Remake: Belly Dancer Costume Top

I love finding costumes or wedding dresses, things that are really meant to be worn for one purpose, and giving them a 180.

It's fun to think outside the box a little, so when I found this glorious top...

...I just HAD to have it. Sheer sleeves, blue trim, FRINGE, and a cool coin chain. How does one pass over that item?? :)

I was super excited to craft this into something that I'd wear everyday.

Seriously - I might be taking the top off in the photo below, but what I'm going to be making could turn into something I wear daily.

Wanna see what I'm thinking??

My original thoughts were "this chain doesn't belong attached to the fringe - it belongs around my neck", so I went with it! I grabbed my seam ripper...

...and began to cut the threads that were holding the chain to the fringe trim.

I made my way all along the bottom of the piece...

...until the chain was free and clear!!

Look at what I was left with?!

I went to my box of jewelry findings and grabbed a clip large enough to fit around the chain. My little lobster claws and spring rings just weren't going to work for this bad boy!

After a little clasp action, I'm looking just like Mr. T. Marisa T has a nice ring to it!

I paired it with a vintage-y ensemble and my new reddish frames!

 Shirt: Vintage (Federal Army & Navy in Seattle) | Jeans: BDG | Heels: Zappos | Purse: Vintage (Goodwill) Glasses: Warby Parker (couldn't be more into their "you buy a pair, we give a pair to those in need" mantra)

I love big statement necklaces the most!!

Ready for the day?? 100%

You'll see more of this necklace, promise!

(This might be one of my favorite side-by-sides!)

I'm All Moved In!!

You guys, I moved!! I finally got into my new place :) Sorry for the downtime, but my wifi is all set and now I'm getting ready to get back into the swing of things. Figured I'd share some of my moving shots from boxing and labeling my DIY goodies...

...to saying goodbye to my little panic room door that when opened...

...hid my wee sewing studio. I'm looking forward to my new space complete with a proper area to sew and space for all of my supplies!

As I was sorting through things to keep and donate, I found something amazing from years ago. The gift certificate to Jennifer Convertibles that I won on The Price is Right!!!!!

 Can't wait to see what this is going to get me there...many, many, many years later. (I will obviously have to document this moment.)

After days of taping boxes, wrapping glass in bubble wrap, and taking down all of my fun Etsy art, I finally had my old apartment empty. It was time to say goodbye and step into my new home that I can't wait to fill with more memories.

When moving into a new place, one always rolls their sleeves and wears their Game of Thrones tee shirt given to them by their Reddit Secret Santa.

That's just how one rolls.

I'm spending the next few days unpacking but will be back in sewing mode this weekend. Fun remakes to come next week!! Thanks for all your patience and lovely emails! So happy to be starting this next chapter of my life in a brand new space! xo

Remake: Ruffle Neck Winter Florals

Weeee!! Here's the before shot of this gorgeous number...

Lots of big, extra ruffles going on!

Feeling like the piece has just swallowed me.

Let's get this wearable!!

I began with removing one sleeve!!  I started removing stitches from the sleeve that was "in the middle" of all the ruffle action.

I got my one sleeve off...

...and then made a snip at the shoulder to completely open this side of the dress.

I wanted to follow the design and flow of that big ruffle, so I thought that turning this into a one-arm, asymmetrical piece would be just the thing to make it work!  With this side of the dress opened up, I began to fold and form the diagonal shape, pinning it in place.

I still needed to take the top portion in, but wanted to get the diagonal shape stitched down.  It's much easier to work when there aren't all kinds of pins holding the "work in progress"section in place.

Once the neckline was stitched, I started working on the sleeve that was leftover.  I cut it short...

...and then got some elastic ready to add to the end.  I pinned under the raw edge leaving about 1/2" which was going to be the area to insert the elastic.

I stitched a new seam at the sleeve and then inserted the elastic in the open space, using a safety pin to guide the elastic around.

The last step was taking in the top of the piece.  I measured the area that needed to be fitted and stitched it all in place.

The final look??

I paired the dress with a skinny belt and did some ruching at the waist.  I was thinking about shortening the dress but then thought if this was the plan of action, keeping it longer to save some length when it got pulled from the waist would be the smart choice.

I had some fun jumping around to really show the maximum wave of that ruff.  That's a big ruff!!

I also paired the dress with a vintage purse from the collection - it has an old Dooney & Bourke vibe, but is just a nameless, lookalike, cream/brown purse.  If it was a little larger, it would have been the perfect camera bag!

Oh, and those sunnies are from Forever 21 and are my new favorite purchase.  I ended up getting them on the fly when I left my sunglasses at home while I was out running errands on the brightest day ever.  Sometimes the forced purchase turns out better than the ones planned!!

I love the boho feel of the piece now.  It still maintains the flow, but doesn't feel overwhelmingly busy or heavy!!

Happy Monday, friends!!! And stay warm and safe all my East Coasters getting ready to get hit with crazy snow! xo