A Little Bit Of Lace Part 2

Ahhh beautiful lovely white lace, how I love you.  I chopped this piece of white lace off the bottom of a thrifted skirt a few years ago before I really thought I would ever enjoy a maxi skirt.  This was my first time ever making shorts or well anything with a properly sewn crotch and I have to say it was much easier then expected.  Unfortunately the photos I took while making the lace shorts wont upload so the tutorial is photos of making the liner, hope you don't mind.

Materials needed:
 A 16 x 44 Inch piece of Lace
A 16 x 44 inch piece of White Cotton Material for the Liner (something neon would be great too)
White thread
Scissors
Sewing machine (or needle and thread if you have the patience)
A Pen, Pencil or Marking tool

Pins

To make the Lace shorts I started with a 16 x 44 inch piece of material folded in half to make a double layered 16 x 22 inch piece.  

Then I used a pair of crochet shorts from Element as a sample for size, keeping mind these short are stretchier then the lace I will be using.  

1. Fold your material in half again bringing the right side on top of the left then trace the inside seem of the shorts onto your material adding about 1 inch or 2 cm for your seem. Cut along your marking, you should be cutting through four layers of material.   If your scissors wont do this cut one side and then the other using the first cut as a guide line.  You should be left with a piece of material that looks like the below images when folded and unfolded

2. Pin and stitch along the outside seems that you just cut leaving the bottom few inches below your cut un-sewn.    

3. If the Bottom inches below your cut are still attached cut them apart. Open up the shorts so the two seems you just sewed are at the front and back of the shorts. 

4. Pin the front and back sides of the crotch together and sew. 

Turn your shorts in side out so the rough seems are on the inside. 

Your shorts should look like this, minus the waist band.

5. For the waist band I rolled the top of my shorts down three times inwards.  Then put a stitch approximately 1 cm below the top of the roll all the way around the waist then flip the roll back up.  If you wish you can now insert an elastic trough the roll. I left mine without as I feel they will stay up just fine.   

Repeat steps 1 through 4 to create a liner for your shorts then pin and sew them  inside your lace shorts, I stitched mine in under the 1 cm flap we made below the waist band to hind the stitch. 

Once trying them on I trimmed the bottom of the liner as I wanted the scalloped bottom of the lace to show. 

 Xo Austere

DIY Inspiration; Helmut Lang

I went looking for a photo of this Helmet Lang Blazer today, as I have plans to attempt one of my own and while looking I found so many great pieces full of inspiration.  Though I'm sure my work will never be quite this tidy, Knit cut outs and Asymmetrical hems here I come.     

Austere Xo

 

Cut outs and Cut Backs

I'm a big fan of simple DIY projects that make an otherwise ordinary item stand out. So when I saw this photo from Fashion Gone Rogue on the Spell and Gypsy Collective blog I new these unique but simple cut outs were going to shoot to the top of my DIY list. As soon as I find the perfect shirt to alter you can expect a DIY tutorial to be posted.

Prudence

Photo from FGR and Spell

Desperate Housewife

I wish I could look this smoking hot while cooking and pretending to be domesticated. These photos of Zuzana Kopukova by Robert Orlandi for Grazia Italy add a whole new twist on the idea of housewife and while it is fun to imagine cooking in fabulous designer clothes it would be a truly horrible idea in real actuality.   I don't even want to think about how I would react if I got marinara sauce on a Louis Vuitton dress, not that I own one....

Prudence

Photos from FGR

Simsperation

I apologies for the terrible play on words.  But these Raf Simons Gold Chain Dress shoes are such a simple DIY (I hope) and I'm sure I have a perfect pair of dress shoes buried somewhere in my truck of shoes.  Tutorial to come.

xo Austere

Images from Shiny Plastic Hag 

DIY Envelope Clutch

I have been craving an over sized envelope clutch for quite sometime, so when I found some amazing leather on sale for $5 at my local craft store I knew I needed to make one.

What you will need

1. One yard of leather or fake leather fabric
2. A sewing machine fitted with a leather needle
3. Thread that matches the leather or the color of your choosing if you want statement stitching.
4. Scissors
5. A sharpie
6. A ruler

How To

1. On the backside of the leather draw the outline of the clutch. The width of the clutch should measure 16 inches across, which will allow the clutch to be 15 inches in width with a half inch hem on each side. The clutch should be 31.5 inches in height which will make the finished clutch be 10.5 inches in height when folded 3 times.
2. In addition to the drawn outline of the clutch, also measure and draw where you will make your half inch hem along the length of the clutch.  This will help function as a guide to follow while sewing.
    
   
   
   3. Cut out the clutch along the lines you have drawn
   4. Fold the clutch inside out one third of the way up.
   5. Pin the fold in the clutch in place
   
   
   
   6. Sew the clutch following the hem lines you drew and then turn clutch right side out. 
   

   

   
   7. Fold the flap of the clutch that you haven't sewn yet along both of the drawn hem lines, pin in place, and sew along the edge. 
   
   8. Now its time to finish up that one last raw edge of the clutch.  I did a 2 inch hem on the bottom edge but you can really play around with how how big you want the hem to be as it will effect how your finished clutch looks. Once you have decided on where to hem your final edge pin the corners in place and sew along the sides, going right next to the stitching you already have along the sides. 
   

   

   
   9. And thats it! I decided to not use anything as a closure but if you want to make sure that things don't fall out you could use anything from a chic belt to a metal clasp as a closure.  
   

   

   
   

   

   
   
   Prudence

Draw a heart in the sand and give me your hand

 

Some outtakes from Free People's May Catalog. It is starting to feel like summer around here and I am getting so excited.

Prudence

Photos from Free People blog

Whats Black And White And Striped All Over?

Materials needed;

A Thrifted Maxi Skirt

A Pair of Scissors

Needle and Thread or a Sewing Machine

Pins 

  

Measure the length you want the skirt to end up, then add approximately 1 inch for the hem

 Cut Half way across the skirt then fold and follow the cut to keep it an even length

 Fold and Pin the hem at the length you want it to end up

 Sew the hem, then trim excess material if needed. I ironed the hem flat after sewing to keep it tidy looking, which isn't super necessary but it will look a bit nicer if you do. 

And thats it.   

Xo Austere

De Naranja

                                                                                            

Every once and a while I won't realize I have a current obsession till I stop to peruse my findings from a weeks worth of browsing, I guess this weeks obsession is rather obvious. 

A pair of orange shoes for every occasion   Xo Austere

1. Reed Krakoff   2. Cora Society  3. Brian Atwood  4. Jeffery Campble   5. Osbourn Shoes  6. Tory Burch  7. Pour La Victoire  8. Alexander McQueen