Oh-mi-gosh guys. Prepare to have your minds BLOWN.

FLORALS are "in" for Spring!

I know, right?? Here are a few of our favorite botanical pics from the runway, as reported by Vogue.

But let's dive right into the fun sew-spin on this trend:

I'm just gonna come out with it. I've had a horrible, no-good, very bad sewing week. Working on this feature alone, I...

Cut into fabric for a long sleeve Out & About peplum top... only to find my knit had shrunk (they do that you know, always wash first!!) and like a dumby I hadn't ordered enough to complete the project.
Stitched up a beautiful pair of Jocole leggings with a cool keyhole detail (using Crystal's awesome tutorial!) ... only to find that I had printed the pattern "fit to page", and couldn't squeeze the darn thing on!
"Completed" a hem with my twin needle, only to find I had used the wrong seam guide and totally missed the ENTIRE HEM. What's worse than 2 threads to unpick? Three. *Head Desk*

Needless to say, it was a "plan B" kind of week. So I consoled myself with a mug of candy coffee (you know, French Vanilla creamer with a dash of coffee? Mmmmm) and a few hours of pinterest. Here's what I came up with:

Floral Trend by duval0904

Lace Overlay + Peplum Modified Sew Caroline Out & About Dress and Jocole Polka Dot Mini Pencil Skirt in Girl Charlee Knits. Jewelry styled by Krystle Clark, Rep of esbe Designs — Lace Overlay + Peplum Modified Sew Caroline Out & About Dress and Jocole Polka Dot Mini Pencil Skirt in Girl Charlee Knits. Jewelry styled by Krystle Clark, Rep of esbe Designs

Let's start with the Out & About peplum. I loooooove the lace overlay! (It's probably more mesh than lace... but you get the idea!) I cut the pattern pieces just under the arm hole, and added seam allowance to each. It's an impossibly simple modification actually, if you're motivated to give it a whirl!

Sleevless-ness was part of my plan-B scramble. I opted for sleeve bindings this time (as opposed to last week's fully lined bodice) and love how it turned out. (Sew Caroline announced a tutorial for a tank Out & About dress this week! Keep your eyes peeled!)

The bottom band serves 2 functions: Avoid another hem disaster (razzle frazzle...), and breaking up two similar, but different prints in the peplum and the polka dot pencil skirt. It was a total after-thought that worked out really well!

Don't let the pencil skirt fool you - it's knit, and totally mommy AND work appropriate. Gotta love knit, right?? The top is a challenge for nursing, but for those of you who don't have that hurdle, you can pair this with jeans and flats for a perfect everyday look.

But I'm not the only one rocking floral today. Take it away, Suzanne!

This look says 'you crazy if you think this girl is gonna jump in these heels' ;op

(Well, the truth is I just totally forgot we had agreed to do a high five shot - good thing you all love us, right!)

Ok, florals....I'll be honest, I wasn't too sure what I thought about big floral prints being in this year. I think big florals, and I instantly think of the quintessential Southern Flower Print Dress from the 90's. Oh, I know those all too well! But as I started looking at the runways, I realized that 'Floral Print' didn't have to mean pastel flowers on a white background. And more importantly, it didn't have to be a dress!

My friends know that I love to sew, and that I sew on a budget, and that I love to upcycle. So I often get donations of old fabric or clothing that people hope I can find a use for. And use it I do! This floral print is a lacquered cotton - I'm guessing it is meant to be curtains or a table cloth, but I saw it and knew I wanted PANTS!

Split Pants by duval0904

Now there are a variety of problems with making pants out of cotton - there is no stretch, unlike twill they don't have the durability to stand up to sucking in your gut and praying the seams will hold, and there is no ease to conform to a fitted pant. So you are going to crack up laughing when I tell you that my vision was for a Skinny Jean look. Bwahahahahah - ok, get it all out of your system!

I took Jocole's Basic Legging pattern and knew that with the right finagling I could make this work. First I split the pattern into a front and back and decided to make the front from my floral print and the back from this Black Lycra Jersey from Fabric Fairy.

Here are some things I will work on more for future pairs (this will NOT be the last pair):

I will make them more fitted - I was afraid of them being too small, so I added extra fabric to both front and back, the back didn't need any additional fabric and I could have added less to the legs from the knee down.
I will use a spandex or heavier performance knit that is strong enough to compress more to the body and pull the cotton tight.

The top is the easy as pie Plantain Shirt from Deer and Doe - did Becca and I mention that it is a FREE pattern! What a great way to test out Deer and Doe, now they just need to release more of their patterns in PDF, pretty pretty please??????

I really love this shirt, the neckline is perfect. I shortened the sleeve to elbow length, partially because I like that length, and partially because I was using fabric scraps ;o) The body of the top has a great fit, and I was able to make it from the skirt of an old dress (thus the seam up the center back). I lengthened the top a bit and reused the existing hem to make it the perfect length to pair with skinnies/leggings. The sleeves and neck band have a very subtle flower print as well. This is a top I will wear often and with a variety of things!

Styling tidbits for us curvier ladies:

You CAN wear large prints!!! Have them make a statement, and try starting with ones with a dark base color, they will be more flattering/slimming. You can start off small in the amount you use, think of the yoke of a shirt or a band hem of a skirt.
Dare to wear TIGHT pants.... I'm still getting used to this idea. My legs are huge, I'm not kidding or being self depreciating, I have what my Nana liked to call 'Strong Underpinnings'. They are muscular, they have some cellulite, and they keep me moving after my three speed demons - so I appreciate them on a daily basis! But they are not small, and I don't usually try to draw attention to them. But this split pant design makes them look AWESOME, and that makes me giddy like a school girl ;o)
Balance your proportions: Tight pants mean a looser fitting top. The more self conscious you are about your hips/thighs, the longer your hem can be. Aim for the hem to hit between the widest part of your hips and the apex of your legs.

We hope you have enjoyed our deconstruction and different takes on the floral runway trend! We want to see YOUR looks, how are you incorporating floral into your wardrobe? Share with us on Facebook!

OH YEAH. And we've been keeping a secret......................

We just got into Season 1 of Challenge Create: Adult Edition over at Skirt Fixation!!!! This is going to be a wild ride of fun! Check out all our amazing co-competitors and get ready!