Anything you need you can find it at the market

Mac Miller "Frick Park Market"

Here's the follow-up post as promised. This really is an easy little diy, no need for a sewing machine, a few hand stitches was all it took.

To get started all you need is one dress, a pair of scissors and an unpicker. This dress worked well to be turned into a crop as it was seamed at the waist, which provides a guide for where to cut it and also means that the top half will retain it's shape, which is what attracted me to the dress in the first instance.

This dress had a side zip, so I started by unpicking the stitches to remove it, having a smocked elastic back panel means that taking the side zip out will still allow me to get it on and off easily.

When removing a zip, once started if you hold the zip and the fabric taught between your fingers, you can easily get the stitches out without snagging or cutting the fabric in the process.

Having removed the zip I turned the dress inside out and cut as close to the seam as possible, for one it meant that if I wanted to use the remaining dress fabric for something else it wasn't dog-eared, and as I wanted this to be a quick little project, I wasn't planning on stitching the bottom at all. The fabric of this dress  is best described as light weight denim, so it shouldn't fray too much.

The seam allowance where zip was removed was sewn together by hand, I used back stitch, but a couple of rows of running stitch would work if that's all you know.

And there you have it, literally that simple. Not bad for a dress that cost 99p! And yes, the labels were still in it. If you want to see the finished crop and how I styled it, the post is here.

On Wednesday, I will finally get to see Jay-Z and Kanye on their Watch The Throne tour, I am beyond excited!! It seemed like an age away when I booked the ticket, but it's come round so quick. I'm hoping to remember to take some pictures and not get overwhelmed by the whole thing, I feel a little giddy just thinking about it. I am a huge Jay-Z fan, and I mean MEGA! I look forward to filling you in on :)

KDx

The angels never arrived, but I can hear the choir

Fun "We Are Young" Ft. Janelle Monae

The weather has been beautiful this weekend! So as long as the sun decides to stick around, I will be surviving on a diet that mainly consists of bbq-ed meat, Pimms and cider, hardly balanced...

Topshop dress and sandals via ebay

Miss Selfridge skirt, Topshop sandals and denim jacket via ebay, New Look bandeau top and head scarf, River Island belt 

 

Me: Customised New Look crop, River Island skirt and Faith wedges via ebay, Dorothy Perkins belt and Miss Selfridge earrings

 Emma: River Island Skirt and New Look bandeau (I think it's New Look...!)

Those of you that keep up-to-date with the blog will notice that's the New Look smock top that I basically cut the bottom off, I think it's got me back onto the diy bandwagon. I read Geneva's blog daily, A Pair & A Spare, and I am constantly inspired by her creations and the images she posts. Hopefully there will be a few more made by me to come, I think I can expand my crop making abilities.


KDx

Once you enter my house, it becomes our house

Julio Bashmore "Jack got Macked"

So it looks like my pleas were answered in the form of glorious sunny spells, and with that comes the mad dash to stuff all the jumpers to the bottom of the drawer and dig out all the 'Summer' frivolities that have been packed away since last year; and that's where the problem lies, everything feels a little, well, last year. The skirts I have been wearing throughout the colder months are perfect now I can go sans tights, but I feel myself longing for something a little bit 'now' to perk everything up and keep it fresh. As I posted about here, the high drift is the flesh to flash, so on the hunt for a crop top I was left a little disappointed by the offerings immediately available to me. Truth be told, the campus of the College where my office is based has a less than pathetic high street, filled with restaurants and charity shops of which have been known to give me some delightful spoils, both edible ones and wearable ones at that, but in this instance I wanted instant wearable gratification that can normally be found in your average shopping centre. Making the most of what (little) there was on off, I was drawn to the print of this top in the sale in New Look, £6 down from £16.99.

The smock style top has a fitted band that sits above and below the bust, so in essence, a crop top with a skirt, with a little bit of time to spare I decided to get out my needle and thread and get customising.

What you will need:

A Smock top

Scissors

Needle

Thread

This little diy project should pose itself as no challenge for even the most sew-phobic of individuals.

1) Lie your top down on a flat surface and locate the waist band. You want to make one cut straight across, about an inch below the waistband.

2) You can discard the bottom bit of fabric for now, although I am intending to make that into a crop also-a tutorial will follow, so keep it somewhere safe! Turn the top piece inside out and locate the seam.

3) Leaving an allowance of an inch will mean you can ensure a neat edge along the bottom of your crop top. Those of you that don't have any faith at all in your sewing abilities can just cut the fabric close to the bottom of the waistband, but this way, although a little more time consuming should ensure that the crop can be washed without fraying. 

4) Take the cut edge of the fabric and bring it up to meet the seam, this is where you will be sewing.

5) With the needle and thread, sew the cut edge of the fabric to the seam; with the top being inside-out there is no need to worry about neatness here. The novices amongst you might find it easier to use a contrasting colour of cotton so you can see where you are sewing; again being on the inside no-one will ever know! I just used a basic up and over stitch, I tried to demonstrate the motion with my dotted line in the image, but any basic stitch would do to secure it.

6) Turn the top the right side out, and voilà! Smock to Crop in just a few minutes. Not only will you have the satisfaction of knowing this is something you created yourself, but definitely no chance of bumping into someone in the same one as you. 

I am pretty sure that smock tops had their day a while back, and so I bet if you delve deep enough there will be more than a few lurking in the back of cupboards, maybe even in the yet-to-be unpacked Summer wardrobe from last year? 

KDx