I Love My Skirt

 I got this skirt  about a month ago and I have worn it at least a handful of times! I'm a little obsessed with it! The length and fit is great for petite ladies and the XS has a waist measurement of approx. 24.5".

Wearing:

F21 Circle Skirt. Size XS. Fully lined.

H&M Polka Dot Blouse. Similar

Armani Exchange Faux Fur Cardigan. Similar

Nine West Rocha Pumps (currently on sale!). Size 5. Ordered 1/2 size down.

More (P)leather Please

I had scraps of pleather left from my last DIY and couldn't let it go to waste. Of course I had to incorporate it into my new dress! ;) 

I commonly get asked where I buy my patterns or what kind of patterns I'm using. I draft all my patterns from scratch and they do take a long time to do accurately. To give you an idea of how long this dress took me to make: I spent 2 days drafting the pattern and 2 days to sew the dress. I do enjoy the process since I end up with a one of a kind dress that fits me the way I like. Also awhile ago, I complained about the invisible hem on my sewing machine and that the results were not completely invisible. Well I did the invisible hem by hand this time and I love it so much better!

Wearing:

DIY pleather dress. (similar here & here)

F21 Boxy Faux Leather Crossbody. I love love love this purse and wear it all the time!

Franco Sarto Sandals. (similar here)

F21 Necklace. (similar here)

Repurposed

 

I've had this Free People utility jacket (left pic) for the longest time, but never really wore it because the sleeves were super long! They measured at 25" in length and my arms are only 21.5" long. Every time I wore the jacket, I would have to roll up the sleeves and then they'd eventually unroll throughout the day and I'd have to roll them back up again. So annoying! I've been wanting to change out the sleeves and didn't have the the right fabric, until recently when I found a pleather fabric that was thin enough to go through my little table top sewing machine!! I love this fabric and want to add pleather details to all my clothes now. :D

 Shop utility jackets with pleather sleeves

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

H&M Top | AE Jeans (similar here in petite) | Asos Henley Sandals. Size 5. Runs 1/2 too big.

P.S. - In the last post, I mentioned ordering a circle pleather skirt from F21. I just got it and the size xs actually fits in the waist (measures at 24.5")! See pic here.

Pretty From The Inside

Hi everyone! I know it's been awhile since I've last posted. Hopefully you haven't forgotten about me. I've been super busy and haven't had time to shop, DIY or take pictures. Also, my serger jammed recently when I was trying to over-lock my friend's sweatshirt. I brought it to a local Brother dealership and they sure took their sweet time. I haven't DIY'ed much because I dislike making garments without over-locking the edges.

 Well, I remember a technique called the french seam which is great for really thin fabrics and makes the inside of your shirt look pretty and professional. This technique encapsulates the edges so you don't have raw edges hanging out (right pic below). It is pretty time consuming to finish your edges this way, but it's a nice alternative when you don't have a over-locking machine handy. I also played around with darts placement and moved it to the neckline rather than having it below the armhole.

DIY Blouse
F21 Circle Skirt. Similar here (in pleather) and also just ordered!
F21 Boxy Faux Leather Crossbody
Pour La Victoire Mai Wedge + other colors here. Size 5.5. RTTS.
Adorable custom name necklace thanks to The Hatters! 

Always Remember To Layer

I wore this outfit over the weekend to run errands in and should have known better to layer up. Within SF, you can go into different neighborhoods and the temperature can vary up to 10 degrees. If you leave SF, the temperature and weather varies more drastically. There are days where the temp is in the low 60s, but neighboring cities are experiencing beautiful sunshine and 90 degrees. This outfit was definitely fine where I live, but once I left the city I felt so hot in this sweater! I should have layered a tank underneath so I could have taken off my sweater in anticipation of warmer weather. So a message to friends visiting me next month, bring clothes you can layer up in! ;)

H&M Sweater. Size XS. I was going to buy another one in a different color, but this dang thing snags so easily.

F21 Skinny Jeans. Size 24. Only $8!! Inseam 29, but I shortened it by about 2".

BP.  'Trolley' Ankle Boot. Size 5.

F21 Chevron Necklace. Similar here. 

 Michael Kors Python Tote. (Zip Top Version & MacBook Version)

The Red Lipstick Story

When I was younger, my mom used to wear no makeup and JUST red lipstick. I thought it was absolutely the most jarring thing ever and said to myself "I'm never ever going to wear red lipstick." As I got older, I told my mom about my feelings regarding her red lipstick and she stopped wearing it eventually. What I didn't realize was that she never lined her lips and the red color would bleed all over her lips and it looked so messy and awful. I feel bad for saying this, but I seriously never wore red lipstick until now because of my mom.

I've seen red lipstick look so pretty on other girls, but I was always fearful so I've stayed away for many years. I have tried a number of red lipsticks, but never bought them because I thought the color was too dramatic and overwhelming for my pale skin. Well this week, after a couple of drinks at happy hour, I decided to go to the makeup counter and try on red lipstick. I thought I'd be a little more open minded with some alcohol running through my veins. Well I shocked myself and actually found a red lipstick I can stand wearing! LOL!

MAC lady bug lipstick | MAC brick lip liner

A New Challenge : DIY Cigarette Pants

I feel like I've made enough dresses over the past few months and wanted to give myself a new challenge. I decided to tackle pants because I have such a hard time finding ones that fit my smaller waist, bigger bum and short inseam. A few of you have asked me where I learned to sew and honestly a lot of my projects are from trial and error. I spent countless hours taking apart and re-sewing certain parts just because I couldn't get it right the first time. I had to redo the welt pockets a couple of times because it looked really messy on my initial try (see pic here). If I had extra fabric, I'd redo the knee area. I underestimated the knee line and should have lengthened it by probably an 1". Overall, I'm pretty happy with my first try and can't wait to make another pair of pants! If any readers have made pants before, please share your experience with me. :)

Wearing: 

DIY Cigarette Pants - inspired by these  J. Crew Pants

Aritzia Blazer. (similar here - great reviews & inexpensive)

H&M yellow shell. (similar here)

Ann Taylor Pumps. (similar here)