I Made This!

A while back I posted a tutorial on how to modestify a shirt that is too short (here). Well, this weekend I decided to try my own medicine and see how it worked. I had a really cute/funny shirt (I bought it from a used clothing store a while back), but it turned out it was a bit too tiny - it always rode up and exposed my back, which I just didn't enjoy. So, I did my best to follow the tutorial, but I went a little crazy and added my own ideas to it. I think it turned out all right. Here's what I did:

1. The shirt was a little too tight, so I added panels to each side. I had to rip open the side seams then sew in a strip of black t-shirt fabric from a shirt my husband was willing to part with.




2. I then used the bottom of Husby's shirt to add about six inches to the bottom of my shirt. Unfortunately when I cut the fabric, I didn't take into account the extra room I would need for the panels I added and the hips I was born with. So, I was left with big empty spots on both sides.




3. I solved this issue by sewing three button holes on each side of my big empty spaces and using the bottom hem of the original shirt to lace through the holes. Ta da:




Feedback?

Modest Makeover: Adorable Skirt

Here's a super cute tutorial from craftydaisies on how to take an old pair of jeans (or perhaps a pair of too-short shorts) and some fun fabric (maybe some old t-shirts or tank tops?) and turn it into a very awesome and very modest skirt. Enjoy!

Featured Site: Downeast Basics

This awesome company caught my attention recently for selling adorable, modest clothes: Downeast Basics. I'm lucky enough to have a few of their retail locations in my town, but they also have a beautiful online collection. And the best part? They're having a sale! Here are my picks from the sale collection they have on their website:

Just for Fun

Sorry I blew off Monday (for those of you who check back regularly, I am trying to post every weekday), but to make up for it I have this awesome video from Threadbanger on how to take a bunch of old T-shirts and make them into a sweet picnic blanket backpack. Summer is officially here and gloriously beautiful! Go out and enjoy it!

Fun With T-Shirts

Here's a really cute video from Threadbanger on how to make a frumpy ol' ugly ol' t-shirt into a cute fitted one (with a boat neck, which is happy for me, since I hate t-shirt necklines, as previously mentioned.)

How-To Tuesdays: Darting T-shirts

Easy-Peasy Wrap

Here's a fun tutorial on how to make this cute wrap from an old button-down shirt. I love wraps because they are a cute and easy way to add color and fun to an outfit. You can wear one over practically anything you want to modestify - sleeveless, tube top, whatever it may be, it becomes instantly modestified, and you become instantly adorable. Hope you enjoy this little tutorial.

Modesty Myths

This is part of an interesting article about modesty I read here. It's a bit lengthy, but I found the author's take on things pretty interesting and insightful. Enjoy.

Four Myths Exposed

A First step toward reviving respect for modesty in our culture is to strike at the myths that undermine it. Let me touch on four of these.

The first myth is that modesty is Victorian. But what about the story of Rebecca and Isaac? When Rebecca sees Isaac and covers herself, it is not because she is trying to be Victorian. Her modesty was the key to what would bring them together and develop a profound intimacy. When we cover up what is external or superficial — what we all share in common — we send a message that what is most important are our singular hearts and minds. This separates us from the animals, and always did, long before the Victorian era.

The second myth about modesty is that it's synonymous with prudery. This was the point of the dreadful movie Pleasantville, the premise of which was that nobody in the 1950s had fun or experienced love. It begins in black and white and turns to color only when the kids enlighten their parents about sex. This of course makes no sense on its face: If the parents didn't know how to do it, then how did all these kids get there in the first place? But it reflects a common conceit of baby boomers that passion, love and happiness were non-existent until modesty was overcome in the 1960s. In truth, modesty is nearly the opposite of prudery. Paradoxically, prudish people have more in common with the promiscuous. The prudish and the promiscuous share a disposition against allowing themselves to be moved by others, or to fall in love. Modesty, on the other hand, invites and protects the evocation of real love. It is erotic, not neurotic.

To illustrate this point, I like to compare photographs taken at Coney Island almost a century ago with photographs from nude beaches in the 1970s. At Coney Island, the beach-goers are completely covered up, but the men and women are stealing glances at one another and seem to be having a great time. On the nude beaches, in contrast, men and women hardly look at each other — rather, they look at the sky. They appear completely bored. That's what those who came after the '60s discovered about this string of dreary hookups: Without anything left to the imagination, sex becomes boring.

The third myth is that modesty isn't natural. This myth has a long intellectual history, going back at least to David Hume, who argued that society invented modesty so that men could be sure that children were their own. As Rousseau pointed out, this argument that modesty is a social construct suggests that it is possible to get rid of modesty altogether. Today we try to do just that, and it is widely assumed that we are succeeding. But are we?

In arguing that Hume was wrong and that modesty is rooted in nature, a recently discovered hormone called oxytocin comes to mind. This hormone creates a bonding response when a mother is nursing her child, but is also released during intimacy. Here is physical evidence that women become emotionally bonded to their sexual partners even if they only intend a more casual encounter. Modesty protected this natural emotional vulnerability; it made women strong. But we don't really need to resort to physiology to see the naturalness of modesty. We can observe it on any windy day when women wearing slit skirts hobble about comically to avoid showing their legs — the very legs those fashionable skirts are designed to reveal. Despite trying to keep up with the fashions, these women have a natural instinct for modesty.

The fourth and final myth I want to touch on is that modesty is solely a concern for women. We are where we are today only in part because the feminine ideal has changed. The masculine ideal has followed suit. It was once looked on as manly to be faithful to one woman for life, and to be protective toward all women. Sadly, this is no longer the case, even among many men to whom modest women might otherwise look as kindred spirits.

No-Sew Fitted Tee

I've been posting a lot of tutorials and projects lately that all involve sewing. I realized today that this could be rather frustrating for those who don't know how to sew, who don't have a sewing machine, or who (like me) have a broken one. So, I found this neat little tutorial on how to make a cute fitted t-shirt out of a big ol' baggy one without one single stitch.
I'm coming in to a giant bag of t-shirts today (love freecylce) so I plan on trying this project soon. Hopefully I'll be able to expand on this and do something with the typical t-shirt neckline - which, as previously discussed, I can't stand. Anyway, enough about my t-shirt issues. Here's the tutorial from instructables.com. Enjoy, and please let me know if you try it!



P.S. Don't you love that she's wearing a Napolean Dynamite shirt? I surely do.

Cutesie Flowers

One of the fundamental premises of this blog is that being modest is not the same as being frumpy. Choosing modest clothing does not mean rejecting style, beauty, or originality. And so, in that vein, I've chosen this tutorial from Bitter Betty Blogs for today's Make Your Own feature. If you try it, send me an email or write a comment and we'll post your creations right here on the blog. Enjoy!

T-Shirt Jumper

Oh the DIY joy! I found this awesome tutorial on how to make a t-shirt into an adorable jumper skirt at threadbanger.com, which is rapidly becoming my top favorite site. I personally hate wearing t-shirts - something about the way the neckline is so tight or maybe it's the loose-fitting sleeves - I'm not really sure. But I do think some t-shirts are adorable and/or fun and wish I only had the disposition to wear them. Now that I've found a way to wear my t-shirts and like them too, this is a project I'm definitely looking forward to trying out for myself.

Scrap Skirt

I'm dying to make one of these!


What I'd really love to do is mix up the colors and the fabrics to be a little more similar to this one I saw on Pretty/Modest. And that's what's so great about DIY - I can make it look however I want! (In theory.) And so can you :) Here's the tutorial: (You're going to want to click on the pictures to enlarge them and actually read the instructions.)


This tutorial is courtesy of craftleftovers.com. Definitely go check it out - lots of fun, adorable crafts to engage in. :)

Also, please note there is a poll now to the right of the screen. Cast your vote, express your opinion - let me know you're reading! :)

Featured Site: Pretty/Modest

Is this not the cutest shirt you have ever seen? I love the whole ensemble - the sweet white shirt, the adorable belt, the classy jeans. I'm in love. And guess where I found it? At a lovely little blog also dedicated to modesty called Pretty/Modest.

I had a lot of fun this morning exploring all the pretty things and modest things this blogger has found from across the Net, so I hope you will also enjoy today's featured site.

Be Original

I don't know about you, but I've never thought it was much fun to look like everyone else. That's why I think DIY clothing is so much fun. Find a cute fabric, some fun trim, and make yourself a skirt that no one else will ever have. And, as a bonus, you can make it exactly as long or short as you're comfortable with. I'm not much good at sewing, but I can have fun with simple patterns and projects, such as one I found on crafster.org. You have to start by making this circle skirt:


Then follow these instructions*:

a) make a simple circle skirt (there's a great tutorial for that here on craftster!) but INSTEAD of cutting an arc to get rid of the squared-off fabric, leave it. It'll give you the aysmmetrical hem.
b) hem the bottom so that your hem line is about a centimeter above the bottom edge of the fabric
c) pin lace ON TOP of the fabric (right-side up!) so that the extra centimeter overlaps- or, rather, bottomlaps, I guess
d) sew on lace, using same coloured thread as the lace colour
e) bunch up the top a bit at random places. this will allow the skirt to fit you better, and looks prettier
f) hem the waist-edge of the skirt
g) make an elastic band for the top. I just cut up an old blood donor shirt, but anything with some give to it with colours that match should work!
h) attach elastic ON TOP of waist hem so that there's a bottomlap, like on the bottom with the lace
i) BY HAND, sew on pearl strands that are of varying lengths. If you do this by machine, you might accidentally kill yourself. I know I did.



*Originally posted here by Crafster member odile.

Summer Fun Board Shorts

For today's Make Your Own feature, I found a really fun tutorial on how to make board shorts out of a pair of old pants, a Hawaiian shirt, and a tie. This is such a simple fix up, I bet you could even do it without a sewing machine if you were feeling patient. I love this, because it is a cheap project and you can make it all your own. In the tutorial, they use old business pants, but you could use practically any type of pants and have your very own, cute, modest shorts.

Celebrating Modesty - The Scoodie?

I've decided to do a feature called Celebrating Modesty, which will just feature sites or tutorials that offer fun clothes that just happens also to be modest.

Ok, I know it's June and summer is supposedly just around the corner, but sometimes I still feel like I need one of these:

It's a scoodie: Scarf + Hoodie = Scoodie, so today for my Celebrating Modesty selection, I chose this fun, do it yourself accessory that will keep your neck and head warm. And you can make it from an old sweatshirt!

Featured Site: layersclothing.com

So, I've been dreaming for a while about a new swimsuit. I mean, I like mine fine, but it was bought out of absolute desperation: it was the only modest swimsuit I could find before my honeymoon. So, I had a little fun today browsing the collection at layersclothing.com and I found these three that are my absolute favorites, with the last one being my favorite favorite and the one I'd buy if I only had the money.




Of all the sites for modest clothing, I've found recently I liked the swimsuits at this site the best. It has a wide collection of cute, cute suits and, while not particularly cheap, they're no more expensive than comparable suits. So, if you're hunting for a cute swimsuit for the summer months, I'd recommend checking out the collection at layersclothing. And let me know if you find your favorite there.

Modestify Your Tanktop

Do you have a tank top that you absolutely love to wear, but you've recently made a commitment to modesty? Don't say goodbye to it just yet: you can have your tank and wear it too--if you modestify it. This is a neat little how-to from Ohmystars Craft on how to add ruffled sleeves to a tank top.

Shirt Too Short? Modestify It!

Here's an awesome little tutorial from Ohmystars Craft on how to take a too-tiny t-shirt and make it into a really cute layered look.

Strapless to Fabulous

This web page teaches how to turn a strapless gown into a fabulous, modest one with just a few alterations.

Making a Shrug

Wearing shrugs is a great way to be fashionable, cute, and modest. The right shrug can be versatile, going with any outfit you might want to modestify. And what better way to find the right shrug than to make it yourself? Here's an awesome tutorial from threadbanger.com on how to make a shrug out of an old turtleneck and a serger. I imagine you could probably mess around with this concept a bit using a sewing machine as well.

The first part of the video is an interest piece, but hang on for the tutorial - it's not long in coming and it's really good.



Plus! Notice what a cute modest shirt our instructor is wearing! Hurrah for modesty!