Pleated Skirt | Fashion

I really needed a few new work skirts, so I was excited when I came across this Super easy box pleated skirt tutorial. Miranda from One Little Minute Blog makes this skirt so easy to make with her easy to follow tutorial - colour pictures and all!

I love how easy it is to make a number of different outfits with this skirt. It is so versitile and I get so many comments on it when I wear it. 

If you have been reading the blog for a while you might have come across my love for invisible zippers. They not only make this skirt super easy to get on (considering it is high waisted) but looks great!

I used a cotton duck drill for this skirt which helps the pleats to sit properly. I will definitely be making more of these in the future. The only thing I do not like about this material is it attracts a lot of fibres.

Have you made a box pleated skirt before? I would love to hear your tips!

 

The Perfect Leather Jacket | Fashion

As you may have seen in this post, I have been on the lookout for a good quality leather look jacket. I have actually wanted one for a couple of years now, but have not been able to find one that I liked. I am here today to let you know I have found my perfect leather look jacket!

My sister and I were shopping in Forever New not long ago, and decided to try on a few items we had spotted that we didn't think we would purchase on the day. However once I had tried this jacket on, there was no way I was going to put it back on the rack! It was exactly what I was looking for, and fitted me perfectly. It was so perfect, my sister decided she wanted one for herself!!

One of the things I really love about this jacket is the quilted shoulders and cuffs. I believe they really add something special to the jacket. I know I will get so much wear out of this during winter.

Do you have a go to leather jacket?

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xx

 

Wardrobe Revamp | Collect Inspiration

The last post in this wardrobe revamp series was to detox my wardrobe. I managed to get rid of a whole garbage bag worth of clothes which I will donate, and another bag of clothes and shoes that will be thrown away. As I said, this will be an ongoing process for me, but I am happy with the result so far.

The next step in Into Mind's 10 Step Wardrobe Revamp is to collect inspiration for the kind of wardrobe you would like to have. This was a very easy step for me as I have been collecting pictures of inspiration via Pinterest for a while now! 

My ideal wardrobe is one that has a mixture of pieces I can wear layered in many different combinations as well as a few beautiful key pieces.

Here is a look at some of my inspiration photos from my fashion Pinterest board...

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

image from Pinterest

Follow my Pinterest board to see what else I have pinned! In the next post, I will be discussing my personal style and how these pictures (and more on my Pinterest) fit into that.

xx

 

Indoor Plants | Lifestyle

I recently read this blog post by Helen from Recycled Interiors about the trend towards having plants indoors and why they are good for your overall wellbeing.

Plants are great for your health for a number of reasons. They take the carbon dioxide from the air and through the process of photosynthesis, they turn it into oxygen which they then release back into the air. This increases the oxygen levels in the room, and increases the levels of oxygen we breathe in. Studies have also shown plants have other benefits such as fighting colds, improving our moods and making us think better.

I think indoor plants really do add that extra something to your home. As such...

I would love to introduce my new range of fabric planters which will soon be available in my Etsy shop Little Miss Lorraine. These fabric planters are perfect for dressing up otherwise boring indoor plant pots. They will be available in a number of different patterns and sizes so keep an eye out for them this week!

What are your thoughts on plants indoors? Do you have indoor plants - if you do, have you noticed any difference in your health / wellbeing?

xx

 

The Kimono | On Trend

Kimonos are all the rage this spring / summer. They are a great way to add something to an otherwise plain outfit, and can be worn dressed up or more casually. 

Kimonos are also really easy to make - which is exactly what I did! 

There are quite a few kimono tutorials out there, but this is the one I used with a few modifications.

I was originally inspired by this pin to make a gorgeous floral pastel kimono. However as is usually the case I couldn't find any fabric similar to this. I did eventually manage to find two different materials for two kimonos. 

I wasn't 100% sure about this fabric at first because it initially looked like there was way too much black. After a friend rolled it out more, we discovered it had a beautiful purple floral pattern on it.

This fabric is gorgeous to look at and and feels amazing, however it is definitely not easy to sew with. It frays quite a lot which can make things difficult. As such I had to add bias binding to the open portion of the kimono to stop the fray. I also overlocked the hems.

I found this gorgeous black looped trim to add to the arm holes and around the bottom of the kimono.

For the second kimono, I was instantly drawn to the beautiful colours and the soft feel of the fabric. This fabric was much easier to work with - although it does still fray a little this is easily fixed by overlocking the hems.

I found these cute white baubles to add onto the arm holes and bottom of the kimono. 

Overall I am really happy with how they have turned out and would definitely make more! 

What are your thoughts on the kimono?

I would also like to take this opportunity to say "Happy New Year" and thank you for all your support in 2014. There are lots of exciting things happening in 2015 and I can't wait to take you along for the ride.

xx

 

First Alice Top | DIY

I recently finished my first Alice top from Tessuti Fabrics and I am really happy with how it turned out. I found this gorgeous fabric at Spotlight and knew it would fit the Alice Top perfectly. My only gripe with this fabric was that it frayed quite badly.

One of my favourite things about this top are the sleeves. They not only attach to the yoke but the bodice as well. I really love the way they make this top look.

This top has gathers at the front and the back which make the material drape beautifully.

I was very excited to finally get the under-stitiching right with this top - I have struggled with this in that past but think I got it right this time! 

I finished the hem off with a zig zag stitch as I felt it was more stable and added something different to the top. 

I will definitely be making another one of these tops - I think it would look very cute as a summer crop top!

Have you tried out this pattern? What did you think?

xx

 

Adjustoform Dress Form | First Impressions

I was so excited to receive this dress form for my recent birthday. I must admit, I did know about it before hand (so that I could pick it out) which made it even harder knowing I could not use it!!

I had been looking at dress forms for quite a while, and I finally settled on the Adjustoform Dress Form in Petite. There are quite a few reasons why I chose this one that I will go through below!

Not that you really get a choice when it comes to colour (this usually relates to the size!) but i love the maroony-purple colour of this mannequin!

One of the things that drew me to this dress form was the number of places you can adjust the size. There are 8 different adjustment points with easy to use wheels to help you get your dress form as close to your body shape as possible. I found it very simple to get the measurements correct.

I love that the neck of the dress form is actually useful! The perfect spot to keep those pins in.

The dress form also has shoulders and a hem marker which helps you to create a straight hem on your garment! The other thing that I love about this dress form is it has full 360 spinning ability, meaning you can stay in the one spot while you spin it to adjust your garment!

Overall I am very happy with this dress form. It was very simple to put together as well which is a big plus! I haven't been able to sew as much as I would have liked lately, but I am on holidays soon so will have a lot of projects going on!

Do you own a dress form? Which one did you choose and why?

- J x

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