"Everyday Princess" Skirt Refashion

Another thrift store refashion! Can you tell I love thrift stores yet? 

So I got this dress for $4. I immediately fell in love with the fabric and knew that dress was destined to be a super pretty skirt. 

This is how it started off as. 

Some cute little flowers that I decided to keep on the skirt.

So this refashion was pretty simple! I just cut off the top part of the dress. You can choose where you wish to cut. :)

I sewed the fabric for the waistband down, and left an opening for the waistband.  Click here, (start at Step 4), to see how to insert elastic into a new waistband.

Back already? :)

Next,  I sewed a line on the sides (stitch in the ditch) of the new skirt to keep the elastic from flipping. I learned this technique from a variety of different sources online, so that's why I didn't link to just one source. Google "how to keep elastic from twisting" and you'll find lot's of information. :) 

Finished product...

"Hawaiian Summer Break" Dress Refashion

I went into a thrift store and got this dress for $2. I knew I was going to refashion it but I didn't know what I would do to it just yet. So as you can see, this dress started off having really poofy and big sleeves and it was short (did I mention it was in the children's section?). 

Anyways, operation modernization first began when I un-sewed the little pieces of tulle that were sewn on the sleeves to make them poofier. One can never have enough poof I guess. (P.S. I kept them for a future project!) 

Next, I cut off the sleeves so I could make new sleeves out of the old ones. 

Making sleeves is not hard at all! Just line up your fabric on the fold along the shoulder line, and use tailor's chalk to draw along the line of the armhole. Add about 1/4"-1/2" along this line to account for seam allowance. 

Below is the sleeve before and after when I cut it.

After I just sewed on the sleeves.

After that I just added in a panel and I was done! How to add a panel to lengthen a skirt tutorial can be found here.

"Garden Party Gal" Skirt Refashion

So I got this cute little skirt last year at the FIDM Scholarship Store for about $8. It was a little short (hit above the knee), but for the longest time I didn't know how to fix it. I tried to open up the waistband to make it bigger (so as to wear it on my hips instead of waist), but that didn't work. At this point I'm getting frustrated in my sewing room, when my mom walks in and points to this polka dot fabric I got last year at the LA Fashion District. I was like wow, okay it was sitting in front of me the whole time. Mother always knows best right? :o So anyways, this is a really simple technique to use to lengthen dresses, skirts, tops, you name it. Or simply just to add a panel of different colored fabric or mixing prints like I did with this skirt. The possibilities are endless! :)

I used this tutorial here to lengthen the skirt.

(In case you hadn't noticed, yes, I do like Winnie the Pooh)

(And the pose most bloggers cringe at...dun dun dun the mirror selfie.) 

New Camera! (Canon Rebel T3)

My lack of blog posts lately was because of my new camera and back to school already. Summer vacation felt so short! Well, it was short actually. Thanks FIDM for a 3 week summer break. :P Anyways, I just wanted to share some of the photos I have been taking with my new camera, a Canon Rebel T3. I was furiously searching for one for a while now. One that was good for beginners and that fell within a reasonable price range. Thanks to Amazon, I got this amazing kit here. It included everything you need to get started. Tripod, bag, extra battery, you name it. And for an amazing price. I wrote this post to help out anyone out there looking for a camera, like I was. Overall, I really like this camera and was very well worth the money.   Enough talking, here are some pictures taken with this camera. NO EDITING WHATSOEVER has been done to these pictures!!

(My broken phone case on the right...why do those things break so easily? :/)

(At this point, he was just totally fed up with me and the camera lol poor thing!)