4th of July off the shoulder ROMPER!

 

Okay, who else is dying in this heat? Because I know I sure am!

With that being said, it’s OFFICIALLY summer. So what’s easier to just throw on and go other than a romper? They are my go-to & we are so ready to share this one with you, just in time for the 4th of July!

What you will need:

This ITY print

 Cynthia Rowley Pattern 8124

Elastic

You can even jazz it up with this necklace!

For measurements, reference the back of the pattern:

We also highly recommend these fabrics for this cozy romper:

In order: Shibori Bamboo Knit in Red, Shibori Bamboo Knit in Indigo, Robin Crepe, Pebble Crepe, Andrea Eyelet &  Liberty of London Anderson

Here you will find a video that walks you through the whole process of creating this garment (hope the music puts you in the summer mood!) If you are a beginner, don’t worry, we have provided a simple walk through! If you are more advanced, we have accommodated you through the use of using your serger!

We want to see your final product!!! Tag us on Instagram or Facebook and hashtag #MLEVINECREATION for a chance to win some goodies!!

Cheetah Dress DIY

Okay, so I’m sharing a secret with you guys. This dress I’m about to show you, is my life.

Before I go any further just know you don’t have to be an experienced sewer to do this! Sewing comes with time and patience. But if you are an experienced sewer and would like to finish this dress off (the hem, neckline and sleeves then be my guest, but show me pics!)

I chose not to finish the edges, which sounds crazy- I know, but with the ITY that I used and the knits that I have used, its not necessary and I like it a little rough. And you heard right, I’ve done this DIY with Knits and ITY.. AKA I’ve made a TON, they are my absolute GO TO.

I’ve even thrown one together minutes before work… that’s actually how this all started. With that said, lets get started!

Step 1: Pick out a fabric. I LOVE my ITY (which I’m giving 2yrds away to a random special someone) I used 1.5 yards, but bought 2yrds to be safe.

These are the two knits I have also used before (pictures with the dresses below)

Step 2: Gather your tools

Step 3: Pin the sleeve to your shirt IN, like so…

Step 4: Lay your fabric out, make sure you are “minding the grain” as my teacher has always told me (so that it stretches the correct way). I personally, lay my fabric out flat, then fold in each side according to how much fabric I need so that I have a solid middle piece remnant. You will then lay your shirt on top of the fabric down the center front. You can pin this down if your ITY is moving around too much.

Step 5: Use your ruler to measure from your shoulder to the ground, this will be how long you want to cut your dress continually extending it as your t-shirt follows.

** I wanted this dress to be formfitting and a little bit edgy, so I followed the cut of my shirt, if you want it loose and non formfitting, add 2-3 inches as shown below, when doing this, you may want to add a piece of elastic to the back, if you don’t know how to do this, please comment and ill add the steps **

Repeat steps 4 & 5: This will be your back, you should end up with TWO cuts that look the same, like this…

Step 6: Who loves french seams?! Because I know I do!! To those who are unfamiliar, we are going to start by sewing the dress together as if you are actually wearing it. That means pattern print goes OUTWARD. Starting with the shoulders, we pin, then sew (I used a stretch stitch)

Sew the shoulders and the sides

Step 7: Trim your garment to 1/4″ from the seam like so

Step 8: Now the magic happens! Flip the dress inside out and sew 1/2″ stitch 

Sew the shoulders and the sides

AND THAT’S IT! I can’t stop making these nor do people stop giving me compliments on them. This in total takes me about 20 minutes (if that) to make.

Here’s how I wore (wear) it!

Need Feedback :)

Hey everyone,

I need YOUR input!!

Im new over here at Michael Levine and want to really connect with you guys in new ways.

One way I am thinking is offering DIY kits for purchase on our site. That being said, whenever we do a tutorial for something, we would offer all the contents needed in one kit, just for you!

For example, this cheetah print DIY that I have planned for you guys this week, if a kit were put together for you to reproduce it, would you be interested in purchasing it?!

LET ME KNOW! I would love to get involved with your input in any way, shape or form!

xo,

Jackie

A long overdue introduction from Hawaii! (Or not)

(If you follow us on Facebook you know I’m supposed to be in Hawaii sitting at the beach with a drink in my hand writing this post, but instead here I sit at my home computer due to tropical storm Flossie. We did reschedule, but I figured I would send this from home and not wait two more weeks.)

So last week I was talking to Robin, the newest member of our online team, asking her for a bio for our newsletter. She told me she went online to look for mine and couldn’t find one. It made me realize I haven’t properly introduced myself to everyone out there.

I will keep it short. I came to Michael Levine, Inc. from the television industry. I grew up on sets, as my dad was a gaffer (lighting) and I knew from a young age I wanted to be in that world. I loved the excitement of it. After I graduated from college I worked my way up the ladder and eventually became an associate producer. I worked on many sit coms over the years, but the one that I worked on the longest was Malcolm & Eddie.

After 5 years the show was cancelled. During my time on that show I got married, had a baby, and was thinking of having another one. I just couldn’t imagine working on a new show again. The hours would be crazy and I knew I didn’t want to miss any more of my little girl’s big moments.

I was lucky that my husband’s family needed help in their business.

While I never imagined I’d work with fabric, and I may not be the most fashion forward person you will ever meet, I have always loved to shop for clothes and had a passion for home decorating. If you look in my closet, beside it being organized in color order, you would notice the pieces I own are pretty timeless. I buy a few items every season that are on trend, but I on the whole I like to stay true to what works on my body & what will be able to live in my closet for more than one season. I figured I would bring this knowledge to the table, as well as my organizational skill and see how it went. That was over 11 years ago so I’d say it has gone pretty well. During my time at Michael Levine I have worn many hats. I have done HR, payroll, assisted with buying new product, and reorganized various departments, but getting our online/social media off the ground has been the most exciting. Coming out of the television industry I love work that is fast paced and always changing and that is exactly what this online business has been.

They first year I came into the online division, lowpricefabric.com, it was all about setting up systems to get product online and to get connected to the buyers out there.  Once we mastered getting the fabric online relatively smoothly, though not always fast enough, I thought we should enter the social media world. Over the last 9 months we have been working on making a presence for ourself on Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, our blog and Instagram. I have to say it is a lot harder than I imagined. Trying to think of new things to blog about or new ideas and products to post is not always easy. It is a world that never sleeps. Everyone wants new information right now. I am trying to learn how to balance those demands with my the other aspects of my life. I am working on setting limits for myself so that I don’t become someone who has to be attached to her phone all the time.  With a teenager in the house, who just got a phone last month, I am trying to model the importance of face to face time as opposed to text/screen time, so I want to set a good example. That being said,  once the kids go to bed I am up until all hours working at my desk.

Sorry I digressed. So I have been at Michael Levine, Inc. for over 11 years and have had two more children. I work part-time in the office and part-time from home. When I came to Michael Levine, Inc. all those years ago it was really important for me to spend the afternoons with my children. I didn’t want to look back and feel like I missed being with them. My oldest, now a teenage, is a high level gymnast. Besides needing to be driven to the gym and have food prepared that 30 minutes is a great time to connect with her. I love that I get to have that. The younger two have homework and various activities, from soccer to baseball to art and while the afternoons are crazy, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. If I had stayed in the television world spending that time with them would have been impossible. Since we have gotten our online store up and running my part-time job has quickly become more like a full-time job and I couldn’t be enjoying it more. I still only work from the office until 2pm, but I work many hours every evening to stay on top of everything. Sales are growing, we’re connecting with amazing bloggers, and  bringing more people on board so we can do projects for our blog as well as get more fabric onto our site. We’re in the middle of revamping our cotton section and next will tackle the apparel section. We will be looking at our in-store notion department and getting more of those products online as well. It is a long road, but one that is so worth traveling. I love the challenge and can’t wait to see where we will be in another year and than another year after that, and so on. Thank you for following us and buying fabric from us. We really appreciate your business and look forward to meeting your fabric needs for many years to come.

Enjoy!

Just had to share…

We love getting feedback from our customers. Here’s a note we received yesterday from one of our favorite customers.

Dear Regina –

Thank you SO much for your help in picking out the right ribbon to go with my fabric. I LOVED the double-faced velvet ribbon. I have attached photos of the pajama bottoms and top I made from the fabric and ribbon I got from you guys. I am so happy with them. But, more importantly, Michael Levine/Low Price Fabric.com is my new favorite place to buy fabric! I think I told you, I am out here in Montana, and there is absolutely nowhere to go. It is hard to buy this kind of stuff without seeing it, but now that I know I can get your excellent assistance, I feel like a whole new world of possibilities is open to me and my sewing! Thanks again, so much-

We want to send a big THANK YOU back at you. Our customers are what make us. We always want to give you the best service we can. Thanks for the great feedback!

Take a look at what she made…love flannel PJ’s. Perfect for the cold! Click here to get the fabric and ribbon.

 

Twice is Nice…

Check out our swimsuit fabric that is featured on Mimi G.’s site. This is the 2nd time in the last 2 weeks she has used our fabric and made a great outfit.I have to say Mimi has great style. I love the sweater and shoes as well. I have to say I wouldn’t have thought of using the swimwear to make a skirt, but it looks great and is probably super comfortable.

Check out her blog for this tutorial. There is even a video to watch.

Hope to see you again Mimi!

What a cool visitor…

Last week one of the designers of a few of our Timeless Treasures cotton prints stopped by the store. I wish I was there to meet & greet, but after reading her blog it is clear she had a great time. Her prints are so fun & quirky. I see why the two women in the store picked them out. Considering the fact that we have thousands of prints I can imagine it was a real thrill to see the two customers eyeing her fabric!

Besides loving that Samarra blogged about her trip to our store, I also enjoyed the wrap skirt she referenced in her blog.

We carry this print in our retail store. Hopefully I will be able to get another piece and offer it online. I will link it to this blog as soon as I do.

Again, I want to thank Samarra and hopefully next time you visit you will drop me a note first. I would love to meet you.

Thank you Mimi…

I just wanted to give a big thanks to Mimi, from Mimi G. Style, for featuring our fabric in her blog. Of course whenever someone makes something fun, like Mimi did, with one of our fabrics, the phone starts ringing and the requests start flooding in. We have been looking high & low for more of the ITY knit chevron print that Mimi used. I think she must have grabbed the last piece. We will be photographing more knits this week and getting them on-line ASAP. Hopefully Mimi’s dress will inspire you, but not limit you to that one print. We have an amazing selection of knits both in our store, Michael Levine, Inc., located in the heart of the Los Angeles Garment District, as well as on-line at lowpricefabric.com. I just added a few new chevron knits. Hopefully one of these, or another of our knits, will strike your fancy.

Again, thanks Mimi! We hope to see you in the store soon, and see more of our fabrics come to life through your design.

From one blogger to another

A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a women named Sunni who was new to our site. She purchased a few fabrics from us and was impressed with the quality of the products and the fast shipping. Quick side note…I just love when our customers have positive feedback. It is so nice to know that all our hard work is showing on people’s door steps! Okay, back to Sunni…she was so impressed with us that she wanted to mention lowpricefabric.com in her next blog. At first I was not sure, but once I saw her site, really cute, I thought we should give it a go. I just read her post from June 7th and I thought I would return the favor and link her blog to our readers just as she had connected lowpricefabric.com to her readers.

                                                      http://www.afashionablestitch.com/2012/sewalongs/2-in-1-sewalong-shopping/

Here are the fabrics she used to make her mood board….

 Hopefully you enjoy her blog as much as I did. Also for a little extra incentive check out the coupon code we offered her readers.

Michael Levine’s Halloween Costume Contest for Employees

Last Saturday, October 22nd, we held our annual costume contest in the store for all Michael Levine’s employees. Each employee was given a $25 store credit to put towards fabric and supplies for any participating halloween costume or apron. In order to be eligible for a prize, we had to be able to work in our costumes all day, and they had to be completely hand made – no ready mades or store bought costumes!

At 8:45, fifteen minutes before opening on Saturday morning, all of the “contestants” lined up at the front of the store and paraded in front of our judges/store supervisors, fellow employees, and insiders/photographers like myself. They came to the front, stated their names and Halloween personas, and worked the catwalk as much as they could for ten to twenty seconds. By the end of the work day, winners had been selected and were announced and given prizes:

Alex, First Place

This is our First Prize Winner, Gaga Miranda, a.k.a. Alex, from our buttons department. His completely hand made cabana queen costume won him the GRAND PRIZE, and, as you can see, in the background his peers enjoyed the performance! Alex says he “was up until 2 a.m., the morning of the contest,” finishing up his costume. He used curled boning and horsehair to accomplish some of the finer details of his headdress, as well as tulle and sequined glitter mesh for the majority of the costume.

Rosie, Second Place

The second place prize went to the Queen of Hearts, a.k.a. Rosie, from our wholesale department. She stormed onto center stage with her commanding glare and dramatic eyebrows, which is honestly so far from the cheerful every day Rosie, that at first I didn’t realize it was her! Rosie used red velour, sequined glitter mesh, and a white feather boa, among other things, and completed the look with a fabulous pink dodo bird croquet mallet.

Jose, Third Place

The Third Place prize went to Pinocchio, a.k.a. Jose, one of our floor clerks. His costume was great; he used assorted colors of felt, feathers, and faux suede, and I loved his tree-branch nose with birds and leaves and a nest! He even had Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder!

Happy Birthday Pilar!

And now for some honorable mentions… A shout-out to Pilar. I like to say that she is a ‘pil-lar’ of our community here because we all enjoy her fun, lively spirit! Saturday happened to be a special day for her. Happy Birthday Pilar from all of your friends and co-workers!

Definitely worth mention and probably a close contender for one of the prizes was Ursula, a.k.a. Raquel from our Home Decor store. She floated into the spotlight in full character, arms raised and wickedly sneering deep sea threats as she twirled her tentacles! She really was scary!

It’s always neat to see the creativity that’s under the surface amongst our crew. Look what they came up with! Clockwise from top left: Karen as a Hobo, ‘La Vuida Negra’ Rosa (the black widow), Orange M&M Carlos, Pink Lady Elsa, Tanya as the Goddess Athena, Israel the Zombie, Gangster Alicia, Mariachi Jocelyn, Native American Shelly, and American Soldier Blanca.

And last but certainly not least, the Halloween aprons that the girls in our buttons and notions departments came up with were very crafty and cute!

All in all so many of the employees turned up in costumes, helping bring fun and celebration to the store and inspiring others to let loose and have a good time!