Amy Nicole Studio

Colette Laurel Backless Pattern Hack Tutorial

09*22*16

I had such great feedback from my post about my “Double Hacked” cut-out back Colette Laurel dress that I decided to make a tutorial post for you guys. This tutorial will help you create a simple shift dress with a open back cut out using some simple pattern manipulation techniques. As I said, this is a double hacked Laurel. So before you get going with this tutorial, you will first need to download Sarai’s free Mod-ified Laurel hack here. Follow her instructions to modify the original pattern, and before cutting out any pieces in fabric, follow my instructions below.

Click here if you would like to continue reading

Painted Wooden Bead Necklaces

03*12*16

Just wanted to do a quick little post about these lovely little wooden bead necklaces I made as thank you gifts for all the amazing ladies who pitched in and helped with our wedding. They were super easy to throw together, and I really enjoyed picking out different color combinations for each person.

The tutorial I used is from See Kate Sew. The directions are straight forward with good pictures, which makes these beautiful necklaces so easy to put together… with a chic and modern result.

These are GREAT gift ideas for any lovely ladies in your life. You could even make things a little faster by throwing together a single layered version. I of course threw one together for myself as well.

Happy Crafting!

Strappy Back Watson Bra: A Rough How – To

01*25*16

When I shared my personal version of the Cloth Habit Watson Bra with a strappy back detail I got a lot of comments wondering about my technique. I decided when I made my second one to make sure to take a lot of detail pics so I could do a tutorial for y’all. Over all the technique is fairly easy, its just a matter of getting yourself set up right.

The Watson is a great pattern to work with for this technique because its a nice basic bra shape, with the option of a longline version. The way the pattern pieces are cut is very conducive to experimentation and alterations. For my first Watson I did the standard version, but for this tutorial I will be demonstrating the same technique using the Longline version.

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HOW-TO Lower Armholes: Bias Tape Version

08*06*15

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that the #1 adjustment I make to patterns before sewing them up is to lower the armhole. Mostly its a personal preference… I just can’t stand anything touching my armpit. But I also feel like many home sewing patterns are made around a more classic, modest silhouette. Many women prefer I tighter armhole to cover any under-arm wobbly bits. This girl, in the Texas heat, prefers to have a lot of breathing room.

There are several ways to make this adjustment, both in pattern form and in garment form. This version covers how to lower the armhole on a top that has bias-finished armholes. You can use this technique on hand-sewn or purchased garments.

STEP 1: MARK YOUR ARMHOLE

The first thing you must do is try on the top and mark (with tailors chalk or a disappearing fabric pen) where you would like the new underarm to fall at the side seam. You only need to mark one side. I generally end up dropping my armholes about 1″.

Transfer this mark to the other armhole. You also need to make two small marks a little more than half way up the front and back each armhole. This is to make sure you are starting and stopping around the same spot on both sides.

STEP 2: UNPICK BIAS BINDING

Using a seam ripper or a sharp razor blade, unpick the bias binding of the underarm. Start about 1/2″ above each of your mid-armhole markings (this is to give yourself some room to maneuver your presser foot into position. If your bias binding has been back stitched (it probably has), you will need to remove just the back stitching an additional 1/2″ past where you started, so you will be able to get your needle on top of the original stitching to start your new line.

Hopefully, your bias binding has a seam somewhere in the area you have unpicked, joining it together in a circle. Unpick that seam as well, creating an opening in your bias binding.

STEP 3: CUT AN INSET PIECE

Since we are dropping the armhole we will essentially be adding length to the armhole seam. Which means we will need to extend the bias tape. To do this we will be cutting an extra piece of bias binding to add to the existing bias binding. First, measure the width of the original bias binding. Then determine how long your extension piece will be. Do this by adding the amount you are dropping the armhole (in this case 1″) with an additional 1″ of seam allowance (1/2″ on each side). Once you have your measurement, cut a new piece of bias binding out of similar fabric, the same fabric (if available), or out of store-bought bias tape of the same width in a similar color.

STEP 4: ATTACH INSET PIECE TO ORIGINAL BIAS BINDING

With right sides facing, place your new piece at 90 degree angle with the original piece, and sew a diagonal line of stitching as pictured above. Repeat on other end. Press seam allowances open and trim.

STEP 5: RE-ATTACH BIAS BINDING

Now you simply follow the usual steps for attaching bias binding. I generally do things by eye, but if it helps you can draw in your new stitch line leading to the new lowered armhole mark with tailors chalk. Re-stitch the bias binding, following a natural curve to your lowered mark.

STEP 6: TRIM OUT EXCESS

Carefully trim out the excess fabric from the old armhole to about 1/4″ of the stitch you just made.

STEP 7: CLEAN FINISH

Now for the easy part, do your back stitching, pressing, turning, and topstitching as usual when attaching bias binding. Being sure to use thread that matches the original topstitch thread.

STEP 8: PRESS

Give everything a nice press, use a tailor’s ham if its helpful to you.

STEP 9: WEAR IT!

Voila! You are free to wear your new breathable top with no worries of deodorant marks or sweat stains! If you have a top or dress that has a facing as opposed to bias binding, the technique is essentially the same. Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to make this adjustment in pattern form, as well as how to make the adjustment on garments with a full lining.

Happy sewing and altering folks!

6 Ways to Cut a T-shirt

07*16*15

Summer is here and if you live anywhere in the south you are definitely feeling it! There is something about the summer heat I just love… maybe that just comes naturally with my southern blood but the temperatures rise and even though we are all talking about how hot it is theres something comforting about it. Not to mention its another excuse to head out to the beach/river/pool more often! Then there are those days that the heat makes you absolutely crazy. You walk in the door and the first thing you do is strip down and sit in front of the a/c or rub ice cubes on your neck. Its those kind of days that inspire projects like these. It never fails that when summer rolls around I loose at least 2 or 3 T-shirts to the wrath of my scissors. Anything that helps the air flow and keeps the sweat to a minimum. Today I’m sharing with you six of my favorite T-shirt cutting techniques complete with easy-to-follow diagrams. All of which can be completed in less than 30 min.

GATHERED CROP TOP

First up is a simple gathered boxy crop. This style works best starting with a t-shirt thats a few sizes too big and goes great with anything high-waisted on bottom. Skip the “cropped” step for a more modest look.

GILLS

This one is probably one of my favorites. I call it “gills” because it reminds me of the gills on a fish. In the summer I wear a lot of cute bandeaus and soft bras. This style shows them off without being too revealing. Plus if your man finds you a great motorcycle T at a thrift shop like this one.. you look extra badass!

SIMPLE RACERBACK

I use this technique to turn a lot of old T’s into workout shirts. I just cut mine by eye, but if the diagram isn’t enough you could lay a racerback T you already have over another T-shirt and mark your cut lines. This could work with a tight or loose fitted shirt.

CROPPED & GATHERED RAGLAN

I wear this style a lot as a cover up over my swimsuit top and a pair of shorts. It also looks great with a cute bra top or simple tank underneath, it all depends on how much skin you want to show. Again, you can eliminate the “cropped” part and go for a longer style that’d work just as well. I recommend looser fitting shirts for this project.

SPINAL SLASH

Business in the front… party in the back! (If you can call vintage Garth Brooks “business” – I say you can) Another fun style to show of a cute bra top or bandeau. This would look great with a fitted T as well. Cut the slashes as thick or thin as you like. Cut more “fish-eye” shaped slashes to reveal more skin.

V-BACK

Probably the trickiest technique (and the only one that involves a bit of sewing) but it gives you a really cool effect. Also if you plan correctly, it will cover your bra line. Slightly more fitted shirts recommended for this technique, but keep in mind your shirt will be a little tighter since you’re taking it up a bit in the back.

There are SO MANY great T-shirt cutting tutorials out there so go explore! These are just a few of my tried-and-true styles. I hope you like them, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment!

Open Back Sprinkle Dyed Hi-Lo Dress

06*25*15

This dress has had a very long “in progress” life. It started as a school project, then went through a couple transformations before becoming the fun little summer dress it is today. This dress is a compilation of all of my favorite things. Its blue (which I wouldn’t even say is my absolute favorite color but it has somehow taken over my wardrobe), it has an open back, a fun (although subtle) print, and a hi-lo hem. What more could you ask for in a flirty summer dress?

The pattern is self drafted. I am actually lucky this dress fit me because most of the dress forms at school were a size too big. It is a little loose, but its not really noticeable and makes it more comfortable for me. I’m pretty sure I still have my original pattern and definitely wouldn’t mind revisiting it and whipping up another. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. Its one thing to say you made something… but made AND designed? Woah – thats some hot shit.

The construction of the dress is for the most part quite simple. The front bodice is pretty basic with two bust darts and a slightly scooped neckline. The back ties towards the top leaving and angular back opening. There is a half waistband at the back waist which closes with an invisible zipper. The bottom is a flared skirt with a hi-lo hem. The skirt consists of two layers, the under layer cut in chiffon (this made more sense in the original dress). As far as lining goes, its fully lined in the bodice with no skirt lining. I much prefer a fully lined bodice to facings, so much cleaner on the inside and more comfortable.

Fabric was originally all white rayon with a white chiffon under skirt (pictured below). Remember when I said this dress went under a few transformations? Pretty much all of them were a result of me trying to cover up mistakes, except for the sleeves which I opted to remove just because. You see, when I cut the original dress I made the mistake of using yellow tracing paper, which didn’t wash or steam out. Not a huge deal except along my bust darts you could see little yellow dots. I tried to spot-bleach out the yellow dots to no avail. My next solution was to dye the whole thing (white never gets far with me anyway). HOWEVER, when I dyed it I forgot to wash it first, so the dye didn’t take as strongly to the spots I had bleached around the darts. Ugh. Now I had a teal dress with light teal boobs…

Then I saw this tutorial for a DIY speckled dye technique from the ever so wonderful Love Maegan and figured I’d found the answer to my problems. The concept is pretty simple, you are essentially sprinkling powdered dye onto a wet garment. You control where the dye goes so you can create any effect you want. Maegan did hers as a sort of ombre effect. My original attempt was to achieve the same, but starting darker at the top and fading to lighter (to cover my weird boob situation). As you can see from my in progress photo below, the effect was much darker before I gave it the rinse. I think next time I try this I might let it sit a little longer? Or spray more water over the spots I want to be darker. Its another one of those trial and error situations but the technique is very cool and I look forward to trying it again. What I ended up with is a more subtle sprinkled effect that looks a little aquatic – very neat! So let this be a lesson to you – just keep chugging along! Eventually you will end up with something wearable and a fun story to go along with it!

Pattern: Self Drafted with Dye technique by love Maegan
Fabric: Rayon body with chiffon underskirt
Notions: Invisible zipper
Difficulty: Intermediate
Adjustments: Removed Sleeves
Finishes: Serged seams, fully lined bodice
Time: unknown (seems like forever)
Sew it again? Yes! I’d love to see this in a wackier print or solid black!

Thats it for this little beauty! What have you been sewing this summer?

Malvarosa Dress – part 2 & DIY Ink Splat Dyeing

05*27*15

Part 2 of the Malvarosa Dress by Pauline Alice is the version I made for my cousin. This inky print is so much fun, and so easy to accomplish! I think fun prints like this really liven up the simple, boxy silhouette of this dress.

All of the construction and fit details regarding this make can be found in my previous post (Malvoarosa Dress part 1). In an effort not to be repetitive, this post is going to be all about that print!

I could have easily left this dress in the plain white linen. It actually would have been a nice, classic look and the linen (from my stash) is really good quality. But y’all know me – I’m too messy to where white (coincidentally so is my cousin) and I have trouble seeing white fabric for what it is… all I see is a blank canvas! Besides when I was consulting with my cousin on her ideas for the dress she had mentioned a black and white print.

I’d been dye-ing (get it?!) over these inky prints I’ve been seeing in magazines and on the runway and I just had to give it a go myself. I find one of the most interesting things about fashion is the way trends carry over through different collections, individually interpreted by each designer. I also find it so interesting that many of the trends in print recently are highly attainable on the DIY scale. Ombre, paint splatters, painted stripes… I think it says a lot about todays consumer. We are drawn toward fashion that is more organic (in more ways than one!) Prints like these seem very attainable, and each garment feels a little more unique – not like they were bulk printed in a factory (even though they probably still were).

I also think its possible that these trends in print could be fashions response to the DIY movement. Designers are beginning to tap into our growing demand for all things hand-made. Granted, I know the painted prints you see on the runway weren’t actually painted onto the fabric. But it gives us that illusion of being more connected to the art/artist. I find it intriguing to dive a little deeper into todays trends in fashion.

Clockwise from top left: Tibi, Philip Lim, WHiT, Oasap

Materials Needed:

Black paint or Ink – I used this ink. I chose ink over paint because I didn’t want the color to make the fabric stiff in spots. I’m sure black fabric dye would work just as well – you’d have to experiment.
White fabric – prewashed
Plastic to cover work area
A small cup, eye dropper, other “splattering” tools
Water
Weights if your working outside (to keep wind from blowing your stuff everywhere)

Step 1: Prepare your workspace. I’m not even kidding you guys.. this stuff gets EVERYWHERE. I put a big plastic tarp under my fabric and worked in the driveway and I was STILL finding ink splatters in random places. Use a large tarp or tape a bunch of trash bags together (unless your outside and just dont care about your sidewalk – we rent so I wasn’t taking any chances!)
Optional: I cut my pieces first before I dyed the fabric. You can really do it either way, but I cut first for two reasons: 1) I was making two dresses and wanted to cut both at the same time (second dress was getting a different dye technique). 2) I wanted to have a little more control over where on the body the splatters were going. With the pieces already cut, I could tell exactly what the final outcome would look like.

Step 2: Test it out. There was a LOT of trial and error involved in this project. I highly recommend having a scrap piece of fabric you can test on. You may even try using a wet scrap to see if it absorbs the ink differently. I had a problem with a little bleeding with my ink and think wet fabric may have helped. You also need to get a feel or the look you are going for. Experiment with your splatter tools. I used a small cup to create bigger splatters, and squirted right out of the bottle for more droplet-like splatters. You will want to try dropping ink from different heights, and even use eyedroppers or spoons to control the volume of ink that falls.

Step 3: Go for it! Honestly, I feel silly writing directions for this, there really is no right or wrong here. Have fun, pretend you are Jackson Pollock, and just see what works and what doesn’t. If it all goes wrong – you can always just dye the whole thing black! I do recommend waiting a few seconds in between splats to see how the ink will bleed and absorb into the fabric before adding more. I’d also use the quit-while-your-ahead method to avoid over doing it. You can always go back and add more later.

Step 4: Dry and Rinse and Wash and Dry. I didn’t want to take a chance of any of the ink bleeding onto the white, so I let my fabric dry before I gave it the necessary rinse. This is another thing you can probably test with your scrap first, as I think the fabric will stay truer to its texture if you rinse immediately after. Rinse in cold water till the water runs clear. Then wash & dry the fabric as you plan on washing the garment.

Thats it! You are ready to sew it up!! This technique also works great to rescue a stained white garment (trust me – I saved a silk top by giving it the splatter treatment!) Just begin by aiming your splatters at the stains, then go crazy.
Note: if you are doing this to a completed garment, make sure to put a plastic bag or something inside so whatever you do on the front doesn’t bleed through to the back!

Happy Dyeing!

Tutorials || How to Patch a Pair of Jeans 101

04*26*15

One of the most frequent requests I get from the Gentleman is to fix holes in jeans. He’s the type of guy who picks his favorites and wears them over and over until they are threadbare. In this tutorial I will show you step by step basic instructions for mending holes in denim with a “hidden patch” – this means the patch is on the inside of the garment. The technique I am about to show you is a little more forgiving when done on darker denim, but visually its easier to show you on a lighter denim so you can see whats going on.

Materials You Will Need are:

Sewing Machine
Thread that closest matches color of jeans – here I used a thread that has a color variant specifically for denim.
Scrap denim or other scrap fabric that closely matches jean color
Fusible Interfacing – Optional
Iron and Ironing board

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Stripe-y Scuba Skirt

04*09*15

When I used to make things for my sister or cousin or best friend for Christmas or their birthdays or whatever, I would just make a wild guess at what pattern they might like, then guess what fabric they might want it in and their size, etc. That, my friends, was a lot of guess work. This girl hates guessing. So to eliminate all the guesswork on my part AND make sure my dear ones are 100% satisfied with their gifts I just emailed them all a link to my sewing board on pinterest and had them pick out the exact pattern they wanted, plus we get to talk fabric choices and all that good stuff. Fun for me because I dont have to guess.. fun for them because they pretty much get to design their own gift!

I tell you all this because my new gift system resulted in this adorable striped scuba skirt this Christmas. You see my dear sewing friends.. when you have your favorite girls pick out handmade gifts from your personal pinterest board of all the patterns you love… and when said favorite girls are pretty much the same size as you… you just cut two! Bingo! Kill two birds with one project – make your friend a gift, make yourself one because you’ve wanted to get to that pattern FOREVER anyway. I know, I know, I’m a gift-giving sewing-project handmade-wardrobe genius.

But enough back-story… lets talk about the skirt. This adorably flippy skirt was first created by Geneva from A Pair and a Spare (if you don’t know about Geneva and her beautiful blog you should seriously check it out right now! Her projects are so easy yet so classy and fashionable – especially great for beginners!). Anywho – Geneva made this skirt out of some sweet pink neoprene, and my bff Jess ordered up a striped one (coincidentally so did my sister – thats three of these babies out in the world!)

The pattern is super simple, its one shape that you down load to your computer, scale up to size, and print. You then cut this same shape out about six times, sew them all together, and voila! A super quick project and you get this fun skirt thats perfect for summer. I finished my inside edges with a serger but even that is not necessary because this fabric won’t fray.

Some things I did differently… Jessica thought the skirt would be cute in stripes (isn’t it though!?). Unfortunately I couldn’t find any striped neoprene, though I did find this nice bold stripe in a scuba knit. If you are unfamiliar, scuba knit is a little thinner and doesn’t have quite as much stretch as neoprene, so I had to add a zipper in the waist so we could fit the skirt over our tushies (we all three have some junk in the trunk). If you are able to find a neoprene you like that has good stretch, Geneva’s version is made without a zipper.

Pattern: DIY Scuba from a Pair and a Spare
Fabric: Striped scuba knit from fabric.com (no longer available)
Notions: 7″ invisible zipper
Difficulty: SUPER EASY
Adjustments: added zipper, shortened a bit
Finishes: optional serger finished seams
Time: 1 hr – cutting, sewing, everything! Seriously the quickest skirt you will ever make!
Sew it again? For this one, I’m going to say no. Only because a girl only needs one super short flippy neoprene skirt in her wardrobe…and I really dont even wear super short flippy skirts that much (mostly because I’m clumsy and will inevitably flash someone)

Yeay for fast & easy projects!
Happy sewing y’all!

Colette Laurel Backless Pattern Hack Tutorial

Painted Wooden Bead Necklaces

Strappy Back Watson Bra: A Rough How – To

HOW-TO Lower Armholes: Bias Tape Version

6 Ways to Cut a T-shirt

Open Back Sprinkle Dyed Hi-Lo Dress

Malvarosa Dress – part 2 & DIY Ink Splat Dyeing

Tutorials || How to Patch a Pair of Jeans 101

Stripe-y Scuba Skirt

Books in my Bag

The Monthly Stitch

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