Mardi Gras Petti Skirt

I mentioned on my FB  page that I have been working on my first petti skirt.  I also mentioned that I finally got a smartphone!  It's a Samsung Skyrocket, and I love it!  Anyway, the point is...when I finished the pettiskirt, I was determined to take the pics with my new phone and upload them from there.  The good news is I finally figured it out...The bad news is I accidentally deleted all the pics in the process...except one...so here it is...my first petti skirt:

It took me a week, but I did it!

Happy Mardi Gras y'all!

Playing Catch Up...

How was your Christmas???  Mine was great, but I am glad it's over!  Don't think I will be doing a handmade holiday again next year!  It was just too overwhelming for me.  I have been sewing like a mad woman for the last couple months and still didn't finish a couple gifts!  And I haven't had time to blog as much as I wanted to!  I have so many projects that I've done that I wanted to share with you, but just didn't have time to sit down and write the blog posts, so over the next week, I will be posting pics of all the things I never got to blog about...starting way back at Halloween!  I know some of you may have seen these pics on my FB page, but I wanted to share them here too....

Wonder Woman

I made the pattern, and it took me 6 hrs to stencil all those stars on, but I think it came out great and she loved it.  I think I want one for myself next year!

We bought the boys costumes, but I made Sophie's Rapunzel costume.

Notice her "toddlers & tiaras" pose in these two pics...lol

My friends Krystle taught her that one!

Breyden got this glow in the dark sticker that said trick or treat and when we took his costume off, my sister put it on his diaper and he ran around laughing about it...He thought he was hilarious! 

Tutu Video Tutorial

Okay so this isn't the best directed video ever, but it was my first time, so go easy on me!  I think it should answer the questions I was getting though.

Find all my tutu tutorials here

Lined Tinkerbell Tutu Dress Tutorial

I was super excited when Andrea from The Train to Crazy contacted me about her 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 with 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 that's what I shared for the Handmade Dress up series.  Here's the tutorial for  any of you who might have missed it!

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

What you need:

Jersey Knit Fabric

Tulle

Elastic Thread

Fabric Marker

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

First, cut out the bodice & short pieces:

Bodice

(cut 2 from tulle and 2 from jersey)

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

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

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

 Straps

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

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

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

Shorts

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

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

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

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

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

12m/18m ~ 22" long

2t/3t ~ 24" long

4t/5t ~ 26" long

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

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

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

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

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

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

12m/18m ~ about 38"

2t/3t ~ about 40"

4t/5t ~about 42"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trim excess fabric.

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

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

Then, trim off all the excess fabric inside.

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

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

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

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

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

Linked to:

On the Train to Crazy...

Have you checked out the Handmade Dress Up series over at The Train to Crazy, yet?  If not, what are you waiting for?!?  There are tons of great dress up ideas that have been shared already, and lots more to come! I'm over there today sharing my tutorial for this Tink costume!  

 

Be sure to stop by and check it out, and while your there, don't forget to check out all the other fun tutorials and how-to's!!!

Fashion & Flair Friday ~ Couture Monarch Dress Sew Along

I have been madly in love with this dress for I can't remember how long now, and since a) I would NEVER spend $25,000 on a dress even if I could...which I can't and b) even if I could and would, I wouldn't have anywhere to wear it.  So I decided that this is going to be my halloween costume!   It's the one day of the year you can wear anything you want!  So I have drawn up a pattern for the skirt (it won't be as long since it's a costume...only about to the knee), and in a  couple weeks, Sarah of Sarah Marie Photography is going to be here to show us how to paint it!  I have drawn up the pattern so that it is basically going to be a very large paint by number, and she is going to show us some techniques to get a more natural look...


So here's step one if you would like to join in:

~Gather your materials:

5 yds black broadcloth
black embroidery thread or a narrow hem foot
dress maker's carbon & tracing wheel
black feather boa
fabric paint & paint brushes
black tulle

***Notes on choosing materials***

I would recommend getting something that is a pretty good quality for the broad cloth.  You can get a good one at Joanns for about $4/yd plus use a 40% coupon, and it will hold the paint much better and look much nicer.

I would also highly recommend getting a narrow hem foot if you can find one for your machine.  It only costs about $13-$15 and will make finishing the edges of the wings go soooo much quicker than doing a rolled hem.  Just make sure you practice a few times on scraps....start with straights then try some curved ones.  It takes some practice but once you get the hang of it you'll want to use it for all your hems because it's so quick!

If you do choose to do a rolled hem or faux rolled hem, it will take quite a bit of thread and since the strength of the thread doesn't matter for this and embroidery thread is much cheaper, I would recommend using that instead of regular thread, but really do yourself a favor and buy a narrow hem foot...just mho

Also, you should know some people call a narrow hem foot a rolled hem foot...which makes sense because it essentially "rolls" the fabric as it hems, but when I am referring to a rolled hem, I am referring to a hem that looks like this:

It is very time consuming as I am sure you can imagine.

When I talk about a narrow hem, I am talking about a hem that looks like this:

You can see it looks like a regular double turned hem...it's just, well, narrow...

But I'm sure if you look at this narrow hem foot, you can see why some people would call this a rolled hem.  But just for future reference for the sew along you will know what I am talking about....  ;)

For the fabric paint colors, choose what you like...The great thing about this is that it doesn't necessarily have to be a monarch.  You can go here to see which paint colors I ended up using.  I also recommend using Deco Art's So-Soft Fabric paint (I saw it at Hancock's fabrics or you can order online)...I found out too late that using regular acrylic paint makes the fabric sort of stiff so it doesn't hang as nicely as it could...which I am fixing by putting a tulle pettiskirt underneath.  But if all you have is the regular acrylic paint...it's not that bad..it's just a halloween costume...kwim. 

Lastly, have fun with the feathers...I will likely use a feather boa because it will be quicker to attach, but if you are comfortable and prefer, use individual feathers.  Just have fun with it and make it your own! 

Now, on with the sew along...

~Download the pattern here.  (as usual if for whatever reason you are unable to download the pattern, just email me and I will happily email it directly to you)

~Tape the pieces together.  They should lay out like this:

1  2  3
4  5  6
7  8  9
10 11 12
    14  15

There's no 13 because it was a blank page.  Also, the pages may have scanned a little crooked, so just line them up the way they should go...I was in a hurry when I scanned and now I am too lazy to re-scan.  It shouldn't be too bad though...  Anywho, once it's taped together, it should look like this:

~Cut out the wing pattern.  Then, cut out 7...yes, SEVEN wings from your black fabric.

~Finish the edges with your preferred method, and your done until next time!

Also, if you plan on participating, I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment, and feel free to leave links to any blog post you write about your process!  I would love to see them!

Lastly, I would like to say this is a bigger project, but don't let that discourage you!  Even if you don't have much sewing experience, give it a shot!  I will walk you through each and every step, and even if it's not perfect, you will still have something phenomenal in the end.  And if you don't, oh well it's a halloween costume!  Don't be too hard on yourself!  But chances are you will do a great job!  If you have any questions, you can always email me directly, but I would appreciate if you would ask questions in the comment section in case anyone else needs help in the same area.

Hope at least a few of you will join me for this sew along!

Find the next post in this series here

Capuchon Tutorial (or Princess Hat)

It's my turn! lol

If you read my post earlier (or you are from Louisiana)  you know that a capuchon is pronounced cap-e-shon and it's a tall conical hat worn by the mardi gras' for the "Courir de Mardi Gras" and a friend of my sister asked me to make one for him, and while I am sure most of you won't ever need one 1) I couldn't find any tutorials online...or even and indication of the dimensions anywhere online and 2) You could use the same method with smaller dimensions to make one of those princess hats with the streamers...which is what I plan to do for Sophie...I'll post pics once it's made.  I am including instructions on the sewn and no sew version...sorry no pics for the no sew way but I'm pretty sure you can figure it out...if not let me know and I can post some pics..

What you'll need:

about 3/4 yd of main fabric

about 1/2 yd contrast fabric

~and/or~

other embellishments (bells, pom poms, fringe, etc)

glue gun & glue sticks

poster board

packaging tape

*If you are making one for a child or want to use this tutorial to make a princess hat, cut the poster board in half first (11"x 14")  I haven't tested these dimensions yet but it seems like they would work...I'll update once I make Sophie's *

Start at one corner of the poster board and roll it toward the one catacorner to it to form a cone.  Adjust it to fit the wearers head and tape it in place.

I suggest taping all seams inside and out to make sure it is sturdy.

Trim the bottom edge so that it is even.

Cover the cone with your fabric (right side of fabric facing the cone) making sure there is at least 5" of overhang or more at the bottom.

~OR~

if you don't sew or don't want to, you can always just hot glue it down.  I suggest using a low temp gun if you have one and be very careful not to burn yourself like I usually do!  You'll also want to fold the raw edge under before you glue.

Pin tightly along the edge of the cone.  You want your pins to form a line along the edge of the cone.

Remove the cone from the fabric and trim along pins leaving about 1/2" for the seam allowance (or what ever seam allowance you like to work with really)

Then turn your pins sideways (the way you would normally pin them or you can just remove them as you stitch if you like)

Trim the seam allowance at the point.

Press the seam to one side.

Turn it out and use something like a chopstick to push the point all the way out and then, slip it over the cone.

Then, I put it on and snipped the fabric right in front of my ears.  I would advise you use a fabric marker though so you don't cut your hair or ear....didn't really think about that when I was doing it..lol!

Cut up to about 1/2" below where the poster board ends across the front of the hat to the other mark.  It should look something like this.

Just another pic to give you the idea.

You could leave the back as is with the point, but I trimmed mine on a curve so that it would be cut across the bias and I wouldn't have to worry about fraying.

Hot glue the 1/2" overhang you left in the front to the inside of the hat.

side view

Now you are done and just need to embellish...

I made fringe by cutting fabric 2.5" x the width of the fabric and snipping it with pinking shears about every 1/2" and stopping about 1/2" from the edge of the fabric.  It took me two of these strips...so about 1/8 of a yard.  Then, I just hot glued it around the bottom and up around the top like a candy cane.  Then, I sewed my fabric pom pom to the top and hot glued a few bells but they little things inside the bells got stuck in the hot glue and they dont jingle any more so I would suggest sewing them on.

You can find the tutorial for the fabric pom pom here.

And here's the end result.

lol!  I think it's bigger than he is!

This is the first one I made from a patten for a witch's hat.  From the pattern pics it seemed like it would be big enough but it was waaaay to short...a capechon needs to be at least 20" or more (that's what my dad says anyway, and he was born on Mardi Gras so I figure he would know!) and it was really flimsy too!

But it's perfect for Ian.  Doesn't he make such a cute little model?!?  You guys don't get to see much of him since I mostly make girl stuff.

As always feel free to email me any questions and if you make one be sure to link up to Sew Crafty Saturday (it's open Sat-Mon) or post to my flickr!