Tag: Crafts

Tutu

Anya wants to be a flying fairy for Halloween — figured I would make her a tutu and wings for her costume. Got real tutu net and some satin for the waistband. I don’t remember where I read it, but somewhere in my research I had read that at least one layer of contrasting color should be used to add depth to the finished product. But it seemed reasonable, so I purchased a deep blue purple and a pale pinkish purple.

I found instructions at http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/tutorials/tutu that were wonderfully detailed. I cut the strips of net, I then cut a 16″ wide strip of the net ~23″ long. Folded it in quarters so I had a 4″ wide very sturdy 23″ strip. The strips of net were gathered along a length of embroidery floss and sewn to the 4″ wide band.

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I affixed the satin to the top of the net band, and then folded it over to make a waistband.

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A 20″ length of 2″ wide elastic was run through the waistband and the tutu was gathered down to Anya’s waist size. This allows the waist to stretch so it is easily pulled over her hips.

And we have a tutu! Now that I am looking at it … I’m really glad I added the contrasting color layer. It doesn’t really jump out at you, but it definitely adds depth to the finished piece.

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(Yes, I did tack the tutu … just not in that photo)

Independence Day Skirt

WooHoo! I finished another sewing project — this one is Anya’s 4th of July skirt. It’s a fabric from Northcott’s Stonehenge Stars & Strips line (20159-30). I think the fabric is not so flag-like that it looks silly on the 364 other days of the year, but it is right festive enough for the holiday.

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Progress

And we are almost done with the Easter dress (just in time too)!

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I had quite a time making the straps. Trying to turn the right side out, I wouldn’t get the layers right and ended up with two tubes sewn together at the seam. I finally stitched the two fabrics around a metal straw and then pushed the fabric through the straw. That worked surprisingly well.

I still want to make a wider belt, but the only thing that *needs* to be done is stitching the straps in place. They are pinned, at the moment, so I could get the proper length.

Too bad it will be so cold on Easter day – we’ll need sweaters!

Easter Dress

The front cover of the latest Chasing Fireflies catalog had this 225$ dress. Beautiful dress, but the price is outrageous. So I decided to order the fabrics and make something similar – a circle skirt with a spaghetti strapped fitted bodice.

First we used a trammel to draw a really big circle and cut it out — I used that to cut the yellow satin and the lace.

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The circle skirt and lace:

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The entire thing basted together and halfway on Anya so I can see how it fits:

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I still need to sew up the bodice and make the shoulder straps, but I’m about 75% done with weeks to go.

 

Halloween 2014 – Little Red Riding Hood

For Halloween this year, I made a cape for Anya’s Little Red Riding Hood costume. The process came from http://www.doityourselfdivas.com/2013/10/diy-little-red-riding-hood-costumecloak.html – but I made a fully lined cloak instead of just lining the hood. As a result, I needed two one yard pieces of fabric. There is a real lead-free pewter cloak clasp too, it is just hiding behind her mouse.

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It turned out beautifully, and we even managed to get her to wear it long enough to take a few photos 🙂

It was not difficult to sew … Mostly a couple of straight line seams. I had a lot of trouble with the top of the hood – too much bulk sewn by machine. Two failed attempts and I just stitched it up by hand. This way, there is not a ridge of fabric on top of her head.

Another gratuitous cute kid picture:

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Self Healing Cutting Mat

I wanted a huge cutting mat for sewing projects. The ones I find at craft stores … well, large means like two feet. I want to be able to lay a yard of fabric across the thing. Then I found Rhino mats — anything from a 2’x4′ not-so-large mat to a 6’x12′ enormous self healing cutting mat. And they’ve got grid underlays!