Aztec Prints - Ahead of the trend and on a budget

Last summer I bought some aztec print jersey fabric off eBay, some in pink and some in blue. It cost me about £3 a metre and I loved the print!

I made myself a short shirred summer dress out of the pink, and used the blue to cheat my way to a maxi dress. It seems that I was ahead of the trend as aztec print seems to be all over the UK high street at the moment and is a massive trend as part of the ethnic/global traveller trend! Now I know a lot of people sew because they want freedom from following trends, but I think that sometimes there can be a misconception that if you make your own clothes you can't be fashionable and I want to show that that's not true! For those that like to follow fashion I've done a few comparisons to show how you can sew your own clothes and stay trendy on a budget, and even beat the fashionistas to it...

My coral pink shirred aztec dress (worn over a t-shirt in this instance):

 

New Look coral pink midi dress:

Now I could have easily made my dress in that shape but I didn't (and I wouldn't buy the New Look version) because the midi length isn't good for me, nor is that shape of dress, and I think this is a prime example of the versatility of sewing. With a bit of sewing on my part (and neither of these dresses were difficult due to the nature of the jersey fabric and the ease of the techniques used) I've been able to fashion myself a dress in a very similar print that suits my body shape! Another benefit was that I was able to make mine in a way that meant I could wear it as a skirt as well and get double the wear out of it:

For any doubters, I wore this dress a lot last summer, both as a dress and a skirt, and it made a great beach cover-up too. The final plus point of sewing it myself? Mine was made for a fiver!

My aztec print black bandeau maxi dress:

Boohoo.com aztec print black bandeau maxi dress:

I really like both versions of this dress, but it's just another example of how you can beat the fashion industry and make your own individual items that are original AND cheap. This dress from boohoo.com is currently sold out and costs £26. Mine cost about £7 to make and I could whip another up before that boohoo.com one came back in stock...

And another bonus to making your own? Leftover fabric!! I fancied a quick and easy project today and so quickly conjured up this cute little strapless top from the leftovers! (Excuse mess and grumpy face!!)

So have a think about it, sewing your own clothes doesn't have to mean that you can't be trendy and can mean that you can follow trends on a budget without having to fight with the rabble in Primark!