Refashion: making a Kimono from a Scarf

for this project you will need:
-5 minutes of your time
-one large scarf, (if it is a skinny long scarf it will hug your body tightly instead of loose and flowy, if it is a wide but short scarf it won't cover your entire torso so try to use a wide and long scarf for this refashion, i got mine from target, but this one would be so cute ! and for only 7 dollars you can't go wrong!)
-thread to match
-sewing machine, serger, or both.
-scissors

first you take your scarf and fold it in half hamburger style so that the two shorter sides are touching and make sure the right sides are together!

next you sew (or serge, although i prefer sewing) 2/3 of the way up towards the fold both sides to create a armholes.

next you are going to cut up the middle of one half of the fabric, this is creating the kimono opening and neck. (your head will be at the top of the photograph if that helps you visualize how this will all turn out)

next you need to create a wider opening for your neck, so cut about 8 inches length wise along the top fold, 4 inches long on each side of the cut you just made, and then diagonally take that cut towards your center cut making two triangles. or creating a "V-neck" look.

try it on to make sure it looks right, for me i did not like all the yellow in the center of my chest, and i thought there was too much bulky fabric.

so... i cut more of the material off to create a removed rectangle area as you can see in the picture below. so that it kind of looked like an oversized vest with sleeves.

then i tried it on again, and liked it, so i used my serer and serged around the unfinished edges along the opening of the kimono and the neck. if you do not have a serger, do a rolled hem, or simply use a zig-zag stitch right along the edge to create a make-shift serged finish.

cut off excess strings and your all done!

in the end it took a total of 3 seams, one on each side, and the one long serger stitch around the middle and only one cut. how easy is that?? and, because i used a bit thicker of a scarf i can continue to use this kimono in the winter for added warmth! i plan on making more kimono's using this tutorial later with much lighter material and i'll post those too so you can see how those look. i am sooo happy with the way it turned out and cannot believe how easy it was! next time, with the next project i plan on adding a bit of lace trim along the edges to give it a little more POP!

stay tuned to see how it turns out!

Customized Shopping with eShakti

Hat: tai pan trading / Dress: c/o eShakti / Earrings: etsy / Shoes: forever21 / Lipstick: nyx "630 pumpkin pie"


do you feel like your body fits the perfect mold that stores create clothing by? do you have a tiny waist,  long legs, skinny defined arms, big boobs, curves in just the right places and flat everywhere else? if you answered yes then please do not read this post. cause that's not me. not in a million years. and while i will admit that i have moments where it is hard for me to accept the fact that i do not have a perfect body, for the most part i am comfortable in my skin. but, that said... the moments when i feel the worst about myself are usually in the dressing room when i try on an item of clothing that i hope and pray will fit right, yet somehow one of my "curves in the wrong places" shows up and says hello.

when eShakti contacted me, and told me about their business, i was instantly hooked! the concept is that each dress is customized to the individual shopper, first you shop from their hundreds and hundreds of dresses/skirts/shirts and then once you've picked the one you like, you enter your measurements, you can either stay basic like standard dress sizes (0-32) or do the ultra specific option where you measure every part of your body like arms, waist, bust, etc and they customize it perfectly for you. for free!!! that way, if your like me and have a HUGE ribcage, but tini hips, i can make it fit perfect! and it gets better!!! after you enter your measurements you chose if you want sleeves, and their length. you choose if you want pockets. (POCKETS!!!) and the hemline length. this is truly a modest woman's dream come true!!!

this is what my dress looked like originally. i made adjustments with the sleeve and hem length because i wanted to be able to bend over to pick bayli up from off the floor and not worry about flashing everyone, also, i wanted elbow length sleeves to hide the chub on my arms and bring attention to the waistband. of course, if there is ever an option of pockets, i will always choose them! with certain dresses on the site you won't be able to put on long sleeves, or turn it into a maxi dress due to the structure of the design, but for most dresses those are options! i was very surprised by how well made these dresses are, from a seamstress' point of view i was honestly shocked to receive such a well made item with so many customized adjustments, and yet still so affordable.

 i do not own anything in this color, and while i love this color in summer as a bright pop of color, i also cannot wait for it to be fall so that i can pair this dress with some boots and make the bright orange seem like more of a pumpkin shade by throwing a brown cardigan on top. the worst thing about this dress is how pale i look in comparison to the warmth of the orange. i really needed to put on some fake tan before the photo shoot. oh well, like i said. today im being comfortable in my own skin, i'd have to be in order to post these pictures of myself on the internet.

lastly, can i just say that these dresses would be PERFECT for bridesmaids. the customize-able options would make fitting all of your friends body types a breeze. for those women in your bridal party who are confident in showing their shoulders or thighs, do it! and for those who want a little more coverage, it's just as easy to do that as well, and with no extra cost! that way, you still get the uniform look in your pictures, but have the individual needs met of each woman in your bridal party. and with sewing and delivery time of only 3 weeks you should have more than enough time! especially knowing that you won't need to alter anything after it's delivered.

I seriously cannot say enough good things about this company and their vision for how shopping should be. i wish more companies would follow suit.