Hi everyone! It’s Crystal (@thoresoncrystal on Instagram) and today I’m sharing a super fun project for customizing your handmade garments. As much as I enjoy sewing for myself, I really love making things for my daughters. As my eldest daughter gets older it becomes more difficult to find patterns that fit well, she’ll be 14 soon and is typically between girl’s and women’s sizing. It can also be hard to find patterns that are really stylish and trendy and fit her personal style aesthetic.
When we saw the Marbella, we knew it would be perfect for her! Marbella is a knit top or dress, it can be made pullover style or button up with a collar. (aff link)
Last year we saw this gorgeous pair of jeans that had been hand painted and knew it was something we really wanted to try. I ordered this lovely teal rayon/lycra jersey knit from Imagine Gnats, I think the color is perfect for autumn. Because the fabric has a beautiful 4 way stretch I opted to make her the pullover top instead of a dress. Even though the fabric isn’t heavy I don’t think a 4-way stretch works well for the dress versions of Marbella, because the skirt can pull the waist seam down. After assembling the pattern and cutting the fabric we were ready to start painting.
Most people associate fabric paint with the puffy paint trends of the 80’s and 90’s. I remember my mother making countless puffy painted sweatshirts! To achieve the look we were going for I used some stencils and Tulip brand soft paint. The ‘soft’ part is key here – using the traditional dimensional paint means that the paint will sort of lie on top of the fabric instead of sinking in and becoming part of the fabric. Soft paint achieves more of a screen printed look. Get some inexpensive makeup sponges to apply the paint and you’re all set!
I stenciled just the bottom portion of the shirt and the bottom of the sleeves to achieve a border print look. Once the paint was dry and set with a hot iron I sewed the top together.
I love the sizing on this pattern because it really accommodates women of all sizes. The smallest bust is 32″ and largest is 53″! Since most girl’s or tween’s pattern sizing ends at around 31″ bust, the Marbella’s sizing is perfect for growing teens! I didn’t need to make any adjustments to the pattern for it to work for her. After it was finished I used some embroidery thread to create some fun ties at the neckline.
Paired with jeans and some ankle boots, it’s the perfect early fall outfit and definitely teenager approved! Grab your copy of Marbella here. (aff link)
Find Crystal: Instagram
