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70 posts categorized “handmade dress up series”

October 10, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY No Sew Iridescent Fairy Wings 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!

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Want to know how to make no sew fairy wings? Look no further! Kalleen is here to share her No Sew Iridescent Wings Tutorial! 

Hi there, I’m Kalleen from At Second Street. I am so excited to be part of this series. Dress-up’s are a big part of our home. I loved dressing up as a child and find so much joy in seeing my kids share that love. Even my nine year old boy still uses his imagination to be someone else. 

I hope you like this tutorial for iridescent fairy wings. 

I know you can buy wings for pretty cheap these days, but I’m picky and I wanted something more realistic. Something more Tinker-bell like and not so much butterfly. This is what I came up with for our costumes last year. 
In darker light they appear clear and in the sunlight they sparkle. 
They’re dramatic and fancy, yet sturdy and cheap to make. 
That you need to make them:
– Solid Galvanized Wire
-pliers or similar tool
– electrical tape or duck tape
– glue gun and glue sticks
– transparent gift wrap
-optional glitter paint
-paint brush
-ribbon 
-elastic band ( you can use 1/2″ or 1″) length varies
I bought my wire at Walmart. I got the roll for $3.50. I was able to make three sets of wings and have a ton left over. You could use a wire hanger, but for this price why mess with that. 
making the wing frames:
Start by cutting four pieces of wire. Two pieces of the same length for your top wings and two of the same length for the bottom wings. The longer the wire is the bigger the wing it will make. 
Next cross over the ends of the wire and twist them.  You may need pliers to help. 
After twisting the ends, form the wire into a shape you like. I would have a clear image of the shape you want in front of you before you start. I googled fairy wings and found a few shapes I really liked.  
after shaping the wire wrap the twisted ends together with tape. 
Then wrap the top and the bottom pieces together with tape. It should feel sturdy when you are done.
Time to cover them in gift wrap. I bought mine at the dollar store and had enough in one roll to cover all three sets of wings. 
Cut a piece of the wrap just larger than one wing. 
The wrap is attached to the wing with hot glue. Run a small bead of hot glue all the way around one side of the wing. Then lay it on the cut piece of wrap. Trim the edges and repeat on the other side of the same wing. Then repeat the same process on all four wings. 
When I was finished I painted on some silver glitter paint. I tried to use strokes that simulated fair wings. You can skip the paint, I like the clear iridescent look as well. 
Next, I wrapped the center in ribbon.
I measured a strip of elastic to wrap around the shoulders and glued it to the center. 
Then I reinforced with another wrapping of ribbon and glue. 

 

That’s it, they are ready to wear. 


I only had to buy the wire wrap and paint.  I paid $6 for three sets of wings.

Feel free to come over a check out a few more costume ideas. 

 

 

 

 

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 10, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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October 08, 2011

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!

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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!!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 08, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for Girls, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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October 07, 2011

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!

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Welcome Susan! Thanks for the wonderful bat mask tutorial!

aaaa
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!
batmask

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
mondopompompillow100_thumb button_ruffle_scarves_125 nataliesbirthday1147_thumb
Stop by Living with Punks anytime or you can be my friend on Facebook and I’ll keep you updated on all the latest

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 07, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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October 06, 2011

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!

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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.  Madeline4 
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
Simple Simon & Co

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 06, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for Girls | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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October 05, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series: Crochet Monster Hat 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!

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

Hey there! I’m Emily from The Boy Trifecta. I’m excited to be part of Andrea’s fantastic series, but I do have a confession. I don’t really do handmade costumes. Well, at least not sewn costumes – we did this cardboard box robot thing last year. See, I REALLY hate to spend a ton of time on something and then only have it worn for a few hours. So, today I’m sharing something that your little one can use all fall and winter long! M1
 
This little crochet hat should fit toddlers and young children. It fits both my 1-year-old and 3-year-old monsters.   
M2


M6


Crochet is really easy and fun. If you don’t already know how, now is the time to learn! I learned through watching YouTube videos, but there is also a Crochet School series going on right now over here.
Abbreviations:
sl = slip stitch
dc = Double Crochet
sc = Single Crochet
hdc = Half Double Crochet
For the hat, use a worsted weight yarn, a size H hook, and join each round with a slip stitch around the beginning chain.Total stitch count per round is in the parentheses. Starting chain doesn’t count toward the final stitch count. Repeat the stitch pattern between the asterisks until the end of the round.
Hat:
Chain 4, and join with a sl in the first chain.
Round 1: 10 dc into the loop you just formed (10 dc)
Round 2: Ch2, *2 dc in each dc* (20 dc)
Round 3: Ch 2, *1 dc in the first stitch, 2 dc in next*  (30 dc)
Round 4: Ch2, *1 dc in first 2 stitches, 2 dc in next* (40 dc)
Round 5: Ch2, *1 dc in first 3 stitches, 2 dc in next* (50 dc)
Round 6: Ch2, *1 dc in first 4 stitches, 2 dc in next* (60 dc)
Round 7-18: Ch 2, *1 dc in each dc* (60 dc)
Fasten off.
To make the smiley mouth on the front of the hat:
Count 20 stitches around from where you fastened off IN THE DIRECTION YOU CROCHET (this is different for lefties and righties) and attach yarn.
Row 1: Ch 2, dc in next 5 stitches, hdc in next 10 stiches, dc in next 5 stitches
Row 2: Ch2, turn work, dc in next 5 stitches, hdc in next 10 stitches, dc in next 5 stitches
Row 3: Repeat row 2. Fasten off. Weave in end, and flip mouth up toward the hat.
Using a small piece of felt, cut two triangles and place them like teeth between the hat body and the mouth. Stitch in place with a needle and thread.
Eye:
Round 1: Make a magic loop, and do 10 sc in the magic loop. (10 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in every stitch (20 sc)
Switch color
Round 3: *Sc in 2, 2 sc in next* (30 sc)
Round 4: *sc in 2, 2 sc in next* (40 sc)
Fasten off, and leave tail long enough for sewing onto hat.
Spikes (these are basically just shorter versions of these dino spikes):
Round 1: Make a magic loop/ring, and do 6 single crochets in the loop. Pull tight. (6 sc)
Round 2: Single crochet around (6 sc)
Round 3: 2 single crochet in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch – repeat around (9 sc)
Round 4: Single crochet in each stitch (9 sc)
Round 5: 2 single crochet in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch – repeat around (14 sc)
Round 6: Single crochet around (14 sc)
Round 7: Single crochet around (14 sc)
Fasten off, and leave a long enough tail to sew to the top of the hat. 
Sew all of your spikes and your eye onto the hat, and then send your little monster out to play (or rake the yard – whatever)!
 
Thanks for having me Andrea!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 05, 2011 in Crochet, handmade dress up series, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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October 04, 2011

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!

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

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

viking hat pic one b

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!

1b

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

circleb

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!

4b

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.

15b

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).

2b

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

3b

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

5b

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.

6b

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

7b

Now it should look like this!

8b

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

9b

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.

10b

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.

11b

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.

12b

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.

13b

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

14b

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.

16b

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.

17b

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.

18b

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).

19b

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.

20b

Aha, the band is on! Almost done.

21b

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!

22b

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.

23b

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

24b

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.

viking hat pic twob

Or a not so fierce one 🙂

viking hat pic fourb

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!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 04, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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October 03, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Pillowcase R2D2 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!

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Welcome Stacey! Thanks for the wonderful R2D2 costume tutorial!

Hi. I’m Stacey. I blog at Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy! I’m a former Elementary school teacher and current SAHM with three rowdy boys (5, 2, and 15 months). A lot of the sewing and crafting you’ll see is for my rambunctious crew.


They enjoy crafting right along with me and we have tons of fun planning great boy themed parties. We move around a lot for my husband’s job so I’m often re-inventing our home decor and toying with our systems of organization.  Lately, I seem to be developing a pretty nasty case of pillow obsession as well.

 We’re in the middle of a recent move and Halloween has gone from creeping up to practically right on the doorstep. Since my sewing machine is packed away in a box, on a very large ship, our Halloween costumes have fallen into the no sew category this year. I’m here today to share my tutorial for a very simple R2D2 pillowcase costume.


 Now that I’ve made one, I see about a zillion possibilities for using a pillowcase for a costume base. What an easy way to beef up your child’s dress-up closet.

 What You’ll Need: 
1 white pillowcase 
Blue and black fabric markers 
Scissors 
Ruler
Pencil 


1 plastic bowel
Glue gun, nail or drill
1 jar top
Blue and black permanent markers
ribbon

 Step 1: Body of Costume


After cutting, have your child try on the pillowcase.


Using pencil and ruler, draw a series of rectangles in the basic positions of R2D2’s body.  Utilize Google images for proper placement.  If your child is anything like mine, authenticity is extremely important.  Can you see where I had to erase the pencil and try again?


Once you’re happy with the general placement, outline with the black fabric marker.


using your Google image as a reference, fill in boxes with the blue fabric marker.  Can you tell that nap time was looming?

 Step 2: The Hat


Use your black permanent marker to color the entire jar top black.  Set aside to dry.


Again, using Google images for reference, draw a series of trapezoids and rectangles and color them in with your blue permanent marker.


 Once dry, use a glue gun to attach the black jar top.


Use a nail or drill to punch holes on both sides of the helmet.  Thread your ribbon through each hole and knot.


 There you have it.  Thank you for letting me share.  May the force be with you!

 

 

 

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 03, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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October 01, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Baby Yoda 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!

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
 
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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).
 
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Sew the two pieces together around the curved top and side, leaving the other two sides open.
 
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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).
 
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Try the hood on your baby (Jace LOVED getting to model).
 
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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).
 
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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.
 
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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).
 
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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.
 
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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.
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Sew with the onesie facing up so you can sew just along the line of the original serging on the shirt.
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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.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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Finished product!
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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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!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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October 01, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

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September 29, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Jimmy Giggle Mobile Tutorial

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

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All of you familiar with Jimmy Giggle are in luck! Thanks for the wonderful Giggle Mobile Tutorial!

Hi, I’m Narelle from Cook Clean Craft, where I share family-friendly recipes, household cleaning and organization tips, and fun crafts, including sewing, felt, cardboard and crochet. I’m a stay-at-home Mum from Brisbane, Australia with a toddler son and a baby girl.

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The Giggle Mobile is the amazing car/hovercraft/plane/submarine driven by Jimmy Giggle and Hoot the Owl (the hosts of ABC2 – the kids’ TV channel here in Australia). For those with blank looks, here’s the song:

Not only is my son obsessed with Giggle and Hoot, he loves all things transport. With all the cardboard boxes I’ve been collecting (thank you, IKEA and internet shopping), I thought it was time to create a fun cardboard Giggle-mobile costume.
Note: Originally, this was going to be a simple cardboard box car, but the perfectionist in me took over, and it somehow became a cardboard masterpiece. I really hope it lasts more than a few days before my son destroys it!
Materials
Cardboard boxes
Paint
2 paper/plastic plates
Fabric strips
Hot Glue Melts and Glue Gun
Scissors, rotary cutter, box cutter
Split pins
Bottle tops
Stick and Sew Velcro
Method
I started with a cardboard box that my toddler could stand in, but not much bigger than that. It ended up being 10.5” wide, 14” long and 6” deep. I also used a large flat-pack box.
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I traced around the cardboard box and then cut a rectangle from the flat-pack box that was 8.5” longer and 7.5” wider than the small cardboard box.
I hot glued the smaller box onto the larger piece of cardboard and cut out a hole in the base.

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I then cut out the following pieces for the car panels:

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The pieces on the right are a mirror image of those on the left. I worked out the shapes of these pieces by bending and folding the cardboard pieces around the box. They weren’t worked out precisely and I ended up trimming piece as I glued the car together.
I peeled off the top layer of cardboard from the two side panels to expose the corrugations underneath:

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I also cut two wings that were 12” long and 8” wide (so they fit inside the side panels), and cut some extra thin strips of cardboard 12” long.

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I hot-glued the thin strips to the edge of the wings. This is to stop the wings from pulling all the way out.

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Then it was time to hot-glue all the panels into place, starting at the back. I bent and trimmed the cardboard as needed as I went:

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And then onto the front:

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So the Giggle-mobile looks like this:

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I cut a small slit in the flap on the sides to insert the wings:

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Then inserted the wing and added some small strips of cardboard to guide the wing in and out. I also stuck small pieces of cardboard either side of the slit to reinforce it.

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I painted the corrugated side of the side panels red, and glued them into position:

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I then used a split pin, plastic plate and plastic bottle top to create a steering wheel:

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I used another plastic plate, and tall, skinny cardboard box, a piece of cardboard cut like a propeller and another bottle top to make the hovercraft part on the back:

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The plastic plate is glued to the cardboard box, and the cardboard propeller spins. So now you have completed the shell for your Giggle-mobile:

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I cut two rectangles from a cereal box, and glued them into a cylinder:

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I filled one end with paper and glued it into position for the headlights. Oops, no photo here… you’ll have to wait until the finished product to see!
The Giggle-mobile is decorated with large buttons. My buttons were created from painted cardboard circles.

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At this point, I was thinking I’d spent enough time on this masterpiece, so didn’t bother drawing on the “threads” for the buttons!
The buttons were glued into position and a few stripes were painted on. Finally, I used two strips of fabric (webbing or ribbon would also work), and used stick and sew Velcro to attach it to the box for the straps for wearing the Giggle-mobile.

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And finally, the Giggle-mobile was complete, as a car:
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Or as a plane:

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My son loves pulling the wings in and out:

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Even if you’re not a Giggle and Hoot fan, you can use the same steps to create your own car/plane/UFO. I’d love to see what you make.

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If you have time, I’d love for you to stop by Cook Clean Craft for more fun tutorials, including:

   

Thanks for having me, Andrea!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 29, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Ruffle TeePee Tutorial

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

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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: Lucydrmytp-1024x744

When I was invited to be part of this series I thought I would have to try making my own. Eviedrmytp-1024x744

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. Liladrmytp-1024x744 

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. Eviedrmytp2-744x1024

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! Avadrmytp-1024x744

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?) Firsttier-744x1024
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. Tier2-744x1024Again 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. Ruffletent-1024x682

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. Ruffletentties-682x1024
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.  Jamjar-1024x744 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:  Nestdrmytp-744x1024 

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! Liladrmycrying-1024x744

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 29, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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September 28, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Very Quick Ladybug Wings Tutorial

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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 28, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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September 27, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Dino Tail Tutorial

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

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


I’m Jessica from Running With Scissors where I share all my projects, from sewing, crafting, decor, painting thrift store makeovers, building furniture, and whatever new hobby comes along.
We love Halloween at my house. This year we actually decorated on Labor Day, at my 3 year old son’s request.  So we get 2 full months of Halloween celebrating in…my husband tolerates our Halloween enthusiasm.
So I was so excited be able to share a quick easy costume tutorial for the boys! (Or girls, but we all know there is always a lack in boy things.)
But just as a quick disclaimer:
**Please be respectful of my designs and only use this tutorial for personal use.  Not intended for commercial sale or manufacture, even on a home based scale.
Make them for yourself, to give as gifts, but I’d appreciate not using it for profit.
Thanks.
 
DINO TAIL TUTORIAL
Today I’ll be showing you how to make dinosaur (or dragon) tails!
This is a simple, fun, toy for kids.  I designed these tails with two straps that wrap around their waist with velcro in front making it easy for them to get them on and off themselves. 
These have been fun during these long winter months when we have to play inside.  My boy has “dino fights” with his dad where he wiggles his bum to use the tail as a sword…it’s pretty cute.
SUPPLIES:
1/2 to 3/4 yard main fabric– pretty much any fabric that’s not stretchy (this yellow is polyester lining)
1/4 yard spike fabric
5″ velcro
Polyfil batting (small bag)
CUT LIST:

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

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

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Trim tail strips
Taking your two strips 22″ x 11″, lay them face down.  On one end you’ll measure 4.5″ from each side.  The two inches left in the middle will be the tip of the tail.
On the other end, you’ll measure 4″ along the sides as a marker.  Connect these two markings to create a diagonal for the cone shape of the tail.  Cut off the triangular sides and throw them away.
2. Make Spike Strip
NOTE: To make the spikes easier, you could cut 1 strip out of felt or fleece and just cut out a spike strip leaving the raw edges that won’t fray, rather than sewing your spikes with 2 strips of fabric.
Take your two spike strips and lay them right sides together.  Draw a row of triangles along the strip for the tail spikes.  Begin at one end and work your way to the other, making the spikes shorter and narrower.  I left about 1/2″ between each spike.
Sew along your spike line.  When you get to the corners it helps to pivot by dropping your needle down into the fabric, lift your presser foot, move the fabric, then start sewing again.
Once your spikes are sewn, trim along your sewn line with 1/4″ seam allowance along the whole strip.
Next, you’ll need to trim the seam allowances to make it easier to turn the spikes right side out.
On the top of the spikes, you’ll trim off the point, being careful not to snip through your seam.
In between each spike, you’ll snip diagonally into each corner, once again don’t snip through your sewing. 

Then you can turn the whole strip of spikes right side out, using a pen lid, knitting needle, etc. to push the tips of the points out.  Iron your spike strip nice and flat.
3. Sew Tail Body
First we’ll sew the spikes to one piece of the tail.  Pin the largest spike to the tall side of your tail piece, lining up the raw edges.
Sew the spike strip to the tail piece with 1/4″ seam allowance.  This is just basting, or tacking the pieces together.
Next, put your second tail piece so right sides are together, with the spike strip in the middle of the sandwich.
You’ll sew down the spike strip again, this time with 1/2″ seam allowance, making sure you sew past the troughs so there is a space between each spike when you turn it right side out.
Also, sew a slight curve as you go around the tip of the tail.
When you sew around to the other side, you’ll need to stop your seam to leave a hole for turning the tail right side out later.  I leave about 4 to 5″ unsewn underneath the spikes.  This way, it’s on the bottom of the tail.
4. Sew Waist Straps
Take your 4 strips for the waist straps and put 2 right sides together.  This will give you two sets.
You’ll sew down a long side, across the short, and up the other long side on each set.  Use 1/2″ seam allowance.
Then you’ll need to snip off the corners, being careful not to cut through your seam.
Next you’ll turn each strap right side out, pushing out the corners with a pen lid or knitting needle.
I like to top-stitch the edges to make the straps lay nice and flat.  For this tail I used a zig-zag stitch with contrasting thread, but you could always just sew a straight stitch.
The last step to make your waist strap is to sew your velcro pieces to each end.   Center the velcro in the center of your strap and 1/2″  from the very end.
5. Complete Tail Construction
To close the large end of the taill, first mark the quarters by lining up the top (spike) seam with the bottom seam and pinning the folds on the sides.

Next you’ll pin your waist straps inside the tail.  Pin the straps to the quarter side marks.
The important thing to remember is the velcro has to be pinned opposite so the straps will match up around the waist.  So put one waist strap with velcro down on the right side of the tail, then pin the other waist strap with the veclro facing up into the cavity of the tail.
Sew the straps to the sides of the tail 1/4″ from edge. 
To finish off the tail, you’ll pin your circle fabric (with the right side facing into the tail) around the large tail opening.  I fold my circle in quarters so I have a crease vertically and across to use as a guide to pin to the two seams (top and bottom) then line up with the waist straps on the sides.
Next you sew around your circle with 1/2″ seam allowance.
6. Stuff and Finish
At this point your dino tail is sewn and you can turn it right side out through the hole you left on the bottom seam.  Your velcro waist straps should be oriented to match and stick together, and your spikes should stand up out of the top seam.
Next you’ll stuff your tail with Poly-fil batting.  The density of your stuffing does determine how the tail will look.  I stuffed this yellow tail tighter than the blue or green tails, and I noticed it stood almost straight out from the boy’s back, where leaving the stuffing a little looser makes a more droopy tail.  Whichever you prefer.
Once your tail is stuffed to your liking, pin the hole closed underneath.  I chose to just machine sew the seam shut, but it would probably look best to hand-sew the seam closed to allow it to lay flat. 
Then you’re finished!  Now you can whip out a whole set with different colors!
Some ideas for variation:
–length: it’s easy to make the tail longer or shorter, by cutting the tail and spike pieces longer than 22″, but all the same length. 
–felt or fleece spikes: as mentioned ealier in tutorial, you could make the tail even easier by cutting felt or fleece spikes with one layer rather than sewing/ turning 2 pieces of fabric
–make it girly: you could make a more feminine tail for little girls by making the spikes rounded scallops rather than pointed spikes
–printed fabrics: I stuck with bright solids, but textured or printed fabrics would look awesome too.
Happy Halloween!  
If you are interested in more of my Halloween ideas, here are a few:
Dollar Store Creepy Tablescape          Fox/ Wolf/ Bear Costume Pattern          Kids Can Make Garland

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 27, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing for boys, Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

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September 26, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Fairy Wand Tutorial

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

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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.

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 26, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for Girls, Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

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September 24, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY IPhone/IPod Costume Tutorial

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

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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!

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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!

Ipod costume 258
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!
Ipod costume 264
1. Cut a rectangle of black fabric, and round the corners. The length will depend on how tall your child is.

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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.

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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.

Ipod costume 261
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.

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

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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. 😉

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This is one costume that I could probably even convince my hubby to wear!  Hmm… 😉

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

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 24, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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September 23, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Tinkerbell Costume Tutorial

Today we have a Tinkerbell costume tutorial from Wilflowers & Whimsy! You may also be interested in some of our other fun costume tutorials!

 

Peacock Tutu Tutorial
Peacock Tutu Tutorial
Butterfly skirt tutorial
Butterfly Skirt Tutorial
Mermaid
Mermaid 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 to participate in The Train to Crazy's Handmade Dress Up series! 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 for Sophie is Tinkerbell! Some of you might remember that I made her a Tink costume for Halloween last year, and it still gets quite a bit of use…sometimes even as pjs! So I thought it would be the perfect tutorial to share for the series. Here it is again in case you missed it.  
Here's the original.
 
What you'll need:
Knit/Cotton Fabric
Tulle
Elastic Thread
Fabric Marker
 
1) Cut out all the pieces
 
Bodice
(cut 1 from tulle and 1 from fabric)
12m/18m ~ 1 – 10" x 40"
2t/3t ~ 1- 11.5" x 41"
4t/5t ~ 1- 13" x 42"
 
Straps
1 ~ 2" x Width of Fabric
 
Bloomers
12m/18m ~ 1- 8.5" x 40"
2t/3t ~ 1- 9.5" x 41"
4t/5t ~ 1- 10.5" x 42"
 
Pixie Cut Tulle Strips
You will need approximately 60-80 strips. it just depends on how big the shorts are and how tightly you gather them. I suggest starting with about 60…you can always cut more. Only cut one of the short ends to a point
12m/18m ~ 11" x 6"
2t/3t ~ 12" x 6"
4t/5t ~ 13" x 6"
 
Seam allowance is 1/2" unless otherwise specified.
 
2) Assemble the bodice: With WRONG sides together, stitch tulle bodice to the cotton bodice along ONE of the long edges (this will be referred to as the top of the bodice from now on).
 
Press* the seam allowance toward the cotton side, and stitch the seam allowance down 1/4" from the original seam. Trim the seam allowance down close to the second line of stitching. Baste the tulle to the cotton on BOTH of the short sides.
 
Pin the short sides together; stitch. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4"; finish the seam allowance. Press to one side. Baste the tulle to the cotton along the bottom edge.
 
* I usually press tulle on a polyester setting and have never had any trouble BUT it can melt so you may want to test first or use a pressing clothe or scrap of fabric over the tulle.
 
3) Make the bloomers: With RIGHT sides together, stitch the short sides of the shorts together; Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4"; finish the seam allowance. Press to one side.
 
Fix the seam so that it is the center back of the shorts. Then, from the bottom, measure up the seam 2"; mark it with a disappearing fabric marker. Then, measure 2.5" to either side of the seam and mark. Join the three points to form an arc and cut it out (you should be cutting both the front and back fabric).
 
With RIGHT sides facing stitch together with a 1/4" seam allowance; finish the seam; press towards the back.
 
Hem the bottom of the bloomer legs. I just did a rolled hem but a narrow hem would work well also.
 
4) Make the tulle skirt: You can do this one of two ways:
 
a) Set your stitch to the longest length, and lower your upper thread tension to 1. Stitch the tulle strips together along the top edges(the FLAT short edge) with a 1/4" seam allowance. Tie off the starting end and pull the bobbin thread at the other end to gather the tulle until the skirt is the same width as the shorts.
 
b) I use my gathering foot so that I can gather them and stitch them together at the same time. I just keep adding tulle strips until the skirt is the same width as the bloomers.
 

Either way, all you have to do is stitch across the top edge of each strip and when there is only about 1/2" left, overlap the next strip over the previous one.

 
5) Attach the skirt to the bloomers: With RIGHT sides together, baste the top edge of the skirt to the top edge of the bloomers with a 3/8" seam allowance. (you can just barely see the bloomers peeking out under the skirt…)
 
6) Put it together: With RIGHT sides together, match the center back seam of the bloomers to the center back seam of the bodice; stitch. Trim the seam allowance down to 1/4" and finish seam. Press the seam up toward the bodice and stitch the seam allowance down to the bodice 1/8 – 1/4" from the original seam.
 
Here's what it should look like.
 
7) Shir the bodice: Starting 1/2" from the top of the bodice, shir all the way around the bodice, and continue shirring rows 1/2" apart until you get to the bottom of the bodice. (If you need tips on shirring, you can check out this post)
 
8) Shir the bloomer legs: Run one row of shirring 1/2" from the bottom of each of the bloomer legs.
 
9) Make and attach straps: Fold and press the long edges to the center of the strap piece. Fold it in half again longways; press. Cut it in half so that you have two straps and edge stitch along the folded edges making sure to reinforce at the beginning and end of each stitch. Attach the straps to the front of the bodice on either side by stitching them in place at the first and second rows of shirring.
 
Done! Any questions?? Please ask them in the comments section so everyone can benefit.
 
Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 23, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for Girls, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

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September 22, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Potato Head Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Like what you see? Support the guests by pinning their project or stumbling it!

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Welcome Alison! Thank you for the Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head Costume Tutorial!
Hello friends!
 
 My name is Alison.  My blogging home is Oopsey Daisy.
I am thrilled to be here!  You see, I’ve been riding on the Train to Crazy for quite a while… Because I am the queen of oopsey daisies!  🙂 I like to sew, modpodge, craft,
decorate, photograph, hammer, paint, teach, and create.  Most of all, I love to
create things for the people I love. 
Fall is my favorite time of year, and I’ve been itching for Halloween for months!  In our house, we only watch one movie:  Toy Story.  So naturally, this year we are all dressing up as Toy Story characters!
 
And guess what?  
We’re actually re-using the costumes we wore in February!  When my Little Man turned two, I threw him a Toy Story birthday party.  He dressed like Buzz Lightyear, and we asked all of our guests to dress like Toy Story characters, too! Mr Potato Head_collage 
Mr. Oopsey Daisy and I dressed up like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!
 
 I sewed our costumes in 1 afternoon, and they were a piece of cake.  Are you ready to learn how to make your own?
Let’s get started!
I did a few measurements on my husband including:
*Distance from shoulder to shoulder
* Waist circumference
*Distance from neck to knee
 
I purchased 2 1/3 yards of tan felt–that’s 84 inches!  
Once I folded it in half lengthwise, I had my Mr. Potato Head!  He just needed a little trimming!  So I followed the measurements above to cut out an A-line shape.  Mr potato head_head
At the top of the fold, I found the center, and I cut out a 6-inch semi-circle to create the hole for the head. 
 
Next, I cut out Mr. Potato Head’s eyes, nose, mustache, mouth, and ears from felt.  (I studied pictures of Mr. Potato Head while I did this.)  I pinned these on to the front of Mr. Potato Head.
 
Next, I sewed the facial features right on to the front. (Be sure to unfold the felt at this point.)
 
Then I pinned the right sides together.  But before sewing the sides together, I folded up the bottom edge by 1/2 inch.
 
I pressed the fold to create the casing for the elastic.  Here is a quick run-down… Mr potato head_elastic casing 
Once I had the elastic sewed in, I sewed up the sides. Mr potato head_ears
I left the top 13 inches unsewn for the arm holes.  Just underneath the arm holes, I sewed in ears on each side. Mr potato head_velcro
In the back, I cut a 4-inch slit and sewed on Velcro to close it up.  This gives a little breathing room for slipping it on and off.
 
I think this Mr. Potato Head is pretty handsome!  🙂
 
And here is my Mrs. Potato Head version!
So our family is all set for Halloween, and I can’t wait!
 Andrea, this has been so much fun.  Thank you for having me!  I hope you’ll come stop by Oopsey Daisy and say hello!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 22, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for boys, Sewing for Girls, Sewing for men, Sewing for women, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

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September 21, 2011

Handmade Dress Up: DIY Woodland Creature Masks Tutorial

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

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 Welcome Kin! Thank you for the Woodland Creature (bear, duck, rabbit, blue bird) Masks Tutorials!

Hi Train to Crazy Readers!  My name is Kim and I blog over at seven thirty three – – – a creative blog.  You’ll find all sorts of crafty projects going on over there.  Currently I am working on my daughters 11th “Rock Star Glam” birthday party and will be sharing lots of party ideas and favors in the next coming weeks, so stop on by and sign up to follow so you don’t miss out on the fun!.  
I would also love for you to check out some of my popular projects, such as my Sock Cupcakes Tutorial:
or my Weekly Menu Planner with Grocery List Free Printable:
Maybe you are planning a birthday party and need some great birthday ideas.  One of my recent parties was for my daughters 2nd birthday:
What 2 year old girl doesn’t like Pinkalicious?!?  I have tons of free printables for this theme.

I also offer blog design for the Blogger platform, so if you are thinking of spiffying (that is a word you know… at least in my vocabulary!) up your blog, check out my portfolio!  I would love to work with you.

Today I am going to share with you how to make woodland creature masks!

Last year I hosted a  camping themed baby shower for my SIL and what camping trip isn’t complete without an animal or two?  The little kids at the party filled these out perfectly!

This tutorial is showing you how to make a Bear Mask, but see the other pictures above for other creatures!  All were created with the same template with tweaks here and there.

MATERIALS NEEDED:
2 sheets of Felt (2 coordinating colors)
Elastic
Wonder Under or similar Fusible Web (optional)
First you will want to make a template on paper.  I just freehanded one, cut it out and measured it against my sons face to make sure it fit.  I also marked the eyes at the same time and cut those out.
Next you will want to iron your fusible web onto one of the pieces of felt (the interfacing will create a sturdier mask, but I only used it on two of my masks and didn’t have a problem with the others)  Trace your mask template onto the paper of the fusible web, remove the paper backing and cut it out.  Now trace your mask again and cut out the second piece.
Iron the two pieces together. On the back of the mask (the part that will touch your childs face, trace the eyes – I did this BEFORE I ironed the pieces together and ended up having the marks transfer to my ironing board cover – OOPS!).
Cut out the inner ear pieces.  Sew them onto the mask with a zigzag stitch (you can do this BEFORE you iron the two pieces together if you don’t want to see the stitch on the back of the mask).

Zigzap stitch the entire edge of your mask.  Cut out the eyes and zigzag stitch around them.  Measure the elastic against your childs head and sew it onto your mask (make sure it is nice and secure), and now you are done! 
FYI: I also attemped to add the elastic before sewing the edges, which is doable, but I didn’t mind seeing the elastic on the back of the mask since it doesn’t show when the child is wearing it.
I managed to break my bobbin holder half way through the masks so switched to handsewing… although it took longer it was still just as easy – so no machine required!
 For the duck and blue bird masks, I cut out a triangle for the beak and inserted it between the two pieces of the mask at the nose curve and just sewed around the edge of the mask as normal.

(Yes, that is me in the top right picture… Although I’m having second thoughts now that I see it up here!)

Happy Sewing!

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 21, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for boys, Sewing for Girls, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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September 20, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY No Sew Cape Tutorial

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cape-collage
Cape-collage-2

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

 

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

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

Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 20, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for kids, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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September 19, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series: DIY Belle Princess Dress Costume Tutorial

Welcome to the Handmade Dress Up Series! Dress up is such a fun, creative outlet for children (and adults!). Perhaps you're ready to try your hand at sewing a costume from a costume pattern or tutorial? 

You might also be interested in one of these!

Peacock Tutu Tutorial
Peacock Tutu Tutorial
Butterfly skirt tutorial
Butterfly Skirt Tutorial
Mermaid
Mermaid Costume Tutorial

Hello and Happy Handmade Dress Up month, Train to Crazy readers!  We're Adrianna and Susan and we blog over at Crafterhours. 

 

We have 4 girls between the two of us and most of our sewing is for them, but we throw in a project for ourselves, our houses, and even our spouses from time to time too.  Come over and say hi sometime!  Just so we don't sound like we have multiple personality disorder, Adrianna will be writing this post.  Let's continue in first person prose, shall we?

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for our version of those oh so popular princess dresses.  My girls pretty much live in them all day, whether they're prancing about the house, eating, sleeping, or jumping in the mud puddle that always forms after our daily 4 pm rain.  After the first few stains, rips, and complaints of itchy polyester and sweaty stretch velvet, I figured enough money had been thrown down the drain and decided to make my own.  In the interest of making them as comfy and wearable as possible, I used soft and breathable cotton knit.

This tutorial is for the Belle dress, with the assumption that if you can make this one, you can make any of 'em.

 

 
Let's get started already!
You will need:
– Your trusty peasant dress pattern and directions (we reference this free peasant top tutorial a ton on our blog, but really any peasant dress pattern will do, and we know there are about a million of them.  I think the Sweet Dress pattern from Leila and Ben is a popular one if you don't want to do the guess work.)

– 2 yards of yellow lightweight knit fabric (jersey is a good option)
– 1 yard of a sheer yellow or white fabric with lots of drape (nothing stiff like tulle)
– lots of 1/4 inch elastic.  lots.
Step 1: Cut out your peasant dress pieces.  The pieces below are still folded in half, and obviously you will need 2 sleeves.  As you can see, I cropped the sleeve so it would just be a slight cap sleeve.  The bodice pieces should be cut just past the natural waist.  For the front bodice piece (pictured on the left), be sure to cut a lower neckline and a pointed center.

Step 2:  For the skirt, you'll need to cut a lot of rectangles.  Use at least 8.  The more you use, the fuller your skirt will be.  The length of the rectangle will be the length from the natural waist to the ankle plus 6 inches.  I used a width of 7 inches and I thought it worked pretty well.

 
Step 3: Cut all of your rectangles so they are tapered on the sides by about 2 inches and round out the bigger end, which will become your hem.
Step 4:  Estimate on your skirt panels where you want the swags to sit.  Mine are about 11 inches down. Measure across the skirt panel at that point.  Cut rectangles from your sheer fabric with a width of your skirt panel width plus 1 inch.  The length of the rectangle should be about 12 inches.  Fold your rectangle down (so your 12 inch side is now 6 inches).  Cut the bottom edges so they make a crescent.  That was painful.  Just look at the picture:
Step 5: With right sides together, sew the crescent closed and flip it right side out.  Press.
Step 6:  Pin each crescent to each skirt panel at the same height, making sure to scrunch up the swag on the sides.  Since your swag is slightly wider than the panel, it should gape a little bit in the middle as well.
Step 7: Sew all the panels together, catching the edges of the swags as you go.
Step 8: Sew your bodice and sleeves together using normal peasant top construction directions.
Step 9: Gather the top of the skirt to match the bottom of the bodice and sew them together.
Step 10: Finish the sleeves and neckline with elastic per peasant top directions.
Step 11: Cut 1/4 inch elastic to the length of the skirt panels minus 6 inches.  Pin the elastic to the waist seam on top of one of the skirt panel seams.
Step 12: Pin the other end of the elastic to the hem, again right over the skirt panel seam.
Step 13: Stretching the elastic taut, sew down the elastic, directly over the seam.  Once you've done that for each of the skirt panel seams, it'll bunch up and start really looking Belle-ish.
Step 14: Using the same sheer fabric as you did for the swags, form a circular tube of fabric.  First take a rectangle that is 5 inches x the measurement around the upper shoulders plus a couple inches.  Sew the rectangle right sides together down the long side so you have a long tube. Flip the tube right side out.  Fold the edges of one end to the wrong side and press.  Put the edges of the other side into that side and topstitch down, forming a circular tube.
Step 15: Tack one side of that tube down at the neckline of your dress, centered on the shoulder.  Find the opposite side of your tube and do the same thing on the other side.
Step 16: At the front and back, scrunch the tube up and sew down directly at the center of the bodice.
Step 17 (optional): I made a little rose by rolling up a tube of knit fabric and hand sewing it to the center front bodice.
And you're done!  That was pretty easy, and this is pretty much the hardest one, due to the skirt. 

Just change up the colors and a few of the embellishments and you've got Sleeping Beauty:
Or Snow White:
And don't forget that princes like to be comfy too.  (Tomboys dressed as Prince Phillip, that is)
Thanks so much for having us today, Andrea!  We can't wait to see the handmade dress ups that everyone else has in store!
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Check out the other Handmade Dress Up tutorials!

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September 19, 2011 in handmade dress up series, Sewing , Sewing for Girls, Tutorials | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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September 09, 2011

Handmade Dress Up Series

Ladies and gentlemen I've got something SO fabulous in store for you. 

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A whole MONTH of dress up costume tutorials from some of your favorite bloggers! Woohoo! Are you excited? I know I am! Beginning September 19th you'll see 26 of the best and most creative costume ideas. 

I am a HUGE believer in make believe and dress up play. A child really needs little more than a few props and an imagination to be entertained an entire day. Now you'll be able to stock your child's dress up box with some fun, fresh costumes! And just in time for Halloween!

A special thanks to all the bloggers involved! Go check them out!

Crafterhours, Little Pink Monster, Seven Thirty Three, Oopsey Daisy, Wildflowers & Whimsy, If Only They Would Nap, Pickup Some Creativity, Running with Scissors, All About Mommies, Sewing in No Mans Land, Cook Clean Craft, Made it on Monday, Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh Boy!, Kitschy Coo, The Boy Trifecta, Simple Simon & Company, Living with Punks, Sugar Bee Crafts, At Second Street, Flamingo Toes, See Kate Sew, This Mama Makes Stuff, Craftiness is Not Optional, Creative Mommas, Me Sew Crazy, Lemon Squeezy Home, Elsie Marley, Shwin & Shwin  

Do your kids/grandkids/nephews/nieces/etc. love to dress up? Do you have a handmade costume in mind for Halloween? Make sure to check out all the fun costumes coming your way! 

Want to help spread the word about this series?? Grab a button!

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September 09, 2011 in handmade dress up series | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

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