Inspiration Anthro : Tutorial Tissue Three Roses Top

Here is the complete tutorial on how to make the Tissue Three Roses Top from J Crew.


1 - Using your tailors chalk roughly sketch on your tshirt the placement of your three roses and zigzigs.

2 - Cut about 8 - 16" x 1" strips of fabric out of your knit (I used an old black shirt).


3 - Starting in the center of one of your roses, tack one end of a strip in place in the middle of of the fabric. Continue to wrap the strip in a circular fashion and stitching it in place in the middle of the strip. (the strip will then fold in half giving more bulk to your rose.)


4 - When one strip is used up, simply add another where it stops and keep wrapping and sewing. This is not an exact science and will look a little messy - this is part of the shirt - it should look a little rough.
* I found it very helpful to keep my needle in the down position so that every time I stopped sewing I could just lift the presserfoot and pivot easily - which you will be doing a ton of.


5 - Once one rose is complete continue with the other two roses.



6 - To make the zigzazs on the lower portion of the top, cut a bunch of 1/2" strips in varying lengths.

7 - Take one strip and place it on the top where desired - folding and zigzagging it. Stitch around all edges roughly. Continue to cut more strips and sew down until desired result.




8 - Thread a hand sewing needle with coordinating thread. Hand sew small clusters of beads on the shirt in various places.



9 - Add a few more strips of fabric and a few clusters of beads to the right hip of your shirt.



Finished shirt:

Inspiration Anthro : change of plans + materials

So there has been a little change of plans. Originally I was going to do a demo on the winding road tank by Anthropologie. After trying to make it repeatedly and unpicking it 3 times I gave up. For some reason it just wasn't working for me. If you still want to make it , Adventures in Dressmaking made a great tutorial here.

Once giving up I realized that I still had a bunch of strips cut out of my fabric and so went out to find another top that I could make and use the strips already cut. Then I came upon the tissue three roses top at Jcrew and fell in love. So this is the top that I will be demonstrating instead.


Here are the materials you will need:

- 1 tank top or tshirt with a scoop neckline
- about 1/4 yard of matching fabric (I used an old shirt)
-1 package small matching beads
- chalk
- hand sewing needle
- rotary cutter or scissors

* i will be posting the entire tutorial tomorrow so go gather your materials and hurry back.

Sewmamasew blogger

Please head on over to the amazing Sewmamasew to see our featured tutorial on how to make a fabric flower and incorporate it into a wedding as part of their True Love month.

making Maternity Jeans

Ever since getting pregnant I have dreaded shopping in the maternity section and especially shopping for maternity jeans. Even though we have come a long way in maternity wear, I still feel like it leaves a lot to be desired in the style area, not to mention the price of everything. A friend of mine suggested we make our own maternity jeans and I am SO glad that I did. Here are some pictures of the process, although I am not going to go step by step as I used someone elses tutorial which is already very thorough and easy to follow. Find the tutorial by Sew Chic here.

Materials:
1 pair of awesome dark skinny jeans from forever 21 for $12
Jean needles for my sewing machine
black jersey knit
enough wide elastic to go around your lower stomach

Here I am not being able to button my jeans:
I used a chalk pencil to mark the highest point I could zip my jeans to:

and then free handed a curved line around the hips and back of the jeans:


Cut leaving a 5/8" seam allowance:


Sew your band according to directions and encasing your elastic at the bottom:

Pin right sides together and sew to jeans:

Wear them proudly and with style:


Total cost of maternity skinny jeans - $20 and about 2 hours of my time. I call that a steal.

p.s. I made these about 2 months ago and they still fit wonderfully and have held up great. I think I am going to try the same tutorial on a black pencil skirt.