Skip to content

DIY Summer Dress (With Tutorial For Making Dresses More Modest)

So I was shopping at a thrift store yesterday and came across one of the most beautiful dresses ever! It was long and Grecian, a beautiful fiery orange, and it fit pretty well too. There was only one problem... it wasn't quite modest. The front and back necks were low and awkward.

But was I going to leave it there?

No!!!

(Is that even a question? ;-) )

So I purchased it, took it home, admired it, put it on again, and put it back in the bag. And then this afternoon, I was in a bit of a slump. I had three really big writing projects, but my brain was like "I don't ever want to think about them ever again!!!" and went on strike. So I pulled out the lovely dress and a measuring tape, turned on one of my favorite podcasts, and got to work.

BUT FIRST... the "before."



with a shirt on underneath for modesty
















AND NOW... the process.

In a world where it's hard to find a dress that (a) fits, (b) is cute, and (c) is modest, learning how to do some DIY sewing projects is a great skill to have! I took some photographs of the process in hopes that you can do this too.



So I don't know if you noticed in the first photograph, but the dress is about 7" too long for me. Which is fantastic! The first step was to cut off the excess fabric (save it! It's important!), and sew a new hem.

PAUSE: In this tutorial, I'm assuming that you want the dress all the same color. That's why we're saving the bottom strip - because it can be used to patch up the front and back necks. If you don't want the same color, go find a scrap that has the same characteristics (same weight, same weave, hopefully the same washing instructions, etc). Or if you do want the same color, but don't have fabric to spare... good luck. A trip to the fabric store is definitely in order. Bring the garment along so you can get a close match, but getting a good one isn't guaranteed.



I didn't take enough pictures for this step... so... yeah. Take a square of fabric, about two inches taller and four inches wider than you will need to cover the low front neck. Fold in half and mark that vertical center line with pins. Unfold and place the right side against the wrong side of the dress (which should be insided-out at this point). Then, carefully keeping it centered, mark in place. Once you think you've got it, right-side-out the dress and take a look. Good? Fantastic! Take some more pins and pin the square from the right side. So you'll have two sets of pins in for a moment... then take out the ones that you put in while the dress was inside-out. Then, VERY CAREFULLY, try it on and take a carefully look in the mirror. Repeat the entire process until it's perfectly located. Then you can move on to the next step.

PRO TIP: when you're pinning the top of the insert, stretch the fabric a little. This will help prevent a gaping neckline, which is never fun.



Now you're going to remove the dress and baste the front insert in place. You can remove the pins now.











Now you can move on to the back insert! Measure how tall you need the insert to be and mark where the top will be with pins.



Now it's time to cut out the back insert. You're going to cut out two pieces, each one a few inches taller than you need and 2.5 inches wider than you need.










Put them back-to-back, right sides together. Sew a vertical seam about a 1/2" away from the edge. Pin a top hem, but don't sew or baste the actual seam yet.






Repeating the process used for the front insert, pin the back insert in place. Keep the seam centered.




Now baste the back insert in place.

PAUSE: make sure you can put the dress on over your head! If you can't, no worries, there's allowance for that built into the back insert. Remember that center back seam? If you need, you can unpick that and insert a zipper, or some hook-and-eyes, buttons, whatever. Just one thought: probably not Velcro. Now is the time to add in that back closure!



Now go to the sewing machine and sew in the front and back inserts over the baste stitches. If you've made sure you can get the dress on (including adding a back closure if needed), you can also hem the top part. Finally, trim the squares away about a 1/4" away from the seams. Assuming you're working with something that doesn't fray. If it does fray, I would trim the squares away about a 1/2" away from the seams, and then serge, bind, or hem them. Serging would be the least bulky option, I think.

And there you go! Now you have a cute dress that fits and is modest. Yay!

FINALLY... the fashion show ;-)









Operation BIXA Shirt

I made myself a shirt! I LOVE how it turned out. I've already worn it twice, and it's incredible! It's fits well, the fabrics are so soft, and the colors... it's a match made in heaven! And it was for a school project... #TwoBirdsWithOneStone

Pattern: BIXA, by MoodFabrics (free sewing pattern!)
Time: 7 hours, counting shopping/photo shoot
Satisfaction: 10/10

Here is the front!
I did not use the original BIXA pattern; I made view A but added in the lovely ruffles in the sleeves and also the peplum. Altering that pattern was a bit nerve-racking!


And here it is from the back! I love how the magenta and zebra striped fabric go so well together!


The ruffle -- the most nerve-racking part of the entire project!


From the side... again, I can't believe how well the two fabrics go together!


Me as a super model ;-)


Also me as a super model...


Twirling in my new shirt...
































































































































PS. Thanks to my wonderful Mom for taking pictures!

Plans For My Etsy Shop, Foxtrot, Hinge Point, and Brownie Bites

Hey guys!

It's been forever since I last posted, which I'm really sad about. Today I am going to share what I've been up to lately.

Etsy
Just today, I added a new listing to my shop, which you can find here. It's for faux-denim dresses with red contrast stitching, designed to fit AG or other similar 18" dolls. It's modeled by Elisabeta, and her friend Jasmine (thanks, Madeline!).

I'm planning on making a lot of spring-time clothes, from floral dresses to embroidered jumpers to skirts and blouses!

And coming soon, hopefully before the middle of March, pdf patterns! I have such fun drafting my patterns, I thought, why not sell some? They could be cheap, and since their digital, it's an instant download, meaning I don't have to ship anything.

Foxtrot
During the in-person days at LAU, I'm taking a ballroom dance class. It's a lot of fun! So far, we have been learning the foxtrot, and now we are starting to learn east swing, AKA triple step swing.

Hinge Point
Another fun thing I've been doing is listening to Hinge Point! It's a new musical group, composed of three sisters, with fantastic voices! Their music is clean, and uplifting, and fantastic!

Brownie bites
Detoxinista has this great recipe for brownie bites. They're super health-nut-ish, but they're surprisingly good! I've probably made them six or more times in the three-ish weeks since I discovered the recipe.

What I've Been Up To Lately

Lately, I've been super busy with lots of cool, and sometimes stressful, stuff.

- learning Latin. It really takes time, especially when you're behind in school! However, it's also loads of fun, and I'm glad I'm doing it.
- my Etsy shop! Right now, I'm working on drafting patterns for, and then sewing, Christmas doll clothes for Etsy! I'm super excited about this, especially because I have some fantastic metallic fabric I want to put to use for this.
- reading. Obviously :-) Just yesterday I finished reading United States of Socialism, which is a fantastic book! I do recommend it (beware, the last third or so is falsely advertised, in my opinion. It's labeled something along the lines of "how to stop it" (and by it, I mean socialism) but then it mostly just says that since we know socialist takeover tactics, we can do something about it. That's great, but what???). I'm also working on a short essay about that book, which is exciting to be writing for me. I've been doing lots of essays on books for my American Lit class, so now it's time to write about things I'm interested in!
- NaNoWriMo. It's November... the stress-and-write-and-write-and-sleep-and-maybe-eat-and-write-and-write time of year. I'm only 15% of the way done, which is really bad, because we're about 84% of the way through the month. So yeah... it's an adventure.
- Children of the Republic. This is a fantastic website championing freedom, and lately I've been working on a lot of stuff for them.
- Free-USA. This is another website, and I've been doing a TON of stuff there.
- going to the library! I haven't done this super much since CoViD19 hit, but I've gone a few times since the library reopened. I like to do full-day trips, and just relax and binge read books like The Federalist Papers, browse through political sections, find some new good novels, and just enjoy myself in an environment of learning.
- being awesome ;-) This includes doing all of the above while dressing stylishly, being confident in myself, and trying my best to be kind to others.

(November) Journal Entry #2

Man, it's been a long time since I've posted! And a lot of things have happened.

I've made several garments, crocheted a hat and scarf, tried in vain to crochet a sweater (my problem is I was trying to make up a pattern as I went, since I couldn't find any cute, simple, and free crochet patterns), bought some adorable fabric (for a dress and a twin sweater set), set up an Etsy shop, and felt totally jipped when Governor Herbert made another state wide mask mandate.

Other than that.......... life is "normal." I am kinda getting used to the whole CoViD19 "crisis," but I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing!

Anyways, this post is basically just to say I'm really busy, I want to start posting more, and I have some great crafts planned. So see you later!

Pecan Pie

So a week ago or so, I made a pecan pie. And I still haven't told you guys? I'm sorry, I'm really behind in posts. I've made three new garments, and an accessory, as well. Oh, and my Etsy shop is up. And life has been really busy, so I haven't had time to write about it.

Alright, about the pie:

I used Detoxinista's recipe for pecan pie, and it was amazing!

It's very simple, and relatively healthy! Well, for a desert.

Changes I made: I used 3/8 cups honey and 3/8 cups maple syrup instead of 3/4 cup maple syrup.

This is the pecan pie I made. I used Detoxinista's filling recipe, and a pat-a-pan piecrust recipe that my mom has.

Camp Na-No-Wri-Mo Progress

Goal: 65,000 words.
So Far: 46,640 words.

71% of the way there

Update: I didn't write 100% of my goal during the month of July (I got 55% of the way there), but I'm still going to finish it, hopefully by the end of September.

Estimated End Date (Last updated, September 9): Undetermined

Once Upon A Time: Chapter Seven

"A dragon..." the fox stared into the distance. "How interesting. What a quaint little quest you have assigned yourselves." He grinned mischievously. "Whelp, good luck on your utterly hopeless quest. Tata." So saying, he snapped his claws, and he and his extraordinary lair vanished into thin air.

The three companions found themselves on the ground, lying on their stomachs. Brush was poking into their plush bodies, and James groaned, "I think I don't have an unbroken bone left in my body."

"You never had any unbroken bones in your body," Cicero said. "We're stuffed animals."

"Regardless," James waved away that slight matter of 'opinion'.

They sat up, some (ahem, James) groaning more than others.

"I think," James said slowly, "That we aught to go in that direction." he pointed in the direction of a small light. "Perhaps that is our dragon."

Sweetie shook her head. "That was scary. I want to go home now."

"You said you would come," James protested.

Cicero lifted nervously into the air before alighting on the ground again. "This is a dangerous quest, James."

James shrugged. "Could it be more dangerous than letting that dragon run loose?"

"No." Sweetie said. "I don't want to come."

Jame's shoulders fell. "Alright," he said slowly, "I guess I'll do it on my own." So saying, he walked off into the dark.

Cicero pumped his wings, torn between supporting his friend and the longing for the safety of his home. Finally, he made his mind up. "I'm coming," he hollered, and flew after James.

"I don't want to go," Sweetie reminded herself as she felt her heart drop as she watched her companions disappear. "I want to go back home. I'm going back home." She turned towards her home, took a step, then turned back towards her companions.

"What should I do?" Sweetie whispered. "I thought I wanted to go home, but now I sorta want to go!"

She stood there, unsure, watching her companions.

"Alright, I'm coming!" she hollered, and ran into the dark after them.


To be continued...

Camp Na-No-Wri-Mo Update

This month, I've been writing the first draft of a 65,000 word novel with ywp.nanowrimo.org, which is a really amazing writing platform that people under the age of 18 can use.

I have written 21750 words so far and am 33% of the way done. I'm super excited about this, I don't think I've ever reached past the 17,000 word mark when writing a "novel" before (at that length, it's more of a novelette than a novel or a novella).

Fashion Shoot With Elisabeta: One Base Outfit, Many Looks

Hey guys, long time no see!

Even though I posted just last Friday, it feels like I haven't posted in forever, since I usually post almost daily.

Today I decided to do a fashion shoot with Elisabeta. I took one base outfit (black slacks, white blouse) and used accessories and hairstyles to get different looks out of it.

It was a lot of fun, and I think I would like to do this with myself soon!

I started with one base outfit and eight accessories: shoes, hair things, layering pieces, bags.





Outfit one: base plus a double-sided blazer, sandals, and a skinny braid in her black hair.

























Outfit two: same base, plus the double-sided blazer, her gray scarf used as a headband, and white and black sneakers.























Same base and headband and shoes, now with a scrunchie, and purse.






















Outfit four: same base and sneakers; now with a floral hair clip, and her scarf tied around her neck.


















Outfit five: same base and clip and sneakers; now with her scarf tied around her waist as a belt.






















Same base and shoes, now with a scrunchie and purse; in her hair is a pearl headband.


















In the last outfit, we have the same base and shoes, and the purse.

Elisabeta says, "Don't I look like I could be the next Madam President? Maybe I should join the 2020 race!"

July Journal Entry #1

Hola, folks!

Alright. It's been a while since I've posted... so I'm going to catch you up to date.


Wednesday, July 1
Wednesday was pretty ordinary. I worked on my Camp Na-No-Wri-Mo novel, and wrote about 4,300 words (my goal for Wednesday was 3,716). I ate, I slept, and basically just wrote my novel. Oh, and my bedroom floor was almost clear. :-)

AND I put thorn guards in my bike tires... almost all on my own! ~listens to applause~



Thursday, July 2
Yesterday was sort of an adventure. I wrote in my book (about 2,500 words of my 3,716 words goal), I ate, I drank a lot of water, I did some extra work for money, I weeded in our family's garden.

I also wrote and sent out The Young Scholar's Gazette (a little bi-monthly magazine I do just for fun that I send to a few of my friends), which took me like three hours and is why I didn't make my word count goal.

And then in the evening, I made some doll shoes!


We will now talk about doll shoes.

So, I used a pattern by HappyBankkyCraftyMom and foam I got at HobbyLobby, a hot glue gun, and cardboard I found in our recycling box.

(looking everywhere for my camera so I can take pictures of the really cute doll shoes I made)

(finally found my camera)

Elisabeta's blue shoes! She absolutely adores them. I think they are her favourite summer shoes.
Okay, so I made a darkish-grayish blue pair first. I really like how they turned out, and I love the pattern! Really easy to use, with a simple and classic design.















The white shoes are SO impractical, but they're still really cute!
The second pair are white with pom-poms for a fun touch. A bit more playful, they are also not that great to play in because they are white (what on earth was I thinking of?) but that's fine because Elisabeta doesn't really play that much. She likes reading, writing, making sarcastic comments, looking beautiful, and taking naps. She definitely doesn't like mud.

Once Upon A Time: Chapter Six

"You're not going to eat us?" Sweetie squeaked.

"Oh, not yet." the fox replied, his golden eyes glowing in the candle light.

Not yet? How reassuring the three travellers thought, though none of them said it aloud.

"But, we're on a quest!" James protested. "It can end in the lion's den."

"The lion's den?" the fox raised it's eyebrows. "This is far from a lion's den. It is a magician's lair, a fox's home, a place of comfort, practicality, and pranks." He seated himself at the table. "Come, eat."

Sweetie and Cicero looked warily at each other and James declared, "Well I'm famished!"

"Hi, Famished." Cicero whispered under his breath.

But the three travellers sat down at the table. No sooner than they did, the fox asked, "So, about this quest?"

"We're going to go kill the dragon." James volunteered.

"He burned our marshmallows and melted our polyester tent." Sweetie complained.

"I wasn't scared of him." Cicero bragged proudly.

"Yes, you were!" James and Sweetie said at the same time.

"A dragon..." the fox stared into the distance. "How interesting. What a quaint little quest you have assigned yourselves." He grinned mischievously. "Whelp, good luck on your utterly hopeless quest. Tata." So saying, he snapped his claws, and he and his extraordinary lair vanished into thin air.


To be continued...