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 

Bold colors and polka dots (or how Minnie Mouse would thrive with Ixia dresses)

Polka dots seem to be a timeless pattern for different kinds of garments; from casual frocks to formal attire. When paired with dark colors, polka dots look quite elegant and refined, especially when the dots are smaller in size and cover the piece like freckles. Just imagine a lady in a long navy wrap-up dress with white polka dots, wearing dark sunglasses and a straw sun hat with a matching navy scarf tied around it, sporting a big white handbag and peep toe heels of the same color... You just got yourself a true chic ensemble!

But today I want to focus on the other side of polka dots. The "fun side" of polka dots. Like when you see any kind of red clothing bathed in white polka dots and you immediately think about Minnie Mouse. In fact, Minnie's signature red polka dot dress could, in fact, be one of the most iconic polka dot gowns in history. We've seen her wear the same dress in pink less often, and more recently in blue during this year's "Minnie Rocks the Dots" event. Just in case you missed the cue, Uniqlo and Minnie have teamed up to launch a new clothing collection this year named "Minnie Mouse Loves Dots"; and guess which pattern will become the new trend? You got it!

Definitely Minnie's signature red polka dot dress cannot be overrun by any other gown, but one of my personal favorite brands might just be the thing you're looking for if you want to look as chic as Minnie Mouse. These yellow and pink polka dot dresses that I'm wearing in the pictures above and below are manufactured by the incredible clothing brand Ixia. They are comfortable, well made, light but sturdy, and they fit like a glove. Both models are swing dresses, with very nice movement in the skirt when you, well, swing and dance. Each one features a different bodice: the pink one has a simple fold over top, with straight shoulder straps and a built-in belt attached at the waistband for you to tie it back in a pretty bow. The yellow one came with an adjustable and removable halter strap and a pleated top. Nevertheless, both follow the same sizing chart.

The dresses are somewhat stretchy, since they are made with 97% cotton and 5% spandex, and they also have an elastic backing to help accommodate a perfect fit. You can wear them with or without a bra since the bodice is padded. Both the pink and the yellow models feature a zipper on the back and a circle skirt, though the description might deceive you because they usually tag them as A-line dresses. Dare to wear the dress with a petticoat and you'll get yourself a very nice volume in the skirt. Don't worry, if you don't exactly dream about full dresses, you can simply sport them as they are. But coming back to the main idea behind them, these bold colors turn polka dots into a really fun and fresh way to wear them. The combination is perfect for young and young-at-heart ladies who are into the 50s era fashion with a modern twist. You can find these dresses and other models in a wide array of colors, including jade, black, lavender, white, coral, fuchsia, navy... and red too! I'm sure Minnie Mouse would approve these dress collections, and perhaps even get a few for herself.

It's not very common to know Ixia unless you've casually stumbled upon it. The reason behind it is that Ixia has neither a physical store nor an online shop, webpage, or social media channels. However, you can find Ixia dresses at Amazon or Ebay, or even through retailers like Modcloth, LA Showroom, RetroGlam and others. I was lucky enough to come across this exquisite clothing brand while rummaging through a random clothing store in my neighborhood, which sells garments from random wholesalers. The first dress I spotted was the pink one, and I just had to have it. It was like love at first sight. The store only had medium and large, but I couldn't care less and decided to purchase it anyway. The next time I went by the store the yellow one caught my attention through the window.

I love these Ixia dresses and am proud to have them as part of my wardrobe. Every time I wear them I feel like channeling Minnie Mouse and I pair them with classic heels, just like Minnie! So if you feel like these are the right choice for you, go ahead and get a couple of them. I currently own four Ixias and I'm planning to get my hand on a few more. *evil laughter*

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PS: Please note that both garments are "dry clean only", but soon I'll be uploading a tutorial on how I take good care of them at home. 

Hogwarts houses twin skirts

The first time my mom took me in a serious visit to our go-to fabric store, my target was finding one or two fabrics to rehearse my sewing skills. Back then I had started sewing using old pieces of fabric stashed in my mother's trunk, essentially making gathered skirts with a simple elastic waistband... probably one of the easiest clothing pieces to create. However, I was feeling like it was time to try out something more challenging.

Once in the store, we walked through every isle on each floor: on one hand she told me about different fabric names and uses, and on the other I inspected their colors, patterns and overall feel. Deep inside the third floor I spotted three colorful striped fabrics; a green/white, a burgundy/gold and a teal/gold. If you've been reading this blog lately, you probably already know that I am crazy about stripes. Many things went through my head in that moment. My first reaction was feeling the urge to purchase some of these fabrics and use them in my next project. Being a Potterhead, I also thought about the great resemblance between the first two with the house colors of Slytherin and Griffindor. Lastly, I imagined gathered skirts confectioned with these fabrics. 

Of course, I bought a meter and a half of the burgundy/gold and green/white and proudly took them home as my first two self-chosen and self-bought project fabrics. I opted out of getting some of the teal/gold because the color combination wasn't too convincing. In fact, on my next visit to the store the first two fabrics were completely gone, but there was plenty left of the teal/gold... even for the next two or three visits. I guess it wasn't so popular.

These two fit perfectly with my idea of trying out a different sewing method for gathered skirts, so I made a pattern to make two identical skirts with a wide waistband and a side opening. Both were made cutting the fabric length-wise, not from selvage to selvage. This guaranteed that the stripes were positioned vertically. I had zero experience sewing zippers into garments, so my method of choice to open and close the the skirt was a combination of three pairs of velcro pieces sewn along the left side and two pairs of hooks and eyes on the waistband to secure the fit. The waistband has a wide elastic underneath used as a base.

These twin skirts are super comfortable and have a lot of movement, and they're also wide enough to accommodate a petticoat underneath. The fabrics are glossy, a little stretchy and have quite a silky feel. Being shiny and smooth transforms them into garments that can be used formally combined with a nice top, or more casually with a fitted tee. In these pictures I paired them up with a black bowtie blouse (by Xiomi), a black cardigan (by Doll Me Up) and black lace wedges (by American Eagle) and a pair of small golden earrings. You might also notice my nails are painted to match the Slytherin skirt.

I originally named them "Slytherin Sweetheart Skirt" and "Griffindor Girly Skirt" respectively, but as a proud Slytherin myself, I have a slight weakness for the green/white. So all that is left is to wish one day I find similar fabric in blue/silver and yellow/black to complete my Hogwarts houses skirt collection.

 Keep coming back for more posts about fashion, tutorials and more! 

St. Paddy's green and polka dots

It's been forever since I last posted, given that I was incredibly busy with our wedding plans. But now that we've come back from our honeymoon (at Disney World, by the way), I'm getting back on track!

We spent two amazing and well-deserved weeks at Orlando, and were lucky enough to spend St. Patrick's Day at Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure. Following the "pinch-those-who-don't-wear-green-during-St.-Patrick's", I chose to wear this green peasant dress from Doll Me Up. Since the weather was pretty chilly, I paired it up with a black cardigan (also from Doll Me Up) and a pair of nude stockings. You might also spot my new grey slip-ons (from American Eagle) and my loyal neon pink fanny pack.

The dress is incredibly comfortable and form-flattering, and the fabric is quite sturdy and stretchy. It fits like a glove because it has a conveniently smocked waist and elastic sleeves, which allow it to stretch up one or maybe even two sizes. I normally wear dresses size S but I could only get my hands on the size M, which still fits perfectly. I bet even the L could fit me properly. The skirt is longer than I expected, but it still has a fresh enough length to walk around the parks, dance, and do other activities. The dress also has a flounced edge sewn with the same fabric. It's a very nice touch to make the skirt even prettier.

Since the fabric is quite elastic, this garment features no zipper, buttons, or velcro to open and close. You can get it on and off conveniently. The white polka dot pattern printed over the bright green makes this dress pop out and adds some details to an otherwise simple green dress. I'm not a die-hard fan of monochromatic dresses, but I'm sure that having this dress in solid colors would be a fantastic idea. Doll Me Up's peasant dress was my first and obvious choice when it came to choosing an outfit for St. Paddy's.

By the way: Do you know why people pinch you if you're not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day? This tradition dates back to the 1700s, when people thought that anyone who wore green would become invisible to leprechauns. According to the legend, these Irish creatures typically pinched humans, so people jokingly pinch those not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day to remind them about it.

Doll Me Up sells this dress in different colors with white polka dots (yellow, red, lime, burgundy, black, coral, and kelly green) and in floral prints (blue, pink, and aqua). I went with the kelly green one because it's one of my favorite colors, but I really had a hard time choosing only one to add to my wardrobe. After giving it a test drive and being extremely satisfied with it, I think I will definitely purchase it in other hues.

Lastly, here's a picture of myself soaking wet from our last park day after riding Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls, with my green peasant dress and a life-saving fleece Bubba Gump hoodie.

Check out my previous posts and be on the lookout for newer articles! 

Pastel green in the '50s

Since I started sewing seriously and more frequently, I have felt really inclined towards fashion styles from the '50s, and especially attracted by the dresses. They are a perfect combination between girly, elegant, comfortable and sexy, and they can be styled for casual occasions or for more formal events.

After creating two  patterns out of my beloved Ixia fold over pinup dresses, I decided to start experimenting by altering the silhouettes. At first I still stuck to the original shape, but then I went ahead and created the pastel green dress seen in the picture below, which features a narrower skirt and a separate waistband from a different material.

I made this dress using a soft cotton fabric that had been lying around for several years. The only problem that I found was that the fabric is a little see-through. I don't usually line my dresses on the inside because the fabrics I use tend to be sturdy enough, so this was the first dress ever that I lined up, and whenever I wear it I necessarily have to put on a slip underneath the skirt. The waistband is made from a recycled satin waistband from a party dress that I hate, so I felt no regrets when I took it down and cut it into a new one.

My favorite part of this dress, apart from the exquisite color palette, is the bow. It is made out of the same material as the waistband and when I made it I couldn't decide whether I should sew it to the waistband or in the middle of the bodice. I liked both options so much that I finally sewed a safety pin to the back of the bow, making it easy to move it around and stick it wherever I liked the most. I normally wear it as shown in the pictures.

In this case my shoes are black wedge sandals by Vic Matie, my necklace is a key-and-heart matching "Best Friends" necklace from Claire's, and I also paired the dress with a black bolero by Exotik.

Come back later for more posts about fashion and crafts! 

New project: 365 Mickey Ears

This month I decided to start a new project that could blend my love for design, Disney and amazing prints. On a daily basis a pair of colorful Mickey ears will be posted on my new Instagram account: @365MickeyEars.

I will be making 365 Mickey ears -one per day of the year- with different motifs, colors, themes and other inspirations. I will try to capture most important holidays worldwide and portray a wide diversity of color combinations, patterns, shapes and styles.

Follow me on Instagram ( @joycasasc & @365MickeyEars for those who don't follow me yet) with the hashtag #365MickeyEars to see the complete collection.