There’s just something so right about the sport luxe vibe I’ve been seeing everywhere recently. Adding a little bit of mesh and bomber jacket action to an otherwise girly outfit can take your look from feminine to laid-back-off-duty-chic quicker than you can say ‘isn’t mesh more of a stripclub thing?’. You probably remember my post from a few weeks ago with a whole lot of inspo on the subject of luxe mesh, and so I thought I would show you how you can make a little bit of mesh all of your own. This project is dedicated to my friend Sara, who got me thinking about how to make a mesh skirt when we were in New York last year. Better late than never!
You need:
a simple black mini skirt (either a stretch one or one with a zipper). Mine was actually a long thrifted skirt I converted into a mini.
Some black cotton mesh fabric
Scissors
Pins
black thread
A needle (if hand sewing) or a sewing machine
How to:
1. Take your skirt and lay it out wrapped in the mesh fabric. Mine was the perfect width to go around twice but if yours isn’t, cut it to size.
2. Cut it to the appropriate length, leaving some at the top to fold over and ensuring it is pencil skirt length at the bottom. You may have to put the skirt on and play around to check the length, that’s all part of the process.
3. Align the seam of the mesh with the zip (be it the back or the side), or if there is no zip align it with the back for symmetry
4. Sew up the seam, leaving an opening for the zip if there is one or going all the way to the top for a skirt with no zip.
5. You should have a mesh layer (a ‘sock’ of sorts). You may want to allow for it to be little longer at the back (to cover the bum) and still be horizontal at the hemline (mine was at least).
6. Fold the top edge of the mesh over the waistband of your skirt and sew it down. Also sew the mesh on up the edges of the zip (making sure to leave the zip open for easy removal!) if your skirt has one.
Ta dah! This skirt looks just as good with wedge sneakers and a monotone bomber jacket as a pair of heels and red lipstick.
One of my absolute favourite collections from the coming SS13 season was Balenciaga, I was so incredibly taken with the monotones, cropped silhouettes, exaggerated ruffles and dip hemmed skirts, not to mention the stacked gold rings (get thee to the hardware store!). Straight away I knew the collection would be the inspiration for one of my projects this year. I decided to try my hand at the monotone ruffled hem skirts, reworking a simple black skirt I picked up in a thrift store by adding a black and white ruffled asymmetric hem. Read on to see how to make your own.
This was the runway inspiration, I decided to go for a white ruffle lined with black as opposed to the black ruffle lined with white seen on the runway – feel free to mix it up depending on what you like.
You need:
- A simple black skirt
- 1m (approx 1 yard) of white cotton fabric
- 1m (approx 1 yard) of black cotton fabric
- Dressmakers Scissors
- Black and white thread
- A Sewing machine
- Measuring tape
- Pins
How to:
1. Cut your skirt into an asymmetric style (shorter on one side than the other). You can go quite short of the shorter edge (almost to your underwear line) because you are going to be adding the ruffled piece which will cover you.
2. Take your measuring tape and measure the edge of the asymmetric hem of the skirt all the way around.
3. Using the method I showed you here in the fluted hem skirt tutorial, create two circular hem pieces in both black and white.
4. Pin the two black and white ruffled hem pieces together.
5. Sew the two together on the outside edge.
6. Turn inside out and the iron flat.
7. Pin the inner edge of the donut to the skirt with the white on the outside and the black on the inside (or vise versus if you perfer).
8. Sew along the hem and then sew along the edge with the zig zag stitch to reduce fraying.
Voila! Get ready to party all night long in this monotone ensemble.
Wearing: DIY Skirt, H&M white top, Coach Watch, Tony Bianco Heels, Mac ‘Lady Danger’ Lipstick, Plukka Ring, Pendant necklace bought in Paris
As the year draws to a close, for many of us thoughts are turning to what to wear to our New Years Eve celebrations. I’m such a sucker for dressing up, eating to excess and generally welcoming in the New Year with a sore head. What could be better than doing it all wearing something you made yourself? And when that something is a glittering, shimmering sequin maxi wrap skirt? It might just be the best night of the year. Definitely something you’ll remember long after the memories of that midnight kiss with a prince (fingers crossed) or a frog (more than likely) have faded.
You need:
- Sequin fabric measuring 1.5 x your waist in length (and 62in in width). It’s best to pick a sequin in a matte colour like bronze or copper for a subtle and less brassy style.
I’ve wanted to make a sequin maxi skirt for quite some time but haven’t had time to spend carefully sewing all the edges. Luckily I stumbled upon instant bonding fabric tape, which acts like double sided tape but had the necessary stretch for fabric. Usually I wouldn’t be into these quick fixes (preferring to sew where possible) but this one seemed too good not to try with tricky sequins, and so I used it to finish the hems and side edges. If you have more time I definitely encourage machine or hand sewing the edges of your skirt so it lasts longer, but if you’re working to a New Years Eve deadline, bonding tape might be just the ticket!
How to:
Below is the basic pattern for your skirt. It’s super simple and there are only a few basic steps – I took the sequin fabric, made sure it was the right length and width for my body, finished the edges with instant bonding tape, then added velvet ribbon to tie in a bow at the back and finally snap buttons so it all stayed in place nicely.
2. Once you’ve cut the piece of fabric to size (everyone’s body is different so play around and trim where necessary), run the instant tape along the hems and side edges of the fabric, about 5cm/2.5in in from the edge.
3. Remove the plastic backing the whole way along.
4. Fold the edge over and press firmly onto the tape. For best results, fold over twice so no raw edge is showing.
5. Do this all the way around the edges of the fabric, folding the sequins if you are dealing with the cut edge. The fabric should end up looking a little like the image below.
6. Now you are going to attach the velvet ties which will make sure the skirt is nice and tight around the waistband. Cut the velvet in half (run a lighter/match along the cut edge to stop fraying). Wrap the skirt around you and at the back pin the velvet ties in place, tying in a bow to check how it sits. Once you are sure they are sitting in the right place, use your needle and thread to sew the velvet ribbon on.
7. Each side of the velvet ties should look like this. I sewed a few lines to reinforce the two pieces.
8. Sew the snap buttons on using the needle and thread. The pattern at the top shows where I put the buttons, but it is indicative and the easiest way to check where the buttons should go is by putting the skirt on, tying the velvet ribbon and using pins to mark where the buttons should attach on both top ends of the fabric. Make sure to sew the buttons the right way up so they press together properly.
9. The back of your skirt waistband should look like this once it is done, with one side sitting over the top and one on the underside, both button down nicely.
And there you go! Such a simple piece for party celebrations, I love pairing mine with a silk midriff top or slouchy singlet and simple black flats.
I hope you all have amazing holiday celebrations that sparkle as much as the sequins you’re wearing!
