Since I totally failed at getting my tutorial posted this week ( I promise it’ll be up next week) I figured I owed you something. So here’s a bonus sketch for the week. I actually made this dress this week and am totally in love. I’m working on the tutorial for it, and hope to have it up soon.

Something’s going on with my scanner and I can’t quite figure it out. So I apologize for the quality. It looks way more grainy than the actual sketch, but oh well.

So for the next couple weeks I’m going to share some of my older sketches. Most of these were done around 2008/2009. I used to take waaaayyy more time doing them, so clearly they are better.

I love clothing that has more than one purpose as Jessica Simpson said: “It’s a Two-fer”

And this is the perfect summer two-fer: a skirt/dress. I purposely made this super super simplistic so that a beginner sewer could accomplish this. I did it in under 45 minutes (right before the photo shoot), and I can’t wait to make another one. What a useful piece of clothing!

1. To start, take your largest ‘around your body’ measurement. (So most likely your hips or bust)

2. Take your measurement from your waist to the floor. Add 2”

3. Cut a rectangle using measurements from steps 1 and 2

4. Sew together down the length

5. Take your waist measurement and subtract 1. Cut a piece of 1.5” wide elastic to this measurement.

6. Cut a strip 4” by the measurement from step 5. Do not add seam allowance

7. Sew ends of fabric strip together

8. Fold fabric in half, wrong sides together. You’ll probably want to pin the bottom (open) edge together so it doesn’t roll.

9. Pin fabric strip to skirt, Sew, but leave a 2-3” opening in the back. Stretch the fabric as you go so the whole seam can stretch.

10. Feed your elastic through the opening into the waist band.

11. Once all the way through, sew elastic closed. Then sew the opening closed

12. Hem the skirt to floor length, about 1”

Done!

I recently (cam back Wednesday) took a trip to San Diego for work. There was one afternoon that I had off so I went down to the boardwalk. It was windy, and not exactly warm. I wanted to be inspired by my settings, get that cali-vibe in some of my sketches, but all I could think about is how I’d much rather be in Miami. I love Miami, it’s a favorite get away of mine. So as I was thinking about it, I started thinking about the Art Deco style, and this is the mini dress I came up with: