Magenta Pink Summer Dress

I was looking at some clothes I made in the last few months and I guess I have been really drawn to deep pink or purplish colors. I made a skirt with similar color to this dress and a lavender color linen dress. When I found this magenta pink light weight fabric I immediately pictured a summer dress.

I decided to use the pattern Butterick 6451. I love relaxed flowy style to wear around house and I noticed that tiered style is back. This was a perfect pattern.

The original pattern showed sleeves with elastics in them, but I decided to leave it as is (I left the openings just in case I change my mind, I have an option to put elastic through).

I think it would be cute to cut the sleeves short to make a short sleeve dress.

Magenta pink is a bit of a strong color, but it sure is fun to wear! What are you going to sew this summer?

Vintage Trim Belt Tutorial

One of the things I have a hard time resisting is buying beautiful vintage trims. I know you can buy some of them online and all, but there is a cute local shop called Harmony near where I live and they are the "go to" place to find such treasures. They have yarns, fabrics and many wonderful gift items (for your friends and yourself too!). Among them, the area I always check is the shelf filled with trims and ribbons.

I was there the other day and picked some up again. I am sharing a tutorial on how I made a belt.

You Will Need

Wide trim (Wrap around your waist and see how much you need. They don't need to overlap)
Fabric (same size as your wide trim)
two narrow trims (to tie a ribbon) about 18" to 20"

How to

1. Cut the fabric to the same size as your wide trim. It will be the backing.

2. Insert the narrow trim in between the wide trim and fabric on both ends of the belt. Pin them to keep them in place.

3. Draw diagonal lines on both sides of the narrow trim as shown in the picture. Leaving a 3" to 4" opening in the middle of the belt for turning, sew all around it. I used a 1/8" seam.

4. Turn inside out. Press with iron.

5. Stitch the opening with slip stitch.

6. I folded the ends of the narrow trim twice and stitched them to prevent fraying.

Now, it is ready to wear! I was thinking about many possible conbinations with my wardrobe, but this time I choose this dress. The belt adds unique flare to a rather simple dress.

I am planning on making some more vintage trim belts this summer. Do you have any favorite ways of using trim? What would you do with pretty wide trim?