HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out  THESE posts. Today is #8 of 1o and tomorrow when I post the final two worn together (denim jacket and t-shirt dress) that will be my final 10, but really it’s 11 because I made both the jacket and sweatpants in this post! I made my first tracksuit in December (POSTED HERE), and I fell in love with making them. It allows me to make something super comfy but chic and fun. This time BABE and I decided to make ourselves tracksuits in velvet. I used SIMPLICITY 8418 for my jacket, and my pants are self-drafted. I love this SIMPLICITY pattern, it has raglan sleeves which allowed me to add the satin ribbon to my sleeves, has nice big side seam pockets, it is lined, and it sews up quickly. I added satin ribbon to my pants and used a black and white rib knit cuffing (found on Amazon). My STRETCH VELVET is from MICHAEL LEVINE and I am already working on my next one, lol! Steve Madde Booties | Chili Bean Sunnies | DIY Tracksuit SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out  THESE posts. Today is #7 of 1o! Okay I know I have said I love everything I have posted and I do because these are items that I wear on a daily basis and since the theme of the month is ME MADE MUST HAVE’S it makes sense that I love them all BUT I really, really, really love these pants. This is my SIMPLICITY PATTERN 8301 VIEW C modified. I did not do the bib, and I slimmed the legs. I wanted a slouchy men’s feel, so I added a cuff. This is a super simple modification since slimming the leg starting just above the hip is the only real change I did. You couldn’t even tell it’s the same pattern which is why I always stress that you should look at the line drawings of a pattern and be creative. You can get a lot of one single pattern. I made them out of this great WOOL BLEND SUITING which I found HERE and it’s still available. Forever 21 Jurrasic Park Tee | DIY Trousers | Jessica Simpson Shoes SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out  THESE posts. Today is #6 of 1o! Ok, I don’t have enough days in the month so the 10th item will be posted on Feb 1st, lol. I LOVE THIS BLAZER!!!! It’s BURDA 6463 and Omg, I am going to make this again this weekend in a mustard wool. This pattern, fit, and style is awesome. I will do the construction differently because I can do this and bag the lining, so there is no hand sewing, but I like following the instructions most times so I can give a review.The instructions are good, but again the hand sewing of the lining is not necessary, you can bag it and finish the sleeve hem without having to hand sew it. I was clearly feeling sassy! I wore my mesh top and velvet leggings. I like that I can wear this open or closed and both look great and that I could make this out of heavier weight fabric and make it more of a coat for colder weather. This is a must-have in every wardrobe so go grab this pattern! Target Velvet Leggings | Forever 21 Mesh Top | Steve Madden Booties | DIY Blazer SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! I know I have been saying I was going to post about how I add compression mesh to my garments. Below is a NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO where I talk about what I use and show you how to add it to a basic pencil skirt for a smooth no panty line look. (video below) I used a DOUBLE KNIT fabric found HERE J Crew Sweater | DIY Pencil Skirt | Steve Madden Botties | Michael Kors Sunnies For more FREE TUTORIALS click HERE SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave #sewalong #sewing #tutorial #DIY #skirt #Video

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out  THESE posts. Today is the second look from my me made #4 post. My must-have garment for today is a long button-up shirt that can be worn as a dress as seen HERE and also unbuttoned with jeans. SIMPLICITY 8546 is perfect. It has the right amount of ease, it’s a quick sew, and has plenty of views to choose from.  The fabric I chose is a linen blend from THE FABRIC STORE  at their LaBrea shop. Not sure if they have it so you may need to call the store. Forever 21 Jeans | Target Necklace | Chloé Sunnies | Steve Madden Wedges | DIY Shirt Dress SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out  THESE posts. Today is #5 of 1o, and I can’t get enough of this jumpsuit. I think jumpsuits are my absolute favorite thing to wear. I love to make them and this pattern was no exception. I love the style, the neckline, the elastic casing at the waist and the fact that I can wear this with sneakers too. The pattern is BURDA 6482, the pattern is rather simple to put together. I love the cuff on the sleeve and the fit but I did not really care for the exposed zipper so I used an invisible one. I plan to make this again in a dress-weight fabric since this is a lightweight denim and although I love it as is, I think it would be really comfy in a rayon. Fabric from Joann Fabrics Stretch Denim | Sunglasses Gifted | H&M Earrings | Steve Madden Heels | H&M Belt SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave

HI DARLINGS! I am interrupting the months MUST HAVE ME MADE theme to post the formal look me, and my honey made for our friend’s formal wedding. They requested the attire be black tie and their theme was the Academy Awards. Anytime we get a chance to dress up we take it, so the planning began. NORRIS had a metallic floral print fabric we had picked up at THE FABRIC STORE some time ago, and since he wanted to make HIS PANTS from that, I went on the hunt for a metallic fabric that would match his pants. I searched high and low with no luck and only three days to find it, sew it and leave town for Atlanta where the wedding was being held. I ended up using a $6 a yard metallic knit used for dancewear LOL!!!!! This was found in the spandex section of Joann fabrics… don’t judge I only had three days, lol. It turned out really great, and we were a hit at the wedding. The pattern I used was VOGUE 1520 and you can read up on my honey’s pants and full look HERE. The pattern may look complicated but it came together quickly and with minimal pieces. I cut and had it sewn in 5 hours, maybe less actually. I used the power mesh as my lining so that it would serve as my Spanx. I will show you how I add this “compression mesh” to my fitted garments instead of lining in this Saturdays YT video. SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out  THESE posts. Today is #4 of 1o, and I plan to make several of these. I love my jeans and tee uniform but being stylish is always a must in everything I wear so many times I will pair my uniform with a CARDIGAN or a button-up shirt.  My must-have garment for today is a long button-up shirt that can be worn as a dress and also unbuttoned with jeans. On Wednesday I will be posting another look with this shirt dress. I think the best thing about my me-made garments is their versatility. This dress is exactly that! Today I am wearing it belted with a self-fabric belt I made and my barely there shoes, a great look for lunching, church or day date. On Wednesday I will post how I would most often wear my shirt dresses…with jeans and a tee. SIMPLICITY 8546 is perfect. It has the right amount of ease, it’s a quick sew, and has plenty of views to choose from.  The fabric I chose is a linen blend from THE FABRIC STORE  at their LaBrea shop. Not sure if they have it so you may need to call the store. SaveSave SaveSaveSaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and have missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out THESE posts. Today is #3 of 10, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I have worn this thing already, lol. I LOVE Free People, and I admit I shop there often but since I have decided to make my versions of things I love I thought I would save the $120 and instead make my own FREE PEOPLE inspired tunic. I have this great oversized hoodie that I often wear from FP (shown below), so I used that as my inspiration. I used the right and wrong side of my fabric for contrast, and some leftover knit I had handy for the third variation. I used MCCALL 7020 and made some modifications. I have made that pattern before and posted it HERE. I also have a sew along for it HERE. I made it a bit longer this time and as you can see added the striped rib knit to the hem and cuffs. I also made the same modification to the hood as in the link above.  I added a small pocket and made sure to make a hole in it, lol I also sewed my seams wrong sides facing so the raw edges were on the right side. I sliced my sleeve pattern in three so I could fabric block them. I think it looks awesome and I plan to make more! The rib knit is from an AMAZON STORE the fabric was all from my stash but you could use SWEATER KNITS, PONTE or even some FRENCH TERRY KNITS. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS for January check out THESE posts. YESTERDAY’S POST was #2 of 10, the must-have cardigan! Since I am taking my goal to MAKE the things that I love and wear in my daily causal life seriously, I designed this cardigan pattern and also made a second slightly modified version. THE ANNIE PATTERN is an EASY and FAST project. It has a wide hem which I always look for in my store-bought cardigans, patch pockets and the ability to make a tie belt if I wish and even wear it as a dress, which I plan to do too. I will be posting the sew-along to this cardigan PDF PATTERN on Saturday. GET YOUR PATTERN HERE! It comes together quickly, and you can make it out of different knit fabrics including lightweight knits for the warmer seasons too. For this version, I used a PRINTED SWEATER KNIT which you can get HERE (other prints HERE)and made it a few inches longer. I also made the self-fabric belt (info on that below), and I wore it with jeans (ZARA) and a tee (my uniform, again) and my favorite little boots (TOP SHOP) My earrings and necklace are from H&M. MAKING OPTIONAL BELT: To make the belt I just measured my waist and multiplied it by 2 (example: 29 x 2) for the length. I made it 3″ wide so folded over and sewn using 1/2″ seam allowance gave me a finished width of 2.5.” Fold in half right sides facing and sew sides and long open edge. Leave 2″ opening for turning right side out. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! If you are just checking in and missed my ME MADE MUST HAVE PLANS check out THESE posts. Today is #2 of 10, the must-have cardigan. I love a good sweater and cardigan, and I buy them often! However, I am taking my goal to MAKE the things that I love and wear in my daily causal life seriously so I thought I would design my favorite kind of cardigan. THE ANNIE is an EASY and FAST project. It has a wide hem which I always look for in my store-bought cardigans, patch pockets and the ability to make a tie belt if I wish and even wear it as a dress, which I plan to do too. I will be posting the sew-along to this cardigan PDF PATTERN on Saturday. GET YOUR PATTERN HERE! It comes together quickly, and you can make it out of different knit fabrics including lightweight knits for the warmer seasons too. I wore this one with jeans and a tee (my uniform) and my chunky Steve Madden heels. I also made a modified version where I made it longer in a floral print and added a self-fabric belt; I will post that look tomorrow. MAKING OPTIONAL BELT: To make the belt I just measured my waist and multiplied it by 2 (example: 29 x 2) for the length. I made it 3″ wide so folded over and sewn using 1/2″ seam allowance gave me a finished width of 2.5.” Fold in half right sides facing and sew sides and long open edge. Leave 2″ opening for turning right side out. SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave

HI DARLINGS! Ok and so it begins. If you missed MONDAY’S POST go back and check it out. You can also watch my video on what I am doing the month of Jan and why. I am so happy to be posting my FIRST ME MADE MUST HAVE item. I am having so much fun making more casual items that I will wear on a daily basis! These are my SIMPLICITY JEANS you may have noticed a recent release that looks like the same jeans, but the envelope is different. This new one has some slight differences in the fit, a more relaxed skinny jean, but you can choose to make them however you want. The waist is also slightly higher. I used a stretch denim I found at a local shop here in LA, but you can find some good stretch denim HERE, HERE and HERE. I also have a SEW-ALONG for my jeans so if you have yet to make them and would like to you can follow along with me. In Feb I am holding LIVE WORKSHOPS here in LA on MAKING YOUR OWN JEANS WITH MIMI G. If you are interested leave a comment. TIP: The key to making your jeans look store bought is to use the right denim/needle combination and making sure your top-stitching is even and clean. I like to try my denim needle on my denim fabric first because sometimes my top-stitching needles work better depending on how much stretch is in my fabric. I switch over to my denim needle when working on thick areas. SIMPLICITY 8466 PATTERN I used a terry knit in grey and used the wrong side as my contrast fabric. You can find some similar HERE SaveSave SaveSave #sewalong #sewing #pattern #Simplicity #tutorial #Jeans #diyjeans #memade #patternreview #DIY #makejeans #denimjeans