Pink Tutu's and my first go at pattern testing

This skirt appeals to all of my whimsy and flights of fancy, it is completely impractical for day to day wear and totally obnoxious, but that's kind of why I love it. I also thing it looks amazing glammed up with a leather jacket and pair of boots.

Tulle Bow Tutorial

So I did a quick pinterest the other day to see if I could find a tutorial on making little tulle bows which could be used as hair clips/brooches/sewn onto headbands etc and to my surprise there was a distinct lack of them. I decided that the internet deserved one so here you go... your very welcome :)

 

You will need: 

• Some tulle or net fabric. I used some 6inch tulle which came on a roll which was left over from our wedding decorations (like this). You will need one piece approx 55inch by 6inch (enough to wrap around a place mat about 6 times) and one piece which is just 3inch by 6inch.

• A regular coffee mug mat

• Scissors

• Matching thread and needle

• A Pin

 Using your coffee mug mat, starting at the back put the tulle about 2/3 of the way across making sure it crosses the middle of the mat. 

Wrap the tulle all the way around the mat until you have 6 layers of tulle covering the front. Making sure once again that the end of the tulle is 2/3 of the way across the back and passing over the center. 

Ensure you have a hold of all the layers and carefully slide the mat out from the middle.

 Pop a pin into the center through all layers to hold it together (the folds want to be to the side and the open edges to the top/bottom). 

 

Using a basic running stitch and matching thread sew through all layers from one open end to the other. 

Pull the thread to gather the bow in the center and wrap the thread around a couple of times. Secure with a little stitched knot. 

Taking your small piece of tulle, and starting at the back wrap it around the middle of the bow 2 or 3 times. Trim any excess making sure the end is at the back and hidden in the middle. 

Using your needle and tread sew a few stitches to secure the loose end down so that it doesn't unravel.

Finally using your scissors you need to carefully cut through the folded edges at the end of the bows so that they poof out nicely. Do this part carefully and trim any stray bits which might end up sticking out. 

And there you have a pretty finished tulle bow. You can pop a bobby pin through the end and wear it in your hair, a brooch for your coat or it can be sewn onto a garment for a bit of upcycling glamour.

I would love to see what you decide to use these for, so if you use this tutorial to make one for yourself leave me a comment with your picture or instagram me @thediyfox

New Mollie Makes Subscription and This Months Shoe Clips

  

You know we all need more shoe clips right? Of course we do! and here are some more DIY clips brought to you as the DIY project on the front of the latest issue of Mollie Makes magazine.

Aren't they so cute! pretty pastel pink tulle and some added sparkle make these a perfect way to jazz up a pair of old pumps. 

Its ok to wear leopard print tights and leopard print shoes at the same time isn't it?   

 

The issue (41) is out now and choc full of retro makes. I personally really fancy trying out the floral crown and the record label place mats (which would make an excellent gift for my daddy). I love this magazine. I always check it out and buy more copies than I think I do so decided that I might as well just say 'sod it' and I purchased a 6 month subscription. It will be so nice to have a bit of craft inspiration through my door each month, especially as I get more and more involved in the blog with you guys. 

The flowers are made in a very similar fashion to some of the ones we made during our away day, however instead of one long piece of fabric is it three smaller pieces overlapped slightly. You then do a quick running stitch across the bottom, pull it tight and secure. Then add the pretty sparkley gem to the front and the show clip to the back. Really simple but wonderfully effective. I made these up in one of my lunch hours it was that simple!

So what did we get up to this weekend? Well Me and Mr Fox had a lovely chilled out one. Finished off our new front garden (pics on my Twitter if you are that interested), saw family, went for a dinner at friends it has been great. Now just one more week of work and we jet off for some sun, sea, sand and relaxation! Bring it on!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? I would love to hear about them.

Tulle Pom Pom Shoe Clips

Check me out! I have clown noses on my shoes! I am sure I have told everyone this already but in case you didn't know my new favourite accessory is a shoe clip. I love how you can brighten up any pair of shoes and make one pair look different every day of the week. 

These little lovelies are made from some thin tulle which I had left over from the wedding decorations which I wrapped around some card (the same way as you make woolly pom poms) with a shoe clip glued to the back of each one. Mr Fox did tell me I looked a bit like a Jester before I left for work this morning, but do we care? No of course we don't, it's bringing me a little bit of joy on a dreary Monday morning. 

Do you own any show clips, or have a favourite accessory that might overtake these? Let me know. I also encourage you to make some of these yourself for a bit of a chuckle xx

Victory! for AVA

I am proud to present.... my Black and White Ava Peplum:

Thankfully we had a lovely sunny January Sunday over here and while Mr Fox was slaving away at his dissertation on the laptop downstairs I thought I would use the time to finish off my black and white Ava peplum. It also meant I got to take some piccies indoors. This is my very first make of 2014 and has taken a little while due to me working a lot of overtime to try and pay for Christmas. I think this is 'officially' the start to my sewing blog, and my attempt at making myself a wardrobe and so I wanted to make sure I took the time over it. Not to mention make sure it is 'sewn for my style' as I have previously been posting about.

The main fabric is a black and white striped poplin and the top a black spotted tulle. I really like the two together, and especially like the black and white look with my in your face hair! I am however most pleased with the binding. I was dreading this, and was convinced I would end up with a wonky neck line or something but it went really well (smug face!) I was going for 'chic office attire' when I thought about making the peplum version.

About the pattern: AVA by Victory Pattern

You get a tissue pattern, and a little booklet explaining the construction of this dress. It comes in three lengths: Peplum, Knee, and Tea dress. Although I had to re-read a few of the steps over until they made sense this was a very simple pattern to follow. This might be down to my in-experience, but i see that as a positive thing as if I can get it, as a relatively new pattern follower, then anyone can.The only really tricky bit about this pattern is sewing the upper and lower bodice pieces at the sweat heart neckline. I really don't have any good tips for this other than practice, mine if far from perfect.

(sorry about the boob shot, but I wanted to show you the neckline)

Alterations: As previously mentioned I lengthened the body by about 5cm to have it sit a bit nearer my natural waist. I also extended the darts on the back bodice piece by a couple of cm as I do have quiet a small back. I also took in the side seams by about a presser foots width. I think my previous comments about learning to do an FBA might also help this pattern as it gapes a little bit under the arms, which I think would be solved by some side bust darts. But its not so bad that I can't live with it.

I am really pleased with this top over all. I am not sure if the stripes are not too busy, and I think this would be much better in something that has a better drape than a poplin. But hopefully this will make it into my summer work wardrobe.

The plan all along has been to make the knee length version of this dress and so I have purchased some black fabric which hangs a lot better. And so I will get going on this shortly whilst I await the start of the Georgia sew-along.