Totally Plain Denim Miniskirt

I *could* have just bought a denim miniskirt for €10, but then again, why buy for cheap what you can make for free?

I attempted, for the second time, to alter a pair of jeans into a miniskirt. The first attempt was years ago and I did it entirely by hand because I didn't have my own sewing machine yet. I wore it for a short period of time before chucking it. I decided to try again when I was forced to sort out a pair of jeans that had become too short. They were exactly what I needed for altering purposes: They had little to no distressing on the seams. 

See, when you sew the inner legs together to make a skirt, your new seam won't have the same distressing that the manufacturer put everywhere else. It looks awkward, and to be honest, I simply don't like a distressed middle seam on a jeans skirt. Why would your skirt be distressed there? The only answer I can think of is humping trees. And your preference for botanic intimacy is not necessarily something you want to be broadcasting with your clothing.

I'm going to admit, here and now, that I started altering these jeans about a year ago. And I started by hand because the sewing machine still scared me a bit. I also had to wait until I could use my dress form in New York to get the hem straight. I only surged the hem while I was in the states, but today I finally did the finishing touches.

Here's a picture of the finished product:

Yes, this my kitchen.

The distressing on the thighs looks a little weird the way it kind of just stops at the hem, instead of fading into it, but whatever. The hem is also a little wonky, but ironing helped a bit. I think if I ever make a denim skirt again, I'll make sure to use non-stretch denim.

So, what do you think of the burgundy paisley tights? I can't decide whether they're amazingly cute or whether they make me look diseased!

Home-made Traveling!

A week ago, I promised you little things, so finally, here's a summary of the little things I made during my sewing spree.

The first thing I made was a neck pillow. I have an incredibly long neck and normal neck-pillows that you can buy in stores just don't cut it:

I <3 NY

The reason my head is even stopped from tipping in the one picture is because of the anatomy on the opposite side of my neck holding it there. I may be touching the pillow with my ear, but the pillow is not relieving the stress on the muscles and ligaments in my neck.

So I got down and dirty with some old foam my mom had lying around. I cut it in a rough U-shape, wrapped it in quilt batting, then covered it with a tan cotton fabric. I used old backpack straps to make it close in front:

I realized on my flight back to Berlin that my pillow can be used in a few other ways as well. Observe:

Normal use of a neck pillow.

Side neck pillow-- great for pillow-cuddlers like me!

Can you say lumbar support?

And if I can find another buckle the same size, I'll make an extension strap so I can strap the pillow under my arms and around my back, so I have something to lean my head onto while sitting in an airport during a layover.

If only the strap were long enough!

Too bad I have to open it up again to remove a wayward pin I found while taking these pictures!

The other things I made were two eye masks to wear while sleeping. Berlin is about 10° latitude further north than my hometown in New York, which means the longest days of the summer here only have about 4 hours of darkness. That's why I wear eye masks the whole summer through. I based these ones off the masks my grandfather got from first class the last time he flew.

Fronts

Backs

They're just made of cotton quilting fabric, organic cotton batting and a thick piece of black canvas. I've really been loving them! The next version will have two elastic straps-- one high and one low, so they don't rub the tops of my ears so much during the night.

I go back to work this week, but hopefully I can keep up with my sewing and blogging!

H&M Copycat Dress

My second-to-last post claimed I was going to be beginning a sewing spree. The sewing spree is now over, but my next two posts will be chronicling the things I made in the last few days.

While shopping at H&M, I came across a really pretty sleeveless blouse dress I liked, but H&M only had it in colors that were definitely not "me":

Imagine this color on someone with skin exactly this color.

So, I decided to make a dress to resemble it. Can you guess what fabric I used? If you guessed rayon challis, you're right!

The flowers are 3/4"-1" across.

For the basis of the dress, I used a pattern my mom had on file that was similar, Butterick B5315:

I made a number of alterations. Among other things, I didn't put in any of the darts on the bodice, designed a new collar, left the sleeves off, and added elastic around the waist. I also came up with my own skirt pattern because I didn't like the way the Butterick one had a seam going down the front and back middles of the skirt. It took me about 3 days to complete this dress.

Here's the dress on a hanger:

The fabric does NOT photograph well!

I'm very happy with how the dressed turned out. The only thing I would change is the collar-- it came out a little weird. I took a lot of extra material out of the skirt as well. I probably should have taken a little less out.

Here's me modeling it. I couldn't find the belt I was planning to model it with!

The fabric REALLY doesn't photograph well!

Tomorrow I'll post about a few small things I made during the sewing spree!

How to get a perfectly tailored wedding dress with no effort...

... by wearing your mom's wedding dress!

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this July. I really wanted to try on my mom's wedding dress for kicks, so my grandmother dug it out of her attic, where it has been since 1972. The dress fits me absolutely perfectly, it's unbelievable. 

FYI: No, I'm not getting married. I'm not engaged and a wedding is not in the plans for the forseeable future, so don't get your hopes up!

Here are some more pictures:

Nice hair. lol.

If I ever get married, I don't know yet whether I'll use my mom's dress. I wouldn't wear it the way it is-- I would definitely personalize it. For one thing, I'd try to lower the neckline of the lining to modernize it. I'd probably also add a fuller, flowy skirt.

If I can get my hands on a digital copy and can get my mom's permission, I'll edit this post and add a picture of her on her wedding.

My grandmother also dug out her dress from 1950, but since I don't have a 21-inch waist (even with a corset), I have no chance of being able to wear it!