DIY FRIDAY: PUFFED HALF SLEEVE TUTORIAL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JYLARE SMITH 

Welcome back to another round of DIY Friday! I'm excited to share an easy sleeve tutorial with you today!

As much as I love short sleeves, and even long sleeves, I think I like a half sleeve the very most. They're super flattering on everyone, and add a little feminine element to a shirt or dress. I've made a couple of pieces with these half sleeves (like this cobalt one I shared on instagram), so today for DIY Friday I want to show you how to make them. They're super easy, and it's a great pattern to have up your sleeve (pun intended) for shirts and dresses, or if you want to add sleeves to a sleeveless top or dress.

For this yellow dress, I used my Tee Dress as a base, and then change the sleeves to these puffed half sleeves and changed the shape of the dress to add a hint of swing. Super easy!

dress: made by me (tutorial below -- similar here)

similar heels

similar bag

similar sunglasses

michael kors watch

Click through to see the tutorial!

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DIY FRIDAY: PLEATED MIDI SKIRT

skirt made by me, tutorial below (shop for a similar skirt here)

jcrew tee (similar)

shoemint heels

inpink necklace, c/o

forever 21 bag

PHOTOGRAPHY BY VALORIE DARLING

It's time for another DIY Friday today, and you guys, I've been dying to share this tutorial with you for months! I'm part of Janome's on-loan blogger program and in exchange for the Janome 4120QDC sewing machine that they loan to me, I do a project for their blog each quarter. For last quarter's project, I made this gingham midi skirt and after having to wait for them to post it on their end, I'm finally able to share it over here. Midi skirts are the perfect Fall skirt, so now is the perfect time to whip one up! 

This type of skirt is super easy and it won't take you more than an hour or two to create one. In fact, I want to make about 10 more for the Fall -- they're just so versatile, flattering, and fun!

Click through to see the full tutorial!

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HOW TO TAILOR YOUR CLOTHES

When I started sewing a few years ago, tailoring was one of the first things I taught myself to do. So many of the clothes I purchase often need just one little fix here or there, so knowing how to take clothes in or hem something is so incredibly helpful, and are easy fixes that will save you a trip to the tailor and a few bucks. 

I'm sharing how to tailor a structured shirt, a shift dress, and a pair of pants over on SheKnows this month -- hop over and check them out! 

DIY TAILORING A SHIRT

 DIY TAILORING A DRESS

DIY TAILORING A PAIR OF PANTS

DIY FRIDAY: ADDING SLEEVES TO A SLEEVELESS DRESS (REFASHION TUTORIAL)

These weeks are flying by -- somehow it's time for another round of DIY Friday! Lulu*s sent me this dress a few months ago, and although I totally loved it, I don't wear sleeveless tops, so it was super annoying to have to wear a jacket or a sweater over it all the time. We've been having a crazy heat wave here as well, so layers were completely out of the question.

In an amazing stroke of good luck, I found a similar printed chiffon fabric at the LA fabric district, so I brought it home, lined it with some lightweight white cotton, and whipped up some sleeves for this dress. Now it's the perfect dress -- this silhouette is maybe my favorite ever for my body.

So today I want to show you have to make a simple sleeve to add to a sleeveless dress -- it's so easy! Keep reading to find the tutorial!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JYLARE

lulu*s dress, c/o (no longer available -- similar here, here, and here) 
similar bag
chinese laundry heels
michael kors watch

Find the full tutorial after the jump!

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DIY FRIDAY: SCALLOPED HEMLINE REFASHION

scalloped hemline top, made by me (tutorial below -- similar here and here)

dittos jeans (similar here)

dolce vita wedges

lily jade bag

gorjana necklace and bracelet

michael kors watch

I don't know what it is about scallops, but I just love them. They're a simple little detail that changes the entire look of a piece, and they're so whimsical and unexpected.

I've been wanting to make something with a scalloped hem for myself for a while, and when I ran across this sweatshirt dress at Target a few weeks ago, it was perfect for an easy refashion. And it turns out that doing this kind of hemline is super easy!

Click through to see the full tutorial!

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HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN: FOOTBALL PLAYER + BABY FOOTBALL TUTORIALS

With Halloween quickly approaching, I've been frantically working on Halloween costumes and I'm so excited to share this years Halloween costumes with you guys -- they're coming later this week! But today I thought I'd dip back in my archives to share a tutorial for a fun Halloween costume idea -- one that we did almost two years ago exactly, just days after my baby was born: Football Player and Football costumes!

I use the football player costume two years in a row, and the second year, when baby brother came along, I whipped up an easy baby football costume (hoping he'd be born before Halloween so he could actually wear it (and he was)), and it turned out cuter than I could have imagined. 

I mean... 

TOUCHDOWN!!

click through to see the full tutorial!

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HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN: PETER PAN AND CAPTAIN HOOK COSTUMES

I know I've said this so many times already, but coordinating sibling costumes is really the best.  My mom suggested this idea a few weeks ago when we were trying to come up with a good costume idea, and instantly a little blonde baby Peter Pan popped into my head and I knew it was perfect.

And you guys...it. is. perfect. 

I had SUCH a blast making these costumes, and although I was most nervous about that Captain Hook coat, I am super pleased with how it came out. Also, now I'm feeling all confident about my tailoring skills and want to make a flared winter coat in my size (probably the dumbest idea ever, but I can't get it out of my mind!) 

ANYWAY. 

I'm sharing my tutorials for both of these costumes over on Babble this month, and now that costumes are done, Halloween can't come soon enough! 

You can find the Peter Pan Halloween Costume tutorial right here and the 

Captain Hook Halloween costume tutorial right here. 

HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN: DIY DISNEY PRINCESS HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

To finish off my week of Homemade Halloween costumes, I'm super excited to show you the three adult costumes I made this year. I'm really not into dressing up for Halloween now that I have kids, but coming up with, sewing, and styling these Disney Princess costumes was SO much fun that I just might do this every year.

Plus, when I teamed up with Sara from Tell, Love, and Chocolate to throw a Halloween costume party last night, I had three costumes to choose from!

(you can see pictures from the party over on my instagram!)

Tutorials for all three princesses are over on SheKnows -- hop over and check them out! 

Oh, and a huge thanks to Leanne for being my Elsa model ;) 

DIY FRIDAY: PLEATED FIT + FLARE DRESS TUTORIAL

dress made by me, similar here, here, and here (25% off with code HAPPY)

dolce vita shoes

lulu's clutch, sold out -- similar clutch here and here

urban outfitters sunglasses 

michael kors watch

stella and dot bracelet, c/o 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANA LAURENE 

This dress has seriously been the longest time coming. I started it back in May and then didn't touch it for the entire summer. Finally, a month ago, I busted it out and finished it in one night, photographed it that week, aaaand then I had a million other projects lined up for DIY Friday so it's tutorial kept getting pushed back. But here we are. Finally. You guys, go make this dress right now -- it's THE BEST.

It's one of those dresses that is not only flattering on nearly every body type, it's also great for dressing up and dressing down, and it's perfect for all seasons. This is how I wore it during the summer (and a casual summer version here and here), but during the Fall it's great with a scarf, jacket, and booties, and during the winter it would look amazing with tights and a colorful wool coat. 

click through to find the tutorial!

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