Tag Archives: stash

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REMAINS OF THE OUTFIT

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I made this whole outfit in the last week, and all of the fabrics were remnants! Even the cardigan was thrifted from Out of the Closet, bringing the total price of this outfit to $9. I didn’t intentionally wear all my new clothes together, but that just shows how satisfied I am with the recent sewing.

made by Julianne made by Julianne

I made this skirt as an alternative to my purple skirt, which I’ve been wearing about 5 times a week all winter. I love that I can be working in our apartment in my leggings, and then just throw on either of these skirts and drive to dinner or do errands on my bike.

denim skirt, made by Julianne denim skirt, made by Julianne

I used the wrong side of a denim remnant (about 1/2 yd, $.50) with a tiny bit of stretch. The waistband was pieced together from denim scraps. The silver linen waistband was a long, narrow strip left over from a friend’s painting. And the back pockets are from my husband’s button-up shirt. The zipper and button were also from my stash.

tank top, made by Julianne lycra leggings, made by Julianne

The tank top also came from Fabric Planet’s remnant bin (1/2 yd, $.50!), and is copied from a tank that my mom sent a few years ago. It’s a slinky cotton jersey, and seems to go with everything I own. The striped straps are scraps from leggings. I also made a pair of panties using the leftover fabric and some elastic from my sewing cabinet.

I made the leggings using two remnants of medium-weight lycra ($1). They’re stretchy, neutral, and have been keeping me warmer than I expected. I’ve been very discriminating against synthetics, but now I’m trying to expand my mind.

It’s a completely new outfit, and while I certainly didn’t need more clothes, each piece is very versatile. Although I bought new fabrics, I also used up a few pieces in my stash. I think this outfit was $9 well spent!

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RAINBOW CHANDELIER

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rainbow painted chandelier before

So we had this big, black, ornate light hanging in our dining area. It was extremely obnoxious. And hung so low that my husband would hit his head on it!

I painted it between working on other projects over about one month. I used the same acrylic paints as for my bike seat covers, although I didn’t bother to put a clear coat on the finished piece.

rainbow painted chandelier, made by Julianne

rainbow painted chandelier, made by Julianne

I also bent out the decorative arms, to give the chandelier more openness. The chain was ugly, so after shortening it I bound it together with a piece of trim, then covered the whole thing with a strip of fabric that my mom used as gift wrapping. Stash busting!

rainbow painted chandelier, made by Julianne

These gorgeous rocketships were a wedding gift from our friends Shing and Bender, awesome scientific burners who love beer just like us! I love having them flying above our breakfasts.

rainbow painted chandelier, made by Julianne

I’ve also been hanging up bright glass bottles and giant lightbulbs in one of our windows. I worry that it might look junky, but it casts rainbow shadows all over our apartment!

rainbow glass window, made by Julianne

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GALACTIC COTTON CANDY DRESS

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This hand-made tie dye looks like a cotton candy nebula, which is exactly what I wanted. The vintage fabric was gifted from a friend of my husband’s family, and there was just barely enough to make this reverse pleated dress. It’s a lightweight cotton, and I love that the colors hide all those unsnipped threads and potential little stains.

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

The teal rayon was from my grandma’s fabric collection, so the only material purchased for this dress was the pattern ($5.40) and the zipper (~$3). Stash busted!

I started this dress one afternoon, wore it sleeveless and unhemmed to dinner that night, and finished it the next day. It was a great non-traditional Christmas dress, and I can’t wait to wear it for a bike ride!

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

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About the pattern (Burda #108B). I rarely use patterns, and find it difficult to follow someone else’s instructions. But I managed to make a dress that pretty closely resembles the original. The reason for the teal stripe is that I didn’t have enough of my tie dye, or so I thought, because it turned out that the pattern is huge! Following my measurements, I cut out a size 40/42, adding seam allowances. I had to remove about 8″ from the pleats and side seam (which was more towards the front of my body). I was able to do some shaping through the pleats, which are designed as unflattering straight lines on the pattern. Also, the back gaped horribly at the top. I lowered the sleeve cap and added some width to the back shoulder. Aesthetic changes are fine, but I was surprised at how many changes this pattern required for a comfortable fit.

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

I thought about leaving the dress sleeveless, because it fit so nicely and looked great, but in the end I’m really glad that I added sleeves. And I’m proud that I was able to get such a great fit with the woven sleeves!

The seams are finished on my serger, and I trimmed the pleats with pinking shears. The pattern calls for leaving the folds untrimmed, but there was so much extra fabric in there!

Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

Aesthetically, I extended the pleats about 1.5″, so that the fullness was released at my hips rather than natural waist. Obviously there is that teal inset, which was functionally inspired but I totally love now. I lowered the neckline in front and back, replaced the facings with bias tape, tapered those dumb bell sleeves, and added the contrast band to the much shorter hem. Also, of course, pockets!

Galactic Cotton Candy dress Burda #108b Galactic Cotton Candy dress, made by Julianne

The pattern reminded me of Mad Men fashion, mostly Allison’s gorgeous party dress.

I was concerned about covering too much skin and looking frumpy or juvenile, but I also didn’t want to show too much skin or look too Molly Ringwald (not that she’s a skank, but I don’t want to dress like the decade I was born in). Luckily my husband was on hand to help me with design decisions, and it turned out great!

I made these stockings too, from a luxurious silk jersey. I’d cut a dress out of the fabric, but never felt passionate enough to actually sew it together, and so I cannibalized the dress for some new stockings in my favorite color.

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