The Train To Crazy

Easy Valentine's Day Heart Headband Tutorial

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Are you ready for an adorable, simple heart headband tutorial? This cute headband will be perfect for your daughter, or YOU if you want! Thanks to Anshu from Blooms and Blossoms for sharing this tutorial!

Hello, Train to Crazy readers. There's just so much sewing crafting goodness here that I couldn't resist asking Andrea for an opportunity to guest post. To my amazement she said yes! So I brought you this So Sweet headband tutorial. I'm Anshu from Blooms And Bugs. I'm an engineer by the day and a crafter/seamstress during the wee hours of the morning. I write about my sewing adventures at Blooms And Bugs and also have an etsy shop with the same name. Drop by my blog for more sewing tutorials for little girls clothes and accessories.

I made this So Sweet Headband for my daughter for the Valentines Day. Here's what you need to make one for your sweetie:

Supplies:

• 1/4 inch wide red elastic - 12.5 inches
• Hot pink felt - 3 inch square ( cut a heart shape from this, the heart I cut was about 2 inches)
• White Felt - 4 inch square ( cut a heart shape bigger than the pink one from this, the heart I cut was about 2.5 inches )
• Small white button - 1
• Threads - Red and White

Sew both the ends of elastic together by overlapping them half an inch. Reinforce his seam by sewing multiple times. I used a very narrow and small zigzag for extra strength. Don't worry if it looks shabby at this point, it will be concealed later on.

Place the bigger white heart beneath the joint in the headband.

Place the smaller pink heart over the headband such that the joint gets sandwiched between the two hearts.

Place a small white button on top of all the layers such that it sits on the headband. Hand-sew the button in place by inserting the thread through all the layers and going from one hole to the other multiple times.

Sew running stitches with white thread along the boundary of smaller heart.

Sew running stitches with Red/Pink thread along the boundary of bigger heart.

And you're done! Now go put it on the cutest kid around.

Taking pants down a size (or two) tutorial

The problem with losing weight is having to buy new clothes. Often in sizes you don't wish to own. So what do you do when you find yourself wearing jeans that look like this: 

No, this won't do! No worries. There is a very quick fix that doesn't involve taking apart waistbands and hems.

1. Put your pants on inside out. Figure out how much extra in the waist and legs you need to take in. PIn the top and carefully step out of the pants.

2. Sew down each side. Make sure to sew an even amount on each side so you don't have a wonky seam up your backside. 

Notice here I made an original seam then tried the pants on and realized I wanted to take them in 1/4" on each side so I sewed another seam.

3. Finish the seam. Use a serger, pinking sheers or a zigzag stitch. 

4. Sew the seam down at the waist and bottom of the pant leg. The outside will look like this: 

Can you see that stitching 1/4" to the left of the seam? The inside will look like this: 

Sometimes you will want to take in the inseam as well to get a better fit. Just go for it in the same manor you did the side seams.

Now wear those pants with pride for the next 4 weeks until you go down another size!

Looking for adorable little girl patterns? Have you seen Petite Kids Boutique?

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?

Project Run & Play Week Three

I have survived Project Run & Play another week! Did you see all the boy outfits last week? So impressive! This week's challenge is to make something from another decade. What do you think when you hear that? Flapper dresses? 60's dresses? I turned to google images for a little inspiration. Every time I found a dress I loved I realized it wouldn't look good on a little girl (or be inappropriate) or it would probably be a popular choice. Then I realized the obvious choice for me was the right one. So I did a little google image research on dresses from the 1910's. That's right. I was totally inspired by Downton Abbey. Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about because it is only the best show on TV right now!

The Edwardian Era of dress fascinates me. That transition from corsets to modern dress that happened during WWI was amazing. Shorter skirts over long skirts, sheer fabrics, straight skirts, oh my! And, of course, there was a huge difference in dress from 1910 to 1919. 

These are a few of the dresses I drew inspiration from. Yes, those are the sisters of Downton Abbey. Oh Edith and Mary, you vicious girls. Though I must admit I have a lot more grace for Mary. And Cybil, dear Cybil is the best. Love her character! Who is your favorite?

Enough about my inspiration, let's get to the dresses!

Two dresses because I can hardly make one for one girl and not the other. And, of course, their little sister is wondering why she didn't get a fancy dress.

This pink fabric is a taffeta from JoAnn Fabrics. I love the gathers. She picked it out so it probably isn't a traditional Edwardian Era color but who can deny this girl her pink dress? The floor length skirt is layered with a knee length over skirt of the same fabric, as was traditional at that time. The waistband is black satin and the shoulder straps are a gray silk. The top is fully lined, of course. The back is closed with an invisible zipper. It turns out invisible zippers are difficult when you have so many layers and pleats, etc. I've never had so much trouble getting a zipper to work right!

The second dress is made from a gorgeous satin from JoAnn Fabrics. The satin looks like it has a lace overlay and is very feminine without being too girly. The bodice is fully lined and the skirt is floor length. The top is overlayed with a black chiffon. If you have ever worked with chiffon you know its difficulties. I hemmed the neckline and the sleeves with a gorgeious trim that I think adds the perfect touch to the top. The dress is finished with a velvet wasitband. The back is closed with a zipper again.

What do you think? Did I hit the mark on the Downton Abbey style? We will just ignore the fact that during this era children stopped being dressed like adults. I love the adult style way too much to deny a little girl just a beautiful dress!

Now go on over and VOTE for me in Project Run & Play. Voting is in the top left sidebar on their website. I'd love your vote if you like my dresses! I'm hoping to stay in at least one more week!

Project Run & Play Week Two

***Have you been to Heart & Felt yet? Will you support my kids and their effort?***

Week two of Project Run & Play is here! It is Boy Week and I made "The Peddler". The outfit is completely inspired by Caps for Sale. Do you know that book? It is a favorite around here. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it.

I made these gray wool pants with a soft ribbed waistband, fly, front pockets, back flap pockets, pieced knees and ribbed ankle bands (perfect for growing boys!). 

The sweater is made from an adult sweater. I loved the stripe pattern and it is hard to find good sweater material. The burnt orange chevrons were sewn onto the sleeve to create a more modern, boy feel.

The knees are peiced. I rotated the pattern so they would stand out a bit and double topstitched just like the pockets and inseams.

And the caps. OH THE CAPS! Yes, I made them all. I used the Little Cap pattern. They are in the traditional colors of the book. I added appliqués to most of them for added appeal. There are nine in total. NINE. What was I thinking? Imagine getting a three year old to sit still enough to keep them stacked upright.

I happen to love the rolled ribbed cuff. This style would be especially great for quick growers and early walkers. 

So what do you think?? Go on over and VOTE!

Sew Resolution

Are you trying to lose weight? Just had a baby maybe? Hate buying those in between sizes? Yeah, me too. Head on over to Me Sew Crazy's New Year's ReSEWlution series to see how I did this!

Easy Valentine craft tutorial

Need a handmade Valentine project for your kids? I'm sharing a fun, easy tutorial over at Fancy Little Things. 

Don't forget to buy your wool felt hearts at Heart & Felt and help my kids raise $5,100 to buy a home for an orphan family through World Vision! They are almost halfway to their fundraising goal and they need your help! A special thanks to Handmade Therapy for being our first Valentine heart buyer!

A doll for Blessing

After sewing the Eddie doll from Wee WonderfulsWee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love I knew I wanted to make a doll for my niece for Christmas. The Storybook Doll was the perfect fit. Except I changed it. Because I didn't want a white doll with yellow hair. I wanted this doll.

She's a cutie, right? I hope you enjoy her Blessing! 

Project Run & Play Week One!!

Project Run & Play is here!! Have you seen this week's challenge? Will you be playing along for the reader prize?? You should!

This week's challenge was to do a pattern remix of the Junebug Dress by Craftiness is Not Optional. 

Cute, right?

Now do you want to see how I remixed this pattern? Let me present:

MOD RECESS WEAR

Using a directional satin print I lengthened the sleeves and added a band at the elbows. Shortened the button placket and made the skirt a bubble style. Oh, and it is SHORT so we call it a tunic. It's cute. I like it. She likes it.

You'll need leggings or jeans for this one though! Which is why this is perfect for the playground! 

Here's the problem. I didn't LOVE the dress. I just wasn't excited about it. So I made another. But it is quite a diversion from the original pattern.

Yep, shortalls. I absolutely love it. These are made with linen. Beatiful gray linen. No sleeves, rolled cuff, exposed zipper. Yes, two exposed zippers. I love that recent trend and had to include it here. It just fits this style well. Plus when a girl's got to go she's got to go and fussing with 10 buttons isn't going to work!

Great alone with sandals or with leggings and boots. I imagine a long sleeve shirt would be fabulous too but it was 87 degrees Wednesday when we shot these photos. I wasn't that mean.

Though I do have to appologize for all the blurry photography. I'm not sure what was up with me that day. But apparently it wasn't just me. We were all a little off...

And I can't even describe how ridiculous they were here when I said, "PLEASE be serious for a second so we can get a good photo of you together!"

But there were some smiles.

See the zipper?

I cannot wait until those two top teeth finally fall out. They have both been crooked and dangling forever!

So go vote for ME the best remixed outfit at Project Run & Play! Voting opens Friday!

Sewing For Boys Series

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. 

Jump over to the Sewing For Boys Pump Up Series at Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy to see what I did!

Circle Pocket Dress or Shirt Tutorial

I found a top on Pinterest a while back that caught my eye. A large circle pocket on the front of a shirt. So easy and fun. I made these tops for my girls months ago and they always get compliments. Here's the tutorial for you!

I love sewing simple, quick dresses. And I especially love to sew with knit fabrics. They are comfortable and cute and I find my girls prefer them to other dresses. If you've never sewn with knits, take a deep breath. It isn't as scary as it seems. And no, you don't need a serger. It is completely possible to sew knit with your regular sewing machine. If you have a zig zag stitch, or better yet, a "knit stitch" then you'll be able to sew this project just fine. Of course, you don't have to do this in knit but I like the way it looks.

For this dress, find an existing dress and create your own pattern, use my free Go To Dress pattern, a peasant shirt pattern, or any favorite pattern of yours. This is a simple, easy way to switch up a favorite pattern and create something new and unique.

You can crop it and make a cute shirt as well.
This tutorial is very simple. First find a round bowl just slightly larger than you would like the pocket.

• Trace a circle onto freezer paper.
• Iron the circle onto your fabric and cut 2 circles.
• Sew circles, right sides together, leaving a 2" opening. 
• Turn circle right side out. Iron flat.
• Pin your circle to the front panel of your dress BEFORE you sew your dress together.
• Sew the circle on the dress as the diagram below shows sewing as close to the edge as possible. Ensure your 2" opening is now sewn closed.

**When working with knits you may find it helpful to use a stabilizer. I used a tear away stabilizer when I sewed the two circles together. Before turning the circle right side out I carefully cut out the center of the stabilizer leaving 1/4" of stabilizer along the inner edge. This will help when stitching the circle pocket to the dress by preventing odd puckering and gathering.**
Now sew your dress together! There you have it! A simple way to reuse a pattern you love and make it unique.
Thanks for having me Shanna! I'm loving this series and can't wait to see the rest of the projects!

 

DIY Leather Wallet Tutorial

Ever wanted to sew a wallet? Need a gift for a guy in your life? Sewing this leather wallet is easy! Check out my easy tutorial!

This simple leather wallet is great for the back pocket. Slim so it doesn't wear out pockets and easy to access money. You may omit the "money clip" elastic and store the money in the middle pocket if that suits your style.

Gather Supplies:

• leather (I bought an old leather purse at a thrift shop)
• clear vinyl
• leather sewing machine needles
• upholstry thread
• 1/2" wide elastic to match your leather

 Sewing with leather can be scary but you may find it isn't as you thought! A few tips:

1. Use the correct needle and thread
2. Go slow
3. Do not start right on the edge of your leather
4. Use a scrap piece of leather to check your tension

Cut leather:

• 3" x 4.5" (cut 2)
• 3" x 3.75" (cut 2)
• 3" x 3" (cut 1)

Cut vinyl:

• 3" x 3" (cut 1)

Cut a "window" out of one piece of 3' x 3.75" piece of leather. I use an exacto knife for precision.

Line the vinyl up behind the window and sew the top together. You may also use an appropriate glue if you'd rather to attach the vinyl to the leather.

Cut slits for the elastic. Line the elastic up near the top of the 3" x 3" piece of leather. Cut a slit about 1/4" inside the leather on each side. The slit should be just as wide as the leather.
Tuck the elastic into the leather as above.

Stack your wallet together. The window piece should be on top of one of the largest pieces. This will make one side of your wallet.

The elastic piece should go on top of the mid sized piece and then on top of the other largest piece. This will be the opposite side of the wallet.

Line your pieces up so the edges are straight. You can't use pins so I used binder clips. Sew the sides and bottom of the wallet. Do not sew the top! 

You're done! Now fill that wallet or give it as a gift! 

Have you worked with leather before? It's not as scary as you might think!

Making last minute gifts?

How about these cute coasters? Pattern here.

This fabric is perfect for those coasters and it's on SALE!!

Fabric gift boxes? Cute right?? 

Or the Art Tote to beat all art totes. 

Now imagine this tote in this fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabric. YES!

Still need to make a Christmas dress?? This Colette Dress by Petite Kids is perfect!

Perhaps the Lola Skirt is just what you've been looking for??

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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?

Oliver + S bucket hats with a chin strap

We are going on vacation. A real vacation. With sun. And sand. And most importantly, grandparents. See, a real vacation. For me. I'm giddy!

Due to the whole sun issue it was obvious we'd need a bucket hat from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. Of course. And once I made one hat, others were requested. This is what I've got so far.

The hats are easy to make. Budget yourself 2-3 hours, depending on how comfortable you are with sewing and how late at night it is (i.e. how much you'll need your seam ripper). 

The hats are fully reversible. Though I added a chin strap to this one making it not so reversible. But with a 13 month old a chin strap is essential. Just sew it in when sewing the inside hat portion to the rest of the hat (final step). 

The pattern says the rows of stitching on the brim are optional but don't skip that part. It isn't that difficult if you go very slow and it adds so much strength to the hat. No floppiness here. Plus the cute factor raises by at least 5 points.

I omitted the hand stitching on the last step of the pattern and just machine sewed in on. You'll know what I mean when you have the pattern. It worked well and saved me a bit of time. I just pinned carefully and had no issues (oh except that one but then it was good)! Like I said, add a little time if you are working late at night.

Total stars for this pattern?

Have you made one yet?

Messenger Bag Sew Along Part 4

This is the final installment of the messenger bag sew along tutorial. When you have completed the next few steps your bag will look like this.

Are you ready to sew your own now? I think this Robert Kaufman print would make a great messenger bag!

Click here for Part 4 of the sew along.

Have you completed a Keyka Lou messenger bag? Add it to the Flickr group. Don't forget that all the Keyka Lou patterns. are on sale right now! Only $5!

Tutorial: how to turn a narrow fabric tube

Some things seem simple. I have spent more time in my life doing simple things, like turning a tube of fabric right side out, than I care to remember. Because what is little and simple turns out to be neither. It can be infuriating if you're just working with your hands. I broke down one day and bought a turning tool at the fabric store. It was only a few dollars so I figured why not try it. OH MY goodness it makes life so much easier! Am I the only one who was so clueless for so long? Do you want to know how to turn a tube of fabric right side out?

Step one. Get your rectangle of fabric. Mind was cut haphazardly by hand. Yours might look better. Mine also has some stabilizer ironed on because I used it for my messenger bag strap.

fold that rectangle in half the long way and sew the long way and one end closed. Grab your turning tube and stick (they are a package deal). This Turn It All on Amazon is basically what I have. 

Slide the tube all the way into the fabric. Way down to the end you sewed shut.

Now hold the fabric so the tube doesn't move and start pushing that stick into the tube, through the closed end of the fabric. This is where you hope you stitched well.

Keep going. Start to push the fabric down over the tube and stick as you push the stick.

Keep pushing that fabric and you'll end up with the tube on the outside and the stick inside. Push until the fabric is completely turned.

Now wasn't that easy? Much better than wasting 30 minutes of your time sanity. Iron and top stitch and you'll have a great strap for something.

How do you turn fabric? Do you have any tricks or tips?

E Dog gets a shirt

A little friend turned one recently. We've affectionately nicknamed him "E Dog". Little E Dog has a special place in our hearts and even though we don't live near him we like to think of him as my little guy's best friend. They haven't seen each other since they could move but that doesn't stop their friendship. So on little E Dog's birthday he got this shirt.

I loved it so much I almost couldn't bear to part with it. Seriously. I mean, how great is that E tag?? 

He got a pair of coordinating pants, of course.

I can't wait to see our little friend in his outfit. Hopefully soon. Hint, hint.

Feel free to make your own E Dog (C Dog? R Dog?) shirts. If you need the pattern I could certainly upload my drawing. Though I'm sure you can draw a few wonky circles on your own. Remember, imperfect is better.

How do you feel about this E Dog? (feel free to shower me with praise, I don't mind)

P.S. Sometimes I link here.

Messenger Bag Sew Along Week 2

There is still time to join in! Check out Week 1 of the sew along where we gathered supplies. Of course, you can always finish at your own rate!

It is now time to cut our fabric and get started sewing! When you are finished with today's portion you'll have completed this:

Yay! Now hop on over to the full Sew Along for Week 2 here.

Who are you sewing your messenger bag for?

Felt ornament inspiration

Pinterest has again sparked my interest in making Christmas ornaments with the kids this year. Have you seen all the fabulous inspiration there? I've got a Christmas board going and it makes me want to take a few days off of the rest of life and make some ornaments with the girls.

I actually made one like this.

Source: zakkalife.blogspot.com via Andrea on Pinterest

 

Super easy. The problem was I made it out of craft felt (off the bolt at JoAnn's). It's not that sturdy and looks rather unimpressive.

When I have a question google can't answer I ask on twitter, naturally. So last week I asked where you all buy your felt. Not many answers but a lot of people saying "I want to know too!" Dana from MADE posted where she got her felt but I tend to disagree. JoAnn Fabrics never has a good selection of wool blend felt where I live. They have some burgandy, mustard and a few greens but not much else. Tons of accrylic felt but I was looking for something a little nicer.

So I turned to Etsy. Of course. Oh my the colors you can find when you type "wool felt" into the search box! 

Look what already came in the mail!!

Thanks so much Felt Flavors! Amazing service and a little extra felt too! Now I can make these!

Source: juicy-bits.typepad.com via Andrea on Pinterest

 

Oh, and how cute are these? The kids would love making these!!

Source: parents.com via Andrea on Pinterest

 

So, where do you buy your felt? And will you be making ornaments this year?

Messenger Bag Sew Along Week 1

Let the fun begin! Are you ready to sew a Messenger bag?? Nervous about sewing something complicated like a bag? New to sewing? Just want to have fun with us? Join along! This week we'll talk about selecting fabrics and gathering your supplies.

Buy your pattern from Keyka Lou here

When you purchase the pattern you will be given the pattern to download to your computer. The pattern and instructions are very detailed. I know you will be pleased with the quality (I know I am). There is a list of supplies included in the pattern.

• 13”(w) x 11”(h) cotton fabric for the flap
• 13”(w) x 11”(h) interfacing
• 3⁄4 yard body fabric – duck, twill, canvas or other light/medium weight utility fabric
• 3⁄4 yard lining fabric – cotton
• 3⁄4 yard cotton batting
• 2 yards of 1.5” wide medium/heavy duty poly webbing 1.5” slide
• 1.5” rectangle ring
• Button
• 7” piece of cord elastic
• 7.5” of 3⁄8” wide elastic
• Small safety pin
• 1.25” piece of VELCRO
• Fabric marking pen or chalk
• Ruler 

Choosing outer fabric

The type of fabric you use will make a big difference in how sturdy or stiff the completed bag is. The pattern recommends a sturdy fabric like canvas or denim. If you want to use a thinner fabric just iron a medium weight fusible interfacing to the wrong side of your outer fabric and you'll have a sturdy bag. I'll be using corduroy. I'm choosing not to use interfacing because I don't mind if the bag isn't very sturdy.

The pattern picture uses a different fabric for the flap but feel free to use the same fabric on the whole outer layer and flap if you want.

A pair of large mens or women's pants could be repurposed for the outer fabric as well. Don't forget to look and see what you already have around the house!

Choosing an inner fabric

Quilting weight cotton is appropriate here. Patterns, solids, whatever strikes your fancy.

The strap

The pattern tells you to use 1.5" poly webbing for the strap. My local big chain fabric store didn't carry anything in that width. It also didn't carry 1.5" wide rectangular rings and sliders. You may be able to find these things online if you can't find them in your local store. OR, do like I'll be doing and make your own strap to fit the size of rectangular ring and slide I found (1.75"). 

To make your own strap you'll need 2 strips of fabric 36"x4" (or double the width of your ring plus .5"), 2 strips of medium weight fusible interfacing the same size as the fabric strips.

What is cotton batting?

Cotton batting is also known as wadding. It is the padded layer used in quilts. If you don't want it, you can omit it. Though I think it will add good dimension and padding to the completed bag.

Your supplies will look like this:

(reclangular ring, rectangular slider, button, webbing, round cord elastic, fabric marker or chalk, velcro, safety pin, elastic)

Joining along? Let me know by leaving a comment or linking up to this post. You can grab a button to display on your blog if you'd like (not required). Who will you be sewing this messenger bag for? Do you have your fabric picked out?

holiday sewing for boy: handmade doll

I try to make Christmas as handmade as possible around here. It's just more fun (for me) that way. I started the sewing last week with a doll from Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love

This is the Eddie Doll. 

I think I love him.

Even if I made his eyes a bit wonky and larger than they were supposed to be.

His hair is my favorite. 

Seriously. Uncanny, right? (smile)

That's fake fur hair. 

Eddie was easy to sew and he passed the test. The baby saw him and let out a huge squeal, ran to the doll and hugged it. I almost gave it to him then and there it was so precious. But I was strong and put it up for Christmas.

All in all I highly recommend the book. Full of great patterns and so far they are easy to make. I have 3 more planned.  

What do you think about handmade dolls? I was not a fan of them when I was a kid. I'm hopeful my kids love them. They each have a crocheted doll from my grandmother that they love. What say you?

Ottobre velour vest, Burda 9678 pants, 3rd birthday shirt

My youngest daughter turned 3 a couple weeks ago. Her birthday outfit was adorable, if I do say so myself.

Pants: Burda 9678 pattern. Made a couple other pairs a few years ago. Corduroy fabric from JoAnns.

Vest: Ottobre "Selleri" pattern from issue 1/2010. Fabric: Soft velour outer, jersey knit lining, rib knit trim. I graded the pattern up a size and it works perfectly.

I adore this vest. It was easy to make. If you're intimidated by Ottobre patterns check out this post that shows you how to use Ottobre patterns.

Have you used an Ottobre pattern yet?

I link

Make your own camera bag

There are so many fabulous camera bags out there right now. I know you've been wanting one but that $90, $200, $350 price tag is a bit out of your budget, right? Or maybe they just aren't quite your style. That was me. Not quite my style and a bit pricey to justify. I'd rather spend more money on the camera than the bag. Using a few different examples around the web with some tutorials and semi tutorials I created my own. (like this one from Vanilla & Lace, Tales of a Wife, or My Messy Manger)  

All you need to create your own DIY camera bag is a bag that has good space, some foam, fabric and either some fabric glue or a sewing machine. Velco is useful and optional. You don't even need to know how to sew!

The best part about my DIY camera bag? The safety padding fits in more than one of my bags. I can change it out whenever I want! So for the price of an $80 camera bag I have 2 very nice bags. If you are a bargain shopper you could definitely make your own for less than $20. This is not a tutorial but if you combine this tutorial with my photos you'll be able to easily figure out how to create your own.

Bag One (an ordinary bag)

Bag Two

  

The Insert

The Adjustable Lens Protector

Make sense? What do you think? Want to make your own camera bag?

Possibly linked here

Check out Peganders Etsy Shop: notebook, bag, kid supply, craft PDF pattern store

Jack fell down and broke his crown...

There are so many costume ideas for a Jack. This one was just particularly fitting yesterday. Yes, that is a real black eye.

Pants: pattern from Handmade Beginnings blogged here and here

Suspenders: tutorial from Make It and Love It (super easy, highly recommend)

I tried to get a picture of all the kids in their costumes. Instead I have a ton of pictures of silly faces, hands in the face and babies running away... here's a few favorites.

I hope you had a fun Halloween if you celebrate!

My ladybug costume

I only made one full costume this year. Another ladybug. That seems to be a popular costume around here.

This is no traditional ladybug costume. It's a fancy ladybug. Of course.

New wings using this tutorial. I used felt this time and really liked the result.

The dress is from Simplicity 1991. It is a very easy pattern though there are a bunch of skirt pieces so it takes a bit of time to come together. The red fabric is costume satin. The black sequin fabric is also costume fabric.

The costume is so fabulous that she told her sister (who gathered items from around the house to make her fairy costume) that "people will think you're just a regular person going around town." Sigh. I guess next year I'll have to make everyone a costume so nobody looks just like a "regular person".

I did make another costume. Well, part of a costume but you'll have to wait to see that one. Those of you on facebook have a clue about what it is. Pictures of that one to come!

Did you make any costumes this year?

seersucker pants for boys. really?

I happen to love seersucker. I know not everyone does. I especially love the stripes in seersucker. The problem with seersucker is that it is a thin fabric. Not quite robust enough for a new walker. This is easily fixable by lining the pants. Easy enough. I used my new 12-24 month pants pattern (I really should find a better name. Any ideas?) and they turned out adorable. 

Last time I mentioned this pants pattern you couldn't really see the details of the pants. I love the huge front pockets and I rarely make pants without a fake (or real) fly. It just adds a little something I think.

The contrast waist band is fun as well. In this case I matched it to the cuffs.

Nothing quite as adorable as little feet. Except maybe chubby hands.

The pants have room for a big diaper bum as well. I think the big tummy is just there to keep him from tipping backward. 

(No actual babies were harmed in the making of this post)

Is anyone looking for a pants pattern of this description? I'm totally willing to share it if there is any interest. It works well for boys or girls, obviously.

Adorable toy sewing patterns at DIY Fluffies

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!

First Birthday Outfit

My baby turned 1 last week. It is hard to believe. For me anyway.

He enjoyed a day at the pumpkin patch for his big day.

He's my fourth child but he isn't easy going like they always say. He's firey and opinionated, determined and independent. 

I made him a birthday outfit. The shirt is inspired by Living with Punk's personalized emblem polo tutorial. The pants are my own pattern. I've been making him lots of pairs. I call them size 12-24 months. With the cuff they will fit for a year. Or, a while at least. This guy is huge and is still growing like a weed! At 32" already I'm hoping to save myself a little time by making his pants expandable!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Karate Kid Headband (hachimaki) Tutorial

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

Hello all!  I’m Christie from A Lemon Squeezy Home.  I’m excited to be here today as part of Andrea’s series.  What a wonderful idea to get a ton of fun dress-up items for the kiddos!  My kids love our dress-up box, and it looks like I might have to add to it after seeing everyone’s tutorials. Today we’re going to keep it really simple.  I’m going to show you how to make Daniel Larusso’s headband from The Karate Kid.  I think the correct term is a hachimaki. 

picture source

You can purchase these for about $10.00 (shipped) online, but I figured they would be so easy to make, and you probably even have everything you need in your house already! Let’s get started! You’ll need: -printed flower design, download HERE (I used my silhouette software to trace the image HERE).  You can resize the flower to make it bigger or smaller according to how large or small a headband you are making.  This size is good for about 4-9 year olds.  Ish.  :) -black fabric or black acrylic paint -paint brush -8” x about 44” piece white fabric (I used cotton) -pencil with an eraser in nearly new condition (so the sides aren’t worn down) Fold the white piece of fabric in half lengthwise and crease the middle so you know where it is. Center the flower underneath the fabric and trace with a pencil (or something that might erase better—I had a hard time getting my pencil marks off where the paint didn’t cover it).  Or you can trace it onto freezer paper and cut out the shape. Place a sheet of paper underneath and start painting.  You can either free-hand it and like I did, or you could cut this shape out of freezer paper, iron the freezer paper on, and paint.  That would be easier and probably faster, but I thought it would be faster the way I did it.   It probably wasn’t.  Next, start marking with a pencil (starting about 1/2” away from the flower) every 1”, then another line 1” away from that.  My dots aren’t as close together as the real version, so you can make your dots closer if you’d like. Dip your eraser in the black paint and start making dots over the pencil markings in the above picture (make sure there is paper beneath your fabric again).  I did 8 columns of dots on either side of the flower.  Once the paint has dried, fold the short ends under 1/4”, then another 1/4” and sew.  The ends are now finished.  Almost done! Now all you do is fold in half so the long ends match, and sew about a 1/4” seam down the whole long edge. Iron the seam flat as picture below. Turn right side out and you are done!  Since my 8 year old received the 1984 version of Karate Kid for his birthday, he’s been really into Karate.  And was happy to oblige for many, many pictures. “Mom!  Take a picture of me doing this move!” Thanks for having me today, Andrea! 

Thank YOU Christie! Thanks for showing us how to make a Karate Kid headband! 

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Word Girl Costume Tutorial

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

Hi all you awesome Train to Crazy readers!

My name is Dacia & I blog with my sister over at Creative Mommas.
I love to create and I share all things I create on our blog.  I receive so much creative inspiration from the blogosphere, so why not share the love!  On our blog we have tutorials, recipes, parties, sewing, crafting, home decor, photography & so much more.  We also have an Etsy shop where we share some of our sewing talents.  Come browse our blog and see if something inspires you.

Today I'd like to share my Word Girl costume tutorial.
It's pretty simple and you, too, can whip these out in an afternoon!

I bought long sleeve red shirts & pants at Walmart for like $3 or $4 a piece.

The first thing I did was find the word girl design on the Internet and I printed it out in the size I wanted.

Then I ironed on HeatnBond to the back of my yellow fabric.

Next, I traced my design on the back of the fabric, (on the Heatnbond paper) & cut it out.

After, I took the paper off the back of the design...

and ironed it on the shirt with the shiny side down.

For an extra hold, I stitched all along the outside and inside of my design. And there you have it, one Word Girl shirt!
But of course I couldn't stop there, Word Girl has a cape too. For the cape, I cut out a large rectangular piece of fabric. (I just held it up to my girls and made sure I liked the length.) I hemmed the sides and bottom of the cape to finish the edges. Then I folded down the top, making sure there was enough room for my elastic.
Next I stitched along the top and bottom of my fold. For the elastic, I measured it around my girls' necks, cut it and threaded it through the top of the cape. Once I got the elastic threaded far enough through, I made sure to zig zag stitch the elastic at one end. After threading it all the way through, I zig zag stitched the other end to keep the elastic secured. The last thing I added to the cape were snaps, two to be exact. And that's it, all done! Two word girl outfits in one afternoon & two very happy girls!

Here are a few other things from our blog:

My family is BIG into Halloween & we usually do themed costumes and all dress the part.

Last Halloween Harry Potter was the theme & I made robes so the kids could be Harry Potter characters.

And here is a Halloween wreath I made for my door last year.

But wait, there's more than just Halloween on our blog.

My sister and I stenciled this wall together.

And this is my awesome Craigslist find that I refinished.

Here's a teacher appreciation gift idea that I shared on our blog.

And here's a party I planned this year for my daughter.

Thanks so much to Andrea for allowing me to visit her awesome blog & share my tutorial!

Come visit me over at Creative Mommas.  I love connecting with creative people!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Mary Poppins Dress 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. 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!

Welcome Jess! Thanks for teaching us how to sew this darling Mary Poppins Jolly Holiday dress!

Hey, all you crafty costumers! I'm Jess, from Craftiness is not Optional (insert picture, hehe)...

...and I love sewing costumes for my kiddos! This year my oldest daughter had a Mary Poppins birthday party, so of course she needed a Jolly Holiday dress to wear!

She looks pretty darn cute in it, I've gotta say.

Of course, the circle skirt is very spin-worthy!

I love the trims-on the sleeves, and cummerbund.

With bows on the skirt. :)

So, I used this tutorial for the basic dress construction. 

I used sheer fabric for the sleeves and lengthened them. (and added trim) 

Left off the waistband, but made a cummerbund. (instructions below)

I made a simple "bib" by sewing two rectangular pieces of my sheer material right sides together, on 3 sides. Turned right side out, and sewed closed the bottom, turning raw edges in. Then I gathered it down the middle, sewed it to the dress, and then tacked it down at each corner with a few stitches, and added the ribbon bow.

Now for a few pics and notes about how I made the cummerbund.

First I cut out two pieces shaped like this, that came to a point in the middle, and were wide enough to fit around her waist. I ended up cutting some off in the end, but that's easy to do later.

On one piece, I laid out 5 pieces of ric rac like so, and then sewed them down, sewing straight down the middle.

Then I took some pre-made piping, and pinned it along each edge, with the piping towards the middle.

I clipped the piping at the bottom there a little bit, to fit better around the little point.

Then, using a zipper foot, I sewed AS CLOSE as I could to the piping. Like, really close.

Then I pinned the other red piece right sides together, and sewed (with my zipper foot still) close to the piping again. It wasn't hard to tell where it was, I just manipulated the fabric a bit so it would stand out better. Leave the ends open.

No pics of the rest, but I turned it right side out, checked my piping to see if I needed to restitch anything, and then pressed it. Then I figured out where I needed to place my velcro to fit the Sadester. I cut it where I needed, serged the ends, turned them under and stitched over the ends, then sewed on my velcro. All done!

Hope you like it! Happy Trick or Treating!

Here are a couple more dress up projects I've done!

Thanks for having me, Andrea!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Leather Bound Buttonhole Tutorial

Hey everyone and fans of the Train To Crazy!  It is Cheryl from Paradiso Designs with a cool technique that I developed to use in place of those dreaded gromments that look great, but normally do not last long, and end up coming apart.  So I came up with the Paradiso Designs Strap Slot, which is kind of like a bound buttonhole as you can see from above!

The red pleather piece started out as a 1.75" x around 3" piece.  I used measurements to make the strap slot fit the strap exactly and not be too loose.   I would recommend using a 2" wide or wider measurement for this, as it was not the easiest to sew down.  But I love the look of the slot with the kind of bend in it!!  I think letting it be not perfect looks great and if it was too perfect, then you would see every little mistake in stitching!!  You just want to make sure that what you start out with looks proportional, because what size you cut the slot facing is what size it will be.

The beauty of the using pleather/vinyl is that you can just sew that down as it, and it will look like leather, as it wrinkles like leather!!  You can see in this picture that I have the size that I want of the slot facing piece.  This slot is ½" wide.  And the slot is made in the center of the side seam of the bag!  I found the center and drew a chalk line through it, then I made lines where I was going to stitch my slot box.  I made sure that all my stitch lines were the same distance away from the edge on all 4 sides.  I put the right side to the right side of the lining, measuring from the top on both sides of the facing to make sure they were equal amounts from the top…then we know it will be placed straight.  I used tape to hold the facing in place, and about an inch below that I pinned through the lining to the seam allowance of the exterior bag to hold everything in place.  And then I stitched it, if you look closely you will see the indentations, and at the bottom of the picture you can see the center chalk line that is barely visable is centered with the bag side seam!  Use a stitcc length that is longer if the what you are sewing thorough is really thick, this was stitched with a 3.5 stitch length.  Make very sharp corners, and do not forget to backstitch.  I use only a seam ripper to cut pleather, especially in this situation.  I cut here through to the fleece,  And on the lining side too.  After I reach the fabrics I LOVE to use the Fiskers nips that have the long narrow blades.  They are great for being very precise in tiny places…and this is a tiny place!  Make sure to cut right up to each corner and not cut the stitching.  If you do cut the stitching on accident…just resew the rectangle just a bit bigger…maybe go 1/8 of an inch bigger around the 1^st stitch lines, and then recut.  Now…bring in the big gun scissors to really clean up the stitch box, and the point is to lessen the bulk, so that it will be easy to turn the pleather out! 
Then I tucked the pleather facing through the stitch box from the back and pulled it gently out right side to the exterior of the bag.  If you look closely I used pins to hold down the facing to the bag, to anchor it as I sewed it in place.  I stitched with a 1/16^" of an inch…use 1/8", it will look better I think.  Breathe, and just take your time sewing the facing into place.  You can see that I just let the pleather pleat in some places because it just did, due to the nature of the thickness of the bag.  And I feel that it adds to the charm, but it does not take away from the look of the bag, and when you look at the last picture……….. 

  Does this look homemade….?  I think not!!

Thank-you to all the fans here for checking my techniques out, be sure to check out my website in a few weeks (November 8) to see 7 new patterns added to the Paradiso Designs Pattern Line-up!!

Thanks Andrea for letting me hang on the Train to Crazy!!  Have a wonderful Sunday!!

Check out Cheryl's other tutorials for sewing pleather purse handles and pleather binding tutorial 

A Whimsical Tea Party

My baby girl turned three last week. She wanted a tea party. So a tea party was had.

I started sewing ruffled table cloths late Friday evening and once I got started I thought, "a fancy tea party needs fancy curtains". So fancy curtains were made. The best thing about it is fancy for a little girl means happy bright patterns and fun colors. This means sewing your fabric stash together makes the perfect whimsical outdoor fabric wall.

I kept it a secret and put it up while the girls were at a soccer game. The squeels of delight when they saw it reassured me that my sleepless night was worth it. 

The celebration was something like this. Pure joy.

And there were bubbles. Of course.

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Scrappy Boa 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. 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!

Welcome Jessica! Thanks for the wonderful boa tutorial! 

Hi everyone. I am Jessica from Me Sew Crazy, and I am super excited to be on board with Andrea at the Train to Crazy for the Handmade Dress Up Series! With two little girls in the house, our 'dress up trunk' sees lots of action. I never know what I am going to see come out of that room - a princess, chef, movie star, explorer, detective...and the costume changes are endless! Sometimes I will even get a princess that loves to cook, with a sick pet who needs a vet. Lol. It just warms my heart to see the imagination on my two girls! That is why I am super excited to be here with today's post...

No matter what costume my girls decide to dress up in, there is ALWAYS a boa involved! Doctor with a boa? Check. Explorer with a boa? Check. You name the occupation, any my girls will prove to you that a boa is part of the required uniform!

This is a NO-SEW project, and has the potential to use up TONS of your fabric scraps! Let's Get Started: Materials: Approximately 1 yard total of fabric Instructions:

1. Cut 1 piece of fabric 1"W x 60"L (or whatever length you want your boa to be), and cut a whole bunch of 1"W x 8 - 10"L fabric scraps (mine total about 1 yard of fabric). 2. On your long strip of fabric, tie off one of the ends.

Now we are going to start adding the fabric scraps to the long strip.

3. Taking your fabric scraps, start tying them onto the long strip - with a single knot in the middle. 4. Then push the scrap down, and keep pushing the scraps down as you tie them on, until they meet the knot at the end and all bunch up. Continue doing this until you reach the desired length of your boa. Once you have added all of your fabric scraps, tie off the other end of the fabric strip. And you are finished!

Now go have fun with it!!!

Thank you so much again for having me here today Andrea! And to all you Train to Crazy readers, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will stop by my blog sometime at Me Sew Crazy and say hello!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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)

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Princess Costume Set 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. 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 little princess in your life? Bev is here to show us how to sew the adorable princess costume set she made her lucky neice. Thanks for the princess tutorial!

It's been a while since my kiddos were into dress up clothes - but when they were little it was pretty much a daily activity! I made a bunch of fun things for my daughter - and picked up some great things on Halloween clearance (you can get great things for 90% off after Halloween!!). I have two sweet nieces that I love to sew for - so I thought it would be fun to make an outfit similar to one I made my daughter when she was little. It's easy to put on and fun to wear! It's a little Princess set - with skirt, capelet, and headband - all with fun pink sequins to dress it up. (If you're going to be a princess - you need some bling right??) My nieces live in Arizona - so you'll have to just imagine how cute this will look on. ;) This is a super simple set - it comes together really quickly!! You can make it with any fabric - but I love using the inexpensive satin that is in the fabric store now for Halloween. To make the whole set, you'll need a little less than a yard of satin, a roll of sequined elastic, a roll of sequin trim, and coordinating ribbon. (All came from Joann's) To make the capelet, cut out 2 large half circles. This is easiest to draw out by tying a string to a pencil, then holding the string in the top center and drawing with the pencil in a half circle. The radius of mine is 4" for the top, 12" for the bottom, you can easily adjust this for your little ones. I'm making this for a 3 year old. Sew the pieces right sides together, leaving a small opening for turning. Clip the corners and curves before turning right side out. (I must apologize for the background on this tutorial - I thought this gray polkadot would be a cute contrast to all the white satin, but after scrolling through all these, I am slightly dizzy. Nice.) Turn the capelet right side out and press. Topstitch around all the sides and curves. Trim all but the top inside curve with the sequin trim. I used a heavy duty needle and had no problem sewing right down the center of the trim. Trim the inside half circle with your pretty ribbon, leaving the ends long enough for tying. For the skirt, I cut a long piece of satin 15" x 30". Place the two short sides right sides together and sew. Make a small hem along the bottom by turning under twice and sewing. Zigzag around the top of the skirt to cut down on the fraying. Cut a length of sequined elastic the same length as your little one's waist measurement. Sew the two ends together. Pin the elastic to the skirt, stretching it to the satin as you go. Sew on the elastic, lining it up with the top of the skirt. Stretch the elastic as you go, when you release it, it will gather up the skirt. Sew the ribbon from the capelet along the hem of the skirt for a little more trim. Super easy right?? I love that it's easy for them to pull on or take off themselves. You can easily whip up a matching headband too - just measure out with the sequined elastic how much you'd need for an elastic headband. Sew the ends together and add a sweet satin rosette! That's it!! A super cute, easy outfit that is perfect for a princess, a bride, or even a fancy nurse in a pinch. ;) I hope you like it! Andrea thank you Soooo much for having me! I am loving this series - so many cute ideas!!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

Vinyl or pleather trim tutorial

Hello all you lovely sewists that follow Andrea and The Train to Crazy!!

Cheryl here, of Paradiso Designs.  I  was able to meet you all last week when Andrea let me share with you how to stitch up some pleather/vinyl straps that look like leather for handbags!!  You also got a peak at one of my new patterns "The Urbanista HoBo".  The Cupcake appliqué will also be a new pattern too!

Here is the same bag done up in pleather/vinyl with another new appliqué pattern called" Urban Graffiti" that will be out at the end of October.
This week I am going to show you how to put pleather/vinyl (p/v) as a trim on the upper edge of the HoBo.  It really gives such a nice touch to your "homemade" designer handbag.

When I design my handbags, it combines 2 bags always in one.  One bag is the exterior bag, and the other bag is the lining.  One way that I finish my bags is to "wrap" a trim around the top of the bag enclosing all raw edges, nice and tidy.

I start with a 2" wide piece of p/v.  Next, tack the 2 bags together at the top edge of the bags (exterior and lining), so that they will not slip apart while being sewn, use a 4.0 stitch, and ¼" seam allowance (sa). 

Here you can see the start of tacking the top edges together.   I am using "Getta Grips" clips to hold all the tops of the exterior p/v bag and the fabric lining.

Next it is time to add the trim.  It will be sewn on the outside of the bag with right sides together and then will be wrapped around the top toward the inside of the bag. 

I start to add the trim in a place where it will not be seen easily.  I start just before the back side seam, which will be a great place because when the straps are in place the seam will be under the strap!   Sew right sides together with a 3/8" SA.  Once you have sewn around entire top and then reach the spot where you started sewing the trim on, lay the end of the trim over where you started and sew for about ¾" more, then backstitch a few stitches.

Next, start to turn up and over the p/v trim, and finish wrapping it over the top of the bag and clip in place.  Get out your zipper foot, and  put a piece of scotch tape on the zipper foot! Now stitch in the ditch all the way around the top to sew down the trim.  This means that you will stitch on the outside of the bag right under the trim, and this will catch the trim edge that has been wrapped over and behind.  As you sew please keep tucking the trim tightly around the top and under so that you have an even size of trim all around the top of the bag!  This is easier to do, just breathe and stop ever few inches or so to check and make sure it is tucked under.

The last thing to do is to pink the inside edge of the p/v, to give it a nice finish. 

Roll the edge of the p/v up and then trim with the pinking shears. When you cut with the pinking shears this way, then it is assured that you will not cut the lining on accident.  Make sure to continue cutting in the pattern of the pinking around the entire trim, so the peaks of the pinking are seamless!! 

And here is the Urbanista HoBo!! Next week I will show you how to make the Strap slot…it totally replaces the need to use gromments!

Thank- You Andrea for allowing me to come play in your sandbox!!  Have a great week sewing everyone!!

This Week's Highlights

Anna from Noodlehead made a bunch of these Pocket Clutch Pattern by Keyka Lou. Aren't these adorable??? What would you use this pattern for? I think it would be great for keeping a few essentials and transfering between camera bag and diaper bag! Although this zip pouch by Keyka Lou would be perfect for that as well.

Laura Bray of Katydiddys shared a NO SEW Woodland Fairy tutorial over at the Rit Dye blog. A perfect addition to a dress up box!!

Jessica from Sew Homegrown shares a tutorial for this great scrappy "Love you to pieces skirt". A great use of scraps!

This Burda Easy Fashion S/S 2009 from J. na Leśno-Marchewkowej is GORGEOUS! Yowsa!

Katy from No Big Dill shared a tutorial for turning a pair of pants into a jumper. 

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Mini Mouse Dress Up Costume 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. 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!

Welcome Mandy! Thanks for the Mini Mouse Costume Tutorial! 

Hi everyone!! I'm Mandy, from over at Sugar Bee Crafts:

  

Here's the whole gang on our recent vacation:

I enjoy all things crafty and have lots of DIY and tutorials on my blog.  I even have a link party on Tuesdays so I can see your craftiness - then I show off a bunch of you on Wednesdays.  You might know me from a couple of my posts (click picture to check them out!):

Handmade Dress-Up Series - - what a fun idea!  Do you have kids that want to wear their dress-ups ALL.DAY.LONG.  Don't we all?!?  So with my quick tutorial today, I wanted to show you how to make a "dress-up" outfit that's comfy too - more like an everyday outfit.  So here we go - Minnie Mouse outfit, gone casual - -

You know how cheap - er, "frugal" - I am, so souvenir shirts aren't even an option.  But we need something Disney, right?  I made the girls SUPER cute Minnie Mouse outfits.  I didn't take many tutorial pictures, because it's pretty basic.   First I made the pants - I couldn't decide if it would be hot or cold, so I went mid-way with capris.  I just used whatever pattern I had bought on sale for $1 at Joann's and used the red dot fabric..  Then I slightly gathered the black dot fabric and attached ruffles to the ends of the pants.
Then I got to thinking how I hope the girls even know who Minnie Mouse is (we're cable deprived so if it's not on PBS...) so I googled Minnie Mouse Images - - guess which one they zeroed in on??

That's right, the risque Minnie adult outfit, 2nd one in on the top row.  Of course.  I had thought about doing a shirt with a big appliqued head on it, but they saw that picture and vetoed the applique.  They wanted a belt and shirt like that outfit.  I wasn't sewing a shirt (are you with me - pants are so easy to whip up, but a shirt - intimidating!) but I thought we could do a belt.
So I made a belt by attaching two ruffles of black dot onto the sides of a strip of red dot, then sewed the strip all the way around the shirt to make a casing.  To make it look more fitted, like a belt, I threaded elastic through the opening, just like you would when you make an elastic waistband in pants.

The elastic gave it a little gather and some body - I think it turned out cute.

Then they needed a bow, like Minnie.  I covered headbands in black dot then made a big bow (like here, but 2 loops instead of 4) out of red dot and glued it on top.  It held on great!

The whole Minnie Mouse Outfit is really cute!  I wish I could have gotten a picture with both girls wearing theirs but one is at school and it's blog crunch time so I couldn't wait.

So, maybe $6-8 on fabric and then 2 shirts at $3.50 each.  Great deal - way better than a Disney Gift Shop.  And cuter, if you ask me.  Outfits in action:

Oh, and more recently I made these cute Minnie Mouse hairclips that I show off on my blog, if you want to check those out...

And other dress-up ideas on my blog (click the titles to take you to the posts):

The Upside-Down Man:

Ghost Pillowcase Dress:

Dress like a cow:

Hope to see you in my corner of the blog world, www.SugarBeeCrafts.com!!

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Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Bat Mask Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Please subscribe so you don't miss the other five weeks of tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Welcome Susan! Thanks for the wonderful bat mask tutorial!

Hey all you Train to Crazy passengers! 

I’m Susan and my blog is Living with Punks. 

I am so happy to be here with Andrea today showing you a fast and easy bat mask pattern for the little ones.  My punks (who are 9) still fly around the house with these on.

And little sister loves her too because you can make it in pink…or purple, whatever color is on the top of her list for the week!

Let’s get started:

 

Materials 1/4 yard felt. I try to use wool felt, but you can use acrylic. Contrasting Thread Coordinating Thread 12" of 1/2" elastic Instructions 1. Print out the FREE Bat Mask Pattern Download here and cut out

2. Fold the felt piece so you have a double layer of felt to cut through. Pin the mask pattern to the felt to prevent shifting while cutting. To cut the eye, just fold that particular portion in half and make a slit to get your scissors thru, and then cut around the eye piece. Take your elastic and place it on the side of the opening closest to the flat side of the wing and secure with pins

3. Take your contrasting thread and begin stitching 1/8" away from the raw edge. Stitch all the way around, being careful as you go around the points and curves. I found it useful to hand turn the needle around the tighter places.

4. Use your coordinating thread to stitch around the eyes.

5. Put on your little punk and watch him fly through the air! You can always make a pink princess bat mask for that little girly too, if you have one....we all know they have that bat squeal down!

 

Here are a few tutorials you can find on my blog

Stop by Living with Punks anytime or you can be my friend on Facebook and I’ll keep you updated on all the latest

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Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Modern Madeline Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Please subscribe so you don't miss the other five weeks of tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

Are you ready for this adorable Madeline costume tutorial??!

Hi. I am Elizabeth from the blog Simple Simon & Company where I blog with my sister-in-law, who happens to have the same name. We both love to sew, all things vintage--especially patterns, and love to see what we can make for $5 every Friday. We are currently busy sewing like crazy moms for Project Run & Play which has been a fun (but super busy) challenge! Come and see us sometime!

For my handmade dress-up, I decided to share one of my favorite projects. Every year, my kids' school does a "Dress-As-Your-Favorite-Storybook-Character" Day, which I love. I am a former teacher, so anything that gets kids more interested in great books is a good thing in my mind. My kids love this day. It is just as fun around here as Halloween, and as much planning goes into these outfits as our Halloween costumes! We have been Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, and Harry Potter multiple times (we have a real fan in our house). Here is my little Madeline from that day.

To make this handmade dress-up, I used a simple A-line dress pattern from Simplicity (that you have to look past the 80's fabric on the cover). It really is a great pattern and super versatile for many looks.

I added a simple peter pan collar. HERE is a pattern for one that I made and love. I did gather the sleeves to make them Madeline-puffy, and added a red knot sash under the collar.

For her headband I used felt circles that were layered and layered like THIS great tutorial.   

The Madeline series was one of my favorites as a child, and I love that my little girl loves Madeline as much as I do. It's fun to share childhood memories for another generation.

Thanks Andrea for having me! I have LOVED seeing all of the great dress-ups. They have all been amazing! And my to-do lists gets longer and longer and longer.....:) ~Elizabeth

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Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Viking Helmet Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Please subscribe so you don't miss the other five weeks of tutorials! Like what you see? Please PIN it or Stumble it! Thanks!

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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How to sew leather straps for handbags and purses: Guest Post by Paradiso Designs

Today we're taking a break from the Handmade Dress Up Series to show you a tutorial for making your own leather purse straps! Cheryl from Paradiso Designs sells PDF purse patterns and knows her stuff about making bags! I hope you enjoy this tutorial!

My name is Cheryl Kuczek, and I have my very own sewing pattern company called Paradiso Designs

I have to thank the very generous Andrea for allowing me to show her audience something fun, and maybe new for all you lovely sewists out there!!

I have a lot of bag patterns that I started my company with.  Some of the bags have straps that look like leather, but they are not!  You may have seen another one of my creations gracing the pages of the last issue of Stitch…the Slouch Bag.  Here is a picture of the very first Slouch Bag that I made with Italian pleather and Italian laminated cotton.  This is a free downloadable pattern at Stitch Magazine on line….click here to get it!  You can see the strap that I made using my Paradiso Designs technique!

And now I am going to show you the step-by step tutorial for you!

A)    Here are the straps that I make for my bags.  The look like leather, they feel like leather, and they act like leather, but they are pleather/vinyl (pv). 

You can buy pleather and vinyl at many fabric stores, and it is not too expensive, plus you can then give your bags that designer lok to them.  The Slouch Bag looks kinda like a Marc Jacobs bag, but his bags can cost you $1200.00 or more.  I think it is dandy to make your own, and look like a million bucks with your own two hands.

B)     You need the proper tools….

TO SEW Pleather…you will want 110 OR 100 needles…they can be just regular, denim, leather or topstitch needles.  The topstitch are great because they have a bit bigger eye of the needle, which is nice if you are sewing using one of the newer 40 weight threads which can give the appearance of a thicker thread, therefore stitch.

You will need a telfon foot or put a piece of scotch tale on your regular foot.  These are Viking feet.  The Telfon works great on most pleathers. Patent like leathers may work better with the scotch tape.  I know that these machines have these feet;

• Viking has the H foot
• Bernina has the 52c or d foot that is Teflon, and the same number foot in green (non-stick) and will work on the patent like pleathers.
• Pfaff has a Telfon foot
• Brother/Babylock/White/Janome have a white plastic foot that does work on most pleathers.  This foot appears to be interchangeable between Brother, Babylock, White, and Janome.

You really need to cut pleather/vinyl (p/v) with a rotary cutter and not scissors because it is very important to have a smooth straight line!  I always cut my strap the entire width of the p/v.  
That would be around 54- 60".  Just a regular strap starts at about 42".

I have two of the kinds of p/v to use for straps.  The brown p/v has a woven backing on it, and the black has a "felted" backing.  These are perfect for being very durable and sturdy, exactly what I strap needs to last through wear and tear!

The strap starts out be 3 times its finished size!  So for a 1" strap, you would start with a 3" piece wide p/v, for 1.5" a 4.5"piece would be used, etc.

Next, a line is drawn 1/3 of the way across, as you can see in this picture the back side of the 3" pleather is marked with a line 1" from one edge.  Use a sharpie only in the same color as the pleather, I have seen sharpie bleed through.  On the felted back, I use a roller chalk, to make the line, this one is by Clover.  I love it as I cut A LOT of p/v all the time!

Finally it is now time to sew!! 

As you can see here, this is the start,  fold in the edge to the drawn line, I use these nifty "Get a Grip" Clips to hold the p/v folded into place as the first row if stitching is sewn.  I like to start 1/16" from the folded edge, and sew the entire length of pleather, 1/8" will work too.  Here are more tips…

• Only sew in one direction, otherwise the p/v will twist.
• I leave my threads long at the beginning, and cut them at the end so I do not forget which direction I need to sew.
• Use a 3.5-5.5 stitch length as you will be going through thick stuff here…using a bigger needle and stitch will be easier to sew and will look better
• you do not need to backstitch.

This picture gives you a look at what you will have after that first row of stitching, and look at the stitching…you DO NOT want little stitches.

The second row of stitches will "catch" the other end of the pleather…as the other side is folded toward the first row of stitches.  As you can see they edge is right next to the stitches, and this is what makes the edge disappear, and sew the 2^nd row of stitching 1/8" away from the 1^st row of stitches. 
Do not pull the p/v down, or the strap will start to twist, just "fold" to the line of stitching. 

If you do not have these measurement marks on your machine, you could make marks of where you must sew to get this configuration.

It is possible that you can get the line you need by moving your needle.

Ok…now turn the strap over to sew the 2 rows of stitching on the other side in exactly the same way as the first 2 rows of stitching. 

This is really pretty…think about your thread too…this thread matched with the appliqué' on this bag, and made it pop!!

And here is the finished bag…check out the end of the straps…I like to use the same color of thread as the strap for the satin stitching of strap edge and button holes…yes they really work. 

Here is another shot of the Urbanista HoBo Bag by Paradiso Designs…this pattern will be out in late November/December.  Old jeans were used upcycled to create the bag outer material.  Check out the p/v edging….I will do a tutorial about that next week, the cool bound like strap slot will be the week after that!!

And here is the full view of the bag!! 

Cupcake appliqué pattern by Paradiso Designs, out in late October!!

Thank-you again  Andrea for this opportunity!!

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Baby Yoda Costume Tutorial

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Welcome Jill! Thanks for the wonderful baby Yoda costume tutorial!

Hi there! I’m Jill and I blog over at Made it on Monday.

My blog is all about crafting, sewing, creating and inspiring… but mostly sewing. I’m a wife, mother of a 20-month-old, work part time out of the home and run two etsy shops. And no, I can’t do it all. My house is a mess and dinner is typically late. But if I’ve had some time with my sewing machine or glue gun, life is good. Needless to say, I need quick and simple projects. Most of what you’ll see on my blog can be done in a day. And since Mondays are a day off for me, many of my projects are made on Monday.

I love this kid. One of the things that really excited me about becoming a mom was creating Halloween costumes for him. Last year, I actually got to make him two—one for Halloween and one for a movie night at church where we played the StarWars cartoon and encouraged kids to come in character.

Someone so little just had to be Yoda!

I wanted to keep it simple (since I’d made everything new for his Peter Pan costume), so I used a brown long sleeve onesie and pair of pants that we already had.

 

 

Using the hood of another hoodie as the pattern, cut out the two pieces for the hood out of a knit (they will be sewn up the middle).

 

 

Sew the two pieces together around the curved top and side, leaving the other two sides open.

 

 

Fold the front edge under and sew. I used a decorative stitch that looks like I used a serger, but a plain straight stitch or zig zag would work fine (for tips on sewing with knits, check out this post).

 

 

Try the hood on your baby (Jace LOVED getting to model).

 

 

The hood peaked, taking away from the nice round shape of Yoda’s head, so I boxed the corner (which was more of a rounded corner).

 

 

Since I was using a onesie, the neck was different than what you’d see on your typical hood. I didn’t want to sew the hood to both the back and front of the shirt because I was worried it would limit my ability to get the shirt over Jace’s head (the kid has a big noggin). That meant I’d have to use ties to keep the front around his face correctly.

 

 

If you’re using a onesie, cut two strips of the green fabric, zig zag stitch down the middle (for the fun and look of it).

 

 

Pin the hood to the shirt at the collar, right sides together. If using a regular shirt, pin it all around the neck, overlapping at the front. If using a onesie, only pin along the back and stop a the shoulders.

 

Fold under the remaining fabric that won’t get sewn to the onesie, pin the straps between the two layers, and sew until you get to the point where you’ll attach to the onesie.

Sew with the onesie facing up so you can sew just along the line of the original serging on the shirt.

 

Now you’re done attaching the hood! Next, on to the ears. I found a picture of Yoda online and used it as my inspiration.

 

 

Cut out a pattern for the shape of his ears and cut 4 of it out of the fabric (remember to leave space for seam allowance). Sew the front and back of each ear together and then slightly stuff with batting.

 

 

Sew about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in from the edge to give some definition to the ear. Because it’s already stuffed, this will give it some nice body.

 

 

Cut two slits in the hood where you want the ears. I had the hood sit folded and used my rotary cutter so I could cut a nice slit in both sides at the same time, making them the same length. Tuck the ear through the slit so the cut edges of the slit and the ear are all facing the same way. Sew the ear to the hood.

 

 

And you’re done with Yoda’s head! You can stop here if you’d like. Or, if you want to add some batting around the ears to help show Yoda’s age, you can. I figured, since my fabric was a darker green, this was a young Yoda.

 

 

I wanted to also add hands and feet, so I cut them out of green felt, and sewed on to the cuffs of the sleeves and feet.

 

 

Finished product!

 

 

I also wanted Yoda to have his robe, so I cut a rough shape out of a lighter brown heavy weight fabric (my mother-in-law gave it to me… it was a table cloth once upon a time!), and sewed it together.

 

 

Then it was a matter of resisting the urge to wake up my napping baby to try it on. He finally woke up, and I was so excited to try it out. This kid loves to play dress up! He gets so excited when I put costumes on him.

 

Yes, this is the cutest Yoda you’ve ever seen.

 

 

Thanks for letting me share! I’d love it if you stopped by my blog and said hi! You’ll find clothes to make for yourself, home décor, accessories and so much more!

 

Thanks, 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 Fairy Wand Tutorial

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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.

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Handmade Dress Up: DIY IPhone/IPod Costume Tutorial

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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!

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Handmade Dress Up: DIY Tinkerbell 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, a Tinkerbell Costume tutorial!

Hi!  I'm April and I blog over at Wildflowers & Whimsy!  I am a SAHM, homeschooling mommy to three awesome kiddos.  I talk too much and too loud, drink too much coffee, forget things almost always.  I'm crazy about Audrey Hepburn, shoes...the higher the better, and anything with ruffles!  My blog is about everything from sewing to fashion to homeschooling to...well, pretty much whatever strikes my fancy at any given moment!  I love all wonderful friends I have made since starting my blog and would love for you to stop by and say hi!

I was super excited when Andrea contacted me about this event!  Dress up is something that is a part of daily life in our home.  I love seeing what my kids put together!  There's just something about seeing their creativity come out!  And I love all the characters they come up with!

An obvious favorite with my daughter is Tinkerbell!  I made her a Tink costume for Halloween last year, and it still gets quite a bit of use...sometimes even as pjs!  lol

BTW:  I hope you'll excuse my pics!  They were taken when I had just gotten a new camera and had no clue how to use it! 

What you need:

Jersey Knit Fabric

Tulle

Elastic Thread

Fabric Marker

2 - 1/2" pieces of velcro (one hook, one loop)

First, cut out the bodice & short pieces:

Bodice

(cut 2 from tulle and 2 from jersey)

12m/18m ~ 2- 10" x 20"

2t/3t ~ 2- 11" x 21"

4t/5t ~ 2- 12" x 22"

 Straps

 

12m/18m ~ 2- 4" x 6 "

2t/3t ~ 2- 4.5" x 7"

4t/5t ~ 2- 4.5" x 8 "

Shorts

 

12m/18m ~ 2- 8.5" x 20"

2t/3t ~ 2- 9.5" x 21"

4t/5t ~ 2- 10.5" x 22"

Start with the shorts...Do a double turned hem by turning up the bottom edge 1/2"; press.  Turn it up another 1/2"; press; stitch.  With RS together, pin & stitch side seams together with 1/2" seam allowance; finish raw edges.  Fold the shorts in half with side seams together and mark the center.  Open them up and measure about 2-3" up from the bottom along the center mark and mark with your fabric marker.  Repeat to the left and right of center crease.  Then, connect the three marks to form an arch.   Cut the arch out and stitch with 1/2" seam allowace; trim, then finish raw edges with prefered method (serge, overcast, or zig zag).

Now, cut out the tulle skirt. You will need about 30-40 tulle strips 6" wide x

12m/18m ~ 22" long

2t/3t ~ 24" long

4t/5t ~ 26" long

Fold them in half long sides together, then, short sides together and cut the bottoms at a 45 degree angle to make it "pixie" cut.  The longer side should be the folded side.  (I do all my strips at once and if I come across any that look funny as I sew them together,  I just clean up the point)  

Now, make the skirt by putting two together, and again folding them in half with long sides together first.  Then, fold them in half again, short sides together.

Stitch across the fold (the one opposite the pointed end) 1/4" from the top.  Only stitch about half way across, then, overlay your next two strips onto the first and continue stitching until you come to the middle of those two strips (which should also be the end of the first strip) and add two more...

Also, the skirt looks best if you stitch the strips: 2 with the longer side further away from you (going under the presser foot first), then two with the longer side closer to you (going under the presser foot last).  Just continue to flip back and forth...2 one way, then 2 the other...

(You'll see the difference in the pics below...I'll point them out)

Continue this until your skirt is the same width as your shorts...

12m/18m ~ about 38"

2t/3t ~ about 40"

4t/5t ~about 42"

Then, overlap the first and last strips, so that it forms a tube.

This one I would stitch 2, flip, stitch 2, flip...

This one I stitched flipping them every time...see the difference in the way the points look in the two skirts???

Line up the raw edges of the skirt and shorts and baste together.

Now for the top!  Pin the tulle and jersey for the front RS together and stitch using a 1/2" seam allowance.  Repeat for the back.

Open it up and press the seam toward the jersey and stitch the seam down 1/8" from the original seam.

Trim excess fabric.

With RS facing and matching seams pin front and back together and stitch side seams. Press seams open, then pull the tulle down over the outside of the bodice so that the raw edges match up; baste together.

Now, matching side seams and with RS facing pin bodice to skirt/shorts and stitch using a 1/2" seam allowance.  Press the seam up toward the bodice and then top stitch the seam in place.

Then, trim off all the excess fabric inside.

Now, start shirring 1/2" from the top of the bodice, and continue every 1/2" until you reach the skirt.

Then, shirr one row, just above the hem of each of the pant legs.  Steam and add your straps...

Fold them in half, long sides together; pin.  Starting at one of the short sides stitch using 1/2" seam allowance, and leave one of the short sides open so that you can turn them.  Clip corners, turn, and sew velcro onto the ends.

Stitch the open ends to each side of the front bodice and you are done!

Hope you enjoy this tutorial!  And be sure to check out my tutorial for the matching tinkerbell shoes!

And here are a few of my other tutorials you might like!

Bustled Twirl Dress

Feather Skirt {Tutu} Tutorial

Petti Tutu Tutorial

Thanks so much for having me Andrea!  

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