DIY Summer/Spring Round Up

“But let all who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice, Let them ever sing for joy; Because You cover and shelter them, Let those who love Your name be joyful and exult in You.”  Psalm 5:11

Hello Everyone!

I hope your week is going well! I’m a little behind on my post this week. I closed on my house last week Friday yaaay! And my children returned from their summer away with dad and I’ve been working on getting them ready for their first day of school. So It’s been a little hectic!

This week marks a benchmark for the blog. We made it through our first season! One of my blogging goals when I started The Modest Life was to have a place where I could develop and document my creative process.

So to have made it through our first season is a huge celebration for me. I’ve learned so much about blogging, but also about things like my personal style and photography. It has also challenged me to remain consistent and confident in what I create and share with you all!

So this week I thought it would be only fitting to post a round up of all of my spring/summer makes! I love them all but I definitely have a few favorites.  If you missed the original posts with the details of each make.  No worries!  I made sure to link to the orginal posts under each photo.  I’d love to hear in the comments which was your favorite look!

DIY Peplum Hem Skirt

DIY Top and Pants   

DIY Evening Look

Upcycled Skirt Set with tutorial

Upcycled hi-lo top from a dress w/ tutorial

Sunday Wrap Dress

Denim Tent Dress

DIY Summer Dress

DIY Wrap Top

I also wanted to thank all of you for supporting The Modest Life. Your comments and likes of each post keep me encouraged to keeping going. I’m working on fall/winter and I can’t wait to bring you all what I hope to be really great content!

That’s it for now! Until next time!

❤️ xoxo,

Iris

Advertisement

DIY Wrap Top using Vogue 9315

“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”  Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

 

Hello Everyone!

Happy Monday! I am so excited. This week marks a big milestone in my life.  I am crossing over into the world of homeownership.  I am thankful to my parents who have provided a home for me and my children for the past 5 years while I got on my feet after my separation and divorce.  I am finally at a place in my post divorce journey to tackle managing my own household again and i’m filled with anticipation for this new season that my children and I are walking into.  Well wishes and prayers are most definitely welcome!

As for this weeks make. I made Vogue 9315 view C.  I love this top!  It is also my last summer make.  I am in the middle of reflecting over this last season and gearing up for fall/winter. I can’t wait to share with you all the new things that I am planning.  See below for the details and photos.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this top actually came as a result of the skirt that i’m wearing.  I am a huge thrifter and Goodwill is my spot.  I found this blue/white cotton striped skirt with an assymetric ruffled hem at the Goodwill.  It is from the Target Brand a New Day.  I was new with the tags still on it.  Instantly I knew that I wanted to wear a white top with some kind of waist sash tie.  Originally, I wasn’t planning on making it but then I remembered that I had this pattern and my fabric already and decided that it would be the perfect compliment to my skirt.

Fabric

I used a white stretch cotton shirting that I purchased from Joann Fabric sometime in the spring.  It is light to medium weight and has a nice crisp hand.

What I did

I didn’t change anything.  I actually considered not adding the sleeves but I wanted to be able to wear it beyond the summer months into early fall.  I even followed the pattern directions.  They were very straight forward and easy to follow. I also plan on making this again.  I think it would be a very chic and cozy top for the fall and winter if I change the sleeve and make it in a ponte knit.

Style it

This shirt neckline and the ruffles on both the sleeve and skirt hem make this look pretty sassy! I also didn’t want to accesorize this look in a way that would cover the pretty neckline of the blouse by adding a necklace.  So I decided to add a punch of color with these light mustard yellow tassle earrings and beaded bracelet that I purchased from one of my sisters in Christ who has an accessories business called Mendy’s.  She has some great statement pieces.  You can check out her website here.  I carried the yellow into my shoes.  They are a yellow strappy blocked heeled sandle (unfortunately you can’t see them very well because of the lighting) that I purchased from Forever 21.  and as I mentioned above the skirt is a ready to wear piece that I purchased from the Goodwill. I hope to wear this look to my cousins wedding in early September.

This week’s photoshoot was dampened by the rain.  However, I was able to use the gallery space inside of Redline Milwaukee where I rent my studio space.  I got some good shots in.  There are quite a few this week as I wanted to play a little bit more with various photo angles and poses.  I’m starting to get more comfortable with this modeling thing lol!

That’s all for now!  I pray that you all have a blessed week.  Until next time….

♥ XOXO,

Iris

 

 

 

DIY Summer Dress using McCalls 7774 & 7627

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”Matthew 5:16 (amp)

Happy Monday Everyone!

I pray that this week has greeted you with excitement and anticipation for a great productive week ahead!  That was my prayer this morning.  I’ve been busy lately and started to feel a little run down but I decided to give myself a very lazy Sunday in order to prepare for this week.  Sometimes you have to give yourself permission to do that.

This weeks post is a DIY Dress that I have been slowly bringing together over the course of the last 2 weeks.  I knew what I wanted initially but as I was putting the pieces together I found myself taking a more organic design process.  Making changes to the design as I went along.

Inspiration

This dress was inspired by a lot of the very feminine and soft dresses that i’ve been seeing on the runway. Spring/Summer 18 designers featured them and the trend is extending into fall 18 as well.  I knew I wanted something soft and feminine but also practical.  Something that I would actually wear.

Fabric

This is an Ankara print that I purchased from House of Mami Wata .  She has an etsy shop and I am really enjoying her print selection.  She also has very prompt delivery.  I got my fabric in 2 days.  I chose this fabric because at first glance it just looks like a regular cotton floral print but it has a textured black background that lets you know that its a wax print.  Which I  love.  Here is an upclose picture of it.

What I did

1. I used McCalls 7774 view C for the skirt.  While I liked the gathered waistline as well as the pockets I didn’t like that the bottom was just an attachment to add length.  I wanted more of a flounce or ruffled bottom.  So I slash and spread the bottom pattern piece adding about 10-12 additional inches to the pattern piece which added an additional 20-24 inches of  fullness to the hemline.  It gave the dress a more dramatic flare.
2. For the bodice I used McCalls 7627.  I have been playing with wrap dresses and tops all summer and wanted to play with a faux wrap bodice for this dress.  It gave me an attractive neckline and because I made this pattern already for the Sunday Wrap Dress I knew that the bodice would fit.  The only thing I did was add 2 inches to the wrap front so that it would extend completely to the side seam.  This made the dress more comfortable to wear and gave me complete coverage in the bust area.
3. The other change that I made was to shorten the dropped shoulder to end at my shoulder line so that I could add a sleeve.
4. For the sleeve this is a self drafted flounce sleeve.  Which is basically a circle skirt on my arm so to speak.  I just measured the circumference of the bodice armscye and followed the instructions for finding the circumference of a circle skirt.
5. I didn’t follow any of the instructions for this pattern and I tried a few new finishing techniques which I was very happy with the results of.  I installed my very first lapped zipper which I am really enjoying and plan on doing again.  I used black single fold bias tape to finish the hem of the dress instead of a double fold hem and for the sleeve I used my serger on the narrow napkin fold hem setting to give it a clean finish.

Style it

This dress has it going on all by itself. (lol!)  The print is so bold and the flounce hem and sleeve only add to the character of the dress that I decided to keep the accessories to a minimum.  It needed a belt to break up the print and I found this burgundy colored belt with a gold buckle at Target for $15. and the shoes were a recent purchase from the DSW clearance rack for $30.  They are Madden Girl.  I chose them because it gives the dress a modern edge and me the height that I need to balance out the fullness of the dress.

This weeks photo shoot was fun.  I have to thank my long time sewing student Yvett for being this weeks photographer.  This is her last year of high school and then she’s off to fashion design school.  I love her drive and focus.  A great young person! who does some cool stuff with an iphone camera!

 

 

Well thats it for now!  Have a blessed week!

xoxo!

♥Iris

 

DIY Denim Tent Dress using New Look #6511

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:29

Hello Everyone!

Happy Monday!  I hope your weekend was as refreshing as mine was!  I really enjoyed myself its 2 weeks and counting before my kids come back from their summer away with their dad.  And while I miss them, I have been really enjoying my time off.  So i’m trying to get my list of things I wanted to enjoy this summer completed before their return. Some of them being going on a hike (never done that and this year I said I was going to do it.), take a summer river boat cruise and visit the Wisconsin State Fair.  I know nothing too exciting but things I have never done or haven’t enjoyed in a while.  

This weekend had a few highlights and today’s DIY denim tent dress was definitely one of them.  I finished it late last week and had the opportunity to wear it this weekend.  It was a hit everywhere I went.  I got compliments like:  ” That is the cutest denim dress ever!” and I love that dress your wearing!  Its so sassy!”  I’m a pretty shy person by nature so compliments can be hard for me to receive because of the attention.  but because I designed and made it.  It kind of made me feel a little inflated inside.  Not big headed.  but big hearted.  It encouraged my heart!  So big thanks to every women who took the time to notice my dress.  I give God glory for it!

On to the DIY part!  I used New Look #6511. I normally don’t use New Look Patterns because their sizing tends to run small.  So I end up having to make too many alterations.  But this one was good because I used view A and it was a crop top which I lengthened into an a aline dress.  I then self drafted the ruffle pattern.  I used a chambray fabric that I found at a thrift store for about $4.00 it was about 5 or 6 yards.  To give it some interest I used both the wrong and right side of the fabric. top stitched the seams in the front and sides with a dark blue denim thread and left the neck line and hem line raw and made fringe from the raw edges.  Armholes get a lot of wear so I decided to finish the hem with bias tape and top stitch it down. 

Style It:  I kept it simple and boho allowing the dress to be the star.  The shoes are a pair of wooden platforms from Sam Edelman that I picked up on super clearance at DSW about a year ago for $10 (I know awesome right!)  They are actually very light and comfortable.  The necklace I found at Ashley Stewart for $9.99 a cloth covered beaded necklace.  Its very light and comfortable to wear as well and who doesn’t love yellow!  So for a total of about $24.00 I have a complete head to toe look.  I love it!

 

That’s it for now!  Can’t wait to share with you my next look.  I pray this post inspires you to run out and make your own sassy denim dress!

Until next time!

♥xoxo,

Iris