DIY Romper

 
I've been wanting a romper for quite a while now, so here's how I made my own. I used about 1.5 yard of a heavy knit purchased at Joann's and some half inch wide elastic. 

I started by making the shorts of the romper using a pattern I previously made as seen in my high waisted shorts post, and essentially made them with the pockets as I did before, with the exception of not adding the waistband and extending the top of the shorts higher by an inch or two. 

For the back of the shirt part, I followed the basic shape of a loose fitting shirt I already own, also adding some length to the bottom. I matched the width of the top to the width of the opening of the shorts. For the front of the shirt, I traced the same shape onto two layers of fabric, and then drew a diagonal line across one shoulder to the opposite bottom edge. (Make sure the two layers are right sides together so you get a left and a right piece, unless the fabric has no right or wrong side.) I later adjusted this diagonal until I got the shape I wanted. I hemmed the angled edge and connected the bottom of the two front pieces and then connected the sides and shoulders of the entire shirt by sewing the two parts right sides together. 

To connect the top and shorts, I left the shorts right side out and turned the shirt inside out over the shorts, matching up the edges of the openings. I pinned around the opening and sewed around it. 

Next I measured the elastic to fit my waist and sewed the ends together to make a circle. I pinned the elastic around the waist, stretching it as I went along, and then sewed the elastic down.

Lastly for the sleeves, I traced the general shape of the sleeve onto some fabric, using the arm opening of the romper as a guide and adding a seam allowance. I hemmed the edges, and then folded them in half, stitching the shorter edge together. To attach the sleeves, I turned the romper inside out and left the sleeve right side out and pinned around the curved edges.

Once everything is all put together, that's it. It's super comfortable to wear and the wrap front top opens to make it really easy to put on and I think it's perfect for summer.

Smock Dress Sewing DIY

Inspired by these two pictures I found online (and partly this tutorial by Annika of The Pineneedle Collective), here's how I made this simple cotton smock dress.

I used about 1.5 yards of a gray knit (pre-washed), and it only took a few hours, since the shape of the dress is very simple and fits very loosely.

To start, I made the body of the shirt using a loose fitting crop top I own for reference, adding a few inches around the edges for seam allowance and adjustments. I traced around where the sleeve seams were to make it a tank top shape, and adjusted the front and back necklines. Since the back piece was cut into two pieces instead of one like the front, I added some width to it, and then sewed the middle seam to connect the two. (I mostly just did this because I laid my fabric out weirdly and it was just easier to cut it in half.)

I then attached the front and back pieces along the sides and shoulders, and then tried it on to adjust the width and length (I find it easier to make it bigger at first and then adjust instead of trying to make it fit from the start in case it's too small).

For the skirt, I cut the widest piece I could from the fabric to about 17 inches (later shortened to about 15 inches since I'm short) and gathered the top edge by sewing a long basting stitch along the top edge and gathering it to match the size of the opening at the bottom of the shirt. I then connected the two ends to make a tube with the top of one opening as the gathered edge.

With the skirt wrong side out and the shirt right side out placed  inside of the skirt, I attached the skirt to the bottom of the shirt using a straight stitch all the way around.

For the sleeves, I used the opening of the armhole as a template for the sleeve, and cut it so that the top of the sleeve was on fold. I first hemmed the edge of the sleeve using a rolled hem, folding it under twice, and then connected the bottom edge to form a tube shape.

To attach the sleeve to the armhole, I matched up the top of the sleeve with the shoulder seam and pinned along the opening, starting and the top and working down the each side towards the armpit area. It's easier to make the sleeve diameter bigger than needed, since my sleeve was slightly too small and I think it would've been easier to have a too large sleeve and then adjust the size down instead of trying to make a small opening match up with a larger one.

I finished the dress off by hemming the neckline in the same way I did on the sleeves, and then hemming the bottom edge by folding it under twice and sewing two straight lines around (sort of like what you see on the bottom of most shirts).

I later added some white lace around the neckline only on the front which I bought at Joann which I sewed on by tucking under the folded neckline.

DIY Marbled Nail Art Stickers

I created this marbled nail art using a slightly different water marbling technique than what you normally see, as inspired by this Instagram post by Sveta Sanders. Instead of dipping your finger into the wet nail polish while it's still on the water, I let it dry for about 5-10 minutes, removed it from the water, and then cut it up and applied it to my nails using more nail polish. Unlike her video, I chose to swirl the colors using a toothpick, which I think made it harder to pick up, although I like the different effects you can get by doing this.

The colors I used were: Air by Sally Hansen, Blueberry from the Hello Kitty Sephora line, Splash of Grenadine by Essie and some unknown sheer sparkly pink possibly from Walmart (it's old). Air also came out pretty sheer which also gave in interesting effect when placed on the nail. My base color is Sorbet also by Sally Hansen. 

I recommend keeping a paper towel nearby to remove extra nail polish from your toothpick when swirling since it can get messy or in case you mess up and need to remove the polish (like I did, many, many times).

I let them dry on a paper towel first before applying them. They came out sort of warped since some of the colors were a lot thinner than others and the swirling really distorts the shape. I have no idea how girls on Instagram get their water marbles to look so perfect.

Please ignore my cuticles. 

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I made these cinnamon rolls using the Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls recipe. I kept the dough over night for two days and then rolled them up to bake in the morning. I've made this recipe multiple times in the past and it's my favorite cinnamon roll recipe to make.

I made only half of the recipe but this made a full tray of cinnamon rolls.

 You'll need a lot of table space to roll out the dough, or possibly split it in half to make it a little easier.

 I normally don't measure the filling ingredients out exactly, and just make it to taste, making more cinnamon sugar if needed. We had a little extra so we sprinkled it over the top of the rolls.

 Before letting the rolls rise a little.

Fresh out of the oven. 

These are great with a plain icing (icing sugar and water or milk), or a cream cheese or coffee flavored icing.

Cajun Shrimp

My family tried this Cajun shrimp recipe from Paula Deen (link) a couple of times and I thought it was a really yummy and easy recipe. It doesn't take too long to make and can be easily adjusted to taste.

 We added extra garlic (probably two or three times as much) and just as many lemon slices as it took to cover the two layers evenly. The second time we made it, we stacked the shrimp in more layers because a smaller container was used, however it didn't cook as evenly, so I wouldn't recommend more than two layers at a time. In the future, I think we would add a little more hot sauce and at least half of stick less of butter, however I would recommend this recipe!