Sewing and Savings

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I had an hour to spare last night, and decided to go through my stash of leftover fabric and come up with something. I had a turquoise twill leftover that I used already on two other garments, and some lace from my Halloween dress. I hunted for the easiest skirt pattern I had, and in a hour, I had this skirt (sorry for the crappy cell phone photo, I'll make a decent post with this look when I get home).

Then I posted the picture on Instagram, and someone told me they saw a similar skirt on clearance on a high end site for $100. Then I went to search for it, and found another one, somewhat similar, for $278 on the outnet. I guess lace over mint colored skirts are in. But my way was cheaper!

UPDATE: I took some decent photos of the skirt and the outfit. Enjoy!

The "is this camera working" fake pose. 

Sweater: Loft (last seen here)

Necklaces: both were gifts from a long time ago

Skirt: Self Made

Shoes: Mel by Melissa (NEW! more Melissa shoes here)

I wore this: to work, February 13, 2013.

Valentine's Day Sweetheart Dress

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Yes, you are looking at another one of my creations! This time I used a pattern from Colette Patterns, the Macaron dress. The pattern in those colors are just true perfection! I rushed to finish it before Valentine's Day, so I could wear it on this date! Last year I also DIY-ed something for Valentine's Day, not quite this complex, but I think I'll keep up this tradition now. 

If you want to see the making of this dress, head out to my personal blog and check out the post I did with the behind the scenes.

 Dress: Self Made (Colette Patterns Macaron dress)

Necklace: Forever 21 (last seen here)

Heels: Melissa (last seen here)

I wore this to: Dinner at Kyoto, (for an early)Valentine's Day 2013

What about you? Do you know what you'll  be wearing this year for Valentine's Day?

This Dress? Oh, I Made It.

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I'm very excited to share this outfit with you all today because it's another one of my creations. This velvety smooth, purple-ish dress is probably the best piece of clothing I've made so far! To be perfectly honest, I got the zipper pretty messed up on the first try, but then after un-stitching everything and putting it back together (after a few cuts and re-presses too) to finally get it perfect! I love it!

The fabric is super warm, so perfect for this weather, and I think that the skirt fits very well. I used a pattern from Butterick, the B5520. It was a great pattern, super easy to figure out the instructions, and very little fabric cutting compared to other things I've made! I styled it with simple gold accent pieces. Oh, and this fantastic bag? A gift from my boyfriend's mom. Yup, I couldn't believe it when I opened the box either.

Dress: Sew Anita (made by me!) | Necklace (seen here and here before) & Ring: Forever 21

Belt: Ruche (seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here before)

Flats: Styke&Co (birthday gift) | Scarf: ModCloth

Purse: Coach (Christmas gift) | Nail Polish: Zoya Haley (my favorite red ever)

I wore this to: Work on January 10, 2013

I think this year, for Occupy, I'll try to make clothes instead of buying. I'll buy a few things, especially things I can't make yet like jeans, jackets, sweaters. But I'll give it a try to make dresses and skirts instead of buying new! What do you guys think? 

Star Gazing / Olhando as Estrelas

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On a week with no theme, there's nothing more freeing than wearing a dress that I made. I saw this starry dress while window shopping at Nasty Gal, and I fell in love with the fabric. I had some white and black starry fabric on my stash, that I have bought to make some summer pjs, but after seeing that dress, I had to use that fabric for something else! It was not exactly the same fabric or pattern, but somewhat similar. I think the dress turned out alright, and I love how it feels to wear it. And the pattern is more my style than the one from Nasty Gal (if only I was still 15...).

Na semana de tema livre, não tem nada mais libertador do que usar um vestido que eu mesma fiz. Eu vi um vestido na Nasty Gal outro dia que eu me apaixonei, e como eu tinha esse tecido branco de estrelinhas na minha pilha, que eu comprei para fazer um pijama, resolvi que iria aproveitar e fazer um vestido inspirado no da Nasty Gal. O modelo é diferente, e o tecido tem estrelas menorzinhas, mas no fim achei que esse ficou mais a minha cara, e é super comfortável!

Dress: Self Made (Butterick B5751) | Belt: Forever 21 (seen here before) | Heels: Melissa 

(I did my nails after the outfit pictures, but they look so pretty I had to share! Essie Nail Polish)

My Weekend with Marilyn / Meu Final de Semana com a Marilyn

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Nota: Tradução para o Português ao final do post em itálico. 

It wasn't too long ago that I watched "My Week with Marilyn," a fantastic movie where Michelle Williams portrays the most celebrated of all actresses. I was so moved by Marilyn's character, so sweet, and at the same time, it seemed to me completely crazy. I guess it wasn't easy being that famous. But besides this movie, and some small research I did on her for a paper on Chanel No5, I have very little knowledge of what the life was really like for this actress.

For this week's challenge, I was inspired by one of the looks from Elle that I posted at the beginning of the week. The look I liked the most was "the ingenue," where Marilyn appears wearing a high waisted white shorts and a casual top. But here was my dilemma, I didn't have a high waisted pair of shorts, what I did have was some left over linen in off-white, and a pattern for high-waisted pants. So I grabbed the fabric and the pattern, and with some small alterations had a nice basis for a not-as-high-as-I-wanted waist shorts. but I guess it will have to do.

In about two nights I had completed those shorts, and I took them out for a spin on Sunday, to go watch Snow White and the Huntsman with my friends. This is the outfit I wore, which I called a modern interpretation of Marilyn's casual summer outfit. I chose pink accents to honor one of my favorite outfits of hers, the pink tube-dress with pink gloves, that she wears in "Gentlemen prefers blondes", when she sings "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." I paired it with hot-pink lipstick and cat-eyes, a super simple make up that I feel would have looked good on Marilyn herself.

[PT]
Não faz muito tempo que assisti "My Week with Marilyn," um ótimo filme onde Michelle Williams interpreta uma das atrizes mai celebradas de todos os tempos. Eu fiquei muito comovida com o personagem da Marilyn Monroe, que era tão doce e ao mesmo tempo tão fora de si. De certo não era fácil ser tão famosa como ela. Mas tirando esse filme e a minha tese de graduação onde pesquisei sobre a Marilyn Monroe e o perfume Chanel No5, não sei muito mais sobre a vida dessa atriz. 

Para o desafio dessa semana, eu me inspirei em um dos looks da revista Elle que eu postei no começo da semana. O look era o chamado "The Ingenue" onde Marilyn aparece vestido um shorts branco de cintura alta. Mas o meu dilema é que eu não tinha nenhum shorts como o dela, tudo o que eu tinha era um molde de calça de cintura alta e um pedaço de linho de cor creme. Então armada das duas coisas, e com algumas modificações no molde, eu tinha o meu shorts de cintura alta (quase) branco. 

Demorou umas duas noites para fazer o shorts, e no Domingo eu levei eles para dar uma volta e assistir o filme Snow White and the Huntsman com umas amigas. Esse foi o conjunto que eu usei, que eu chamei de uma interpretação moderna do look casual da Marilyn. Eu escolhi complementar os shrots claros com peças bem cor de rosa, em homenagem ao meu look preferido da Marilyn, o vestido rosa do filme "Gentlemen prefers blondes," que ela usa quando canta "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." Para completar, usei um batom bem rosa choque, com delineador de gatinho nos olhos, uma maquiagem que eu acredito era bem a cara da Marilyn. 

Super easy DIY spring skirt! / Uma saia super fácil que você mesma pode fazer

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Nota: este post é bilíngue, a tradução para o português está logo abaixo.

Since I started Occupy the Wardrobe, I've decided that it was time for me to finally learn how to sew. I've always loved clothes and always wanted to try my hand at making them (too many Project Runaway marathons to blame). This January, thanks to Occupy, I finally signed up for a class. I'm learning a lot of very basic skills, that I think anyone can easily pick up! I did this skirt over the weekend, and I'll know show you how easy it was!

This DIY is adapted from Sewing in a Straight Line. If you like it, you should definitely get this book, t has a lot of really easy DIYs of clothes, home and gifts.

You'll need:

• 1-2 yds of the fabric of your preference (I used 100% cotton because it's the easiest to sew)
• Thread in the color of your fabric
• 1 3/4" elastic band in the size of the circumference of your waist. 
• Pins
• Safety pin
• Measuring Tape
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing Machine (you can also do it by hand, it just takes longer!)
• Iron

How to:

1. With the measuring tape, measure the circumference of the widest part of your lower body (hips on my case, but yours could be the waist!). Write that measurement down:
2. Cut two pieces of fabric that are 22 1/2" by the measurement you just got on step one.
3. Pin both pieces of fabric with the right side in. Like this:

4. Sew the sides you pinned, about an 1/4" (6mm) from the edges.
5. Now we'll sew the waistband. Turn under the top edge about an 1/2" (13mm) and iron it, creating a crease, like this:

6. On the same top edge, fold it again, but now about 2" (5cm), and iron it, like this:

7. Sew all around the top edge, leaving an opening of about 4" (10cm) near one of the side seams.

8. Now we'll hem the bottom edge of the skirt. The process is similar to sewing the waistband, we fold it about 1/2" (13mm), iron it, then fold it another 1/2" (13mm) and press it again.
9. Sew the hem.
10. Now we're almost ready, all that's left to do is put the elastic band in the casing you created in step seven. You'll need a safety pin and a regular pin for that. Attach the safety pin to one end of your elastic band. Attach the other en of the elastic band with a pin somewhere near the opening of the case, this way you won't risk loosing your elastic inside the casing!
11. Insert the band with the safety pin on the casing opening. Carefully, and using the safety pin as guide, insert all of your elastic in the waistband casing. It takes a while.
12. When you're done, make sure you have both ends of the elastic band outside of the casing opening, and that the elastic did not got turned around inside.
13. After you made sure it was all flat, put both edges of the elastic together and sew over them three or four times.
14. Put all the elastic inside the casing, turn the skirt on its right side and try it on, and if you're happy with the length and the tightness of the waistband, you can sew closed the opening you used to sew in the elastic.

Skirt: DIY / Boots: Wanted / Sweater: Forever 21 / Bracelet is a belt from Forever 21

Ta-da! It is really that easy, and you can finish it super quick. If you have any questions about it, or need more clarifications on the steps, let me know in the comments and I'd be glad to help!

[Tradução pro Português só clicar aí embaixo]

Easy Valentine's day DIY / Transforme seu Suéter

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Nota: este post é bilíngue, a tradução para o português está logo abaixo.

Last year, J. Crew came up with a super cute heart sweater, and since them, the internet has never been the same.

J.Crew Heart Me Sweater, the original. 

You can buy it online on ebay, and pay $70 dollars or more for one, or you can do like me and a bunch of other bloggers (like A Beautiful Mess) and make one yourself. It's so easy, you have no idea. 

Isn't this sweater the cutest thing you ever saw? Bonus: This is my look of the day for Valentine's day!

What will you need?

• Scissors (one for fabric and another for paper)
• Paper
• Some fabric (you don't need a lot, I used some left over from another project)
• A sweater in desperate need for some love (I used one I didn't wear too much from Forever 21)
• Thread
• Needle
• Pins

How you make it?
1. Cut a heart shape out of your paper.
2. Use the heart pattern you just made out of paper to cut a heart out of the chosen fabric.
3. Using pins, attach the fabric heart to your sweater (right side up) till you are happy with how it looks.
4. Hand stitch the heart to your sweater.
5. Iron if necessary, but you're done!

Ta-da! Boy, that was easy. 

How long does it take?
I'm not a whiz at hand-stitching, so it took me about 2 hours to complete this sweater from start to finish.

Yes, this is so easy, I expect to see you trying your hand at it today! There's still time before you go out on a fancy date tonight. Also, I expect to see pictures of you wearing your fashionable (old) new sweater. Mail them to me at anitaboeira [at] occupythewardrobe [dot] com.

[PT]
Ano passado, a J. Crew lançou um suéter com estampa de coração, e desde então a internet nunca mais foi a mesma.

Suéter J.Crew Heart Me, o original. 

Você pode comprar um no ebay, e pagar 70 dólares por ele no mínimo, ou você pode fazer que nem eu e outras blogueiras (como a A Beautiful Mess) e fazer um você mesma. É muito fácil. 

Não é lindo esse suéter? E além disso aproveito para usar ele hoje no dia dos namorados Americano. 

O que você vai precisar:

• Tesouras (uma para papel e outra para tecido)
• Papel
• Tecido (não precisa de muito, eu usei um pedaço que tinha sobrado de outra coisa)
• Um suéter que precisa de um carinho (o meu era um que eu não usava muito da Forever 21)
• Linha
• Agulha
• Alfinete

Como você vai fazer: 
1. Corta um coração com o papel que você tem, até conseguir o coração do jeito que você quer. 
2. Com o molde do coração de papel, alfineta ele no tecido e corta o coração do tecido. 
3. Com os alfinetes, pregue o coração no suéter. 
4. Usando agulha e linha, costure o coração no suéter a mão mesmo. 
5. Se precisar, passa o ferro, mas o suéter tá pronto!

Puxa, esse foi muito fácil. 

Quanto tempo demora pra ficar pronto?
Eu não sou super boa com agulha e linha, e levei só duas horas (assistindo filme enquanto isso, uma comédia romântica, é claro). 


Pois é, esse foi muito fácil. Já vou esperar aqui pra você fazer o seu também! Dá tempo de fazer um hoje mesmo, e vai estar prontinha pro dia dos namorados em Junho! Mande uma foto pra gente ver como ficou! Só mandar pro email: anitaboeira [arroba] occupythewardrobe [ponto] com.