Simple is pretty, and I dig it most of the time. But I’ve got a little thing for big bows, so when I found this simple high-neck dress at the thrift store this week, it seemed to be begging for an ascot addition. I dove into my fabric stash and found some pieces of an old thrifted dress which I had been using for business cards.

Originally I wanted to make one long ribbon to tie into a bow, but since I didn’t have enough fabric length, and didn’t want to piece together the fabric, I thought it might work better to arrange the bow from three parts.

First I cut out two long strips of fabric for the hanging pieces of the bow, and then two more for the top section of the bow. The pieces varied from 2.5-3′ in length and around 3″ in width. For the hanging pieces, I cut the ends in a diagonal, because it looks nice at the end of a bow.

When I stitched them together, I was careful to keep the face side inward (facing each other), ran the edges through the sewing machine, and left about a two-inch gap so that I could flip it right-side-out when I was finished stitching.

After I ironed the two pieces, I began to think about assembling the bow. I needed a small strip to attach the two pieces, so I stitched one up really quickly. Also, where the top part of the bow gathers, I stitched the unfinished edges together so that the bow wouldn’t come apart later.

To connect the top section and the hanging section of the bow, I tied the smaller piece of fabric, trimmed the edges, and stitched it so that it wouldn’t move around as I wore the bow. Then, I grabbed a nice sized safety pin and attached the bow to my dress. Pretty simple!

I’m already planning some small bows made from leftover gingham material that I want to affix on both shoulders of some strappy dresses. It’s a super easy project that I will probably try again and again!

My recent need for more color in my life has resulted in a hefty purchase of Rit fabric dye for some DIY wardrobe projects. First up? A little practice in the home decor department.Three little packets of fabric dye gave the rather neutral alcove of our great room a much needed infusion of jewel tone color.

Adding color to these linen burlap curtains was actually a pretty easy process, but it took quite a bit of nerve. What if I messed up? What would I do for curtains? I kind of loved those curtains, and they were my first home purchase four years ago when I was preparing for married life.

Giving the burlap curtains this ombre look was a two-step process, which I’ve detailed in a recent post at Apartment Therapy. Easy peasy, I promise! Head on over to get the details, and maybe you can muster the courage to add a little bit more color to your home too!

I’m pretty excited about Elsie & Rachel‘s Project ReStyle going on this year. I participated by making this men’s western shirt into a nice summer skirt for myself. It might look a little wonky on the dressform, but that’s because I had to pin it to fit that teeny frame. I can’t wait to wear it with my newly found Victorian corset cover (with a slip underneath, of course.)!

The process of the transformation was as easy as chopping off the top of the shirt, and taking in the sides of the shirt a little at the top. Last, I added a strip of fabric from the sleeves to the top, adding a button enclosure. I’m not very good at button holes, but I suppose it doesn’t matter because it’ll just be covered up by a belt. :)