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How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from scratch

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

Hello Internet!

It’s been a while since my last blog post, and my sincerest apology for my hiatus. So many big things happened in the past month, such as visiting other towns in Melbourne, going back to my old hobby of gardening, then the major chance: moving into a new (rental) house, after some naughty vermins attacked our original home in Cromie Drive, which needs an 80% full renovation.. geez!

For many of you who still continuously supporting my blog and my social media pages, thank you so much. I am so much grateful for all of you.

As of this writing, I’ve been living here in Australia for 7months and I’m glad that I am getting used to many chances, and not feeling stressed about it. Here in Victoria, the State Government released the second lockdown (now only the CBD of Melbourne, and nearby suburb) due to the second wave of Covid19 cases. Not pleasant news however, we are grateful that we live in Gippsland where Covid19 case is very isolated.

So, while in continuous restrictions of movement (which I don’t mind either), I’ve been enjoying my time sewing and you can find some of my previous upcycling projects here, here, here, and here.

For today’s blog, I would like to share with you my latest upcycling project!




MATERIALS: 
* two bags of precut cotton fabrics (in various sizes and designs, good for making patchwork quilting) 
* thread and pairs of scissors
* Brother Sewing Machine TY200A

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
How many times I have mentioned that I love op-shopping?!

During one of my op shop tour, I found these bags of precut cotton fabrics from my favorite op shop in Korumbarra called Friends of Hillside Lodge OP Shop. Although they are all precut in various sizes and lengths, I couldn’t let it out from my hands while visualizing what I could do out of these fabrics (which doesn’t include making quilt blanket, or even scrunchies coz I have tons of it). So without a clear vision about it, I decided to grab them after all, cotton fabrics are always usable and those prints are certainly pleasant. 

For the past few days after my op shop trip, I’ve been looking for inspiration online, then I found Miu Miu’s latest Pre-Fall 2020 Collection. And that hit me. 

Miu Miu Pre Fall 2020 Collection

I could make a dress Mui Miu-inspired dress without fall-ing my budget (pun intended)! 



History of patchwork quilting

Patchwork Quilting goes back many years. Examples of quilting have been found in tombs of Pharaohs dating back to 3400BC. Joseph's coat of many colors was probably patchworked. Even armor was made by quilting heavy fabrics together. Quilted bed covers were recorded in household inventories from the 17th century. Patchwork quilting has even evolved into an art form known as art quilts. The Amish have developed the quilting traditions of other immigrants into America, into their own style.

Emigrants from Europe took their traditions of making quilts from scraps with them to America. Ideas and designs and even fabrics were exchanged across the Atlantic. The Log Cabin Quilt Design that was originally known in Ireland as the Folded Quilt Design, was a good way of using small scraps of fabric to create a very practical piece of art. It is doubtful if women quilters viewed their creations as art, it is much more likely they were simply seen as a quilt to cover a bed and provide warmth, albeit still a beautiful item. Crazy quilts are made from randomly stitching together odd pieces of cloth. In colonial times all cloth had to be shipped from Europe at great expense so nothing could be wasted.

Patchwork quilting is generally regarded as a female pastime since traditionally men did not learn to sew, while sewing was an essential skill for a young woman. Quilting was also a social pastime. Women would gather together to piece the top together and while they worked they would exchange gossip and tales. Sometimes after a quilting party, the men would join the women for supper, and often romances would begin.

Lives are displayed in traditional patchwork quilts. Part of the dress of a dead child or part of a cherished Father's shirt could be pieced in to allow the maker to hold her memories. Quilts have been made over the years, lifetimes, or even generations. Telling the tales of women's lives through embroidery, color, and embellishment.

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

I may not an Amish however, just like a true-blue Amish I love crafting as part of my hobby, and I believe in not wasting fabric. Buying those bags of scrap fabrics from the op shop is not a bad idea after all.



Making the Patchwork Dress

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
Using my other dresses, I made a pattern from an old newspaper. Luckily, I found this one precut fabric that is good enough to make the whole top of my dress.

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
I used another fabric print to make ribbons for my top. One thing I like using cotton fabric is it is quite easy to cut and sew.

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
Having the first layer of ruffles looks nice but I have been meaning to make a dramatic dress. So I continue the process of connecting many precut fabrics until I achieve a full dramatic skirt.

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

It took me almost two weeks to finish my dress, not only because of the tedious sewing technique of the patchwork but because of this baby above.




How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

See what I meant?

Connecting various fabrics in many odd sizes is very tedious. While I connect them pieces by pieces, I noticed the uniqueness of each print. I also discovered that these fabrics come from many designers and fabric makers from around Australia, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and even as far away as Great Britain. Isn’t that amazing?!

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch
The whole skirt will consist of four layers which will be quite heavy than I expected. I didn’t use any underlining coz, I can use my cotton underpants as an alternative.




And voila! Here’s the finished project!


How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

I love how it turned out! The dress is perfect for the country lifestyle that I have now, plus I managed to save those precut fabrics and turn into another work of art. The prints and colors turn out pretty good by combining them all together. The length of the skirt is so good that makes me feel more dreamy… which is why I couldn’t help but show you how I wear this dress!

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch








Le Belle et le chat (Translation: Beauty and the Cat) . . Once upon a time, there was a story of a girl from faraway island, and met her one true love. She travelled all the way to the Southern Hemisphere, in the land called Gippsland. She loves sewing, mending, gardening, and reading books along with her cat Smokey. One day, she visited the opshop and found some beautiful fabric pieces, and a brilliant idea comes in her mind. Using her magic Brother sewing machine, she transformed these small fabric pieces into a magnificent-looking dress! And even her adorable cat loves playing with its skirt. 😍🐈 . . . Yup, I love childrens story and fairytales, which I brought them all under my wings. What do you think of this dress? #BVsewing #Imademyclothes #sustainablefashionblogger #sustainablefashion #isolationfashion #diyblogger #diyproject #warragulblogger #gippslandblogger #catmama #fashion #zerowaste #opshopper #pinoyinaustralia
A post shared by BLAIR VILLANUEVA (@blairvillanueva) on

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

How I Made Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress from Scratch

I had so much fun planning and creating this dress, including this little photoshoot with my cat. She is an adorable cat who wants to be always in the picture. It makes me happy that I could give another life and function for discarded materials, and I can’t wait for my next DIY sewing project.

I don’t need to spend thousands of dollars from Miu Miu just to have a patchwork dress in-style.
Only spent AUD12.00 plus time and dedication to achieve my goal.

What do you think of this dress? I would love to know your thought below.

Until the next DIY project!

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95 comments :

  1. Girl, this is fabulous! You're so talented!

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  2. That's a lovely dress you made! Wish I could find fabric as pretty as these here in Manila! Though I know my sisters would probably just steal this dress from my closet if I do make one!

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    1. Fabrics in Manila are way cheaper than here in Australia. I only rely on thrift shop fabrics for a cheaper option :)

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  3. What a nice dress!! I love that you do upcycling, which is a great way to reduce trash in the environment. You look so lovely in that dress that looks like an umbrella, especially in the picture with your cute kitten.

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  4. What a beautiful dress! You look really nice in it, it was worth all the work. Your cat is so beautiful he almost stole your post haha

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  5. You've created a beautiful dress! Great work! It's looks both fun and comfy!

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    1. I love that my hard work turned out satisfying :)

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  6. i am seriously obsessed with your patchwork dress and the cutest pics ever with your dog. so cute. well done!!!

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    1. She isn't a dog... but yeah she sometimes thinks she is a dog, lol.

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  7. To be very honest, nothing beats patch-work! The colours are just right, the sizes of clothing used are perfect and the entire thing is mmwwaahhhh!

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  8. Oh my Goodness, it so preety. I wish I were even 0.01% crafty like you.

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    1. Aww , it is never too late to learn a new craft :)

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  9. This has really been a labour of love for you as it seems... The whole process seems "so personal"and invested not like buying a piece of expensive material put together in a hurry!.. The photos you too are gorgeous and your baby cat is a cuty same as you

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    1. Aww thank you Sab! Yes she is a cutey and gives so much joy to our family.

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  10. I love tailoring, this dress is so gorgeous, looks so good.

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  11. This is absolutely amazing!! I wish I could sew

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    1. Hi Rachel! It is never too late to learn sewing :)

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  12. Very beautiful dress with many cool colours. I really love them. Can I get it online to buy?

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    1. Hi dear! I will give you update when I decided to sell it online :)

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  13. omg that is super cute! how creative.

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  14. Your Miu Miu-inspired Patchwork Dress looks fab! Good job being productive! Give us more dresses that you sew!

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  15. I love how full that dress is! I can imagine all the colors I would like to use to make one.

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  16. Awesome article. LOVE your creativity!

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  17. The dress is absolutely gorgeous - you did a great job <3

    Louise x

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  18. Wow! This dress is so pretty awesome! I love the style, the design, as in everything. How i wish i can do something like this.

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    1. Thank you dear! It is never too late to learn sewing :)

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  19. How nice! I love all the colors. You did an amazing job. It makes me wish I could sew.

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  20. Such a cute dress. This would be a great way to reuse baby clothes.

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  21. Absolutely love the dress. The color, the patches, the whole thing is gorgeous. What a great job!

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  22. Excellent, what a creativity. A beautiful floral dress, love every bit of it. You are a skilled designer and creator.

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  23. Wow. You have such a talent. Your dress definitely expresses who you are and being into life. Art is such an important element to creative. I love the dress!!!🤗

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    1. Thank you Chantal! My surroundings keeps me motivated and gives me an amazing purpose :)

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  24. This turned out beautiful! I love the patterns. My 7 year old daughter has taken an interest in sewing and I will be showing her this as a fun project!

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    1. Aww thank you for appreciating my project! And hope she will love sewing as well :)

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  25. I am horrible at sewing and admire your artistry. That dress is super cute!

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    Replies
    1. I was horrible too in sewing, then I keep on practicing :)

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  26. I love the look of traditional patchwork quilts. The way that you've made it into a springlike dress puts such a contemporary flare on it, so cute! I could even imagine it with some lace trim added to it if someone wanted an added bit of flare. It looks fabulous and is such a great way to spend time during quarantine!

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    1. yeah, adding some lace would be nice as well. Maybe I'll make another one :)

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  27. That is such a cute dress. It looks so good on you.

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  28. Wow! Quilting is truly not only for blankets! It's an interesting Fashion item! I love the colors you picked out too! Sewing is a laborious process, you are so patient! To more upcycling! Cheers!

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    1. Hahaha yup will make more diy projects and sewing projects :)

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  29. i am always in awe of you talent in sewing.. not just sewing anything.. but making a fantastic creation! yan ang gustong gusto ko matuto din eh kaso ewan ko ba.. parang not for me talaga

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    1. Don't worry! You are good in other things that maybe I am not. We all have different talents, skills, and passions :)

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  30. Hello from a fellow Melbourne-person! (I'm not sure if there's a word from people who live here, despite always living here 😂) Whilst I'm sorry you're restricted in what you can do while you're here, I've also been spending my time doing craft/DIY projects too! This looks like quite a big project, but you've done an amazing job! I LOVE sewing, and have always wanted to make my own clothes (stores just never have what I want!), but I'm just so nervous to start trying and I don't know why 🙊 This really is amazing though. You are so talented!

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    1. Hi Indya! Thank you for visiting my blog :)

      I also thinking of opening an online store for my creations, but I can't put time to it coz I am enjoining blogging and DIY-ing! Moving here in Australia is such a big change for me, and I am making the most of my time that I am here. When I worked in a corporate firm, I always feel guilty of not putting time for my sewing, now its amazing that my I got all my time for it!

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  31. Oh wow this outfit looks so amazing and lovely..glad you shared the review with us am truly gonna try to make this out..great work though...

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  32. Now this is just talent, you totally nailed it and made want to get a sewing machine even though I don't know the ins and out of using one. It turned out beautiful.

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    1. I got patience in connecting these small pieces while hoping it will turn out to be nice. Hard work pays well.

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  33. This dress looks amazing, you're really talented! I also love how you multi-task and mask while you sew, I do the same while I'm writing! x

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    1. That's great! We can multi-task on both activities that we like.

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  34. This is so pretty. It really came out nicely and it looks good on you.

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  35. Beautiful! I love the work you put into this dress! I would love to have one someday!

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  36. You did a really good job! Beautiful.

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  37. Achieve na achieve!!! Grabe it looks hard to do but you make it seem look easy to do! And you should start selling your work, if you haven’t yet! You’re super talented and i love the dedication and effort you put into each work! :)

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    1. Aww thank you Hazel! Maybe after documenting my works I will consider selling them online :)

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  38. Oo nga, tedious nga! haha! Pero ang galing! Ang ganda!

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  39. Wow! The dress is so beautiful! It's a casual look but you could really pose like a princess in it. You look stunning as well. I'm hoping to see more of your work! ❤️

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    1. Thank you Marielle! Yes will continue sharing more DIY and sustainable dresses :)

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  40. This is amazing!!!!!! You’re sooo talented, the pattern. Color blocking and pleading of the skirt. Wow!! I would like to weird that skirt myself. Its so gorgeous ughhh

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  41. Oh my goodness that dress is gorgeous! Runway worthy!

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  42. The come up of the dress is sooo nice. I wish I can sew also. Upcycling is a nice idea specially now na marami tayong time to do it.

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  43. Another one from you Miss Blair, ang gaganda ng mga damit nyo at mga na sew nyo na. I suggest na magbenta din kayo if pre-loved na. Galing!

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  44. Love the patterns that I can discern but it was more lovely how it all came together. I'm a fan of this style myself and I wish I know how to sew so I don't spend a lot on clothes and wear the designs I want comfortably. May I ask for recommendations of shops that sell these fabrics?

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    1. Thank you for visiting! I got these fabrics from thrift shops :)

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  45. You did a fantastic job of it. Your dress is stunning. One of my favorite photos is of you wearing a face mask/skin care mask and sewing away. That's multitasking for sure. Hahaha
    Elizabeth O

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    1. hahaha thank you! Yeah we can do simple multi-tasking :)

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  46. Some of my relatives are tailors... This looks a hobbby that is enjoyable because you get to finish something and actually use it. WOW!

    "Patchwork Quilting goes back many years. Examples of quilting have been found in tombs of Pharaohs dating back to 3400BC." This is a revelation! Patchworks for the most influential people of the ancient world!

    The cat looks so lovely! They really do know how toset boundaries.

    "I love how it turned out!" It looks beautiful.

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  47. I love the color scheme of this dress. You don't think its going to look good together than BAM it does. Seeing patchwork reminds me of my grandmother. I have a patchwork blanket she made for me out of my old baby clothes. It's falling apart, but I would love to fix it.

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  48. OMG! this is probably my favorite work of yours! it is so good, I'd wear it all the time

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  49. Hi Blair! I so love your creations! All are adorable and so are you! I would love to recycle mine and do this thing, hope I can do it haha

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    1. That is wonderful Ann! By recycling, you are helping the world a better place.

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  50. I love this! You are so creative! You can own a boutique with your skills. I will surely buy dresses you make. Lol!

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