DIY: Fur Trimmed Sweater

Fall has arrived! I love the sea of autumn colors everywhere, from on the NYFW runways to the pumpkin spice latte ads I’m getting served on Instagram :) I’m already excited about the cool weather ahead, so I’m crafting something that will be perfect to wear as the temps go down! I took a long cardigan and grabbed some fur from JOANN for the perfect DIY!

Hello fur!!

I loved how grey mixed with the chestnut brown and was obsessed with how fluffy the fur was! (I also have extra fur that will make PERFECT pillow covers for the couch!

I took my fur, my sweater, and grabbed a few more supplies - scissors, thread, and needles, oh my - and got to crafting!

I wanted to make a panel of fur to cover the sweater’s edge - three inches on the front facing out and three on the the inside. I took a ruler and measured six inches and then cut strips of the fur, enough to completely cover the sweater’s edge.

I took the fur panels and and placed them next to the sweater to get perfect placement before pinning down.

Three inches covering both sides of the sweater’s edge.

With the fur in place, it was time to pin it to the sweater.

This is going to help with the hand stitching that comes next. I took some dark thread, a larger needle...

...and began to secure the fur in place.

While I was stitching, I was catching up on old episode of Gilmore Girls (because that show gives me all the fall vibes), and just like that I was done!

I paired this with some flared jeans, my go-to Candie’s, and the Reformation top that I wore to my rehearsal dinner for the perfect vintage-y look!

I can’t get over how much I’m obsessed with my how this sweater turned out! I feel like Stevie Nicks or Penny Lane from Almost Famous!!

It’s cozy and warm and perfect to put on top of jeans or a vintage tunic and tights!

With my extra fur I just might have to make a few more of these!

Who else wants one??  

OK, I’m ready for fall!  *grabs sweater every time she leaves house*

DIY: Lace Embellished Dress

It’s warm outside and the summer soirees and (bridal/baby) showers are in full effect! Even though I have plenty to wear, I was excited to craft a dress for a girlfriend’s baby shower! She’s having a boy, so I went with something blue to tie into the theme. I hopped over to JOANN to grab all the accoutrements to craft my dress! 

I was inspired by a blue Dolce & Gabbana lace dress from 2012 and knew this was the piece I wanted to recreate. I started with a cotton dress base. (I had this one in my closet and it needed a refresh! Go with something you own or pop into a thrift store to score the perfect piece)

You'll also need:

Beads (Mix it up! They’re for the center of the flowers and I went with some shinier black ones.)
Fabric Dye (I picked two shades of RIT - Evening Blue and Royal Blue.)
Thread (Something that matches the beads or dress shade.)
Appliqués or Ribbon (Flower shaped lace or appliqués are perfect for this piece!)

It’s dye time! Begin by rinsing your dress and appliqués in water to fully saturate before adding into your dye bath or washing machine.

Next add them into your dye bath. You can do this on the stove top in a pot or use your washing machine and the amount of dye used is dependent on how dark or light you want your piece to be. I wanted a light blue shade, so I put in two capfuls of Evening Blue with a few drops of Royal Blue in hopes for something lightish blue.

I always get so excited to see how the color turns out post-wash

I was especially excited to see the appliqués because they’re made of all different kinds of materials (polyesters, cottons, linens, oh my!

Now that the dress and appliqués are dyed, it’s time to stitch the beads to the center of the floral appliques. String a bead onto a piece of thread attached to a needle and weave through the center of the floral appliques and out the bottom. Tie a knot to hold into place. (I went with 1-3 for each flower depending on size.) Continue until all flowers have center beads.

Now place the beaded appliqués onto the dress!

Scatter them around or place them in groups - totally up to you! With the dress covered in flowers, it’s time to put it on!

I really loved how the different shades of blue complimented the dress!

Nothing like florals to make me smile!

Fabric dye has a way of giving an old garment a whole new look!

It’s more fun, more flirty, and the just the thing to wear to the baby shower!

Bye old dress! Hello new look!

Wedding Dress Recycle: Whole Lotta Ruffles

I recreated so many vintage wedding dresses to wear around my wedding and honeymoon and this one was one of my favorites!

Look at all these ruffles!!!

It feels oh, so, Marie Antoinette.

Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette

Look at those sleeves!

And that lace collar?! 

I have a fairly certain idea what's going to happen to those sleeves.

But first, DYE!

The dress went into a bath of emerald dye and came out a lovely lightish aqua color. This dress was fully polyester and I didn't use a poly-friendly dye just to get a more subtle shade. 

I grabbed my seam ripper and got to town around those sleeves... The used to be attached...

I was OBSESSED with how the tiered ruffles turned out and just couldn't touch the skirt portion of the dress. I mean, hello new lewk!

I'm obsessed with the way fuschia/hot pink goes with this aqua color, so I took some remnant tulle (YES, THAT'S TULLE AROUND MY WAIST!) and got myself a gorg rose to pose in front of this super chic door.

Greens on yellows on pinks, oh my!

When in such serious ruffles like these, you must find a hammock and swing!

This is most definitely on my favorites list. I couldn't have been more excited with how this turned out!