for me, thinking I might be able to use it for some really fun, bold upholstery. I still have several yards left, so maybe I will someday! But in the meantime, it really reminded me of the fun florals and colors of Lilly Pulizter fabrics.
The simple summer sheath dress is a classic 60's shape, and I used Simplicity 2584 with some modifications yet again (see all my versions here). I cut facings for the neck and armholes, since the fabric is heavy enough to be unlined.
Since I couldn't find wide white lace or trim, the lace look down the front is three strips of pleated lace trim.
I also had a vintage skirt zipper that I used at the neckline!
So fun to wear such brights when it's in the 90's even in the evenings!!
I love a good little white dress (LWD). Always have! If you scroll through my DIY dress archives you'll see several versions in previous years, usually involving lace and sometimes piecing for interest. A couple years ago I made this pieced eyelet bodice LWD and loved the versatility and simplicity of the pure white cotton. This year it was time for another one, although a very different style!
I used this Offray eyelet lace, which comes on a spool like a wide ribbon but can also be used like strips of fabric. I gave this dress a full lining (longer than the bodice, so the lining is a plain sheath while the outer dress has the gathered skirt) so I used the lining as a guide when slicing out pieces of the main bodice before I pieced the lace in. It also took some seam allowance math.
I used Simplicity 2584, which I use a lot (see all my versions of it here). It's now out of print but you could replicate this with any basic sheath dress pattern (the side bust darts are important for keeping it flattering when you want a flat front).
To do the eyelet lace ribbon inset:
Cut bodice front from pattern, being sure to mark center front at top and bottom edges of bodice piece. (Cut lining and outer fabric pieces).
On outer bodice piece, avoiding bust darts by at least 1/2", choose symmetrical points for lace insertion rows. I centered mine on about 5/8" from either side of the center front, and based on the width of my lace and bodice piece I had room for another evenly spaced lace piece on each side.
Measure distance of lace strip plus seam allowance; cut strips of excess bodice pieces. I.e., my lace was bout 2" wide and I had about 1/2" seam allowances, so I cut out about 1" of fabric for each strip.
Cut lace strips slightly longer than distance from longest top to bottom edge for each inset row.
Sew right sides together, lining up bottom edges of bodice piece and lace pieces.
Press seams open.
Using lining bodice piece as a pattern, even out neck edge and re-cut neck shape on lace strips, which will be rectangular.
Assemble dress as usual, sewing front to back, skirt, etc. for both lining and outer pieces (as applicable).
I'm all about basics and neutrals, so I think it goes great with brown leather accessories and a classic jean jacket!
It's so comfy and easy to wear, but still cute! Easily could be my new favorite dress!!
