DIY Leather Mini and Bell Sleeve Sweater

One of the number one questions asked by my friends is how much money do I save by making my own clothes? The answer is a ton. If you add up the cost of great fabric, and my addiction to leather and fur the savings is insane. My interest in understanding the financial aspect of fashion greatly increased after watching All On The Line with Joe Zee (the fashion reality show that helps struggling designers get back on track) This show which by the way is awesome, answered my question….how does a designer justify charging $5,000 for a shirt. When I witnessed the price of a piece increase $600 by simply upgrading a few buttons, adding a couple design lines and include a brass zipper I was floored. The beauty of making your own clothes is so insanely gratifying, not only do I love the idea of owning something unique and one of a kind, but I can also shake my head at the shame in shopping retail.

This sweater was made with this wool from moodfabrics.com. The correct side of this fabric is a crepe like texture which is really nice but for this sweater I used the wrong side of the fabric which has a more sweater like texture. The pattern used for this top was this Vogue V8840 which has been my goto pattern from day 1 and has seen tons of transformations seen here here here here and here. I know your thinking enough already but nope! The following alterations were done for this look:

-Added a 3rd 3″ sleeve panel
-Added bell sleeves (cut a piece of fabric 22″ long x 5″ wide, pleat as you attach the sleeve to create the bell
-Added a 1″ flexible band around the hem
-Added a 4″ brass exposed zipper
-Added a raised neck band

The skirt was made using this mirabella leather from Tandyleatherfactory.com and this Butterick B5285 pattern view A with the following pattern alterations:

Removed 8.5″ from the length of the pattern
Removed 2.5″ from the width of the back and front pattern piece
Tacked down the back pleats ( did this to prevent the pleats from protruding)