You never know what’s going to draw you to a certain piece. We all have a penchant for something. Some of us swoon for 1940’s shoulders, others for border prints, others for 1970’s flare. Regardless of how you choose to adorn yourself, there will usually be certain things that catch your eye in a garment that instantly make you start to style it about 8 different ways in your head.
Awhile back I was browsing one of my very favorite vintage shops – Coutura Vintage. And there this violet-speckled dress was, in hues of purple and cornflower, dusted across a white cotton surface. And while there were many elements of this dress that I loved, I admit the fact that Lena had styled it with a 3D belt of cascading violets is what really caught my eye.
Now, the flowers were actually real violets and not sold with the dress (natch. Customs probably would have had a field day with that one). You can intellectually know something to be true, and be disappointed anyway. Cause this gal LOVES her 3D details on things (case in point). So, as this dress was whisking her way to me from Australia, I got that familiar twinkle in my eye and knew that if there was a will, there was a way….
I‘ve always love that old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The idea that if someone is determined enough, she will find a way to accomplish a task, no matter the obstacle. And I’ve been known to fully embrace this proverb on more than one occasion – particularly when it comes to a garment I saw once, but was too slow to purchase or an idea in my head that I’ve never seen in real life.
As someone who does a lot of appliqué work onto clothing, I knew I could easily translate this into accessories. And so starteth my mission for the perfect violet belt to go with my most perfect violet dress…
The Belt
I knew I wanted to create a belt out of clusters of felt flowers that would stand in stark relief to a wide, flat belt. Although I entertained the idea of creating a belt band, a quick look at my wardrobe and I knew I had more than enough belts to get me through the winter. And I thought: wouldn’t it be amazing if I could make a belt attachment that could then simply go over a range of belts? Not only would this give me a lot of flexibility, but I could mix and match the color of the band to suit my mood.
I started by finding the perfect flowers, and I didn’t have to go far. When I made my Garden of Eden dress, I discovered A Market Collection, who makes incredible felt flowers. As soon as I saw them, I knew the clusters of two-toned hydrangeas that Amy sells would make the perfect pseudo-violet clusters. I immediately bought two bunches, one in a combination of lavender and robin’s egg, and the second in purple and wisteria.
They arrived pretty quickly – with a minor error to the order. The clusters I received were each a single color – one in all lavender and the other in all robin’s egg. I wrote Amy, who apologized profusely and immediately sent me out a replacement.
But funny thing – not only is it true that if there’s a will there’s a way, I also embrace the cliche “everything happens for a reason.” As it turned out, it was a happy accident that Amy sent the first batch in all one color – in playing with the various flower cluster combinations, I felt that the belt really benefited from having the breath of a single color. I ended up going with the color scheme of lavender and robin’s egg only, using three clusters of the hydrangeas.
I then played with placement of the leaves that came with the flower clusters, keeping things haphazard but balanced. Once I was happy with the look, I pinned it all together.
Color scheme set, the only thing left was the construction. This was actually a relatively simple make – I cut out two rectangles that were each 4.25′ long by 2.5″ wide – I stitched them together and pressed the seam flat. The plan was to fold it in half at the seam to go around my belts (most of which are 1.5″ wide, so you want at least the width of your belt + 1″ of wiggle room).
To one side of the felt rectangle, I appliquéd my flowers – mostly catching the felt flowers on the underside and keeping my stitches invisible.
On the other side of the flap, I added two sets of snaps – one to the side that I had appliquéd the flowers, and one to the other side. This would allow me to put the felt rectangle around an existing belt and snap it closed.
I got an existing green felt belt, tucked the side of the flat without the flowers behind, folded the flap over, and snapped it closed. Voila! It looks as though the 3D embellishments had been there all along….
Before I knew it, I felt I had invented something magical – a belt clip that could attached to all manner of belts! Once I had all of the materials, making the belt took me under an hour, and I was absolutely thrilled with the finished product. Mr. Dressed thinks I invented the next Big Thing in accessories…
Sewing has definitely been keeping me sane during all of this uncertainty. This has been a pretty crazy few weeks and I know many of us are feeling upside down trying to navigate the unknowns of COVID-19. I hope everyone is staying safe and well – Mr. Dressed and I are definitely practicing a lot of social distancing for the foreseeable future. The best thing we can do right now is not to panic, but to make smart choices. Wash your hands. Avoid crowds and stay in as much as possible. Stock up, but don’t hoard. Shop local and small if possible, because they will be hit hardest by social distancing. I believe we can and will get through this, as long as we acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and take appropriate action.
During our self-quarantine, I’ll be keeping myself pretty busy trying to teach online (a new one for me) and helping my graduate students move forward with their research objectives, despite our limited ability to be in the lab. These are definitely uncharted waters for all of us, but it’s so important to do all that we can to flatten the curve.
In the meantime, what do you when you can’t leave the house?? I have a feeling I’m going to get a LOT of sewing done…
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Coutura Vintage (similar modern and vintage here, here & here)
Cardigan: Mak via Unique Vintage
Necklace: Kashuen
3D Belt: Made by me w/flowers from A Market Collection
Handbag: gift, Bluebird Vintage (similar here & here)
Wedges: Matiko Paris
Lip Color: Dior Rouge 634
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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review and/or feature on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.