Hey friends!! I'm over at
Imagine Gnats today sharing all about this adorable
Lela Skirt by Sew DIY. The Lela Skirt is a recently redesigned version of the Baseball Skirt!
Head over to the post
HERE to read all about it, and how I hacked it to look like a very famous Amazon skirt that has been showing up in all the style bloggers' wardrobes this summer. 😉 Another
#sewrtwstyle make for sure!
I'm doing my typical Imagine Gnats Day post a little differently today, in that, I'm going to talk you through all the many, MANY, ways I found to style this fun little skirt! And to be honest, I wasn't done styling, I was just dying from our current summer heat, so I decided I'd leave it at that, lol.
To start things off, the main outfit from today's Imagine Gnats post in entirely styled with my very own handmade items. And that makes me VERY happy! Since I showed a sneak peek on
IG, I've already had several questions about this white button front tank, and I'm so excited to be able to share!!
This is a new-to-me pattern, and also a new-to-me pattern company! I've been wanting to try out some
Style Arc Patterns for quite a while, and in one of their most recent sales, I grabbed a few!
This tank is the
Portia Woven Top pattern, and y'all. I'm in love!! I first made this pattern for an upcoming Minerva Crafts post (another VERY exciting thing!), and it worked perfectly for what I wanted it for. However, it had a slight fit issue on my body, that I remedied on this version and I love it SO MUCH!
The pattern doesn't include body measurements to choose your size, only finished garment measurements. (The body measurement chart is on their website, FYI.) So based on the finished measurements at the bust and waist, I chose a size 8. The fit was perfect through the bust and waist, but I really hadn't paid attention to the hip measurement, and it was snug in that area. I was definitely surprised, since my waist is a size larger than my hips, so a word of caution, check the hip measurements! 😄
To remedy the slightly snug hip area, I simply graded out the bottom of the hem by 1/2" on either side, and the fit is now spot on.
The top was also extremely long, I had shortened it 1 1/2" on my original version, and ended up shortening it another 2" for a total of 3 1/2" on this second version! To be fair I am only 5'3" tall, but I don't usually need to shorten quite that much.
I made one other slight change to this version. I decided to widen the straps a bit. So when cutting them out, I added 3/4" to the total width, which ends up 3/8" wider on the final product. It's great for concealing bra straps just a bit more! In these photos, I am wearing a strapless bra, but I will definitely also be wearing it with a regular bra, especially since I plan to pair it with cardigans come fall weather!
The fabric I used for the tank is actually a tablecloth that I snatched up from the Target clearance section! It's hard to see in these photos, but it has a glorious waffle texture in the fabric. It is 100% cotton, and I know it will just continue to soften with wear!
I just absolutely love this style of tank top so much, and I plan to make quite a few more of it! Probably with a few little hacks as well, so stay tuned!
The jean jacket is of course my Hampton Jean Jacket, that I blogged
HERE. The hat is an
Amazon purchase, and was found through
@wishes_reality who also provided the skirt inspiration!
Now I will dive into each outfit I styled with links as much as possible, including the rtw items if still available, but since we all love to sew, I have pattern suggestions for you as well!
This outfit is super simple, but just perfect for summer! Especially for keeping cool on our 95* days that we've been having!
The tank is a simple crew neck sleeveless top from Target. (Linked
HERE) Made in rayon spandex, this top would be very simple to recreate based off of your favorite tee pattern, such as the
Union St. Tee or the
Panama Tee! The
Taos Top would also be a great option, simply by switching out the mock neck with a neckband finish.
The bag I found at TJMaxx, and I've seen these exact ones at Marshall's as well. Amazon also offers tons of options, oh and Target as well! 😉
This next outfit is still very much summer time appropriate. I paired the Lela Skirt with a simple crew neck tee that I grabbed from Target this spring (for $5). I wish I could say it's a
Union St. Tee, and hopefully someday it will be replaced by one! I also paired it with a fun summer straw tote from
Old Navy, a simple gold coin necklace and some fave sandals from
Target!
The vest is another iteration of my beloved Hampton Jean Jacket pattern (by Alina Design Co), and I blogged all about this make
HERE.
My next look is PERFECT for summer mom-life! Throw on a graphic tee, sneakers, a big bag for all the kids' STUFF and we're good to go!
The graphic tee is from
Old Navy, and the bag is the same as the one from the previous outfit. The shoes are old Chaps sneakers that I got at Kohl's.
I also am wearing one of my very favorite hair clips that I snagged from
Amazon. These are such fun accessories and for me serve a very practical purpose since I really don't like having my hair in my face! 😄
I also wanted to show how this skirt will transition perfectly into fall!
I am LOVING this outfit oh so much!! I paired it with my very favorite Taos Top, blogged
HERE. I just love the textures and color pairing here. Can it be fall now!!?? Lol.
And for an extra layer that I know I'll need someday, but was melting in during these photos, I threw my Hampton Jean Jacket on top. The shoes are from
Old Navy, which I linked, but it looks like they are sold out. I think they are bringing back a similar version though, so if you're interested, you can browse the current mule selection.
I don't know if I can really pick a favorite outfit of the bunch, but this one is definitely a contender for the top!
My final look is another fall transitional outfit and I'm digging it as well!
My top is a mega pattern hack of the
Lana Top by Coffee + Thread. I don't have a proper blog post of it because it was definitely not a fail (I love it), but an experiment, so much so that I can't really tell you all that I did to it! Lol.
I added a long sleeve, tons of volume to the sleeve, and also widened the bodice and added a split hem detail.
To gather in the waist to pair with the skirt, I used a clear hair elastic and created a faux knot. I love this trick! The booties are also old, and a Zulily find from several years ago. The hat is the same as I mentioned in the first look.
But there you have it!! 8 different variations of styling this adorable skirt!
I really hope you enjoyed this post, because I had so, so much fun styling it and taking the photos!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
*None of the links above are affiliate links. I just wanted to share items from these looks, and they are definitely items I would recommend. All opinions expressed in my blog post are honest, and my own!*
