It's our Blogiversary! Well, actually it was 2 days ago, but somehow I missed it. Shh, don't tell anyone! Pearls & Scissors is one year old. For me, it's been a hell of a ride, not only here on the blog, but also in my personal life. So much has happened during the last year, that it seems unbelievable that I started this little blog only a year ago. Despite the sporadic posting that's been going on here lately I've been enjoying blogging so much, and plan to continue sharing my ideas and inspiration with you at a more sensible pace. Blogging for me is all about sharing and connecting, and I'm so lucky to have met so many wonderful people through this blog. You are a true inspiration!
To celebrate, I'm giving away a pair of my signature P&S earrings (in the picture above). The giveaway is open worldwide, and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment below this post. The giveaway will end on the 10th of August!
UPDATE! The Giveaway is closed! Thanks to all for participating and for all the lovely blogiversary wishes. Congratulations to T, the winner of the giveaway! Please contact me at hanna@pearlsandscissors.com.
It's been a while since my last self-portrait challenge update. To be honest, I've missed the last 4 days because I was simply having too much fun on our road-trip. But I'm sure there are some selfies hidden in the trip pics as well.
I'm learning a lot more from this challenge than I thought I would. Today, as I was editing these pics, I learnt that editing is all about capturing the right mood of the moment. It's fun to experiment with contrast and brightness and all that stuff to try and find that perfect setting that captures the mood. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, but I'm getting better at it.
I'm a sucker for a simple project. This little shoe makeover took me about 15 minutes, but gives my thrifted shoes a new and improved feel. If you've been following this blog for a while it's now news to you that I'm a confessed thiftoholic. I also get most of my shoes second hand. The only down part about that is that unlike clothing, shoes are harder to clean, and who wants to wear old shoes when the insides look like they've been worn to pieces. So, with this pair of pretty flats I decided to change the insoles to give it a cleaner look and, more importantly, a cleaner feel.
The process was super simple and quick:
Just take out the insoles, use one of them to trace a sole pattern, and cut out new insoles from fabric. Then use an adhesive to glue the new insoles into the shoe, and you're done. It's as easy as pie!
I'm slowly getting along with the self-portrait photography challenge. It's already been a learning experience, and I've taken more selfies just for fun looking for new angles and ideas. The best part is, that every photo has an emotion behind it. I remember what I was thinking and feeling when I took that shot. I guess pictures really are just a collection of our memories, thoughts and emotions.
Has any of you also joined the challenge? If you have, how is it going?
Day 2: with my new best friend and my new accidental hair color
Elsie and Emma from A beautiful mess are releasing their first photography book shortly, and they're having a self-portrait challenge to celebrate it. Everyone can join and learn something new about themselves and photography in the process. Now, I'm not good at challenges. Something about having to do a task every day just awakens the rebel in me. It's like, if you told me I had to sew every day, I would probably start to hate it. But, this challenge seems so much fun and really simple. All I have to do is pick up my camera once a day and snap a couple of shots. I'm in! So, you're going to see a lot of me during the next 30 days.
In the last couple of years every summer I've been a huge fan of maxi dresses and skirts. They're the perfect thing to wear during the Estonian summer. They're light enough for warmer weather, but keep your legs warm in case of a sudden change in temperatures (not at all rare around these parts) or in the evenings.
I had already two me-made maxi dresses for the summer and a maxi skirt, but they were getting so much wear that I knew another maxi was in order. So here's my third maxi dress. This time in jersey fabric. Since I own both a serger/overlocker and a cover machine, it only took me about 2 hours to complete.
I've already worn it so many times that I'm thinking about making another version in a different fabric, but I'm not sure I have enough fabric in my stash. We'll see...
The process was rather simple, although the directions are long. I just want everything to be as clear as possible.
Step 1. Measuring the fabric
I measured the length of my dress (from the top of my shoulder to the ground, plus add seam allowances) and cut my fabric to that length. I used a tube fabric, meaning it was knit in the round, and the tube was the width needed for the hem (bottom circumference), so I only had to cut the fabric into on dress-length piece.
If you don't have tubular fabric, that's fine too. Here's how to measure the fabric you need:
1) Measure the length of your dress (= length from top of the shoulder to the ground + seam allowances [1cm for the shoulder seam + 3cm for the hem]). Then calculate the circumference of the widest part of your dress. This will probably be the hem, because you need to be able to step comfortably in that dress. One way to get that measurement is to take a big step forward with one foot, and then stand like that and measure around your ankles. Or, another way would be to add about 40-50cm to you hip measurement. Again, add side seam allowances to that measurement (4cm in total).
2) The second step is to measure the width of your fabric (if it's a tubular fabric, measure the width of the tube). If the width of your fabric is at least 4cm wider than the circumference of the widest part of your dress, then you only need one dress-length of fabric. If, however, the fabric is narrower than that, you need 2x the dress length of fabric. Does that make sense? (if not, leave me a comment)
Example:
Dress length + seam allowance = 154cm
Widest circumference + seam allowance = 200 cm
Fabric needed: 155 cm of 200cm-wide fabric or 310cm of narrower fabric
Step 2. Marking the dress pattern
Cut two pieces of fabric - both pieces being the length of your dress+seam allowance x 1/2 the widest circumference + 2cm seam allowance (in my example that would be 154cm x 102cm). Once you've cut the fabric, fold it in half.
For the top part I used my trusty tank top pattern. Several people have asked my about this pattern, so I finally looked it up, and it's from Burda 5/2007 pattern nr 109 (it's a racer back style), but I also found very good tank top patterns from Burda 11/2006 (nr 111) and Burda 6/2007 (nr 106, dress bodice).
If you don't have a pattern similar to this, just take a tank top from your closet, fold it in half and use that as a pattern to mark the top on you fabric.
I wanted a low back, so I cut both fabric pieces (the front and the back) using the front pattern piece.
Now, onto the skirt portion of the dress. First, measure the distance from the narrowest part of your waist to the widest part of your hips. Mark those on the fabric. Then measure your hip circumference and divide by 4. Mark that on the fabric (see picture above for the markings).
I drew the side seamline with a free hand starting from the waist and curved it out towards the hips, and then even more out towards the edge of the fabric until I reached the hem (or the widest part of the dress) (shown in the picture above).
Once my pieces were cut, I straightened the hem.
Step 3. Sewing
1) First, sew the shoulder seams.
2) Next, cut 3 long 3cm-wide strips of fabric from the remaining fabric scraps to cover the armholes and the neckline. Fold them in half and press with an iron. Then, fold them over the cut edges of the armholes and neckline just as you would with bias binding, and sew in place. I used my cover machine to sew them on. If you don't have a cover machine, this job can easily be done using a double needle on your sewing machine, or the zig-zag stitch.
3) After binding the armholes and neckline, sew the side seams together.
4) Finally, finish the hem. Fold the seam allowance to the wrong side of the fabric and press. Pin the hem in place and sew.
If you don't have a serger/over-locker or a cover machine, I'd recommend using a knit stitch (looks like little lightning bolts in a row, or like a crooked zig-zag) or a narrow zig-zag stitch for the side and shoulder seams, and a double needle or a zig-zag stitch for the binding and hem.
Step 4. Embellishment
If you want, you can embellish the dress with a few fabric flowers, a lace pocket or some beads. Or just leave it the way it is. I opted for some fabric flowers similar to these.
(Tutorial updated in May 2014)
Special thanks to Marita for photographing the dress!
Summer is the time I miss t-shirts in my wardrobe the most. During the other 9 months of the year, I don't really wear them much, but in the summertime they become a wardrobe necessity. They're the perfect thing to pair with a maxi skirt or shorts. And white is the perfect color since it goes with everything. So, of course I had to make another white t-shirt.
I used the same pattern that I drafted here. You can get all the instructions for your own pattern in that post, so I won't add the tutorial here. There were a couple of things I did differently this time. Firstly, I didn't split the patter pieces, so no lace upper bodice this time. Just a plain white tee would have been too boring, so I added a simple lace pocket for visual interest. It's hard to see it in the pictures, but it looks great in real life.
This tee has already served me well. It's perfect with jeans, shorts, and skirts. Not too fancy, not too plain. Just right!
I haven't gotten behind my sewing machines in a few weeks and I miss them. But I'm back in the city for the next 2 weeks, so we'll have plenty of face time, I'm sure. And hopefully, I'll get round to making some of the things on my "need desperately" list.
