Wednesday 19 November 2014

DIY: One Teaspoon Caged Bra

This DIY is long over due, BUT I think this would be a great addition to anyones bralette collection for the fall season, witch consists of dark colours and velvets. 
As you could probably already tell this is a recreation of the very popular One Teaspoon Superman Bodice. They come in both a top/ caged bralette or as a bikini option. I decided to take a crack at making my own and added a reversible element to mine for versatility.    

What you need: 

  • Fold Over Elastic- 5 to 6 yards 
  • Material- You don't much, I would say 1/2 yard or less, is more then enough ( I chose to go with a cotton plaid, and a black velvet )
  • Bra Rings and Sliders- you can find them as any sewing supply store, or you can cut them off an old bra that you on longer need. 
  • Sewing Machine
  • Pins, Scissors, and Measuring Tape 
**** The measurements used for this bralette were my own. I wear a 32C cup bra **** 




STEP ONE: 

Start by cutting out 2 chest panels. I used another bralette to help measure how big I wanted the panels.

My measurements were:
The longer vertical side= 4 1/2"
The shorter vertical side= 3 1/2“
Across the bottom= 5 1/2”

I cut my panels out of two different materials, a black velvet and a plaid patterned cotton, which was left over from a dress that I cut. If you decide to go with only a one-sided option then I suggest doing a double layer if your material is thin. 



STEP TWO:

Measure and cut two pieces of the foldable elastic to line the smaller vertical side of the panels. Measure so that they are 1/2" longer then the panel on both the top and bottom. 

STEP THREE:

Do the same for the top edge of the panels, but this time cut out a long piece to connect the two, leaving a gap in the middle. I left a 2" gap between the two panels and again leaving 1/2" on each end.
  • Mine measured: 14"


STEP FOUR: 

Measure and cut two shoulder straps, and attach them to the outsides of the panels. 
  • Mine measured: 16.5"


STEP FIVE:

The bottom edge piece is a little different then the top one in step three. This one is going to wrap all the way around to close off the bra. Again, measure so that a gap is left in the middle of the two panels. Measuring all the way around your rib cage, under where your regular bar hits should give you a good measurement. Remember to make it tight because this is the main support for the bralette, there are no closing clasps. 
  • Mine measured: 27"



STEP SIX:

These pieces are going to make up the cage part of the bralette. You'll need to cut out:
  • Two more of the same bottoms pieces used in step five. My measurements were: 27"
  • Six 3" pieces that will make the cage effect. 
  • Two 13" pieces that will be used to make the back triangle straps

**** All these elastic pieces are folded in half and sewed closed to make straps ****





STEP SEVEN: 

Lay out the two bottom elastics and two of the smaller ones on top, so that the ends of the smaller pieces line up with the bottom of the bra, on each side of the gap. I left about 1" between each of the long horizontal elastics. Pin and sew the pieces together. 

**Hint: its easier if you decided which side to do all the raw edges on, because this top consist of allot of small pieces you're going to have a lot of pieces layered over each other, so picking a side to do all the sewing on will make everything look neater. 



STEP EIGHT:

Next are the back straps. To save time, I decided to use the same piece of elastic as both the triangle strap and the back cage piece. Start by pinning the strap starting from the bottom, leaving 1"between the longer cage elastics. Thread the circle ring through the strap and fold it over and sew the ring to the strap, leaving about 5" between the fold/ring and the first of the three horizontal cage elastics. Then pin and sew the strap to the top/first horizontal cage elastic, leaving about 3" as the base of the triangle. 



STEP NINE: 

(I don' have a picture) Attach the small elastics to the side of the bra, one on each side. The process is the same as the ones in step seven, but you're sewing it to the long/outside sides of the panels. Again keeping 1" between the three horizontal cage elastics. 
The next and final step is to add the angled top pieces. cut out two 5.5" pieces of elastic and fold them in half and sew them closed to create a strap. Then pin one end to the top edge of the inside of the panel piece and to the shoulder strap about 2" up the strap. 

*** don't forget to measure these pieces to best fit you. I had to readjust mine a couple of times because they are the main piece of the bralette that is holding everything together and preventing your boobs from slipping out lol.  Make them as tight as you can, but still keeping the shape of the bralette. I suggest putting on the bralette and adjusting the straps from there.  








** my bottom strap was twisted and I only noticed after a sewed it altogether :'( make sure to pin everything first and look it over before sewing it together, don't make the same mistake I did! ** 


This is the finished bralette. Making it reversible really allows you to style it many different ways. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out and I've been wearing it non-stop since I made it. My favorite way to wear it is under a black mesh top and high-waited pants. 
I regret not sharing this DIY before, but hopefully its not to late for you all the try recreating one yourself !!
Have fun sewing my loves !













Tuesday 2 September 2014

Off to the Market












Leather Jacket- Zara
Sweater- Zara
Lace Top- H&M (similar here ) 
Jeans- Thrifted (similar here )

Last weekend I woke up at the crack of dawn and hit the road to my favorite farmers market to do some shopping. I planned to spend the entire day exploring the market so I decided to wear something casual and comfortable. This outfit is pretty self explanatory its a simple sweater over some cuffed ripped jeans, but I layered a mesh-lace top under so that it would peak out of the bottom and add so flow and dimension and topped it off with my trusty leather jacket. 
These shoes never leave my feet! They are made of a tapestry floral material that can easily be paired with anything, they add a vintage feel to a outfit. You'll be seeing more of them thats for sure!  
All in all the market trip was successful. I got some fresh and totally delicious fruits and veggies and I even scored a pair of levi jeans on sale at an outlet near by (score!). The trip wouldn't be complete without a little clothes shopping ;)   

Hope you guys all had an amazing summer ! See you soon <3

Friday 8 August 2014

Velvet Knits







Entire Outfit- Thrifted 

This is sort of a wired combination of both a summer and winter outfit. I threw this on one morning before heading down town, it was one of those warm but cold morning (I ended up regretting it later when I was dying of heat). 
I love the way velvet and knits look together, their both have a unique texture and add a different feel to an outfit. The body chain is one I made last year and it was so simple and took me less the five minutes, and its now something I am wearing on a regular basis especially paired with high waisted shorts, or under a crop top and low raise jeans. 

See you soon <3


Monday 21 July 2014

Kimono + Stripes






Halter Top- Brandy Melville
Kimono- DIY from an old Scarf 
Boots- Thrifted (similar here )
Shorts- Thrifted 

I ironically I am not a fan of aquatic creatures ( its a borderline phobia) but out of all the kimonos I own . this one is still my favorite, even though it is decked out in dolphins. Seeing how its black and goes well with almost anything might be why. As you can tell I haven't been able to give up my love for black and dark outfits even in the middle of summer.
The first thing I want to mention is my love for this hat! It's had my back (or head in this case) through many bad hair days and its a major life saver. I even when out and bought the same one in light brown, you need to be prepared was my justification cause bad hair days can turn ugly at a moments notice. 
halter tops is also a staple every girl should have on hand cause they are so easy to throw on for an effortless look. I got this one from Brandy Melville and it was pretty inexpensive. I might go back and grab a couple more in black and white for layering in the fall.  



Thursday 17 July 2014

Thrift Haul #3











Last week I stopped by my local thrift store (when don't I ) and picked up a couple of things. I mostly went in for T-shirts for some DIY tops, but I obviously couldn't resist buying a hand full of things. 
The first thing I throw in my basket was this awesome knit sweater! I've been seeing knits like this one pop up a lot lately (like here and here ) and when I found this one from under $5 I was like why not !?! Its not made of the traditional wool like material but rather a material thats a like tougher which I liked because I am not the best when it comes to handling delicate fabric. Plus I've been in need of some more white staple pieces in my wardrobe. 
Next I picked up three T-shirts that I am going to be using in a couple of DIYs. The thrift store didn't have the best collection of baggy shirts but i was able to find a couple cool ones, my favorite being the tie-dye shirt. I also throw in an oversized off-white button down cause you can never have to many. 
This loose fitting boyfriend jeans, is also something I've been in the market for lately and got lucky when I came across this pair. They will look so good with crop tops and cropped knits in the fall. 
Late thing I got was this adorable stripped crop top. I got it mainly because it had a cool 90s feel to it and it looked so good with the chocker and black shorts I was wearing that day.