Anthro-Inspired Polka Dots

It is the weekend! How nice to have a full Saturday ahead to do whatever non-school-related stuff I want to. :) 
I finally took pictures of the polka dot black pants I made a few weeks ago to make a tutorial. My inspiration were these Anthropologie pants. Aren't they gorgeous? This tutorial is one of the easiest and most fun sewing projects I have done. Plus, the results look amazing! Here is the before and after picture, again. I bought a pair of plain black Dickies brand pants at Goodwill for $3. They fit really well throughout the waist and hips, but they were too flared for my style. 


Since I didn't take pictures when I made my pants, I demonstrated on a different pair. The first thing I did was flip the pants inside out and sew them down into a skinny pant. Here's a wonderful tutorial on a blog for converting regular pants into skinny pants. After I sewed them as tight as I needed them, I tried them on and marked how long I wanted the pants to be.
 I rolled the hem and sewed it. I think I did a 5/8 inch hem to try to make it look as much like the original hem as possible.
 Now, time for the polka dots! I bought some cheap paint from Wal-Mart and used the eraser from a mechanical pencil for the stencil for the dots.
 It was the perfect size and shape. I poured some paint in a small dish and lightly dabbed the eraser in the paint to make the dots.
 Using masking tape, I layed out the tape about 1 1/2 inches apart. Starting on the left side of the pant leg, I made polka dots every inch or so. I only did the polka dots above the tape, and when those were finished, I made the dots below the tape, trying to make the polka dots lined up the opposite direction of the tape.
 This part was very time consuming, and probably took about two hours. Also, I was nervous about getting the dots even, but it is actually very difficult to mess up on.
 The final product. I was so proud of how they turned out!
 Here's a picture of the dots up close. They are not perfectly filled in by any means. I was going to go back through and fill them in with a small paintbrush, but then I decided I liked how imperfect it was. I think it makes them look much more modern than the perfect polka-dots.

 These pants are so versatile! I like wearing them with a white tank top and sandals for a casual Saturday, or dressed up more with a bright tank top and heels.
 Showing off my awesome earrings I found for one dollar at the thrift store in town. They are so retro and fun.

Outfit cost:
Pants--Goodwill $3 + $1 paint = $4
Tank top--H&M in Spain = $5
Heels--Thriftshop = $6
Earrings--Thriftshop = $1

Total: $16