Wrestling and Denim

One would think that after the fashion show was over I would have time to relax, but no such luck. I did have a little fun the weekend after going to a beer festival, but the next weekend I had to get to work on a couple of custom pieces for some friends. One is DJ Bam, a local wrestler who wanted some shorts made.

They are made out of zebra stripe stretch twill and white knit. The sides are custom painted with a silver zebra pattern and “DJ B” in pink and black. The front have a faux lace up section and there is grommet trim along the sides.  These were super fun to make.
Here’s a video of them in action:

My second custom is for my friend Ashlyn. Every spring and fall she goes to the Junk Gypsy Prom.  You can read more about the event here, and more about the Junk Gypsies here. Twice a year we generally brainstorm to come up with a new theme or design for the prom. This year she found this picture as inspiration.

Source: recyclart.org via Jen on Pinterest

I’m not exactly sure who the creator is, or where you can buy the original, but none the less, this was the inspiration.
She wanted the top built on an existing denim shirt. Here’s what we started with.

We also had this pile of jeans.

 

First off, I new the top needed some visual interest. I did not want her looking like Little House on the Prairie, so I added a faux underbust corset style panel.

Next it was time to start building the massive skirt. I knew we did not have enough jeans to just build it out of top portions, so I utilized all parts of them. Here’s the progression of the skirt. The finished piece featured a slight hi-lo hem, that would allow her to show off the boots she is planning on wearing.

 

  

As you can see, I left all the edges raw. It looks a little plain here, but she is the queen of accessorizing. I know she’ll be loaded down with bits baubles, and have a belt or two slung around her hips. I can’t to show you a pic of her all dressed up.

Labels: fashion, sewing, recycled

Spring Free People Inspiration

Here’s some more DIY inspiration for you courtesy of Free People.

The Caftan

This is so ridiculously easy. If you search DIY caftan or caftan tutorial you will find tons and tons of tutorials.

Here’s a video on YouTube  showing how to make a no sew version. In this video the final product is not sewn, but you easily do the same thing with a sewing machine.

If you want it to actually have something that looks more like sleeves, then this tutorial for a dolman sleeve top should be helpful. Just remember, if you aren’t using a stretchy fabric make sure to leave enough room in the sleeves so that you can move around comfortably.

The Layered Mini Dress

No DIY is even necessary here. Simply layer a crop top over a simple tank dress.  Don’t have a crop top…easy…. crop it your self (Oh, and leave the back slightly longer than the front)

The Destroyed Tee

Do I really need to explain this?  Well, here it goes… You can do any or all of the techniques I am going to mention.

1. Bleach – Fill a spray bottle with diluted bleach (about a 1:1 ratio), spray on desired areas, let sit for a few minutes until desired color is reached, then wash and dry.

2. Shorten – Chop it off.  The length is up to you. Shorter in the front and longer in the back is always a cute option.

3. Chopped Up Sides – Make cuts about an inch apart all the way down the side, then pull to stretch them out.

The Floral Mini

This one can really be as easy or as hard as you want it to be.

1. Super Easy – Find 2 matching/coordinating scarves and sew them together to create a tube. Then sew a casing around the top, thread elastic through and voila.

2. Still Easy, But Slightly Harder - Find 2 matching/coordinating scarves and sew them together to create a tube. Attach a strip of extra wide lace to the top front, and add straps with matching fabric or ribbon.

After writing this I think I see a couple of DIY’s in my future, so further instructions may follow.

Labels: diy inspiration

Runway Inspiration – Diane von Furstenberg

I was over at Tom and Lorenzo perusing the writings of two of my favorite online gays when I came across Dian von Furstenberg’s Fall 2012 Bags…well I found an easily DIY-able dress too. Let’s check it out.


I love the hands on this. The concept can easily be translated onto a ready made dress, skirt or top. It can even be done using a couple techniques.
1. You can trace your hands in the desired pattern and fill how ever you wish with fabric paint. This would be the easiest way.
2. You can do this with fabric by creating the hand cut out design and appliquéing it on.
This reminds me of a local designer’s recent lingerie collection. See Sally Ann’s Hands-on Collection here.
Now to the bags! These are so fun!

Most of these can be created using an existing bag, just find one similar to the original shape.

• For the lips you could simply paint them on, or for a 3D version you could sculpt them out of clay or make a pair of stuffed lips using metallic fabric and glue/sew it on.
• The domino bag  can easily be painted to have a similar look.

I hope these images and tips inspire some of your wn creativity.

Labels: diy inspiration

Taquitos

I’m sure we’ve all seen these in you’re freezer section:

You can basically get chicken & cheese or beef & cheese. Well, last night I was brainstorming my dinner choices and I decided to make these from scratch. Of course I got a bit more creative with ingredients, and so can you.
Here’s what I used:

• Steak
• Chicken
• Mexican blend cheese
• Mushrooms
• Sour cream
• Black beans
• Large tortilla shells

I chose to stay away from peppers and onions simply because I don’t like them, but you can feel free to add those as well. You may notice that I didn’t put amounts….well this was an experiment. Not to mention 4 taquitos were made one way for my husband and then the rest had extra stuff thrown in for my brother and I.  As I go through the instructions I’ll give you estimates of what I used to give you a better idea of things.

To start off you want to cook your meat and shred it. I braised 2 steaks that were approximately 6-8 oz. They weren’t anything fancy. Just something cheap and on sale that was in my fridge. If you don’t know how to braise then google it. Seriously! There are a couple different ways it can be done, so google it, read and choose the one that suits you. ( I browned each side, covered it in water, seasoning and let them simmer on the stove for about an hour or so.) Remove from heat, let cool and then shred. Do the same thing with chicken if you choose to use it. Cook and shred about 2-3 chicken breasts. If you decide to use only chicken or only steak the amounts just given should be plenty for 2-3 people (Approximately 8 overstuffed large taquitos).
While the meat is cooling preheat the oven to 425, and chop up and sauté 1 small container of mushrooms.

For the husband I only used the steak, so in the bowl I dumped the shredded steak, half the sautéed mushrooms, two handfuls of cheese (approx. 1 cup)  and one heaping tablespoon of sour cream. I mixed this all together and voila!

We have filling to fill our shells!

Spray  a cookie sheet liberally with cooking spray. Plop probably about 1/4 cup of filling on the tortilla, roll it up and place it on the baking sheet. Keep in mind the closer the filling gets to the edges, the more likely it is to fall out. Just for reference I filled four like this for the husband, and I had plenty of the filling left over.
To the left over steak mixture I added the chicken, 1 can of drained black beans, one more heaping tablespoon of sour cream, the rest of the mushrooms and 2 more handfuls of cheese. I filled, rolled and placed them on the cookie sheet.
Once they’re all on the cookie sheet spray the tops of the real good with cooking spray. Place in the over at 425 for approximately 12 minutes.

When the edges brown, they’re done!

  

Serve them with queso or salsa if desired. ENJOY!

From the 2 different mixtures I wound up with 14 large over stuffed taquitos. The guys both ate 3-4 each and I only had 2 if that gives you any idea of the size.  Some people might just eat one and be full. 

Labels: recipe

Blogger Fail

I’ve been a bad, bad blogger. I’ve just been so busy, so tired and so uninspired to blog. This is why:

Once this is over I will attempt to get back to my somewhat regularly scheduled blogging activities!