DIY Satchel Bag/Backpack

Never have I been as excited about a DIY as I am today. Yesterday, I decided I would try and make myself a satchel bag. When I started I didn't reaaaaally know what I was doing, so I kind of made it up as I went along but I'm super super happy with the results. The only thing I would change is that I might make it a little smaller, but as it is, it's a good size for lugging around uni books. So here's what I made: wearing dress - c/o Oasap bag - made by me! tights - c/o Oasap shoes - Vintage hat - c/o Wholesale The colour inspiration for this bag came from this Dangerfield coat: (source) Which looks a lot nicer in real life than in this photo, and shall one day be mine. I probably never would have put dark-ish green and brown together if it weren't for seeing this coat the other day. I also took photos of the process so I could attempt to explain how I made it. It was fairly difficult so I recommend you only try it if you have some sewing experience. Here we go!: what you need note: your fabric needs to be thick-ish (i used velvet.) the belts should be near-identical (mine are just from a charity store, this is a good place for cheap belts) what you do Cut two identical rectangles out from your fabric. This will be the front and back of your bag. Make a strip of fabric for the bottom of your bag. Make it at least two layers thick so that the bottom of your bag is strong. Sew it onto the bottom of one of your rectangles (the two materials facing each other). Sew your other rectangle to the opposite edge of the bottom strip. Make 2 side strips (the same width as the bottom strip) and sew them onto both sides of the main front rectangle. Sew it all up into a bag-shaped object! Now you need to cut out one rectangle of cardboard to the same size as the front of your bag (but this is terrible and you should probably actually use iron-on fusible interfacing instead). This will help give the bag shape. Insert it into the front of the bag. Cut out a rectangle of fabric of the same size. This will be your inner lining (it'll go over the cardboard). Flip your bag inside-out. Place the cardboard inside the front of the bag. Trim it until it fits. Place the lining over the top, then hand-stitch it to the edges of the bag. Make your front flap by cutting out another 2 rectangles (they need to be the same width as the main rectangles but slightly shorter in height, and with rounded edges at one end). Sew them together first (so you have a kind of pocket), then sew this flap to the back edge of the bag. Use craft glue and thread to attach the straps the the front flap of the bag. Wrap the belts around the bag, then open up the bottom of the bag (at the back) where the belts need to go inside by flipping it inside-out and cutting the threads. Insert the belt then sew it back up over the top of it. If your belts were long enough (only one of mine was so I had to use a third belt) then cut off the ends of the belts and do a similar thing to before, but insert them into the bottom of the bag at the front of the bag. And that's it! I think I will also add a handle to the top and try and make straps for the sides (using another belt - I have so many of these belts, it's a little insane). I hope you enjoyed this DIY! Can't wait to hear what you think of it! xxx Annika

DIY: Circle Skirted Dress

Update: I have uploaded much better instructions for making these dresses here. I'm going to show you today how I make my circle-skirted dresses. These are pretty easy to make, which I suppose is why I've made so many of them! For example, here's four of my circle-skirted dresses below (and they're clearly fun to swish around in too): I'm not going to go through all the steps of the actual construction of the dress, because it would be a monstrously long post (and I'm pretty sure no one would bother reading it all the way through). I am, however, going to show you the main steps I go through in order to construct a circle-skirted dress, in hope of inspiring budding sewers (you will need basic sewing knowledge to do this, i.e. it's probably better if you've made a shirt/skirt before) to give dress-making a go, because this method takes the two easiest parts of making a dress and mashes them together. Basically, making this style dress consists of using any kind of cheap vintage store dress pattern to get a bodice and joining it up to a circle skirt! If you want to know what goes on in the making of these dresses, then read on... what you need 1. a pattern whose pattern pieces for the bodice are separate from the skirt 2. two fabrics which go together and/or clash (depending on what you want) 3. sewing equipment 4. a zipper of about 35cm length Making your bodice Take out your pattern pieces and find the front, back and interfacing (and collar if it has it) pieces. Put the skirt and the sleeve pieces back into the packet - you won't need them for this. Shorten the bodice pattern front and back if doesn't already stop at the waistline. The bodice only need be short! Place the pattern pieces onto your fabric and cut them out! Make sure to place the front bodice piece on the fold so that you get one piece instead of two (unless you want a zip/buttons up the front). Once you have your shapes, sew on the interfacing for the neck/collar. Place the front and back bodice pieces together (right sides together) and sew at the shoulders, and down the sides of the bodice. I get lazy with the armholes, and just fold them inside the bodice about half an inch, notching as I go, and sew them down (though if you can be bothered with armhole interfacing then do this instead - it'll look nicer inside the dress): If the back section is intact, slice it right up the middle. If it's already in two pieces, then that's good - this is where you need to insert your zipper. I am no good at explaining how to do a zipper. Just make sure that the zipper is a little bit longer than the bodice. Follow these steps, and, if you're lazy like me, don't bother with basting - just fold the material over at the edge, glue or pin to the zipper in the right place, and use a zipper stitch or foot (just moves the needle slightly to the left or right of the foot) to sew in the zip. You should have a little bit of zipper hanging out the end of the bodice. This will be hidden by the skirt later on. (Okay, so in the polka dot dress in the photos I continued the zipper into the skirt, but that is not what we are doing here today. We are only having the zipper go down the bodice and not the skirt, like on this dress:) Now you have a bodice. Iron flat the seams and the interfacing. Then put it aside and begin on your skirt. Making your skirt So I don't have to put all the steps here again, follow this tutorial I wrote for making a circle skirt, but stop just before the waistband-adding part. (The material need not be velvet, either. Use any fabric you want.) Then come back here. Attaching the skirt to the bodice This part seems a little bizarre at first but it works! Turn your bodice inside-out. Slide it over your skirt upside-down (skirt needs to be facing up and not inside-out). Pin together. If the bodice is too wide for the skirt, take it in at the sides until the two are just about matching in circumference. (Your skirt should be perfect for your waist measurement if you measured it right.)   Sew together with a normal straight stitch. Don't sew over the top of the zipper - but go right up to the edges of it. Turn the right way around and BAM! You now have a dress (if all went well!) Summary: Make bodice from a pattern. Make circle skirt. Attach the two. Oh man. That was actually probably completely confusing. If these instructions make sense to anyone, you're probably a genius, because I'm pretty sure they're really too stupidly convoluted. Well... enjoy anyway! If all else fails you can skim through the pictures and pretend you're reading a comic book about a sewing superhero. Update: I have uploaded much better instructions for making these dresses here. Hope you all have a marvellous weekend! xxx Annika

Mint & Honey

How's it going, guys? So I mentioned yesterday that I'd gone on a fabric-shopping spree to stock up on some pretty materials. This is what became of two of the fabrics I bought. I also said I'd take pictures and attempt to throw it all together in a DIY. Well that post is coming in a couple of hours, so come back in a little bit if you're keen! wearing dress - I made it necklace - Stolen off boyfriend tights - c/o Oasap belt - Vintage hat - c/o Wholesale shoes - Rubi shoes bag - Vintage Thank you as always for your lovely words on both the things that I make and the outfits I throw together. It means a lot, and inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing here! Just thought I'd let you all know, I really appreciate it. xxx Annika

All Is Love / Lilac

wearing blouse - Paper Scissors sweater clips - DIY shorts - DIY tights - c/o Oasap bag - c/o Wholesale hat - c/o Wholesale shoes - Raben footwear I just went on a mad fabric-shopping expedition in Marrickville (the best place for cheap, awesome fabric, if anyone from Sydney is reading this and is interested) and bought some really pretty minty polka dot material plus this gorgeous honey-coloured material. The two are going together to make the prettiest dress ever. And I will actually try to document the process photographically this time! p.s. Karen O & the Kids - All is Love It's almost the weekend! I hope you're all having a beautiful Thursday. xxx Annika

Do you love me? Are you playing those love games with me?

wearing dress - Paddy's Markets bag - c/o Wholesale hat - c/o Wholeasle socks - Tutuanna shoes - Wholesale p.s. I found out the other day that this talented lady had done a pretty portrait of me using this photo. I love it so much. Mega, who created the portrait, is only 15 - ahh and how good is it?? And she (if google translate is to be believed) listed me as her role model, which made me all smiley inside (and outside too). Source: http://megagumelar.blogspot.com.au/ p.p.s. I got my exam results back! They have validated that I can blog everyday and somehow still do really well at uni at the same time. Ha! (If I had not done well then I would have had to lay off the blogging, so it's lucky for you guys!) p.p.p.s. The Mighty Boosh - Love Games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRWVJ3AeFAk (if you don't already know the Mighty Boosh, please don't watch that. You'll only think I've lost my mind.) I hope you're all having a brilliant day! Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you live in AUS or NZ! (Apparently I don't have too many local followers, so you'd be in with a good chance.) xxx Annika

CLOSED // Giveaway: a Pretty Pastel Colour-block Skirt!

If you live in Australia or New Zealand, then lucky you! You can enter my giveaway! (I'm sorry, international followers! The darn postage here is too costly!) To one follower I am giving away this skirt (never worn, Sugarlips sent me two) from Sugarlips Apparel in a size M (10-12 to a small 14 Australian sizing, 26-28 inch (66-72cm) waist). How you can enter: Mandatory: Be following me on GFC or Bloglovin'. Go to Sugarlips Apparel and tell me what your favourite item is. Also leave your email address in the comments below so I can contact you should you win! Extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each and your facebook/twitter name so I can check): Follow me on facebook Follow me on twitter Follow Sugarlips Apparel on facebook Open to all Australian and New Zealand residents until August 10, 2012. Good luck!