Casual
October 26, 2012

The Maxi tutorial revisted

 Some of you might have noticed that I removed the tutorial for The Maxi skirt from my blog.  After receiving many requests for the option to purchase the skirt from readers who don’t sew, I decided to move forward with manufacturing this skirt and have it be the first piece in my clothing line.  I have been so thrilled with the response and excitement over the launch of this skirt.

After having the tutorial for this skirt up for almost two years, I wasn’t quite sure what to do about it now.  I thought long and hard about whether or not to remove the tutorial.  However, I recently came across this exact skirt for sale in a different shop (complete with my own personal photos), and felt pretty violated.  I want more than anything to help women make their own clothes, but I also want my clothes to be available for women who don’t sew.  But what I don’t want is to be taken advantage of.  For this reason, I decided to remove the free version of the The Maxi tutorial from my site.

But I still want you sewers to be able to create this skirt!  So I polished and perfected my tutorial (a LOT), and have listed a very detailed, pictured filled tutorial for The Maxi available in my Etsy shop.  I feel like this way both the sewers and the non-sewers can have access to this skirt, and I don’t run the risk of being taken advantage of.  I really hope you can understand where I am coming from.  I know I can’t please everyone, but that doesn’t stop me from trying!

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and on a lighter note, I managed to wait till the last minute for Halloween costumes I again.  But a few late nights in a row and the costumes are all complete!  Stay tuned next week to see them!  
(or just follow me on instagram and see them now: @leannebarlow )

If you don’t know how to sew, or know the basics but are interested in learning more, Merrick and I have created The Modern Girl’s Guide to Sewing, online sewing courses that teach you everything you need to know about clothing construction. You can take our Beginner Course or our Intermediate Course, and learn how to follow tutorials like this one! Make sure to check out moderngirlsewing.com!

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Fashion
March 16, 2012

maxi skirt: color pop

option 3:
color pop
top: JCrew, cardi: JCrew, skirt: me, nail polish: Orly- terracotta
Easily transition a neutral colored maxi from winter to spring by adding a bright colored top or cardi.
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The winner of the Bambeanies giveaway is…..
Leah
Love the brown one!
Congrats Leah!  Send me over an email to claim your cute beanie!
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Uncategorized
March 15, 2012

kojo designs Sewing for ME: guest post

Today I’m guest posting on everything Maxi over at Kojo Designs. She is doing a Sewing for ME serious that is definitely worth checking out. And you all know how much I love sewing for me….
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Fashion
March 14, 2012

maxi skirt: dress it up

option 2:
dress it up
top: H&M, blazer: F21, skirt: me (tutorial), belt: vintage from my mom,  jewlery: nashelle, J.Crew, UO, F21, lipstick: So Chaud (Mac)
It’s hard to really feel dressed up in a maxi since these skirts don’t exactly require you to shave your legs, plus they feel like pajamas.  But that’s nothing a high bun and red/orange lip can’t fix.  Also, you should try your hand at mixing prints if you haven’t already.  It’s not as intimidating as it looks. 
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Fashion
March 13, 2012

maxi skirt: dress it down

Over the next few days, I wanted to show you a handful of other maxi skirts I made (tutorial here).  I have a closet full of them now, and even though I have a lot more clothing options now that I’m no longer preggers, they are still so easy and SO comfortable to pull on.  Plus, I wanted to show you that they work great with or without a bump.

Maxi Skirt option 1:
dress it down

top: Express, Skirt: me, Sunnies: UO, shoes: Steve Madden, Jewlery: Nachelle charm necklace, gift, vintage bracelet, polish: China Glaze- Re-fresh Mint & Orly- Rage
The weather lately reminds me so much of California weather.  I just feel like it puts me in a better mood and makes me carefree and relaxed.  I love the easy relaxed California style, so with this skirt I wanted to keep it simple with my favorite v-neck white tee, gladiators, long loose curls, and a few chunkier pieces of metallic jewelry just for a little kick. 
 
I made this same skirt for a client last year and finally got around to making one for myself.  I am in love with the heather gray and ruffles along the bottom.  The ruffles give it some weight, and its fun to see them move around as I walk.
I followed the same steps that I did on this maxi tutorial, except I just did a 2″ wide waistband instead of the yoga waistband (so just fold a 4″ wide waistband in half lengthwise).  For the row of ruffles along the bottom, I made the skirt about 6 inches shorter than I wanted it, and added a row of ruffles that were 6″ and 3 1/2″ wide.  To get the ruffles, I just measures the entire circumference of the very bottom of the skirt, then cut out two strips of fabric (one 6″ and one 3 1/2″) that were double the length of the circumference.  I then placed the 2 long strips on top of each other with the ends matched up at the top, made a basting stitch all along the top, and gathered and gathered until it measured the original circumference.  Then I pinned it along the bottom of the skirt, right sides together with the bottom of the ruffles pointing up, and serged them all together.
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Fashion
November 3, 2011

Maxi Madness

I was so excited to see all of the different maxi skirts that you made using my tutorial!  Here are all of the fabulous skirts that were submitted.  I love all the different colors!  It makes me want to go make more…
Kristen   /   KristanLynn
 
Heather   /   Erin
Page   /   Rainy
Ali   /   Kailee
Sarah   /   Chelsea
(I love that Sarah and Chelsea used the same fabric!)
I promise it will be the most comfy skirt you ever wear.
And don’t forget, if you didn’t make this skirt in time for this post, but make it in the future (or any piece using one of my tutorials) feel free to upload it to my flicker page!
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Uncategorized
October 28, 2011

and the winner is….

SPOILER ALERT: I’m posting on the Project Runway season finale, so if you haven’t watched it yet, stop reading and go watch your DVR!
I think Garrett was almost as excited as I was for the finale.  I love PR and usually want to run into my sewing room after watching it and start creating.  I was a little nervous about who the judges were going to pick in the end, because Josh wasn’t my fav.  I thought it would have been between Anya and Viktor for sure….so that was a little surprising.  But they made their decision, and I am so happy for this little lady:
Yes her collection was pretty much all dresses, but they were gorgeous and flowy.  And lets me honest…I die over a good dress/skirt.  I especially loved this piece:
Also, I wanted to remind you to send me over a picture of your MAXI SKIRTS!  I have loved seeing them come into my inbox.  I plan on doing the big Maxi post Thursday of next week.  I figured I’d give you guys a few days so that you can finish up your skirts and your Halloween costumes.
Which by the way, Bradley wore his today and I had a hard time keeping myself from pinching his little cheeks he looked so cute!
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Fashion
October 5, 2011

Make a Maxi Madness

aaaaand I made another one…


cardigan: J.Crew, shirt: Forever 21, bag: Anthropologie, earrings: gifted, bracelet: Juicy

So I still have fabric up my sleeve to create even more of these comfy skirts for fall.  I think obsessed would be the proper word to describe how much I love them.  But from the looks of things, you like them too!  I have gotten lots of emails from readers who have created one (or two…or three) of my maxi skirts, and I want to show them off!  So I’ve decided to showcase all of your maxi skirts into what I am calling….

If you’ve created a maxi skirt using my tutorial, ask your lover nicely to snap a quick pic of you and email it to me!  Or if you have it on your to-do list, try to get this little sucker pumped out by the end of this month.  I’ll do one big post of all the maxi skirts that YOU have created on November 1st, so hopefully that gives you plenty of time to get yours done.  Can’t wait to see you all strut your stuff in your maxi’s!
In your email to me, please let me know if you would like me to link your picture back to your blog or not.
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Fashion
September 13, 2011

navy maxi

 top: J.Crew / bag: Banana Republic / belt: vintage
I’ve already started making more of these beauties. What if my next 20 posts are just of maxi skirts? That might make me the lamest blogger ever…. I’ll try to keep it interesting.
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Sewing
September 8, 2011

The Maxi

Remember that one time I used to sew clothes?  Well cross country traveling mixed with nausea every night really put a damper on my desire to sew.  But I started getting the itch a few weeks ago with all of my gorgeous new fabric.  So I decided to ease back into my sewing machine with a simple, fabulous especially if you’re pregnant, maxi skirt.

It’s long and stretchy.  At this point, I can’t think of a better combo.  I stocked up on knits in LA, so I have about 5 more that I want to make of this exact skirt. 


top: Cozy / necklace: J.Crew / bangles: Forever 21 / shoes: Steve Madden

UPDATE:

My Maxi skirts are available for purchase in my store, leannebarlow.com.  For those of you that would like to make your own skirt,  I have listed the tutorial for this skirt in my Esty store!

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