DIY 80s vintage dotty dress transformation

Hey!
Two posts in one day! I don't know what's happened to me haha! This is just to show you the vintage dress I changed and basically made into a mini length. I bought this in a charity shop and it was enormous as you can see from the pictures! I fell in love with the navy dotty print and the wide lepels. This just made me think of Princess Diana, and straw boater hats.   
Here's what it looked like before I took my scissors to it: 

Truly hideous and I do question why I put photos this unflattering on the internet haha! 


So I began by turning it up to a shorter, more wearable length. I threw out the original belt, but surprised myself by actually keeping the shoulder pads in; normally they are the first things to go but I didn't think they were too extreme this time. I then just took it in at the sides and lost about 4 inches off each side. I didn't bother with darts because I wanted it to still be slightly loose. Lastly I cut the sleeves shorter and rolled up and sewed on my machine.
I'm quite pleased with it, its not my favourite dress ever, just something about it I'm not happy with..? Maybe I'll come back to it at some point and do more to it. I definitely like it more than before though that's for sure!

And here's the finished result:

(Scrunchie - handmade, belt - market, shoes - Forum Gladiator from Office)

Thanks for reading :)

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DIY vintage long skirt to pinafore dress

Hey!
Here is a little dress I made using an old vintage skirt I got for a £1 in a charity shop. I was just going to turn it up and make it into a skater skirt but I thought I had loads of fabric left that I could make a pinafore dress from! 

Here is the before:

It had a nice fit actually, with pockets and an elasticated waist.

And here is the after pics:

 Pinafore dress DIY, watch Michael Kors (fake from ebay), Vans Authentics from Office, Grey T from H&M

How I did it:

1. Turn up the skirt. Try on, pin it to desired length, overlock the raw edges (or just use pinking shears to finish), hem on the machine. 
2. With remaining fabric cut out a square to use as the top part. I don't have exact measurements for this, I just used trial and error depending on how wide/high I wanted it to come on my front.
3. Sew your square right side to right side with more of the skirt fabric (only if you have enough), or another cotton. Leave a gap to turn right way out, and iron.
4. Add button holes using a function on a machine, or by hand if you're clever. Add them to the two top corners where your straps will be fastened.
5. Pin the square onto the waistband and topstitch across neatly to join the two. Make sure you try it on so you're happy with where it sits on the body and that its even.
6. With remaining skirt fabric make straps. Mine were 4cm wide and I cut out a piece of fabric 9cm wide and as long as I could. 
7. Sew strip into a tube and turn inside out. Press with a hot iron making sure the seam is straight down the back of the strap. 
8. Measure how big each strap needs to be and cut your long strap to size. I crossed mine over but you don't have to!
9. Hem the straps' raw edges. Pin on straps at the back, try on to make sure you're happy, then sew the straps down.
10. Add buttons to the other ends of the straps.
11. Cut off any dangly threads and you're done.

This was surprisingly easy to do and I'm really happy with how its turned out. But I think its definitely not warm enough to wear yet, and I'm definitely too pale!

If you have basic sewing knowledge you could make this from any old skirt. Just as long as its long enough to make the pinafore part and straps. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. In the future I will try and do a step by step of how I alter my clothes as that will probably be easier to understand!

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Cross stitch blog header using Stitchpoint

Hello lovelies,

Today I thought I would mention the online tool I used to create my new blog header. This website called Stitchpoint is amazing! You can create whatever sentances, words etc you want easily using their online generator, then print out and get sewing. You could even print off lots of different words or phrases, cut them out and arrange onto graph paper and create a large collage, which would make a lovely personalised cushion or framed picture like the one below (or buy the pattern here ).

Also how amazing are these Hug and Kiss cushions by designer Emily Peacock? I would love to be able to recreate one of these. I love the bright colours, the circus style of font and the pom pom trim! See her work here www.emilypeacock.com/

stitchstitchhooray

stitchedupbyleona

Love all of these samplers. I am big on my motivational quotes right now because to be honest I'm feeling pretty lost in the world and unsure of what the future holds. So I might turn my hands to creating a motivational cross stitch sampler. Nothing like some cross stitch to calm the soul. 

Thanks for reading!

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What I wore - friends leaving party

Hi!

Just thought I would share what I wore out the other night to a leaving do. The three boys in question I went to nursery, primary school and high school with, so you could say I have grown up with them. They leave to go to Australia for 2 years at the end of the month; so it was an emotional but amazing night with some people I haven't seen in a long, long time! 

Here's what I wore:

This is a very bargainous outfit- 

Top £3 from Primark that I made into a crop.

Skirt 99p from Primark via ebay. Favourite skirt ever for day, night and work.

Bag around £12 from H&M, tassel on zip fell off when it was stolen in a club :(

Watch from Marc by Marc Jacobs, not so cheap.

and the SHOES were my last purchase from Office which were £58 without staff discount. I quit my job at Office just because I got bored of working 6 days a week and wanted to enjoy my weekends. I am obsessed with them, the colour, the style, everything! I can't stop looking at them! Buy them online here.

I was very happy with this outfit; I like the clash of the different blues and I'm a big fan of the bodycon midi skirt and crop top combo right now!

And I've had my hair 're-ombréd'. Not 100% sold on it because its just such a difference from my natural colour of dark brown. But for summer it makes a nice change. 

Thanks for reading!

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DIY simple gold chain necklace inspired by Maja Ravn

Hello!
Long time no post! I just logged on and realised that I have nearly 4000 page views and my blog's been viewed in Canada, India, Netherlands and lots of other countries. That absolutely blows my mind! 
So now I'm on half term holidays (the perks of working in a school), I thought I would do lots more posts. 

Firstly I was inspired by one of my favourite bloggers Maja Ravn who bought these lovely gold necklaces. 
(Photos are all from her blog, find them here)

I loved the simplicity of these, and I wear a lot of gold jewellery which sometimes can look a bit OTT and take over the outfit. But these looked really elegant and simple, so I thought I'd give it a go and make my own!

Now Majas' are two separate necklaces of different weights, but I could see these beginning to tangle up, so I used  two identical gold chains that I already had. I removed the clasp and jump rings from one chain and cut it slightly shorter, so it would hang higher on the neck than the other chain. I then opened up the jump rings from the other chain and added the shorter chain; so i had the ends of two chains in one jump ring, which then was attached to the clasp, to make one necklace, (if that makes sense). 

Anyway I'm really happy with it and I've worn it lots! I especially like how the chain I used is a really sparkly chain so it really catches the light and makes it more eyecatching. 

Let me know what you think and if you think I should include step by step photos of how I make things. I do intend to I just always end up getting carried away and making things then forget I could have blogged about it!

Thanks for reading and hope you are enjoying the bank holiday sun :)

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