swirl it, girl

it felt like it had been a while since i sewed a scuba fabric, so when i saw this swirly patterned one, i just had to get it. i bought only 50 cm (about 155 cm wide) to turn it into this top.

self-made top, Monki jeans.

when it comes to sewing, i’m sure you know perfectly well that i’m a copycat. so this one was no exception. if you google ‘R/H mickey tee’ you will see what i mean.

 

i just see it a LOT around the internet lately, and can you guess what else is seen a LOT lately? ruffles. ruffles here, ruffles there, everywhere a ruffle. well, i thought, why not marry them together?

i did not use any pattern, this was again a boxy shaped top with small modifications on the front part.

instead of using another fabric as the contrasting top part, i used the same fabric but the wrong side. that’s the beauty of scuba fabric, you can also use the wrong side as the right side!

for the lowest curve of the U part, i had to sew it by hand. i did try sewing it by machine like twice, but none of the results was pleasing enough. when in doubt, you should always go with bare hands, i say.

i really, REALLY love the outcome. i am so going to wear this top many times!

crop it how you like it

when it comes to body figure, mine is far from perfect. that’s why i had been quite unsure about the ever so popular ‘crop top’. i just wasn’t sure i want to show my round tummy to everyone. (and no, i’m not pregnant.)

but then i started seeing how women of real sizes (ie. non model-like body types) are wearing them, loving them, and rocking them. so i thought, why not give it a try? i had just the right amount of the scuba fabric left, and i knew what i was going to combine it with for the sleeves.

so this is my version of a crop top, self-sewn, and how i wear it in 4 ways.

1. the expected way.

self-made crop top and skirt, H&M tights, Bianco shoes, Moody Monday earrings.

pairing it with the exact same print seems logical. besides, it’s also been somewhat of a trend to wear matchy matchy clothes, so here i am practicing it. the good thing about this is that my skirt has high waistline, so that means less skin showing off.

2. the shy way.

self-made crop top and stripey dress (worn under the top), shoes from Dappermarkt – Amsterdam, Moody Monday earrings.

you want to wear a crop top but too shy to show off your tummy area? no worries, just slip on a dress underneath the top, and you’re ready to go.

3. the layered way.

self-made crop top, H&M blouse (for boys), H&M jeans, ASOS cage shoes, handmade knitted brooch (worn as head piece) from an Indonesian artist/brand whose name i can’t remember… sorry! 😦

this is rather similar to #2. it’s the fake way to wear a crop top, but it makes sense if you want to be able to pull it off for work (unless your work place is super cool and lets you work with your tummy showing around!). just wear it as a vest on top of a blouse.

4. the unexpected way.

self-made crop top, tulle skirt, and leggings; ASOS cage shoes, Sophie Martin lip pouch.

okay, this last one is completely experimental and… well, unexpected. just throw in everything and anything you can think off and you’re done. easy as pie. 😀

the idea is to have fun. so that’s what i did, and i think i will enjoy doing it all year round now, thinking of new ways to wear it.

 

for the top, i used a combination of pattern no. 131 from Burda Style magazine 05/2012 (bodice) and pattern no. 122 from Burda Style magazine 10/2013 (sleeves). i made the bodice almost half shorter than the original version, and the sleeves also a lot shorter than the original one.

a tiny surprise on the sleeves: it’s a Dior fabric. i used it here, and that was the one and only time i actually called my sewing project a failure. i have given away the original dress i made with that fabric, as i was too lazy to correct it, feeling like i’ve let Christian Dior down by making such a wreck out of their fabric (how dramatic), and thought that that was it. but then a few days ago i found a small remnant of the fabric in my closet, and i was so delighted that i could finally now possibly give it a new life. thank you, Dior, for giving me a second chance! hope i’m not letting you down this time! :’)

since the remnant of the scuba fabric was really only a small piece, i had to make the back side from 2 pieces (the original pattern also used 2 pieces and buttons for closure). i’m actually glad about it, because it again gave a bit more structure to the shape. and that’s what scuba fabric is good for!

this is now my second sewing project made completely out of fabric scraps, so long live the fabric scrap tribe! also, surprisingly, this is now the 14th sewing project i’ve done this year, and it’s only September! i’ll definitely still be making more until the end of December, so it looks like i’ll manage to make more than i did last year after all.

oh, and yes: i’ve finally cut my hair. a combination of symmetric and asymmetric. and very easy to do with just a pair of scissors (and a husband–>for the back part, LOL). perfect. 🙂

eye see, eye like, eye… make

first there was the big hit.

then there was the trend.

 

and then there was the perfect fabric. and yes, btw, this one fabric i just had to buy new. but, my way of making it up is by not letting it wait in the closet, but sew it right away. 😉

and lastly, there was the way. for my last birthday, i got this book from my mum-in-law. okay, so she asked what i wanted and i, for once, didn’t say something like a new bag or new clothes etc., but thought of my future a bit. i have always wanted to learn how to make clothing patterns of my own, and my husband thought that i could just learn it myself instead of going to some school. at least, i could try it first. so i told my mum-in-law that this book looked good. and it IS good, oh, i’m so glad now that i have it!

the notebook you see next to that text book is my so-called design book. it’s nothing fancy, i usually would just doodle there when i got an idea of what to make. i would toy around with several different ‘designs’, until it finally looks perfect in my eyes. i have to draw it, you see, because i’m terrible in visualizing something in my head. i have to see it. then, if the ‘design’ is something more complicated than what my poor brain can digest, the drawing also helps me to figure out the steps i need to make in cutting the fabric and sewing it. that page shows you where the idea for the Just Cavalli top was born, and also the tarot/hippie t-shirt… and now for this skirt.

H&M t-shirt and swimming suit, self-made scuba skirt, stockings from Plaza Semanggi-Jakarta, Bianco shoes, Miffy watch, necklace from Metro Dept. Store-Jakarta, earring from India (attached to necklace).

this was my first time working with scuba fabric. i’m not sure what the differences are, but i somehow believe that scuba = neoprene = bodycon. basically it’s like lycra jersey/knit but thicker. because it’s thicker, it’s easy to sew. and it also has the sturdiness like cotton fabric compared to the usual lycra jersey. but still, it’s stretchy so for example, i didn’t even need to put any zipper or elastic band on the skirt, even though it’s tight-fit on the waist.

this was also my first time of altering a pattern ‘the right way’. up to now, i’ve only altered ready-made patterns by feeling, sometimes making many mistakes until i finally succeeded. the text book i got helped me to make the circle godets on the skirt in just the perfect shape. i’m so happy & proud!

for the hem, i didn’t even sew it at all. it’s enough if you can cut it neatly, because another plus point for scuba fabric is that they don’t fray.

at first, i was tempted to make the skirt into a full circle. but then i thought it would be too easy. :p so i started to look for inspirations and came across the many versions of scuba skirts in the stores and the ones i saw on my Cutie 12/2013 magazine. i decided to make the godets not as high as the store versions, and the skirt not as mini as those in the magazine (i still want to be able to wear it for work!). for the basic skirt pattern, i used Burda Style’s pattern no. 126 from their 12/2013 magazine.

if i can be honest, i actually like my version a lot better than the original Kenzo one. the print is crazier, which suits me, and the godets are bigger, which suits me as well. 😀 and, it’s all made by myself. ❤