Tutorial Tuesday: Feather Hairpieces

So, yesterday I offered up the idea of using fascinators to spice up a simple dress to make it into a prom-ready ensemble. In that post I claimed you could easily and cheaply make one yourself. Well, just to prove it to you I found two tutorials that will show you how you can make yourself a lovely fascinator, for prom or any other fancy occasion you may be attending.


First a video from threadbanger, mostly utilizing feathers.



And second, a link to a photo tutorial from corvus tristis showing how to use feathers with flowers and ribbons to make a gorgeous hair accessory sure to sparkle.

Tutorial Tuesday: Flower Headbands

So, playing around on polyvore.com (which I'm sure will be a new favorite pastime), I've seen tons of headbands that just make me squeal in girlish delight. Bows, flowers, hearts - all such sweet little embellishments that have me thinking spring and wishing I had even a single headband in my collection. Well, I found a tutorial that just might help me (and you) out - DesignMom gives us an easy-to-follow tutorial on how to make a sweet flowery headband that's sure to compliment all your modest spring outfits.

Tutorial Tuesday: Sweater to Bag

So, I've decided that winter is officially over. I'm sick of it, and I am ready for spring. Therefore, it's time to chop up those old sweaters and not look back! Cindygert (fiber fashioned with flair) has created a brilliant tutorial for how to turn a winter sweater into a purse perfect for the transition between winter and spring. Enjoy! Click here for the tutorial.

I Heart Aprons

I really do. They are so useful. I've always been (to my mother's great annoyance) one of those people who wipe their hands on their clothes constantly. Wearing an apron is the perfect way for me to avoid getting junk all over my jeans, and plus they're so adorable. I found an awesome tutorial through sewing republic that teaches you how to make an easy and adorable apron that you can wear around your kitchen or (as I do) in the sewing room. Enjoy!

Embellishing Cheap Gloves

Button-Down Shirt Save

Ok, this is less about modesty and more about avoiding embarrassing situations, but I think it comes in handy in both categories. I think button-down shirts are cute and often classy, but they have a sort of side effect that can cause awkward moments. What I'm talking about is the unintended peek at your bra they often give people because of the gaps between the buttons. Well, today I found this neat little product that you can use with any button-down shirt to eliminate this issue entirely. The No See 'Ems blouse front closures from Bug Catcherz. They also have handy adhesive strips for other slippery clothing issues. I used strips like these at my wedding and they really helped keep everything in place and made sure I was only showing what I wanted to show. Check it out, and have a good weekend. When we return on Monday, the blog may have a new look.

One More Reason to Love Japan

Ah, Japan. Home of tempura, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hello Kitty, and all thing cute. Now we have one more reason to love Japan: the haramaki. Apparently, as I discovered while randomly stumbling craft blogs, the haramaki is a new fashion trend over in Japan, and one I think we should import over here to the good ol' U. S. of A. and use for our own purposes. It's also been called a belly warmer or a tummy warmer, which is rather descriptive of what it is. Basically it's a tube of fabric or knitted material that wraps around your stomach, waist, and hips to provide a little extra warmth and coverage. This can be especially useful since sometimes the only pants you can buy are of the low-rise variety (a fashion pet-peeve of mine). Here are some pictures of some cute haramaki I found online:







As you can see, there's a lot of potential for spicing up an outfit, providing color, adding modesty, or just adding texture to whatever you're wearing! I gotta get me one of those. It's been a bit frustrating, because I can't seem to find anywhere to buy them on the internet, but I did find a tutorial for how to make one on Planet June (a fun, crafty blog to visit in your free time). Go here to access that.

Another Adorable Shrug

Time for more shrugs - and more "I made this!" joy. Using a video tutorial from Threadbanger (below), I successfully made the adorable little shrug shown below. It worked perfectly. The sweater I used was a Christmas gift from a few years ago; I didn't want to get rid of it because it was cute and I am sentimental, but the darn thing squeezed my arms mercilessly and had some sort of vendetta against me that involved constantly showing off my stomach. And so, I revamped it and have been terribly pleased with the results.


Improvements: 1.) Now it's supposed to be short. 2.) Cutting the sleeves and doing a zigzag stitch really opened those sleeves up and now they don't make me feel like I'm about to bust out like the Hulk. 3.) The button. I heart buttons.

Make yours:

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!