People sometimes ask me about what inspires my DIYs, and I think most expect that I get ideas from the runway, streetstyle, or designer collections, and naturally I find inspiration in all those places. But to be honest, more often than not I get ideas for projects from the materials I can get my hands on, regardless of how random they are (remember this? and this?). This skirt is the perfect example of that. My friend MISCHA recently held a party for the 4th anniversary of her brand, where I hosted the press preview with a super fun crafternoon. In the process of deciding the type of DIY we wanted to do during the press preview, she shared with me all these insanely intricate pieces of vintage Japanese obi fabric she had collected in japan when sourcing for her first series of handbags.  For those of you not familiar with obi, it’s traditionally used as the sash part of a kimono and is tied in a multitude of different knots at the back of the kimono. From what I understand many of which are used to indicate the availability or situation of the female wearer. I was immediately taken with the rich colours and hypnotic hexagons used in the patterns of the obi, and knew a few pieces would be the basis for a clothing DIY. The hard part was choosing the nicest piece of out so many including these! I decided to make a super simple obi panel skirt, by now you’ll know how much I love skirts and I think that when you have something as amazing as this piece of obi you don’t want to complicate its presentation.

Click below for the full tutorial

Instead of buying a ready made skirt I picked up a super cheap midi length skirt from my local secondhand store (ahem, $1.50) and turned that into a mini. I love to do this because it allows you to choose your perfect length, and in this way this project is also a before & after, because you all now how much I love a good before & after. You can also just buy one ready made too though.

1. To create the base skirt, I laid a skirt I own over the top of the midi skirt to check the right length, and then cut if off a few inches below to allow for the hem.

2. Iron and then sew the hem to create the perfect length for you.

3. Pin the obi fabric to the front of the skirt, making sure it sits symmetrically, and then sew all the way around the edge. I folded the top edge of the obi fabric over the top of the waistband of the skirt so it looked more complete.

Thank you Mischa for the lovely pieces of fabric!

It’s the time of year when we all begin to start thinking about what to buy our loved ones, and so over the next couple of weeks I’ll be showing you a few simple DIY gift ideas, many of which you may even want to keep for yourself. Made by hand, with the benefit of not completely emptying your bank account – what could be better?

1.Thread your needle and then pass it through the center of the pom pom.

2. Attach the jump ring using the needle and thread and press it into the base of the pom pom.

3. Do this to all of the pom poms.

4. Pass the twine or string through the three jump rings.

5. Like this!

6.Wrap the join of the string with twine and then knot to secure.

7. Thread the string through the ring of the lobster clasp to secure.

8. Like this!

9. Pull tight to secure! And you’re done.

I promise you this little number is such a crowd pleaser, and you can make them in a host of different colours to suit your mood.

Winter can be a depressing season for dressing, with our outfits often consisting of multiple layers topped off with dark coloured outwear, leaving only a little room for standing out from the crowd. This winter, why not add some pom poms to a simple beanie to have a little fun while also keeping those ears warm? The black and white is an ode to my love of pandas (those dopey and yet loveable creatures that eat bamboo all day and are only fertile one day a year) but you can use any combination of colours you like, or keep it simple with plain black for more of a simple black bear inspired look.

 

 

5. Stitch through to the inside of the beanie and then repeat this process to ensure that the pom pom is securely attached to the beanie.

 

 

Voila! Super simple and such a great way to have a little fun this winter! Trust me, if this hat doesn’t crack a smile out of the suits wearing bankers sitting all around you on your commute to work or school, nothing will!