Strolling through Sea World in my colorful squares skirt

Whoever knows me very well can tell you how enormously fond of theme parks I am. It might seem shallow to some, but I think there's no greater feeling than walking into a magical land filled with excitement, thrilling rides, beautiful settings, scrumptious food and an overall mood of joy. It might be one of my favorite feelings in the world. Sometimes I feel sad and nostalgic when it's been a long time without me going to a top-notch amusement park, especially because such a wonderful place makes me feel at home.

The last time I visited Sea World was during our honeymoon, last March. I'd never really taken much care for what I wore to the parks, but with it being a special occasion and given that I'm really into sewing and fashion, I decided to pack better outfits for our adventures. In this case, I chose to wear a gorgeous black tee with a blue macaw (a gift from my husband) with my colorful squares skirt. You might find this skirt familiar because it is precisely the gathered skirt that I show how to make in my YouTube tutorial. Since the weather was quite cold, I paired the outfit with my favorite sweater: a cozy Jack & Sally reversible hoodie from Hot Topic. I also threw in a very loyal and comfortable pair of sneakers from the ever-fabulous Payless Shoe Source store.

First of all, I want to say that I didn't really plan the outfit. I just knew our honeymoon would be the perfect moment to debut this gathered skirt. While I was choosing what to wear to Sea World, I rummaged through the pile of black and white tees that I'd packed, until inspiration hit me as soon as I saw this macaw one. What I loved the most was that the colors of both garments were practically meant to be together. Actually, that's also my favorite thing about the skirt: the color palette. Greens, yellows, blues and black are all combined into a very well-thought squared pattern decorated with animal icons and names. The cotton fabric literally looks like kids' blocks tiled far and wide across a solid light blue background. This adds an element of fun to the skirt, and it sure looks curious!

This was certainly not the first gathered skirt I made. By the time I confected it I already felt confident enough to make it out of thin air, and that's why I used it to film the tutorial. I've received lots of positive feedback for it, encouraging me to make more sewing tutorials... Which I will make in due time (or when I actually HAVE time). For now, I just love to wear this colorful skirt knowing that maybe, just maybe, one day someone will recognize it.

Making a gathered skirt is not a very complicated project. I can tell you it's much easier than creating a dress or a jacket. However, when you're new at sewing you might find it to be a daring task, especially with the gathering process and inserting the zipper. Fortunately, this wasn't the case with my skirt, albeit the Slytherin and Gryffindor inspired skirts that I posted previously in the blog were totally the case. Featuring three meters of hand-gathered fabric, a medium waistband and a back zipper and hook-and-eye closure, this beautiful skirt falls into a girly-comfortable clothing category. It was delightful to wear it on a promenade through Sea World, hauling no complaints from yours truly. And, oh surprise, my outfit also matched the park's colors!

Naturally, I came to the conclusion that my colorful squares skirt deserved a spotlight with a review in my blog after being the protagonist of what has been my most popular YouTube tutorial so far. So here it is. We walked around the whole Sea World park. We rode Manta, Kraken and the newest Mako roller coaster. We were stranded for ten minutes in front of the penguin window inside Empire of the Penguin. We had to run and seek shelter from the rain. To my worst regrets, we did not get a chance to ride Journey to Atlantis because they decided to do maintenance that same day. We watched dolphins, turtles, sharks, rays, belugas, walruses and sea lions swim. I enjoyed the whole park in my incredible skirt and felt fabulous all day. I think I've found my staple clothing item for amusement parks!

I must say I already miss the enthusiasm and the adrenaline rush from being at the parks. Hopefully we'll get to visit one soon, and I'll have some more gathered skirts awaiting their debut at a theme park too.

Thank you for reading! Remember to follow our adventures on Instagram @edu_and_joy 

How to resize a shirt [Tutorial]

It's pretty common to have some ill-fitting shirts in our wardrobes, which usually consist of garments bought without trying them on, or a gift from someone who clearly wasn't familiar with your size. Instead of stuffing these in the abysmal depths of your closet wondering if we'll ever get to wear them, there is a more appealing solution to this problem: resizing your shirt with this easy and quick method.

Below you will find a simple tutorial on how to resize a shirt. Hopefully it will help you recover some clothes that you thought you'd never use again. Please note that this tutorial focuses on reducing the size of a shirt, not increasing it.

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Swimsuit sizing: nightmare or blessing?

There's something quite particular that I've come to realize starting some years ago, after I actually started caring about my swimsuits and decided to buy my very own pieces: I own swimsuits ranging from size 14 (kids' size) to XL (women's size). So... What is this about?

Sometimes people choose to go one size up or down, depending on the fit of a clothing item, its stretching properties, its junior or non-junior sizing, and other elements to consider. However, I would have never guessed that someone could make such enormous leaps between sizes! But, alas, I have the living proof packed inside my closet.

I currently own around 30 swimsuits, counting bikinis and one-pieces, and even reversible suits. It's funny because I'm not a real fan of going to the beach or the pool, but I have a weakness for swimsuits that hook my mind and bother it for weeks and weeks. Anyway, it's very interesting to compare the fit and sizes of all my swimsuits: (14, 16 and XXL kids) and (XS, S, M, L and even XL adults). I think there's absolutely no logic to be found in this lot, and that's why now I'm always faced by an existential doubt whenever I want to buy a new swimsuit and the seller asks "which size are you looking for?", especially if it's an online shop. My conclusion can only be one: never deny trying on a swimsuit before buying it; and if you're buying online... good luck.

 

Now, about my outfit. The swimsuit that I'm wearing is from a fabulous small business from the Venezuelan seamstress Sussy De Pieren. I actually own several swimsuits from her brand, Tuqueque. Since I first found out about her, I've always admired her exquisite taste in creating innovative, fresh and creative new swimsuit styles. The very first swimsuit that I owned from Tuqueque was a birthday gift from my mother, and it's definitively one of my favorite swimsuits that I've ever owned.

This particular swimsuit came in a size L (mistaken for an M), but it still fits me well enough. Not many people know this, but you can actually tweak some features of a swimsuit to wear it in different ways. For example, this swimsuit is too big for me if I wear the straps crossed on the back; but with one simple move to the front... voilá! I love the printed fabric of this swimsuit, combining a snakelike purple pattern with green leaves. It's very exotic and glamorous at the same time.

I will definitively be posting more about my swimsuits and showing them to you. Meanwhile, feel free to follow Tuqueque on Instagram at @sussydepieren.

Stay tuned for more fashion posts! 

Nude colors & a touch of purple

Uniforms usually bring together mixed opinions. Some say they're fantastic because you don't have to waste a whole hour each morning choosing what to wear. Others say they're a blasphemy because they suppress your identity through endless matching outfits for everyone. Debating this argument, there are people who state that uniforms are a way of showing equality and not discriminating anyone for what they wear. I personally think two things:

1. There are beautiful uniforms, normal uniforms and ridiculous uniforms. (Have you seen some of the prettiest stewardess uniforms?)

2. If you ever wear a uniform, you should definitely find a way to pump it up while sticking to the dress codes.

My daily uniform consists in a white shirt and khaki bottoms. I personally dislike it because these colors do not match with my skin tone (especially khaki, beige or whatever... yuck!). So from day one I started off by asking if it was allowed to wear skirts instead of pants, seeing as no one ever wore khaki skirts. I was told YES, so I immediately proceeded to buy khaki gabardine to make myself a jumper and a skirt/jumper (or pinafore dress). I also found a pair of old khaki jeans stashed in my crafting room, which belonged to my brother a long time ago... and guess what I turned them into?

In these pictures I am wearing an a-line skirt made with old khaki pants. You can even see some fading in the fabric caused by the sun. As I was saying before, I like to pump up my simple uniforms. In this case I chose to combine it with a plain white long sleeve tee (by Fru Fru), my favorite purple and black scarf (it was a gift from my boyfriend's sister, who bought it somewhere in Spain), my "The Haunted Mansion" bat key necklace (from Disney's Magic Kingdom park), a pair of palm-printed slip-ons (by Refresh), and I also threw in some Leia buns to improve my hair game.

 Stay tuned for more fashion posts! 

How to make a gathered skirt [Tutorial]

Full skirts are possibly one of the best fashion items ever invented. They're comfortable, easy to combine, flirty and elegant. You can pair them up with tees, blouses, shirts and cardigans, and you can wear them with sandals, wedges, heels and even slip-ons. You can put together a casual look or a classic outfit with one of these beauties.

In the video below I am sharing my very own tutorial on how to make a gathered skirt. This is how I've made most of my full skirts, with one or two variations.

Follow me if you want to see more tutorials and other curious findings!

Ssssstripe two!

As I said on my first outfit post, stripes are a recurring theme in my clothes. I simply cannot get enough of them.

In this case I'm wearing a scarlet red and green striped dress. When I made this dress I had already been sewing for a few months, so the project felt easier to complete. My aunt gave me the fabric, which she had bought many years ago to make a beach outfit for herself. I think the fabric gives a sensation of gypsy inspiration, due to its bright color mix and pattern choice.

I paired it with green heels with small bows (by Zabumba) and a rectangle-shaped stone necklace. The halter straps were made exactly to fit the width of the green stripes, and the complete ensemble was carefully matched to remain symmetrical. Here are some quick snaps back from when I sewed the dress.

 Stick around for more fashion posts and fun findings! 

We're not in Kansas anymore (Dorothy's dress)

Whenever you think about "The Wizard of Oz" many key elements might come to your mind... Emerald City, the yellow brick road, "I'm melting, I'm melting!", the red slippers, flying monkeys, and of course Dorothy's iconic blue gingham pinafore dress.

Here's a short story: when I was a little girl my mother made me a Dorothy costume to dress up like her for Halloween, and she made my brother a Tin Man costume to match. I adored that dress, but eventually outgrew it. Many, many years later, as my interest for sewing was developing, the first big sewing project that I planned for myself was replicating Dorothy's dress for myself. I remember going to a fabric store and buying 2 or 3 meters of blue gingham/vichy. That was the first time I ever bought fabric for me to sew.

Back then I was on vacations, so I went a few days a week to my grandmother's house, who was teaching me how to trace, edit and cut patterns, as well as helping me out to make my dress possible. Sadly I have no pictures of the process, which took a lot of patience, work and my grandmother sewing the zipper because I was no good at it. However, I have the beautiful outcome to remember those wonderful moments.

                 

This is not a replica of Dorothy's dress. I designed it to look more modern, but keeping the essence of her original dress. Here I am pairing it with blue bracelets, blue-and-white earrings, a heart-shaped cookie cutter necklace (from the book The Queen of Hearts), and yellow and khaki wedge sandals (by Naturale'z).

 Get ready for more fashion posts! 

Crazy about stripes

There are few times when I can resist striped clothing items. I have a clear weakness for them, and you will see that recurringly in my wardrobe. Since some time ago I've thought that I must have been a zebra in my past life, because I'm crazy about stripes.

This is a white and violet striped tee that I purchased at a very small shop near my home. I remember I'd been eyeing it for a couple of weeks, until one day it was gone from the display window. About a month later I was running some errands nearby and remembered about the shirt. I decided to pass by the shop and try my luck with the tee. Bingo!  They still had it; so I quickly tried it on and fell more in love with it. I obviously got it on the spot!

In the pictures I am pairing the tee (it is brandless -only says "made in Peru"-) with a black gathered skirt made by yours truly, black sunglasses, a heart-shaped necklace and black sandal wedges (by Vic Matie). The skirt is made of black stretch gabardine. Later on I will post a tutorial on how to make one like this.

 Stay tuned for more fashion posts!