The Train To Crazy

Car Play Mat Garage Tutorial

I was so excited for the book Sewing for Boys: 24 Projects to Create a Handmade Wardrobe to be published. I patiently awaited it's release date and flipped through it as soon as I received it. The first project I chose from the book is the Car Play Mat. My kids love little cars and my son received a whole box of hot wheels for Christmas so this was perfect! 
I followed the pattern for the road but made some of my own adjustments. I wanted a play mat that would be used for more than two minutes so it needed a bit more appeal. 

To make your play mat like mine you'll want to cut your background fabric larger than the pattern (I used a heavy denim which I think is a great weight for this). Mine is about 36"x36" but you could certainly make it larger.

Then you can add a zip pouch to the background by cutting a piece of fabric about 18"x7". I used a 12 inch zipper.

Cut a slit in your garage fabric an inch shorter than the length of the zipper teeth.

Then cut a little "Y" at each end and iron it like this. You will now have an open rectangle in which to sew your zipper. I then laid the zipper down and used stitch witchery (double sided bonding) to attach it to the fabric before stitching.  Then flip over your garage fabric to the right side and, using a zipper foot just sew a rectangle around the zipper. Most machines can't sew through a zipper so if your fabric covers a bit of the zipper end make sure to avoid the teeth.

Easy, right? 

Now fold the edges under 1/4", iron, then fold 1/4" again and iron. Pin it in place on your play mat. I pinned the two long edges down, leaving the side edges unpinned. I pinned the sides 5" apart. Then sew the long sides down 1/8" from the edge.The short sides will be loose like the above picture. Make a fold on each end so it lays flat then sew.

Now customize your mat using wool felt. Why wool felt? It looks best, holds up well and because it is felt you don't need to worry about fraying. Most chain fabric stores carry some wool felt blends and those work great.

Those cars need some place to go so make your mat interesting! I added a tunnel but made it detatchable with velcro. 

And finally, because I made it from a heavy denim, I didn't back it. That way I can continue to customize it! I just finished the edges of the mat and it is ready to play with. 

Do your kids need a car mat?

Tutorial: Travel Toothbrush Holder

Browsing Pinterest last week I saw something that was so simple it was brilliant. A travel toothbrush holder made from a wash cloth. It was great, but not exactly what I need. My problem is electric toothbrushes are hard to pack. They are big and bulky.

Most commercial options aren't adequate. I hate those plastic cases that go around the bristles. They get nasty and they are hard to clean. That's how this "On The Go" toothbrush holder was born. 

Want to know how to pack 4 toothbrushes? Here's the full travel toothbrush holder tutorial. In all of it's simple glory. Now you can sew a toothbrush case for yourself in about 10 minutes!

Supplies:

• 2 wash cloths
• ribbon

Sew the ribbon about 2/3 of the way up the wash cloth. Center it so there is enough ribbon hanging off each end to tie a bow.

Turn that wash cloth over so the ribbon is facing down. 

Fold the second wash cloth so it is the length of your toothbrush and place it on top of the first wash cloth. Pin.

Sew 3 verticle lines to make seperate compartments for each toothbrush.

Fold the 1st wash cloth down over the 2nd. Pin the sides. Sew along both sides and bottom. 

Fill with toothbrushes.

There you have it! Your very own, throw in the washing machine, toothbrush holder.

How do you pack your toothbrushes?

How to make a duckling costume

A couple years ago I made duck costumes for my daughters. They still wear them for dressing up. There are three different costumes and I used (or was inspired by) different tutorials for each. If you have a little one you really can't go wrong with making a duckling costume. 

How to make a duckling costume:

It was so much fun making the duckling costumes. The little one is made from a cotton knit. The top is smocked as well as the very bottom. The ruffled bum used as much fabric as the entire dress. It was worth it. So cute. I simply ruffled a strip of fabric 2" wide and then sewed it on in a circular pattern, sewing along the center where I had ruffled the fabric.

The shoulder straps are shirred as well. All edges have a rolled hem on the serger but you could definitely leave them alone since this is a no fray fabric.

The costume on my oldest is made from a costume fake suede. I used this tutorial for the romper. I added 4 layers of ruffles on the bum. She wore a tutu under the romper to add volume. I really like how it has leg holes. Makes it more of a duckling costume and not a dress.

The costume on my middle daughter is what the girls call the "fancy duckling." The dress fabric is a costume satin. The ruffles are chiffon. The dress is loosely inspired by this tutorial. There are yards and yards of ruffles that circle the dress. The bottom has elastic to give it shape. She is also wearing a tutu under the dress to give it volume.

Now go make yourself a duckling costume! 

Don't forget to get 10% off your entire purchase at Raspberry Creek Fabrics!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Superhero Cuffs Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! You'll find a new tutorial for sewing, glueing or crafting a dress up costume every day. Whether you're an avid DIY'er or just looking for something fun to try please subscribe so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Support these guests by pinning their projects or stumbling the posts!

Do you have a superhero in your house? Kate is here to show you how to make superhero wrist bands! Thanks for the tutorial!

Hi everyone! I'm Kate from see kate sew! 

I blog about sewing, crafts, fashion and more. I really love ruffles! I share new tutorials each week on my blog. Some of my favorites are this vintage suitcase chair, the scrap map and a ruffle shower curtain.  I have a little boy who is just starting to get into the age where it will be fun to dress him up, so this series is great!

 Today I'm sharing an easy tutorial for superhero cuffs! Because a superhero is not complete without them!

Materials:

3 colors of felt

velcro

printable pieces

First print out your template and cut out two cuff pieces and a star for each cuff. The template is sized for a small toddler, so if you have a bigger kiddo, just make a larger shape. 

Stack the two cuff pieces and topstitch them together all the way around at 1/8-1/4"

Sew the star in the middle.

Your velcro should be as long as the short edge. Sew one piece of the velcro to the front of you cuff and the other piece to the back of the opposite side.

Velcro it together and you've got one little cuff!

Now repeat for the other side and go save the world!

You can even switch up the stars for something else like hearts or lightning bolts!

Thanks for having me here Andrea! And thanks for reading my little tutorial! Come over to see kate sew and check out some of my other tutorials! 

(click photo to see post)

 

 

 

 

 

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Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Viking Helmet Tutorial

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Welcome Amanda! Thanks for the wonderful DIY Viking Helmet Tutorial!

Hello there, I'm Amanda from Kitschy Coo. I'm an American ex-pat living in Scotland with my husband and two kids, working full time as a children's clothing designer and maker. When I'm not making things and blogging about them (including more than thirty tutorials!), you can often find me looking suspiciously around my garden: Although I am normally wearing a sweater, because Scotland is cold. Regular readers of mine will know that I am passionate about Vikings, (or one Viking in particular), so today I'm sharing a tutorial on how to make a Viking helmet for your child. Freud spins in his grave.

I wanted the helmet to be sturdy and lofty to resemble a metal one, so I used heavy wovens and batting. If you want to forgo the batting or make it in a stretch fabric like fleece, make sure you use a larger seam allowance than the 1/4" I'm using for this. The pattern pieces will yield a final hat circumference of approximately 22", which fits both my four and nearly six year old. If you want to make a hat that is smaller or larger, grading 1/4" to the inside or outside of each edge of the main hat body piece will change the total circumference by one inch. Remember you will need to adjust your band pieces too! Materials: 1/3 yd grey fabric (I used polycotton) 1/3 yd white fabric (I used twill) 1/3 yd lining fabric (I used twill) 1/3 yd batting (I used Thinsulate) something to stuff the horns with (I used Thinsulate scraps I hoard due to compulsiveness) 24" trim (I used 2" Celtic trim because that's what I had, but thinner trim or braid would be nice too) Here's the trickiest part, the drafting of your pieces. Lucky for you, I've done this bit and it only took me four attempts to get there. In the end I had to drape it on my son's head while he watched television. Not my finest hour!

This is your hat body piece that you will use to cut four outer pieces and four lining pieces.

Draft a circle that has these dimensions. Fold it in half so it has a easy to see the diameter. You're not going to cut any fabric with this, but you'll need it later!

These are your horn pieces. Don't worry about getting your pieces exactly the same shape as mine, but keep the straight line measurements exact (the 3"h from the horn, the 4.5" from the wedge) and make sure the diagonal line of the wedge is the same length as the inner curve of the horn. You can also see that the top of the wedge doesn't go to a sharp point, it is flat and 1/2" wide.

These are your band pieces. There are two outer bands (one of mine is hiding under the other), and two batting pieces (same width but half the height).

While your batting is out, lay your four outer pieces right side up and pin in place.

Baste around all three edges and trim excess away. Repeat for all four pieces and then set them aside.

Right sides facing, pin the curves inner edge of the horn to the straight edge of the wedge. Use lots of pins to keep the wavy bit away from the stitch line.

Stitch together with 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat for the other side, making sure that you have right sides facing again.

Now it should look like this!

Pin together the long curved edges, and stitch that too. Turn it right side out.

Use something pokey to turn out fully and then stuff it with filler just to the curve (where my thumb is). You want to stuff it quite firmly. Then finger press the raw edges to the inside of the horn by 1/4" and pin in place. Repeat the whole process for the other horn, and then set them both aside.

Right sides facing, place one outer hat piece on top of another and stitch up one side. Leave a one inch gap starting one inch from the bottom edge. Repeat for the other two outer pieces, only sewing one side of each. Repeat for your lining pieces, but do not leave a gap. Unfortunately I didn't take a single picture that showed the lining at any stage, I'm mysterious like that.

On the right side of your outer hat, pin the circle you drafted .75" up from the bottom edge. The diameter line should line up with the seam so that it is centered. Trace around your circle with chalk and then unpin the circle. Repeat on the other side.

Carefully place one of the horns on top of the chalk circle so they match and pin all the way around. Make sure the raw edges are still turned under.

Sew as close to the edge as possible, all the way around. Repeat for the other horn.

Right sides facing, match the two outer pieces along the top raw edge and pin together. Make sure the seams meet evenly at the middle. Sew along this edge, and you have a three dimensional hat! Through the openings under each horn, stuff the rest of the filling to make your horns nice and sturdy and then sew the gaps closed. Set aside.

Baste one of your batting pieces to the wrong side of top half of a band piece. Repeat for the other batting and band pieces. Place the two bands on top of each other, right sides facing, and sew the sides seams.

Fold up the bottom edge to meet the top edge, with the batting now sandwiched in between. Pin to secure the layers. Optional but recommended: baste the top edge closed, it's easier to catch at the layers.

Place your lining hat (you can see mine a little bit, it's black) inside the outer hat, wrong sides facing and with raw edges aligned. Pin together. Place your band over the top, again matching all of the raw edges together. The side seams of the band should align with the side seams of the hat (below the horns).

It's worth saying now that this particular sandwich has two layers of batting, three layers of outer fabric and one layer of lining fabric! Make sure you're using a heavy needle, and go sloooooooooowly. If you have a free arm function on your machine, use it, and then laugh at me for not having my free arm machine serviced. The horns are a serious pain to smoosh out of the way without a free arm, but still it's do-able :) I also serged this seam to reduce the bulk and let it sit more nicely.

Aha, the band is on! Almost done.

Starting at the centre back seam, pin your trim along the bottom edge so that just a tiny bit of the band sticks out. My trim is scratchy!

When you get back to where you started, fold over to hide the raw edge. Then pin all the way around again, along the top edge.

Going very slowly, sew along the bottom of the trim, very close to the edge all the way around.

Because of the lack of a free arm, I then flipped the hat out to sew all the way around the top edge. It's a little bit easier to maneuver those horns out of the way. When you get back to the start, pivot and sew the folded edge down. You're done! Find a fierce child.

Or a not so fierce one :)

My kids love dressing up all year / day round, but Halloween is a big deal in this family (okay... at least one quarter of this family) so I normally go all out. I wouldn't be able to sue you for slander if you said it was a vicarious pleasure of mine. Plus I get to blow pictures like this one up onto massive canvasses for the living room:

Halloween 2010: The campest superheroes in town

Halloween 2009: Toddler bleached skeletons

(caveat: I did not blow this one up, because the lighting is terrible)

Thanks very much Andrea for having me!

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Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Ruffle TeePee Tutorial

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Are you ready for the MOST amazing Ruffled Tee Pee Tutorial ever? You didn't even know your little girl needed this until now. So go make a Ruffled TeePee and watch her imagination flow! Thanks Kelly!

Hi friends! Kelly here from Sewing In No Mans Land. For those who don't know me and my crazy blog I am a foreign service momma of three (in 3 weeks it will be four). This means I move around a lot with my hubby who works at American Embassy's all over the world. We just left Dili, East Timor (hence the no mans land ha!) and are heading to Paris. I love to make my own patterns and give the digital files away for free on my blog. I would love if you would hop on over and check out Sewing In No Mans Land! I am thrilled to be a part of Train to Crazy Towns Hand Made Dress Up Series! Now, my tutorial isn't a dress up persay. But I know there would be plenty fabulous tutorials for costumes and I could instead offer one for a "prop" of sorts. Something to spark the imagination. I love love love over the top dramatic things... um, well except for when my two year old goes that way, although sometimes that can be funny. But, when it comes to photo shoots and said two year old's room the more over the top the better. The same goes for her dress ups and play room! I have been wanting a ruffle teepee for her for some time:

When I was invited to be part of this series I thought I would have to try making my own.

While it isn't "difficult" per-say it is time consuming, and a bit of an exercise trying to harangue all that fabric while sewing ha! The secret to keeping this affordable is sheets. Yup, sheets. All of the ruffles you see before you were once a flat bed sheet from Pottery Barn.  

Um, cheap Pottery Barn sheets you say? If I weren't currently residing in UT those sheets would be from Ikea or Walmart, but since I am here, I am lucky enough to frequent the Pottery Barn factory reject store. Whenever they mess up on a monogram or someone sends it back, it is destined for UT. This is how I have adorable monogramed stockings, tree skirt, trick or treat bags, PJ's, Easter baskets etc for my kids for practically pennies. I headed to the reject store with the idea of a nice organic, white, beige and burlap tent in mind, but when I saw these awesome colors for 3 dollars a sheet I just had to go for it. After buying a plain white king sized sheet for five bucks that read "Muellller" on the top tab, the 4 flat twin sheets for 3 dollars each and the cute pillow case that you see in the pics for a dollar, I was out less then 25 bucks! (I totally didn't even think to mention where this is in the original post. It is a Down East Outfitters Clearance center, NOT just any Down East, this is a special one that only has clearance items. It is located at 3505 West 3500 South West Valley City, UT 84119 , you will probably find me there with my head in a large bin riffling through ha! You have to hit it on certain days to get the awesome quilts, towels etc. I think they get in shipments on Wed but don't hold me to that.) Of course things got busy and these sheets sat in the coat closet until this last weekend when I finally had time to whip it up and make Evie a new dress for the shoot. Note the shoes... yeah I had to wrestle them onto her. The only reason she finally wore them is she realized the ground was covered in sharp burs and she had no other option.

As I mentioned before this is not technically advanced sewing but it does take a good chunk of time to do. It is a hefty amount of gather stitching with a lot of pinning and re-pinning. If you are up for it lets make a Dreamy Teepee!

What you will need:

1. One King Sized sheet or two twin sheets sewn together.
2. Several twin flat sheets (the number depends on how fluffy you want your ruffles and how many layers you think looks good. I had extra fabric left over)
3. 6 PVC pipes (mine were the precut 5 ft. ones at Lowes for 1.30, if I did it over I would have them cut me 6 ft ones from the 8 ft poles, the ten is a bit squatty no?)
4. Thin rope or several strong rubber bands (which they do not carry at Joannes by the way, I found that odd)
5. Ribbon for ties and decor
6. One Package of the widest quilt binding available.
7. Optional: cute embellishments for the top of the Teepee

There are several great tutorials out there on how to make a plain 'ole teepee and the choice is totally yours. Originally I planned on actually cutting several triangles and sewing them together but then I was concerned about how the square bottom would be with the ruffles. In the end I made my Teepee a lot like Meg's on Sew, Mama, Sew. This used the least fabric and was super quick and easy. I used two twin sheets sewn together and ended up with a bunch of extra fabric. Once you have your "half circle" cut out is where I deviate from that tutorial. I had previously cut all my sheets into as long of strips as possible. I wanted my ruffles to be wide so that I didn't have too many tiers (not that I don't think this could be adorable, I would love to see one with 20 tiers I would just pull my hair out doing it). Once cut I laid made a long chain by sewing them all together. I would match up two ends, right sides together, sew down the edge then open them up and repeat the process on the new end until I had a looooong snake of fabric. After this process I did a gathering stitch all along the very long top. I did sew with one hand while holding the thread a bit taught as seen in this ruffling tutorial. I wanted it to REALLY be noticeably ruffled and the machine needed a little help with this. I did NOT hem the bottom. You totally can and maybe one day I will regret this decision AND if I were selling these I totally would. But since it will mainly be used as a photo prop and toy I really like the frayed unfinished look, plus it probably saved me a good hour of monotonous sewing. Once all your ruffle tiers are prepped, lay out your teepee half circle on the floor. (please excuse the horrible carpet in this picture. Our hotel room does not have the best crafting space, but you gotta do right?)
Letting the bottom of the ruffle overhang the bottom of your teepee slightly pin your gathered edge to your half circle alllllll the way around, following the curve. Do NOT skimp on the pins, it is near impossible to keep this straight otherwise. Once you reach the end reposition your "ruffling" and cut off the extra to be used at a later tier or for making embellishments :) With the ruffle well pinned head over to your sewing machine. Now topstitch the ruffle into place. It can be tricky managing so much material in a small space. I pulled an extra chair right next to me so I could rest the extra fabric there and not have it hanging down pulling on the stitches as I went. Once you are done head back to your floor and spread it out. Remove all the pins (this can take a while but make sure you get them all). Grab your next tier. Again pin the gathered edge to the half circle only this time the bottom edge should over lap by at least 2 inches with your bottom ruffle. Again pin all the way around, remove excess then topstitch. Continue this process until you are right up next to your semi-circle at the top. You should have a very heavy, somewhat awkward teepee cover. I guess you could finish off the semi circle and call it done but I think this next part really adds a professional looking touch. Using pins, pin down the ruffles at the opening edge so that they stay nice and in place. Do this about 2 inches in from the edge. Now take your quilters binding and starting at the bottom of one side, slide it over the ruffles (it is already nice and folded for your) and topstitch it in place, going up one side, around the small semi-circle and down the other side. If you prefer you can stop at the top, cut the binding, sew a second piece down the other side then finish it off with a third piece around the semi-circle top. It is totally up to you. I then sewed on some fun puff ball embellishments, though I think a over sized ricrac would be pretty darn cute as well.

This gives it a nice clean edge and a great place to sew the ties for keep it together. In keeping with my "unfinished" look I sewed ripped strips of fabric one across from the other to tie the top of the teepee. I ended up sewing 6 strips so that I could tie three knots but again this is up to you. I then grabbed some ribbon and on the inside of the quilters binding, every 8 inches or so sewed some ribbon used to tie the edge to one of the PVC pipes.
I finished off the look with a giant oversized fabric rosette with birdcage netting over it. If I hadn't been pressed for time this is the part I would have gone hog wild on with lots of rosettes and ribbon etc. I also had fun making the massive, over the top rosette head band and butterflies in a jar.   I had heard somewhere you could get these cool lightening bugs in a jar at Michaels where when you tap the glass they glow and fly but everyone here looked at me like I was nuts when I asked. I am a big fan of giving kiddos something to hold during photoshoots. We as adults have no idea what to do with out hands half the time, kids are the same :) Plus then you get cool shots like this:   

So there you have it. Easy right? I am absolutely going to make the rustic, romancy white and beige one I had in mind and maybe a boys themed one? They are so cool and the kids LOVE them. I still had everything in the car from the shoot when we headed to soccer tonight and both boys begged me to put it up. Which any other time I would have obliged but I was snack mom tonight and seriously if I had to carry one more thing down the slope leading to the field I absolutely would have fallen over and with three weeks until Daddy gets home I am doing everything humanly possible to stave off labor ha! I hope you have a blast creating and using yours!! Thank you so much Andrea for letting me be a part of this amazing series!

Cheers

Kelly

PS The teepee does not stave off all crying during a photoshoot like I had hoped..... Lila was not impressed ha!

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Handmade Dress Up: DIY Very Quick Ladybug Wings Tutorial

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Hello! I had another guest planned for today but as you know, our families are more importand than blogging so I'm stepping in for her today with a repost of some quick and easy wings I made for my daughter a few years ago. I've since used this method to make butterfly wings as well. So, if you have a little one that just MUST be a ladybug or a butterfly (bat?) this afternoon, go ahead and try this method!

My daughter changed her mind about her Halloween costume 3 days before Halloween. I searched for ladybug costume ideas and came up with a few cute examples. I couldn't find anything that was quick and easy and used what I had around the house so I invented my own. This method could be used for any type of dress up wings and took less than an hour to make. Most of the materials were repurposed.

What you will need:

1 old red t-shirt (or red knit, felt or fleece fabric)

1 small piece of black fabric (or old t-shirt or sweater)

28" of elastic (I used 1/2" width)

Old cereal box

Heavy stabilizer, or something equivalent.

Wonder under or similar for applique

Making the wings

Trace the shape of the wings onto the cereal box. Cut out one wing then use that as a template to trace the other wing so they are exactly the same shape. My wings were basically a semi-circle with a bit of a change up at the bottom. You could use a plain semi-circle and be just fine though.

 

Then use your cardboard as a template for your fabric. Using a pen (a fabric pen is preferred but it really doesn't matter) trace the shape of your wings onto your fabric. I used a men's XL t-shirt and had plenty of fabric. I put the template's straight edge on the fold so I only had to make one cut for each wing.

DO NOT CUT ALONG YOUR MARKED LINE! Cut at least a half an inch around your marked line. You will be sewing directly on that line you drew.

Trace 8 small circles onto your wonder under. I used a kids' cup as my template. Iron the wonder under onto your black fabric. Cut out the circles and iron them on your red wing fabric. Note: The first time I did this I was not paying enough attention and put the dots on the front of one of the wings and the back of the other. Oops. Pay attention.

Sew around the edge of the circles with a zigzag stitch. I recommend using a tear away stabilizer on the back of the fabric if you are using knits to prevent puckering. If you don't have a stabilizer any old scrap of fabric will work. Just cut out a piece a bit larger than your circle and put it on the underside of the fabric. 

Next, fold the wing fabric, wrong sides together and put the cardboard sandwiched in between. I sewed the wings up around the edges, sewing on my marked line) and then trimmed the fabric.

Next cut 2 rectangular pieces of the red fabric and 2 pieces of the heavy stabilizer. In a pinch, lightweight cardboard could work instead of the stabilizer. It won't be as flexible but it will keep the wings from sagging. In reality, no kid would know the difference.

Put the stabilizer in between the red fabric and sew around the edges. Trim the edges close to the seam.

Next cut the elastic into two 14" pieces. I made a casing for my elastic but that isn't necessary. 

Now lay the wings down, dot side down and place this connector piece in between them where you want. Position the elastic and then sew it all together. This is how I placed mine.

That's it! You're done. Now you have ladybug wings!

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Handmade Dress Up: DIY Dino Tail Tutorial

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Are you ready to dress your little guy and gal as a dino? Check out this dinosaur tail tutorial from Jessica!

I'm Jessica from Running With Scissors where I share all my projects, from sewing, crafting, decor, painting thrift store makeovers, building furniture, and whatever new hobby comes along.
We love Halloween at my house. This year we actually decorated on Labor Day, at my 3 year old son's request.  So we get 2 full months of Halloween celebrating in...my husband tolerates our Halloween enthusiasm.
So I was so excited be able to share a quick easy costume tutorial for the boys! (Or girls, but we all know there is always a lack in boy things.)
But just as a quick disclaimer:
**Please be respectful of my designs and only use this tutorial for personal use.  Not intended for commercial sale or manufacture, even on a home based scale.
Make them for yourself, to give as gifts, but I'd appreciate not using it for profit.
Thanks.

 
DINO TAIL TUTORIAL

Today I'll be showing you how to make dinosaur (or dragon) tails!

This is a simple, fun, toy for kids.  I designed these tails with two straps that wrap around their waist with velcro in front making it easy for them to get them on and off themselves. 

These have been fun during these long winter months when we have to play inside.  My boy has "dino fights" with his dad where he wiggles his bum to use the tail as a sword...it's pretty cute.

SUPPLIES:

1/2 to 3/4 yard main fabric-- pretty much any fabric that's not stretchy (this yellow is polyester lining)

1/4 yard spike fabric

5" velcro

Polyfil batting (small bag)

CUT LIST:

MAIN FABRIC: 
tail: (cut 2): 22" x 11"
waist straps: (cut 4): 12" x 3"
circle: 7" in diameter
(*I cut a 7" square, fold it in fourths, then cut the curve from fold to fold)

CONTRASTING FABRIC:
spikes (cut 2): 22" x 3.5"

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Trim tail strips
Taking your two strips 22" x 11", lay them face down.  On one end you'll measure 4.5" from each side.  The two inches left in the middle will be the tip of the tail.
On the other end, you'll measure 4" along the sides as a marker.  Connect these two markings to create a diagonal for the cone shape of the tail.  Cut off the triangular sides and throw them away.

2. Make Spike Strip

NOTE: To make the spikes easier, you could cut 1 strip out of felt or fleece and just cut out a spike strip leaving the raw edges that won't fray, rather than sewing your spikes with 2 strips of fabric.

Take your two spike strips and lay them right sides together.  Draw a row of triangles along the strip for the tail spikes.  Begin at one end and work your way to the other, making the spikes shorter and narrower.  I left about 1/2" between each spike.

Sew along your spike line.  When you get to the corners it helps to pivot by dropping your needle down into the fabric, lift your presser foot, move the fabric, then start sewing again.

Once your spikes are sewn, trim along your sewn line with 1/4" seam allowance along the whole strip.

Next, you'll need to trim the seam allowances to make it easier to turn the spikes right side out.

On the top of the spikes, you'll trim off the point, being careful not to snip through your seam.

In between each spike, you'll snip diagonally into each corner, once again don't snip through your sewing. 

Then you can turn the whole strip of spikes right side out, using a pen lid, knitting needle, etc. to push the tips of the points out.  Iron your spike strip nice and flat.

3. Sew Tail Body

First we'll sew the spikes to one piece of the tail.  Pin the largest spike to the tall side of your tail piece, lining up the raw edges.

Sew the spike strip to the tail piece with 1/4" seam allowance.  This is just basting, or tacking the pieces together.

Next, put your second tail piece so right sides are together, with the spike strip in the middle of the sandwich.

You'll sew down the spike strip again, this time with 1/2" seam allowance, making sure you sew past the troughs so there is a space between each spike when you turn it right side out.

Also, sew a slight curve as you go around the tip of the tail.

When you sew around to the other side, you'll need to stop your seam to leave a hole for turning the tail right side out later.  I leave about 4 to 5" unsewn underneath the spikes.  This way, it's on the bottom of the tail.

4. Sew Waist Straps

Take your 4 strips for the waist straps and put 2 right sides together.  This will give you two sets.

You'll sew down a long side, across the short, and up the other long side on each set.  Use 1/2" seam allowance.

Then you'll need to snip off the corners, being careful not to cut through your seam.

Next you'll turn each strap right side out, pushing out the corners with a pen lid or knitting needle.

I like to top-stitch the edges to make the straps lay nice and flat.  For this tail I used a zig-zag stitch with contrasting thread, but you could always just sew a straight stitch.

The last step to make your waist strap is to sew your velcro pieces to each end.   Center the velcro in the center of your strap and 1/2"  from the very end.

5. Complete Tail Construction

To close the large end of the taill, first mark the quarters by lining up the top (spike) seam with the bottom seam and pinning the folds on the sides.

Next you'll pin your waist straps inside the tail.  Pin the straps to the quarter side marks.

The important thing to remember is the velcro has to be pinned opposite so the straps will match up around the waist.  So put one waist strap with velcro down on the right side of the tail, then pin the other waist strap with the veclro facing up into the cavity of the tail.

Sew the straps to the sides of the tail 1/4" from edge. 

To finish off the tail, you'll pin your circle fabric (with the right side facing into the tail) around the large tail opening.  I fold my circle in quarters so I have a crease vertically and across to use as a guide to pin to the two seams (top and bottom) then line up with the waist straps on the sides.

Next you sew around your circle with 1/2" seam allowance.

6. Stuff and Finish

At this point your dino tail is sewn and you can turn it right side out through the hole you left on the bottom seam.  Your velcro waist straps should be oriented to match and stick together, and your spikes should stand up out of the top seam.

Next you'll stuff your tail with Poly-fil batting.  The density of your stuffing does determine how the tail will look.  I stuffed this yellow tail tighter than the blue or green tails, and I noticed it stood almost straight out from the boy's back, where leaving the stuffing a little looser makes a more droopy tail.  Whichever you prefer.

Once your tail is stuffed to your liking, pin the hole closed underneath.  I chose to just machine sew the seam shut, but it would probably look best to hand-sew the seam closed to allow it to lay flat. 

Then you're finished!  Now you can whip out a whole set with different colors!

Some ideas for variation:

-length: it's easy to make the tail longer or shorter, by cutting the tail and spike pieces longer than 22", but all the same length. 

-felt or fleece spikes: as mentioned ealier in tutorial, you could make the tail even easier by cutting felt or fleece spikes with one layer rather than sewing/ turning 2 pieces of fabric

-make it girly: you could make a more feminine tail for little girls by making the spikes rounded scallops rather than pointed spikes

-printed fabrics: I stuck with bright solids, but textured or printed fabrics would look awesome too.

Happy Halloween!  

If you are interested in more of my Halloween ideas, here are a few:

Dollar Store Creepy Tablescape          Fox/ Wolf/ Bear Costume Pattern          Kids Can Make Garland

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Fairy Wand Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Welcome Chris! Thank you for the Fairy Wand Tutorial!

Hi there!

My name is Chris, and I am the lady behind Pickup Some Creativity. I write about my love for creating, and try to spend a little time each day making something.  I believe creating is a divinely instilled quality we're born with, we just have to find the medium that works best for us!  Today I'm sharing a tutorial for making a fairy wand...the perfect accessory for the little fairy princess in your life.

 
Inspired by a fun pretend play fairy princess kit my daughter received several years ago, I made a matching wand for my baby.  Here's the inspiration wand:

Ready to make your own?  Here's the how-to.

You'll need:

• Template, download it HERE.  
• Fabric scraps, two 5"x5" squares
• Sparkly fabric paint and spray paint of your color choice
• 1/2" ribbon, grosgrain or satin
• Matching thread
• 1/2" diameter dowel
• Cluster fluff type stuffing
• Fabric glue or hot glue gun
• Sewing tools; including scissors, seam ripper, pins or pattern weight, and sewing machine, and helpful to have...pinking shears, my new favorite tool.

Step one.  Paint.  My inspiration wand's star was shiny satin, but I needed to use materials on hand.  So, I painted gold colored fabric with sparkly fabric paint.  I think the result was almost better than the original.

I used a sponge to make sure the paint was very thin.

I spray painted the dowel my chosen color.  It took three coats to get the best coverage.  Let everything dry well.

Step two.  Cut out your star and streamers. 
Using the template provided and right sides of the fabric together, cut out your star.

You'll need six streamer ribbons, each about 14" long.  Make sure the ends are cut on a diagonal.

Step three.  Sew and stuff your star.  With right sides together, pin your star together, leaving an opening in the bottom for turning, your dowel, and the streamers.  (I almost forgot the streamers...and had to unturn, pick out, and add them!)

 

After you sew your star, you'll want to trim and grade your seams.  Easy peasy version, just pink the edges!

 

Boy, did I feel sheepish when I realized I'd forgotten the all-important streamers!  I had to pick out the seam, and then carefully pin the ribbons in place.  When you make yours, pin the streamers in the seam before you sew.  I'd pin the ribbons into the center of the star to keep them out of the rest of the seams. 

 

 

 

 The more you stuff, the better the star will look.

Step four.  Insert and glue the dowel into the star.  I used fabric glue for my star, but hot melt glue would work well too.

 

 

Project complete!  I'm so happy with how the wand turned out, and so is my daughter.

My blog includes several free tutorials,  free patterns, and I also have a small etsy shop.  I am tickled to be included in Andrea's Handmade Halloween series, and love her emphasis on wearable designs.

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY IPhone/IPod Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Please subscribe or follow on Twitter or Facebook so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Next up, an IPhone or IPod costume tutorial from Jess! Such a fun idea!

Hey Train to Crazy Readers!  I’m Jess, and I blog over at If Only They Would Nap.  I have three boys [4, 1.5, and 8wks], so if you came to my house, you’d find a lot of noise, a lot of coffee, and a lot of sewing going on!


If any of you have kids like mine, they love technology.  My one-year-old absolutely loves to take my iPod [he could even say iPod before he could say his big brother’s name!] so I thought it would be so much fun to make him an iPod costume!  This tutorial is super easy and could even be completely no sew.  I made the costume so that it’s easy to get on and off, and could also be put over a winter coat if necessary... because in Wisconsin, you just never know!


Supplies:

• Black fabric - I suggest using jersey knit, felt, or fleece so that you don’t have to finish the edges.  I love to upcycle, so I used the back of a men’s T-Shirt. [If you want to make this a no-sew project, just use a black T-Shirt that your child will wear instead.]
• Sewing machine/thread
• Fabric Glue [I like Liquid Stitch]
• White and grey felt/knit/fleece for making the “screen”
• Velcro
• Fabric Marker - I suggest white/silver/grey - I used one with glitter!

1. Cut a rectangle of black fabric, and round the corners. The length will depend on how tall your child is.


2. Cut  a strip of the same fabric a couple inches wide and long enough to drape over your child’s neck – mine was about 11in.  Fold it in half and zig zag along the long side to sew it into a long tube.  Turn the tube right side out, like in the picture.


3. Attach one end of the tube to the top of the main piece of fabric with a zig zag stitch – near the corner.  This will be the strap to go around your child’s neck.


4. Attach velcro to the other end of the strap (you can sew it on or use fabric glue).  Hold it up to your child to see where the strap will fit comfortably around your child’s neck before attaching the other Velcro piece to the main piece of fabric.  When it’s done, it should look like the picture above.

**For safety purposes, I recommend using Velcro, not sewing on both ends of the strap. This will prevent the risk of choking.


5. Cut felt/knit/fleece pieces to make the screen of the iPod.  Sew them on or use fabric glue to attach.


6. I used silver glittery fabric paint to write the words.  You could also cut these out, but I don’t have many chances to get away with using some glitter on my boys’ clothes, so I went for it. ;)


This is one costume that I could probably even convince my hubby to wear!  Hmm... ;)

Thanks so much for having me, Andrea!  I love The Train to Crazy, so it’s a joy to be here today!  I hope you’ll hop over to my blog to see some of my own craziness.  If you’re feeling the fall weather like we are here, try my favorite potato leek soup and maybe sprucing up your sweater wardrobe with my pullover to ruffled cardigan refashion.  I hope you’ll join me!  See you soon!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY No Sew Cape Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Perhaps you're ready to try your hand at sewing a costume from a costume pattern or tutorial? You'll find a new tutorial for a dress up costume every day right here! Whether your an avid DIY'er or just looking for something fun to try, please subscribe or follow on Twitter or Facebook so you don't miss the other 27 bloggers and their wonderful tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Next up, a N0 Sew Cape tutorial from Natasha at Little Pink Monster! 

Hello Crazy Train passengers! I was so excited when Andrea asked me to be a part of her handmade dress-up week because if there's one thing we know how to do in my house it's dress-up. My 2 yr old Samantha is OBSESSED. Her teachers don't even notice anymore when she comes to school in full princess garb. Dress up clothes can be mighty pricy however my friend, not to mention they're usually made of some crap-ola polyester blend. Ick. I think this no-sew superhero cape is a great way to venture into the world of creating your own clothes because as the name states, it's no sew! Should take you 10 minutes, tops.

Here’s the easy, NO SEW, superhero cape I made for them:

All you need are a few basic supplies from your local fabric store.

1 & 1/2 yards of red knit fabric, (knit is like t-shirt material & the ends won’t fray) 1 yard of red ribbon & scissors.

Lay your fabric out & along one of the long ends fold the edge of the fabric over 1″. With your scissors make several snips in the fold, 1 inch apart, down the length of the fabric. Open the fold & you’ll now have several slits to weave your ribbon in & out of. After the ribbon is woven through all the slit gather the fabric towards the center. Take each end of ribbon & loop it back through the last slit & knot. To keep your ribbon ends from fraying you can quickly run the edge over a flame & it will seal them.

That’s it! Very simple, very fun & for a very good cause!

 

Thanks again for having me Andrea! If anyone is looking for some more dress-up posts here are a few more I have to share with ya... you can also click on the tutorials link on Little Pink Monster for tons more DIY & craft tutorials

No-Sew 10 Minute Tu-Tu, DIY Cinderella Dress, Pom Pom Stuffed Tu-Tu

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

DY(S)B: Guest Tutorial- Buckled Waistband

Please welcome Sabra from Sew a Straight Line! I'm so excited to have Sabra here sharing a tutorial. Take some time to check out her fantastic blog! Oh, and go congratulate her on her news!

Hi, I’m Sabra from Sew a Straight Line. 
When Andrea told me about Dress Your (School) Boy, I knew I wanted in.  I love to sew for my boys.  I have three sons, and have never once felt like I had a lack of things to make for them.  They are constantly inspiring me and suggesting new ideas to me.  One thing I love about sewing for boys is the challenge of coming up with details that aren’t frilly, but still add interest and uniqueness to a project.  I think the trick with details and boys’, and men’s clothing is that form has to meet function.  No matter how superfluous the function is, if it can be justified utilitarianly, you can slap it on there.  Just look at cargo pants! My boys are skinny. No, *really* skinny. Like don’t even register on the charts, nurses-checking-to-make-sure-their-scales-still-work skinny. Skinny. Adjustable waistbands aren’t just a convenience, they’re a necessity around here. But plain elastic waistbands are boring, full-on fastening flies are a chore to sew in, and belts are not so easy for busy boys to manipulate. My solution:

I’m going to show you how to take pretty much any basic pattern for simple pants and/or shorts and give them some masculine, functional flair.   You can even retro-fit existing pants with this update. As I said, you can add this to any pants or short pattern you want instead of a drawstring or elastic waistband.  You could even retro-fit a pair, if you unpick the waistband seems first.  So all you need to do the Adjustable Buckled Waistband is - a pair of bottoms with an unfinished waist - one-inch webbing (found in the notions of any fabric store, usually by elastic) - one-inch braided elastic - a center release buckle (found in notions of any fabric store)Begin by finishing the edge of the waistband.  Here I did a serged edge, then a 1/4 inch hem.  If you’re retro-fitting, the edges might already be finished for you.   
With the bottoms wrong-side-out, pin the waistband over about 1.5-2 inches all the way around.   
Flip the bottoms right-side-out.  Place the buckle in the center front and use as a guide to mark two parallel lines at either end of the buckle.   Use the webbing to mark the top and bottom of those lines you just made.   
So now you have two “I”-like markings at either side of the front center seam.   Unpin the waistband and pull the front center area out and away.   
Using those “I” markings as guides, sew in two buttonholes at either point.   Fold the waistband back over, repin, and sew all the way around.   Get your webbing.  Measure the bottom-wearer’s waist all the way around, then add about five to six inches.  Cut the webbing to those measurements.  Then cut that length of webbing in half. Cut about four to five inches of braided elastic.  Sew the webbing to the elastic, forming a fun little elastic bridge between the two webbing pieces.   I like to do a crazy-thick zig-zag stitch at every raw edge.  Thread the one open end of the webbing through the female side of the buckle.  Fold over, fold raw edge under, and do a sweet little box-stitch design to finish that side.  Thread the other end of the webbing through one buttonhole…  And come out the other.  Use a safety pin to aid in drawing through the waistband.  Now thread that open end of the webbing through the male side of the buckle. Fold raw edge under twice, to hide, and do another box-stitch design on that side. Buckle and… GO! Thanks to the adjustable webbing, pants stay on (and can fit the next kid down the line, if needed, too!).  The extra bit of elastic helps small hands to take on and off by themselves.  And the exposed buckle adds just a little bit more awesomeness to a basic pair of shorts keeping your kid looking good.Form and function, it’s a beautiful thing. Adjustable Buckle Waistbands get the thumbs-up from the resident males around here.  Now you go try them out! Thanks again, Andrea and Train to Crazy fans.  Feel free to stop by Sew a Straight Line for tons of  boy projects and other fun sewing stuff, too! 

Thanks so much Sabra! This is fantastic!

Don't forget to add your photos to the Dress Your (School) Boy & Girl Flickr group!

Other DY(S)B posts

Circle Pocket Dress or Shirt

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

Hi everyone! I'm over at Celebrate The Madness today sharing my Circle Pocket Dress. Cute right?

It's a simple way to jazz up a favorite shirt or dress pattern. Or maybe the Go To Dress?

Make a few.

Go check out the Circle Pocket Dress tutorial!

Inspired by this shirt on etsy

Book sling. A good idea. Kind of.

Ever since Penny Carnival posted her Hanging Book Display tutorial I've wanted one. I finally got one. My mom made it for my toddler for Christmas and she loves it. Having books right next to her in bed has encouraged a love of books.

However... I wouldn't put it right next to a bed if I did it again. She kicks it constantly. It is off the wall more than it is on the wall.

I put them on the wall for my other girls. Even anchored in the wall they still got ripped out. No matter how many times mom says not to hang on them it is hard to remember in the moment. Apparently. 

• Book Sling: by Grandma (tutorial by Penny Carnival)
• Crocheted Doll: by Great Grandma (find good patterns here)
• Elephant: by Mom (pattern from Sew Everything Workshop)
• Quilt: by Mom (pattern based on pattern in Bend-the-Rules Sewing)
• Wall letters: by Land of Nod

Do your kids get surrounded by handmade?

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School Clothes {The Green Dress}

Another item for school came off the machine last weekend. I'm not sure I can keep this one put away until the Fall when school starts. 

She wore it around town (Boston) this weekend. With all the green flying around here right now for the basketball championship she fit right in. 

I used a tissue weight cotton knit so it is very light and comfortable. It definitely needs the leggings with it because of the weight. Pattern from this book.

The shape is so wonderful. Perfect for a picky girl who just likes to be comfortable.

I just can't decide. One pocket, or two? I only added one at this point but I'm considering putting on another. I do like the asymmetry of just one pocket. What do you think? Should I add another?   

Linked HERE

Problem Solving {hooded beach towel backpack tutorial}

 

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

Our weather has cooled off a bit lately. We still brave the beach. It doesn't bother us northerners. 

Couldn't be cuter, right? And how about those backpacks? That's right, a hooded towel that folds up into a neat little backpack. This has solved my problem. My main problem. You know, the one where I don't have 3 sets of hands to carry things and children. 

Even the baby gets her own. It is lightweight enough for her to wear it comfortably. In fact, she doesn't just wear it to the beach. It's now an accessory...

It's important to snuggle up in a warm towel when you are at the beach on a less than hot day in June.

And once at the beach...

... we played in the sand. Because playing in the water on a less than hot day in June isn't as much fun as we'd like.    

Want to make your own Hooded Beach Towel Backpack? I've made a tutorial so you can whip up a few. Enjoy!

Want to cut down your sewing time? Buy one of these adorable Kidorable towels. and turn it into a backpack! How cute are these?

You might also find some of my other tutorials useful! Check them out!

Sewing for girls {school clothes}

Kindergarten is fast approaching. 
I'm starting to create Naomi's wardrobe for the fall. I started with a top from this Japanese pattern book.  I bought it at this Etsy shop last year and it is the first thing I've made from the book. Sewing from a Japanese pattern book isn't that difficult if you have experience sewing patterns, or even if you can figure things out by looking at pictures. This particular book has less detailed picture instructions than some others. I had to guess on a couple of the steps but considering I've sewn a shirt before I knew what to do. Pretty much. 

I think the top turned out very cute. I cut it a size 5/6. It is a tad big. Naomi has very narrow shoulders and is always complaining about shirts feeling "too big". She didn't complain about this one though, so that is good.

The fabric had such great texture that it lent itself well to a basic shirt like this.

It goes well with this skirt I made a few weeks ago, though I think it might be a bit boxy to go with this skirt. The skirt is already a bit big and will hopefully last through kindergarten. 

I think I prefer it paired with jeans. Love the gathering at the back.

Have you sewn much with Japanese pattern books? They really aren't that scary. I have a few suggestions to help you get started.

• Find all the pieces of the pattern and trace them onto freezer paper (you can find this in most grocery stores near the foil). Label the pieces with all markings. When you are ready to cut out your fabric, simply iron the freezer paper pieces onto your fabric and cut out. This is actually my preferred method for all patterns. As a bonus, you can iron the same pattern piece over and over if you need to. I've used the same freezer paper pattern to cut out 7 or 8 pairs of shorts and it still irons on well.
• Look over the pictures in the book that describe the steps to constructing your garment. Write out the steps for yourself in English, just loosely describing what to do. Even if it is just a few short words, this will help you later. You don't want to just start following the pictures and then realize at the end there wasn't a picture for a vital step. This way you can figure out any missing steps before you begin.
• Pattern sizes are done in cm. If you are familiar with European sizing you should be able to figure out your child's size. 

Now go have fun sewing from Japanese pattern books!

Linking HERE

Sewing for boy {pants}

I'm still loving Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby. After sewing the hoodie and booties I moved on to the pants.

The, oh so cute, pants. They are reversible and have a cute little panel on the bum.

I fell in love with these fabrics. They are bold and cute and I'm hoping they look good on a little boy. 

And these little ones are corduroy on one side and cotton plaid on the other. Oh, and they just might go with the booties and the hoodie.

The pants are the size 6-9 months. They are definitely intended to have the cuff rolled up. When it is unrolled, the pants fit my 19 month old. And she's not tiny so if you are planning to make pants just be aware that they are baggy and have the potential to grow with your child. That's a bonus in my book.   

Linking HERE

Kid's clothes challenge week day 5

In spite of my lack of posting, I've done well with my kid's clothes challenge this week.

Day 1: These pants

Day 2: I cut out 2 pairs of pajama pants. Sewed them together incorrectly, cut off the seams (way too much of a hassle to remove the serged seams...) and then went to bed for the night.

Day 3: Finished the pajama pants!

Day 4: Made a darling little skirt/shorts combo. Tutorial to follow soon...

Day 5: I'm hoping to complete another little skirt/shorts combo and begin taking pics for the tutorial. Oh, and I have my Mom's Group all morning, rush to gymnastics, home for baby's nap, then off to the dance recital dress rehearsal, then dinner, then collapse on the couch out of pure exhaustion... Oh and I must get to the dry cleaners today as well.

At some point this week I completed these as well. They were started long ago...

 

Pant from this tutorial. I cropped them because they were getting too short, added the side slit and the button for detail.

Skirt using my A-Line skirt tutorial, plus the ruffle.

On a completely unrelated note, do any of you mac users have Aperture? I started using it for storing my photos and the color is absolutely perfect on Aperture and when I import it into my blog it looks awful. I'm sure brother Google will have some answers for me if you don't...

Ducklings!

We participated in the Duckling Parade in Boston today. Oh my goodness. What is cuter than a whole bunch of ducklings following the Make Way For Duckling path to the Public Gardens? Well, this is.

That's right, 3 of the cutest ducklings showing off their feathers. 

Or hugging sisters.

Or maybe this.

It was so much fun making the duckling costumes. The little one is made from a cotton knit. The top is smocked as well as the very bottom. The ruffled bum used as much fabric as the entire dress. It was worth it. So cute.

 

The costume on my oldest, with the other ruffle bum, is made from a costume fake suede. I used this tutorial for the romper. I added 4 layers of ruffles on the bum. She wore a tutu under the romper to add volume.

 

The costume on my middle daughter is what the girls call the "fancy duckling." The dress fabric is a costume satin. The ruffles are chiffon. The dress is loosely inspired by this tutorial. There are yards and yards of ruffles that circle the dress. The bottom has elastic to give it shape. She is also wearing a tutu under the dress to give it volume.

 So, how about those ducklings?

  

The BEST girls' dress tutorials

Summer is nearly upon us. It is dress season. I don't know about your girls, but my girls absolutely love dresses. That's a good thing, because I love to make dresses

There are a TON of little girl's dress tutorials out there in blog land. I've taken the liberty of narrowing it down to just my favorite dozen. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Of course you will. They are cute, and free! And I really can't say enough about these. They all deserve you to click through and at least look at them! So much variety in style, color and design.

Ruffle Peasant Dress by TaDa Creations

Shirred Top or Dress by TaDa Creations

Sweet Shirred Summer Dress by Prudent Baby

Reversible Girl's Pinafore Dress by Stuff I Live For

Popover Sundress by Oliver & S

Last Minute Frock by Grosgrain Fabulous

J-Crew-y Ruffle Dress by KoJo Designs

Another Ruffly J-Crew-y Dress by KoJo Designs

Fairy Romper by Samster Mommy

"In The Garden" Shirred Twirly Dress by From An Igloo

Wrap Dress by Tiny Happy

Bubble Dress by Made By Lex

So what do you think of this list?

This list Works For Me. Do you have any favorite dress tutorials that I haven't included? I'd love to hear about them!

5 and sassy

My oldest daughter turned 5 last week. I think it is a requirement of 5 year old girls to have some sort of sassy edge to them. Of course, she isn't always sassy. Like the night a few days before her birthday when she cried because she didn't want to get older. 

But then there are days like this. Days when I'm trying to get a decent picture and this is the best I can get.

Wow. How old is she? 13? 

She is a girly girl. I'm not sure where she got it. I'm pretty sure nobody would ever say I'm a girly girl. Okay, I do wear the occasional pink sweater or shirt, but the point is that she is an individual. This is the birthday shirt she insisted on. The one I had in my shop wasn't "pretty enough" for her tastes. Then there are the matching pink pants with the pink ruffle down the side. I have to say that they were actually painful to make because they are so far from my style. But, she loves them so they are a success. They are definitely girly and pink! 

>

& Blue Cricket Designs

The kindergarten countdown

My baby will begin kindergarten this fall. Okay, my oldest baby, but she's still my baby. To the average person that is months and months away. To me, that is SO soon! There is so much to do! So many outfits to sew. I'm no LiEr so I have to start early. As a side note, did you notice she sewed 18 items of clothing and a backpack last week? Okay, someone get that lady a nap.

I'm thinking of making a few pieces really great (in my head) pieces. This is what I'm thinking so far.

This is from one of my Japanese sewing books. I just so happen to have some fabric that is nearly identical to the one in the photo. Lucky me!

And I'm going to attempt some pants as well. I have lots of different options for corduroy and bottom weights and denim. We'll just have to see what I come up with!

I've been collecting catalog photos of little items I love. I love this dress from Mini Boden. I'm thinking this fabric would look awesome as this dress. Of course, it will need to be lined. And I'm thinking a green or navy ribbon around the middle would be awesome. 

And these pieces caught my eye too. No fabric for inspiration yet though.

Of course, I have a bunch of other ideas and inspiration I'm tossing around in my head. I have a bunch of knit I want to do something with. 

I know a lot of you sew to be frugal. I wouldn't say that was my intention. I just love it. I'm not thinking I'll save money (because if you count the cost of my machines, really, who am I kidding?). And, my kids like wearing things I've made. Icing on the cake.  

So, let's start the countdown: 6 months, 0 items sewn.
  

When laundry piles up...

It's been one of those weeks. Between the girls being sick and me not feeling well, the house has suffered. Please don't stop by unannounced. I'll need at least 5 hours to prep. 

The girls were running a little low on underwear so, naturally, I avoided doing laundry by making them some. I love them. They are so cute. And super cute on. Don't you think?

It's probably obvious, but I don't put pictures of my actual children in their underwear online (because Google is forever). So you'll have to just check out penguin in his new skivies. I used a pattern in one of my Japanese sewing books. I love them, by the way. The Japanese books that is. They were intimidating at first but the good ones have such great photo instructions that you don't really miss much if you can't read Japanese. They aren't for beginners but if you know your way around a machine I say go for it. I finished the edges with fold over elastic. Super easy. Way easier than doing a load of laundry, drying it and folding it. Or maybe that's just me...

And while I was uploading this picture to my computer I discovered this one on the camera.

Her sisters nicknamed her "Cheese". I can see it.

P.S. My birthday is next week.

 

 
 

The Robot Dress: nearing completion

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The dress I'm making for the Clothing Sew Along is nearly complete. Well, Monday's lesson portion at least.

I found this fabric a few months back at JoAnn's and it just jumped out at me. My 3 year old loves robots. And what little girl doesn't? Okay, maybe just mine.

The pattern is See & Sew B5063. It is reminding me that patterns labeled as "Yes! It's easy" can often be confusing. I'm glad I've done a few patterns like this before because it doesn't explain the steps very well. It is giving me many things to explain in Monday's lesson! 

If you clicked through to the pattern, you'll notice I've mixed things up a bit.

Most obviously, I added sleeves. It's winter after all. I plan to post my sleeve pattern next week if all goes as planned. I know several of you asked for it. The next obvious change is that I used a different fabric for the bodice than the skirt. The bodice is a denim. I'm liking the denim/robot combo. I also top stitched the pleat in the skirt. An easy way to make the pleat stand out. More on that Monday.

I can't wait to hem it and pop in the zipper!   

For more sewing inspiration check out Sew & Tell!

A neck warmer and a new link up PARTY!

UPDATE: Don't forget that the Clothing Sew Along starts today!!

It is no surprise that it is cold here in Boston. Really cold. Colder than I like. Thankfully we have modern gear and can be toasty warm without the bulk of the 1990's puffer jacket. You know what I'm talking about. You had one. Perhaps you still have one... At any rate, this new technology is lovely. 

I like scarves too. But for kids, scarves are annoyances. They fall off, they drag on the ground, they drive them crazy. The problem is, scarves serve a very good purpose. Neck warmth. 

Enter the neck warmer! It keeps you warm without adding bulk and it won't fall off!  Now, you could go out and spend $15 on one of these or you could take a square piece of fleece (this one is about 13 X 13 inches), sew right sides together along one edge and then turn the open ends under and sew. Voila! A neck warmer in 5 minutes for way less than $15. You could use an even smaller piece of fleece if you wanted. This one is rather "tall" so it can be pulled up over the chin and mouth when it is really cold and windy.

For a child size, use a piece of fleece that is about 10.5 square. 

And did someone mention a party? Why, yes, I did! Starting next Thursday I'm taking the plunge and hosting Make it, Wear it. I'm creating a link-up for exclusively things made to wear. This can include clothing, accessories, shoes, anything that you can wear. I suppose you can even wear a handbag. So, drop on by next Thursday and link up!

And feel free to grab this button to display on your blog to spread the word!

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/makeitwearitbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="make it wear it" /></a>

See you Monday for the Clothing Sew Along! I'm so excited!

In completely unrelated news, I just bought the OK to Wake! Children's Alarm Clock and Nightlight and I'm hoping it is going to change my life. I'll keep you posted.

This post is linked to Sew & Tell, Just Something I Whipped Up,
 

Pattern: A false pocket

A little false pocket on the back of pants adds a great, simple detail. Spend an extra 30 minutes on this one, you'll be glad you did! While it is easiest to attach the pocket before assembling the pants, it is possible to add them to existing pants.

This pattern is intended to be for child sized pants but can easily be enlarged for larger sizes. If you are reading this in your feed reader you will need to click through to get the pattern.

Download Pattern- False Pocket

Enjoy! 

My favorite little top

I've been experimenting more with pattern making lately and I finally have a little "go to" top. I love it. Love it. 

She loves it too. This one is made from a fine corduroy. The neck and the bottom hem line are trimmed with bias of the same fabric. I like the weight on the bottom that the trim gives the shirt. The sleeves are absolutely adorable.

The skirt is one of my own creations as well. More on that later!

Girly pockets

I've been experimenting with different finishing touches to pants I've been making my girls lately. I usually use this Burda 9678 pattern or make them this way. I used the Burda pattern for these particular pants. 

 

I was inspired by these pockets, but made them differently. Needless to say, they are a hit and there will be more in the future!

 I think the contrasting top stitch helped with the cute factor.

Elephanting around

I made my first stuffed animals. I decided on the elephant. I'm glad.

I learned some things. For instance, after you sew up the shell, don't just hand it to your husband with a bag of stuffing and expect him to just "figure it out." 

I also learned that I hate hand sewing. I'm not very good at it. It takes too much time and concentration. If I was going to make these elephants again I would cut some more corners and avoid some more hand sewing.

 

The pattern is from the book Sew Everything Workshop. I love the book. It is a great book, especially for beginners. I did make a few changes, in case you plan to make this little buddy yourself. He does take a bit longer than I expected. I can't say exactly how long it takes to make but I would say plan on 2 to 3+ hours, depending on your level of experience sewing, and the amount of distractions you have!

1. Add a layer of fusible interfacing on each of the ears. Fuse the interfacing to one of the outer fabrics before stitching right sides together. This makes the ears a bit sturdier so they'll stand out from the elephant's head.
2. Instead of hand sewing the opening in the ear closed after turning it I topstitched the whole ear. I don't think it detracts from the ear. If anything, it gives it more character.
3. If I had it to do over, I might leave the opening in the elephant on the underside rather than the top of the elephant. This way is a bit more forgiving for your hand stitching.
4. The pattern tells you to stitch the button eyes on after you stuff the elephant. I would recommend sewing them on before sewing the little guy together. Much easier. I also used a piece of round felt for eyes for the baby's elephant. She sleeps with it and I don't have to worry about her choking on an eye. 

There, now go make yourself some cute little elephants.

My ladybug

My daughter changed her mind about her Halloween costume 3 days before Halloween. I searched for ladybug costume ideas and came up with a few cute examples. I couldn't find anything that was quick and easy and used what I had around the house so I invented my own. This method could be used for any type of dress up wings and took less than an hour to make. Most of the materials were repurposed.

What you will need:

1 old red t-shirt (or red knit, felt or fleece fabric)

1 small piece of black fabric (or old t-shirt or sweater)

28" of elastic (I used 1/2" width)

Old cereal box

Heavy stabilizer, or something equivalent.

Wonder under or similar for applique

Making the wings

Trace the shape of the wings onto the cereal box. Cut out one wing then use that as a template to trace the other wing so they are exactly the same shape. My wings were basically a semi-circle with a bit of a change up at the bottom. You could use a plain semi-circle and be just fine though.

 

Then use your cardboard as a template for your fabric. Using a pen (a fabric pen is preferred but it really doesn't matter) trace the shape of your wings onto your fabric. I used a men's XL t-shirt and had plenty of fabric. I put the template's straight edge on the fold so I only had to make one cut for each wing.

DO NOT CUT ALONG YOUR MARKED LINE! Cut at least a half an inch around your marked line. You will be sewing directly on that line you drew.

Trace 8 small circles onto your wonder under. I used a kids' cup as my template. Iron the wonder under onto your black fabric. Cut out the circles and iron them on your red wing fabric. Note: The first time I did this I was not paying enough attention and put the dots on the front of one of the wings and the back of the other. Oops. Pay attention.

Sew around the edge of the circles with a zigzag stitch. I recommend using a tear away stabilizer on the back of the fabric if you are using knits to prevent puckering. If you don't have a stabilizer any old scrap of fabric will work. Just cut out a piece a bit larger than your circle and put it on the underside of the fabric. 

Next, fold the wing fabric, wrong sides together and put the cardboard sandwiched in between. I sewed the wings up around the edges, sewing on my marked line) and then trimmed the fabric.

Next cut 2 rectangular pieces of the red fabric and 2 pieces of the heavy stabilizer. In a pinch, lightweight cardboard could work instead of the stabilizer. It won't be as flexible but it will keep the wings from sagging. In reality, no kid would know the difference.

Put the stabilizer in between the red fabric and sew around the edges. Trim the edges close to the seam.

Next cut the elastic into two 14" pieces. I made a casing for my elastic but that isn't necessary. 

Now lay the wings down, dot side down and place this connector piece in between them where you want. Position the elastic and then sew it all together. This is how I placed mine.

That's it! You're done. Now you have ladybug wings!