Peplum’s been showing up on garments casual and fancy for the last few months, and we’re loving the flirty femininity it adds to any outfit. We’ve come up with one easy way to turn shirts or skirts into fashion-forward peplum pieces!
This project is slightly more advanced as it does require a sewing machine, and you’ll have to measure yourself to create a peplum pattern. We promise though, it’s not as hard as it looks!
Materials:
– skirt or shirt (that you’ll attach the peplum to)
– 1 yard of fabric
– newspaper (for making a pattern)
– scissors
– pins
– sewing machine
First thing to do is make your pattern.
Measure around your waist, where you want the peplum to start. Take that measurement and divide it by 6.28 to get the radius of your pattern. For us, the radius was 5 inches.
Now take a large piece of newspaper. Measure 5 inches from each corner of the newspaper and make a mark. Mark one more dot in the center of the two corners. Connect each dot by drawing a half circle.
Measure out how long you want your peplum to hang by starting at the waist line and measure a little bit past your belly button. We went with 8 inches. Make sure to leave an extra inch or so for the seam.
Cut out your pattern!
Next thing is to cut your fabric.
Fold your fabric into quarters so that the left and bottom corner are where the folds are. Place your newspaper pattern on top and cut.
Now you should have a peplum circle! Depending on the fabric you’re using, you may need to hem the bottom.
Next, time to pin!
Lay out your garment and pin on the peplum material. Be sure to pin (and sew) on the inside so that the lines are clean when you flip it over.
The peplum circle will be longer than your skirt or shirt. You’ll be creating small darts to make the peplum pop.
The best way to pin is to start at the center of the garment on the front and back. Then turn the skirt and pin the side seams.
And now it’s time to sew.
The trick to sewing a peplum piece onto a stretchy cotton skirt or shirt is to stretch your garment a bit while sewing. This ensures that your garment will stay stretch and also gives the peplum a little extra body.
And that’s it!!
And yes, you might recognize that skirt from our recent 5 Items, 10 Ways style hack.
For a more casual playful look, try adding a peplum flare to a tank top.
Or go fancy with vinyl or leather.
You can always just go nuts with the patterns.
Or wear all 3 peplums at once!
What recent trends are you digging? Have you tried your own DIY peplum top or skirt? Talk to us in the comments below!
Back in January, we introduced you to a feel-good cause to inspire your New Year's resolution: a walking challenge to help raise funds for the amazing cancer fighters at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I took part in the challenge with the Brit + Co team and ended up walking 105+ miles in January — it was awesome.
This spring, there's a new challenge on the horizon, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Big Climb. The ask: On May 15, 2021, you can step up to take cancer down by committing to climb 1,311 steps, walking 3.2 miles, or doing 440 chair step-ups at home as part of the Big Climb. If you need some motivation to bring movement back into your daily routine — look no further!
As always, it's free to sign up, but climbers are encouraged to set a fundraising goal to help beat cancer. We'll be organizing another Brit + Co team to step up, and I hope you'll join us too! Keep scrolling for a peek at where I'll be completing the challenge in my Los Angeles neighborhood around the hidden Silver Lake Stairs. Happy climbing!
Never underestimate the power of an accountability buddy! I asked my in-laws, my partner, and a few friends to join me so we can keep each other motivated and accountable in completing the challenge — virtual high-fives all around! Also, my dog Fox is a great climber, too.
An aesthetically pleasing backdrop is a huge motivator for me! I'm fortunate to have all sorts of painted steps around my neighborhood to keep the challenge interesting, but you can also keep cool inside with at-home chair step-ups.
Don't forget to share your progress on social — #BigClimb!
Feel free to break the challenge up if you need to by tackling half the distance in the AM and half at sunset. Here's me 1,311 steps later and ready for a break — but, think I earned this one!
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