It’s that time of year when you get to dress up as anything you want and PARTY!!! What better way to impress all of your friends on the most fun night of the year than with a cute little number from our new Fun and Flirty Halloween Costume Collection?! With our friends at VELCRO and our team of Creative Chicks, we whipped up some really stylish (and just plain cute) costumes for your next Halloween bash.

Start with the Base Costume pattern, and print out the size for your top (we have all of them as PDF’s to make it super easy).

Top XS

Top S

Top M

Top L

Top XL

Then chose your look ::

Anchors Aweigh

Ahoy Matey

Bootiful Bride

Lady Luck

Ms. America

Midnight Swan

and start creating your own Fun and Flirty costume.Thanks a bunch to the good folks at VELCRO for providing us with some of their fantastic hook and loop fastener products–

FABRIC FUSION
Soft and Flexible Sew-On
Sticky Back
Home Decor 

So get stitching….Halloween is right around the corner!! 

It’s Fall and time for some new wardrobe spruce ups. One easy add is an endless scarf. Some call them ring scarfs, loop scarves, or infinity scarves……either way it’s just an endless ring of fabric, finished (or not) so that it’s a loop. SOOO very easy to make I’m not sure why anyone would buy these ready made. Here’s my version for just about any fabric, silk, rayon knit, textured, you name it. Follow the steps below, and soon you will have a wardrobe of scarves only limited by the thousands of fabric choices in your favorite fabric haunt. And don’t forget about vintage scarves. these can be remade in a ring the same way.

Step 1: Purchase enough fabric to get about an 18″ x 60″ piece (50″ - 72″ is good). Trim all the edges neatly so you have a nice rectangle.

Step 2: Fold the fabric piece right sides together, matching long edges. Stitch a narrow seam starting 3″ in at the beginning, and stopping 3″ from the end. You can use a serger (if you have one) like I did to make it even faster!

Step 3: Turn the tube right side out. Match the short ends, right sides together and stitch a narrow seam, securing the ends of the scarf together in a ring.

Step 4: Tuck in raw edges and hand or machine stitch the opening closed.

That’s all there is to it! Super simple, and made in less than 10 minutes of sewing time (it actually took me longer to trim the fabric straight than to sew!). And don’t press these flat after you are done, just steam to remove wrinkles so you have a nice billowy or drapey shape.

This is a look that’s just as chic paired with jeans and a tee, as it is with a fitted sheath dress. These scarves make it “sew” easy to add a shot of color to your fall fashions. And check out our Tube Scarf project too. It’s made basically the same way, just a wider version to be worn as a shrug or fuller scarf.  

Just wish shopping for a new pair of jeans was this easy.

Can you believe how excited were were at DIYStyle to find out that one of favorite St. Louis area fashion designers is a contestant on THIS new season of Project Runway! Lucky for us that we snagged an interview with him for DIYStyle long before PR got hold of him

Watch the video on our vodcast page (it’s Episode 52), and cheer Michael on when the new season of Project Runway starts on July 29th on Lifetime. Check out Michael’s page for PR to see his casting video and more. You know the Creative Chicks at DIYStyle and loads of other fashion lovers in STL and beyond will be rooting for him. You go Michael……..we LOVE you!

A girl can never have too much lingerie. And it’s even more fun to add to your stash when the goods are created by yours truly. So, our original DIYStyle Lingerie pattern (panty party anyone?) now has a sister…………tah dah……..check it out! Our first panty pack along with the Cami and chemise was styled a bit girlie. Sporty was more the theme here with a cute little halter and comfy beater tank, string bikinis and boy short. And, these pieces stitch up in a snap, just right for beginning sewers. DIYStyle for McCall’s 6128. Hope you have fun with this one…………….

When I was asked to write Sewing for Dummies, I was thrilled and…I’ll admit it…flattered. As part of the Dummies author group I rub elbows with experts on everything. Computer geeks of the tallest order like Andy Rathbone, Windows for Dummies (15 million books in print), to famous coaches — Notre Dame University’s Richard “Digger” Phelps, Basketball for Dummies. But as I revel in that warm momentary glow, reality slaps me in the face as potential readers - sewers with years of experience tell me they are put-off by the title. After all, they don’t consider themselves “dummies” and figure that a book like this is for beginners - which it is - and it isn’t.

So let me clear this up. The Dummies formula is familiar to readers - a great resource presented with a sense of humor that breaks down a topic into bite-sized pieces.  And here’s the good news for readers who sew.  Whether beginner or experienced - each chapter and each topic within each chapter is written as a standalone.  So you don’t need to read anything before or after that chapter or topic to understand it. 

How do you use this in your everyday sewing projects? As you work through your next project and your next step is to sew a dart, edgestitch that pocket, or insert a zipper, flip to the topic in the book and see how I suggest you do it. My hope is that you’ll read my words, hear my voice and find a better, easier way to get the job done. Keep the book next to you as you sew, make notes in the margin - use it to your heart’s content.  When you do, I hope that you, treasured reader, will understand that “Dummy” is a term of endearment.

Well it was inevitable. DIYStyle is located in the metro St. Louis area. Our DIYStyle vodcasts have included designer interviews from around the nation as well as several designers from our own backyard. SO, when we heard that local independent fashion, jewelry and accessory designers needed a place to showcase and sell their collections, AND we had the opportunity to expand into the space next to the DIYStyle Workshop we knew we had to take the leap! This Friday evening marks another phase for DIYStyle…..the opening of the new DIYStyle Boutique!

Excitement is in the air! We’ve been busy sprucing up the space, working with Habitat for Humanity of St. Charles ReStore (thank you Andrea!), and pulling ideas together to make a small space work for a showroom/boutique. If you are in the St. Louis area join us for our Launch party. You will get the chance to meet a few of the designers, shop their collections, and support local independent fashion.

We’ll also be carrying a few designer supplies, a section we hope to keep expanding as we grow the Boutique. And this fall we’ll add the Boutique shopping to the DIYStyle website. Let us know what designer supplies you are looking for and we’ll be sure to source and get them in. I know our BIG roll of pattern paper was a long awaited item that designers just cannot do without.

Back to work………we have a Boutique to open!

A sea of pink! That was the view, as we stood up on the balcony overlooking the ballroom at the Missouri Athletic Club. DIYStyle was honored to produce a fashion show for the St. Louis Susan G. Komen affiliate, at their annual Survivor luncheon. As the designs to be modeled filtered into the dressing rooms, and the over 600 women arrived downstairs came into the Art Deco Room, it was evident….Pink was the power color and theme for the day.

DIYStyle created the “Dreams to Design” fashion show to showcase Rejectamenta fashions that were inspired by breast cancer survivors and their stories, with student and alumni designers from Stephens College. These designs, collectively called  ”Breaking the Pattern” are made from recycled materials and are very PINK. In addition, DIYStyle created a special collection of T-Shirt Surgery designs from Race for the Cure Tees. Together, these unique collections had quite an impact on our “pink ladies” at their dessert reception Sunday!

We were definitely excited to have Heidi Glaus, from News Channel 5 as the emcee. Heidi had visited the DIYStyle studio and Workshop a few months ago, so our introduction was quite entertaining as she relayed the story of making panties and then trying them on (on live TV!). And so we started…..to the song “Halo”…………..and this model walked out on the runway:

And then these:

Matt our DIYStyle video producer did a wonderful segment with survivor interviews we did at the local Komen office, coupled with pics from last years STL Race for the Cure (did you know St. Louis now has the largest race in the country with over 65K participants!?). Yes Matt, you did bring tears to everyones eyes (he told me he would do that). This was actually our time for models to do a quick change for the next set.

And then the DIYStyle Race for the Cure, T-Shirt Surgery Collection walked (rocked) the runway….to the songs “I Will Survive” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”:

Talk about audience participation! Clapping, laughing, and rocking out to the music….everyone was having a fantastic time. And our models definitely nailed this show for all (thanks girls–you’re awesome!). And a special thanks to our A/V guy who mixed all the music, timed everything precisely (slides, video, lights)…our own Jon Cummins (yes nepotism here–he did a GREAT job).

And kudos to our talented designers!

Such a wonderful cause….we were SO pumped to do this show. The women inspired all of us, and I think we inspired them as well. “Dreams to Design” is hoping to be on tour in a city near you. Let us know if you have a Susan G. Komen related event where the collection can be included! And, watch for the video of of the show to be posted very soon.

Think Pink….and support your local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure! We’re walking……how about you?

The Swap-O-Rama has landed in St. Louis this weekend, and DIYStyle will be there! Join in the wardrobe refashion fun, and dig in to find the gems you can restyle into this season’s pick pieces. Best yet, it’s all FREE!!! The whole deal will be held at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, this Saturday, April 10th, from Noon until 4pm. Come early for the best selection, and bring a bag of your own closet misfits to add to the pile. We’ll be helping at the sewing stations and giving away some cool prizes. Stop by our table and say hello and learn more about our upcoming workshops, and the new DIYStyle Boutique. We’re really excited to be a part of this. AND Allyce just did a segement for Great Day St. Louis (KMOV 4 in STL) on wardrobe refashion  that airs today too. Fun, fun, fun………..sew on! 

There are nine designers left! Everyone that voted for who they thought would still be in the running is correct so far. That means everyone who posted their fav PR designer in the early post will receive a gift from DIYStyle! Keep an eye out for an email from us announcing what you won.

Last week’s episode was titled “Hard Wear,” and a couple of the designs looked like they were pretty “hard to wear”. The designers were instructed to create an uncoventional look using hardware materials instead of their usual fabric. 

This week’s challenge winner was Jay. His design was quite amazing–who thought that someone could make such a fashionable outfit out of a black trash bag! Even Heidi said that they have never seen anything like it. Also, in this challenge the designers had to create an accessory to go with their look. The braided belt that Jay created looks like genuine leather!

I really liked Maya’s accessory. She made a very bold necklace out of keys that I think was simply amazing. The judges even said it was the strongest accessory.

 My personal favorite is still Seth Aaron. We will just have to watch and see what happens…

No, you don’t need to be a “dummy” to buy this book, or even a beginner sewer…..the simplicity of organization of hardcore info in this sewing handbook is what we all wish for when in a late night sewing pinch! Like me, you have probably perused several of the Dummies books, most of them pretty darn useful and written in a voice that I can understand. Sewing for Dummies is just that, from this easy-to-navigate category of books by Wiley. Written by industry veteran (and a long time friend) Jan Saunders-Maresh, this book is a must have for every level of sewist.

I love books that are an easy read, especially when I am grappling with a subject that is new or seemingly difficult to me.  Just check out the other Dummies books on my shelf…mostly internet and computer related. Jan has a knack for making the step by step instructions for everything from zippers to pockets, and piping to slipcovers as easy as pie, and fun to boot. Some of the included cartoons are so on target, and hit home. A lighter note when you are trying to figure out just how to get that particular technique down.

Sections in the book cover major sewing opportunities, including Fashion sewing (our fav of course!), Home Dec, Alterations, and the “trademark” top ten lists. Sewing for Dummies even has some handy charts included, perforated so you can keep with you as you hit the fabric store. Fabric conversions, sheet sizes and needle specs are included to take on the go.

Sewing for Dummies has become our go-to handbook at DIYStyle for all of our sewing questions, especially used in classes at the DIYStyle Workshop. Add it to your list of must have tools for your sewing room. It’s reassuring to have a good friend like Jan at your side even if it’s only in book form. Now, we just need to talk Wiley into staffing a midnight to 7am Sewing for Dummies call hotline for those of us that are truely sewing dummies (more like zombies) when we’re up sewing all night long! For now, the book will do….and very nicely I might add.

Did I get you with that tag line? Free stuff is always good. And when it’s coordinated with following this new season of Project Runway it’s even better. Last week I posted a new blog contest we are having fun with at DIYStyle…..but only a few of you paid attention! So, I’m giving all another chance to join in the guessing game, to win FREE sewing stuff. Here’s how to join in:

Make your pick: Who is your winning designer of choice?

Post your choice here on THIS blog entry, and each week we’ll see who is still in the running, both on PR and in our little game here. You MUST post to this blog entry with your designer pick before the next episode airs this Thursday night-January 28th. Anyone who guessed correctly and still has their designer in the running at week 7 (there should be about 6 designers left at that point by my calculations!) will receive a free gift from DIYStyle (and courtesy of our great sponsors). We have assorted goodies in our stash including snips, patterns, thread, fasteners and more. Really this guessing game is just for fun………..but it doesn’t hurt to get a little gift for being right……..and bragging rights to boot!

 Now onto the last PR episode….

From Potato Sacks to Butt Cheeks!! Could you believe what actually walked down the runway in this show?! The challenge was innocent enough. Taking a potato sack and turning it into something beautiful (from the age old saying that any beautiful woman could look great even dressed in a potato sack). That was the beginning of some interesting sewing and design decisions, and ended up in a model walking down the runway in a creation that shocked viewers with the “skin display”.

In a way I feel sorry for the winning designer, because I think all the talk was about the poor decision (and design) from Ping. But, several pieces by other designers warrant discussion (besides her odd dress). The group keeps sewing away on the Brother sewing machines in the lab. Full up now….but not for long.

Ping at work and then the awful creation that caused the stir! Yes, you could see the model’s rear (how could Ping let that go down the runway…much less the producers. She should have gotten booted off for this one)

My favorites were Seth, Jonathan and Amy

In the end Pamela was the one that took the loss (still think it should have been Ping–am I getting too vocal here?!). And of course we can’t forget the winner of this challenge……….Jay! I absolutely adore what this guy did with burlap. As Michael Kors said, he thought the trim on the dress floated almost as if it were made of feathers. A far cry from a potato sack! Wonder what Jay will be able to pull out in the remaining challenges with actual fabric!

Sew it begins again. But this time in fashion mecca…..New York City. Even the opening episode of the beloved show felt so right…something about having this show/competition set in LA was just not the same. Maybe I’m just too attached to NY for my own reasons, but from what I have read and heard, most of you are with me. Any how, I can’t wait to park in front of the TV each week seeing what drama ensues, and who is left in the designer pool. So, here’s my first challenge for all of you DIYStyle & Project Runway fans (there will be more to “challenges” come as the season rolls on!).

Who is your winning designer of choice?

Post your choice here on THIS blog entry, and each week we’ll see who is still in the running, both on PR and in our little game here. You MUST post to this blog entry with your designer pick before the next episode airs this Thursday night–January 21st. Anyone who guessed correctly and still has their designer in the running at week 7 (there should be about 6 designers left at that point by my calculations!) will receive a free gift from DIYStyle (and courtesy of our great sponsors). We have assorted goodies in our stash including snips, patterns, thread, fasteners and more. Really this guessing game is just for fun………..but it doesn’t hurt to get a little gift for being right……..and bragging rights to boot!

As last season, each week I’ll get a few behind the scenes pics from our friends at Brother. I’ll post them, and see if we can guess who WON’T be in the pics the next week!

Oh, my choice for PR season 7 winner……….it’s really hard for me to choose between Emilio (especially since he won the first challenge with that intricate woven design on the bodice of his dress) and Seth Aaron (LOVED his first dress for this challenge….just edgy enough to get head turning attention).  I think my pick is going to have be Seth. I really think he has the attitude and skills to continuously pull out a win each week. And I can see his designs immediately gracing the pages and racks of the likes of Anthropologie. Isn’t saleability one of the number one keys to being a great designer? Guess we’ll have to wait to see! Are you with me? 

This year I made a pact to only give handmade (or at least semi-handmade) gifts this holiday season. I thought you might like to see my favorite to sew, and the one that everyone loved! Polar fleece is so soft, warm and in tons of fab colors and prints, and was perfect for this Pull thru Scarf. These are so simple that you can churn out several, even at the eleventh hour. And, they take very little fabric and supplies (only matching thread), so they are easy on the budget too….and we all need a little help there. I made these out of two coordinating colors and prints, but change them up as you like.

If you want directions for the fleece scarf just add your comment to this post, along with your email address. Let us know what you think about DIYStyle and we’ll send the easy instructions right out. If enough of you give the thumbs up, we’ll tape this for an upcoming DIYStyle episode!

Have a creative Happy New Year!

We’ve had a really interesting and fun year here at DIYStyle. So much happened in 2009, helping us grow in areas that I don’t think any of us Creative Chicks expected! We said goodbye to sponsors and hello to new sponsor partners, expanded our chicks on camera, opened the DIYStyle Workshop (added teaching “real live” classes and workshops), produced a successful fashion show for St. Louis Fashion Week, attended our first NY Fashion Week, and are slowly becoming part of the regional fashion and creative scene. There were 5 more DIYStyle for McCall’s patterns added to our line (kudos to the design and style know-how of Allyce and Melissa). In addition we created our Facebook and Twitter pages too. AND, Allyce graduated from fashion design school in May, and is engaged. Whew! It makes me tired just writing it all down like this.

With all of that I am sitting here wondering what IS next? What do you come to DIYStyle to experience? Our projects seem to be the number one place in our site for our visitors. What kind of projects are you looking for? Are there tips or techniques that you wish we had covered? Let us know YOUR wish list and ideas…..you might just see one soon on an upcoming vodcast or project. :)
There are SO many sewing and fashion related products out there……and some are a bit hard to nab. We are considering having some of our favorite things here in a webshop for our DIYStyle chicks. Let us know what your favs are so we can add them to the boutique!

2010 is right around the corner……..18 days and counting. We can’t believe this year has come and gone so quickly. DIYStyle has been SO lucky to have SO many friends, fans, and supporters helping us to keep up, and giving us that wonderful “shout out”. We’ve met so many cool people both in the fashion world as well as the creative arena. We are definitely blessed and want to thank each and every one of you. All of the Creative Chicks at DIYStyle wish you Happy Holidays, and (soon) a Happy New Year!

P.S. NEWS!!!! DIYStyle is looking to add more Creative Chicks to our on-camera team! If you think you have what it takes, are 18-34, have sewing and creative experience, are fashion forward, and live or can commute to the STL area, please drop us a line at info@diystyle.net! We’ll get you info about our open call and camera test we’ll be having in January at the DIYStyle Workshop!!

So who’s going to Bryant Park? That was the question to be answered with the results of this weeks final challenge. It’s hard to believe that this season of PR is coming close to the end….seems like it just started. Tons of sewing behind us, and lots more to come as the three designers who win this challenge start on their collections. Both Althea and Carol Hanna created pretty intricate designs that required what seems like lots of extra hours spent in the sewing lab. But, it really seems empty in there as compared to the last few weeks.

The five designers left had a neat challenge this time. Create a look inspired by a piece at the Getty Museum. As the creating began, some of the designers took an odd stance on what they thought would help them pull a win from this. Especially “interesting” was Christopher’s take on the fountain and rocks that were outside the museum.

Gordana drew inspiration from a Monet painting, and I think her choice of colors were unusual, but very pretty for this design.

But in the end, only three designers get to go to Bryant Park for their big debut. I agreed with the judges at this point, as to who had the most consistent great designs, and whose collections I would want to see walk down that ever important runway.

Irina is in:

Althea is in:

And Carol Hanna is in:

So what will conspire next week when we see a bit closer up as to where the 3 remaining designers live and how they design? I think our inside birdie at Brother knows……..but can’t tell until next week! Stay tuned.

Where in the world are the PR Designers this week? Well, designing for the inspiration cities that Michael Kors chose from his years of design and travel, dubbed as “Around the World in Two Days”. Now that the designers are down to less than half than when the season started, the competition is getting more interesting. Given this type of challenge, and without any time for the designers to do background research on the city they were assigned, was a bit unfair I thought, but yielded some interesting designs.

Carol Hanna did a really pretty Maxi, perfect for the beach.

I thought this design from Christopher was definitely uninspired. I thought he should have been booted out. Only the belt had substance.

Gordana had a really pretty take with her “necklace” dress. I really thought she would take home the win with this design.

Irina had the best take for this challenge, at least according to the judges, and won.

In the end Nicholas was ousted for his lack of practicality for a design for Greece. Who wear pants in Greece, much less grey menswear?! Sorry, it should have been a dress, then it could have been a real contender.

We are down to 6 designers left, and only a few more challenges to come. Wow, it’s going to start getting brutal pretty soon. So……….Brother wear in the world art thou? Nabbing these PR behind the scenes pics for us again! Thanks guys………and keep them coming