Princess Leia

My 7 year old's first choice of costume was the nurse from Animaniacs. I vetoed that after watching one clip, lol.  Not yet, please!  (Actually, not ever, thank-you-very-much!).   I suggested a few other things which were all soundly rejected and was pleased when she came up with Princess Leia on her own -- a comfortable, recognizable, easy to execute costume that is age appropriate; perfect!

I used the Oliver and S field trip tee yet again, in size 10, lengthened to an a-line dress and with bell sleeves. The only other change I made was to double the size of the neck band.  She didn't want a mock turtle neck so this was my compromise.

The belt is the embroidered edge of the sheet I used to make her older sister's costume.  It's not exactly authentic but she's happy with it.

The buns were the hardest part -- for a tough cookie, she's got a very sensitive scalp and a very low tolerance for anything being the least bit uncomfortable on her head.  It took me a couple of tries to get them in and then apparently the buns weren't tight enough to her head.   She was wearing the costume to the Halloween party for her Brownie troop last night and I wanted to get photos of it in a (relatively) pristine state.  The loose buns prompted a huge meltdown with me pleading for a just a couple of pictures before it got too dark.  This was the response, oh my goodness I love this kid!:

I did fix them before the party, I just wanted a picture before the light was gone!  Mean mom, lol!

Fabric: white cotton interlock from value village -- super score: almost 6m for $8.  Tonnes left for other things
Pattern: oliver and s field trip tee.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs"

This is, of course, Olaf from Frozen.  I'm sure we'll see lots of Olafs, Elsas, Annas and Kristoffs for Halloween this year!  I was surprised but not altogether unhappy when K. told me (in July!) what she wanted to be.  It tends to be quite cool in this part of the world at the end of October but there's no danger that she'll be cold in this!  In fact, I debated about making a second "indoor" costume for school and Sparks and parties but came up with an even better (quicker) solution which you'll see if you make it to the end!

I started with the Roller Skate Dress from Oliver and S and, other than the elastic at the bottom, actually didn't make any changes to it. To accommodate all the extra padding, I made it in size 10 although K. would normally wear a 7 or 8.

I used fleece for both the lining and the outside of the dress, mostly because I was initially going to rely on the dress and the elastic to make it "pouf".  That wasn't enough though so I also stuffed it with batting.  I added strips of tulle in the bottom, too, because I had them and I ran out of batting. I really should have just bought another bag of batting, though.  She loves it but I feel it could have been rounder.

I asked her to let me take a picture of the back and this what I got, complete with a booty shake.  This kid makes me laugh :).  I didn't change anything except that the button is on the inside and that wasn't on purpose -- hey, when the lining and the dress are both the same fabric, it's easy to get them mixed up.

The hat is, of course, the cozy winter hood from Little Things to Sew.  I've lost count of how many time I've made that pattern!  (I think I say that everytime, lol!).  I made it twice for this costume, though.  This is the medium but I made a large, too.  I thought it would look more olaf-y but K.  wouldn't even consider putting it on. She has a thing about hats (and shoes) being small almost to the point of being uncomfortable.   But if she's happy in this one, I'm happy, too.  And I have a hat to send to my nephew for his birthday!

The hood is fleece lined with flannel and the "twigs" are pipe cleaners covered in velour.  I sliced to top pattern piece into two pieces so that I could sew them in.  I don't think they'll make it through the wash but they only have to last through three events.

And the shirt underneath is also Oliver and S -- the Field Trip Tee.  K. just got lucky on this one because I was just going to buy a shirt but I accidentally bought brown velour instead of black for another project (I have no idea how, I could swear it looked black on the cutting table but it most definitely is not!) so I had enough to make her a tee.  I initially made the whole thing brown but it showed at the neckline so I decided to rip it apart and make it white.  Which turned out to be a good decision and it solved my problem a slightly less warm costume for indoors.  Some black circles, and voilà -- an Olaf "inspired" outfit (which will be worn with white leggings when the time comes of course!).

The best part of this costume is how thrilled K. is about it.  It reminds me why I started to sew in the first place -- to be creative and make something unique (or not so unique in this case!!) for the people that I love.  I still haven't gotten over the Kristoff incident (nor have I heard from the person who commissioned me to make that costume!) but I'm happy I can do this for my lovely sweet adorable appreciative daughter :).

Kristoff Tunic

A few weeks ago, my daughter's teacher approached me after school and asked if I would do her a favour. She used to work with a boy named Tommy.  He has Autism and is an athlete and a runner. He also has a huge love for all things Disney, so much so that his parents take him to Disney World every year.  This year they timed their trip to coincide with Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party and he wants to go as Kristoff from Frozen.

Sewing for other people makes me nervous but I figured a tunic couldn't be too hard.  Plus I was already making one for my husband so I said yes. I'm happy it's done and I'm hoping Tommy and his mom are happy with it but oh my goodness I was cursing this thing while I was making it!  I redid the collar about a million times (well, six (!!) times but it felt like a million).

And the fur!!  The bound fur trim was $26/metre and the yardage was $19/metre so guess which one I bought, lol?  So not only did I have to try to cut through this stuff, I had to give each piece a hair cut along the seam allowance after I cut it out.  There was fur everywhere!  It took me a good couple of hours to vacuum my sewing room when I finished.  And I'm still finding clumps that I missed (and clumps that I carried through the house on my clothes. Some even ended up in our dinner. oops!).  I will never willingly make anything with fake fur again.  Or I will be smart and track down some that's on a ribbon like this stuff.  Jeez, I wish I'd done a bit of research first!

The main fabric is from my stash - Brussels Washer Linen blend in charcoal.  Good thing I had it because I couldn't find anything locally that would be suitable for Florida weather!

Anyway, I started with Thread Theory's Finlayson sweater then extended the shoulders, made the neckline more a v-shape, lengthened it and added the shaping.  Then drafted (and re-drafted and re-drafted) a new collar.  So really, it's not much of a Finlayson anymore!

edited to add:  Wow.  I'm completely floored and devastated.  The woman who asked me to make this for her son feels it's not close enough to the original for his needs.  According to her it would okay for a casual party or trick or treating but not for someone who would be making YouTube videos at the "actual Disney World".  She offered to pay for it if I needed her to but said she'd sell it on kijiji!!

I'm not a professional but agreed to do this as favour.  She didn't give me any criteria and even asked me to source all the fabric and materials without her input.  I agonized over every detail and it didn't turn out exactly as I pictured it but I thought it was pretty good.  I am honestly hurt.

Miss Mush Library Dress

J. loves the TV show Wayside High.  I think it's the accents more than anything.  Well, that and the crazy behaviour.  We've been on the waiting list for the books at the library for the past month but nothing yet; they must be good to be so popular!  J.'s an avid reader so I'm sure she'll love them when they do come in.

Anyway, the costume: I started with the Library Dress from Oliver and S.  It's a size 8 with 10 inches of extra length. It's a bit big for J. but that was on purpose -- you never know what the weather is going to be like on Halloween but she can wear layers underneath if she needs to (which she likely will!).

The fabric is a lovely soft purple chambray from Fabricland.  *Sometimes* I get lucky there.  It was on clearance and the person who cut it for me gave me almost a metre extra, that coupled with the fact that it was an extra wide bolt made this a very economical costume.  

My girls prefer zippers because they can do them up themselves so I replaced the button placket in a very scientific way -- I sewed a zipper in using a 3/4" SA instead of 1/2" and replaced the facings on the bodice with lining.  It worked but was not the most correct way to do it, I'm sure.  

I improvised for the hat and the apron using an old sheet.  J. wasn't happy with the hat and I might try again before the big day. It ended up being too puffy on top and not quite big enough to be comfortable as I neglected to factor in the wig in my calculations!

I've never been good at styling hair but I learned to do a sock bun!  In a plastic wig no less.  It's pretty cool, I must say because you can't see the sock at all.  It stood up to a day of play and I didn't even use bobby pins.  

J. is very literal and when we put all the pieces together, she wasn't totally convinced that she looked like Miss Mush.  I would argue the side-by-side pictures tell a different story :)

Cost:

Fabric: Chambary used 1.5 m $3.98, white was scraps + old sheet $0

Pattern: Library Dress bought from Fabrications $18.02

Zipper: stash 

Wig: $9

Total: $31

O + S Fairy Tale Dress

J. decided in August that she wanted to be Hedwig but K. flipped and flopped.  Every day she would tell me something different but there was one theme that was consistent -- pink!   So I decided to make a full length pink satin dress and then decide on accessories later.  After all when you're four, a pink dress would work for being a pig, a princess, Hello Kitty or a butterfly, right?

Hehehe, I know butterflies don't generally wear pink satin dresses but K. couldn't be more pleased with her ensemble. (Well, except that she's decided it may need a touch of purple.  Maybe the bow that I haven't made yet can be purple or the antenna).

This is a size 4 with 8 1/2 inches of extra length.  She's 3T according to her measurements so I thought it would be big enough to wear a fleece underneath.  Yeah, no.  As it is she might be able to wear a long sleeved shirt so here's hoping it's warm this Halloween!  Should have made a muslin, I guess!  I think it's actually better that it fits anyway -- we can improvise if it's cold and the dress will work well for the party she's going to the week before, the party at school, as well as the princess birthday party she's been invited to in November.

This dress came together fairly easily but it was a hefty a time commitment.   I think it took me longer than it did to cut and sew 5 yards of harem cloth feathers!   Must think of some other occasions that call for a full length pink satin dress :)

The only change I made (besides lengthening the skirt) was to lower the neckline by 1/2".   I lined it but didn't include the tulle skirt, which I kind of regret.  I did make a petticoat last year that she could wear if she wants more poof.  I love the style and the fit and I adore the sleeves.  I think this would be great in anything from cotton to silk.  And my girl is happy, which is all that matters!

Hedwig Costume

My husband and eldest have been working their way through the Harry Potter series over the last few months and they are both loving it.  (I haven't read them yet but they've just finished book five.  They're going to take a break for a couple of years as apparently they get quite dark.  Not so great for a very imaginative seven year old just before bed!). 

I was very glad that J. chose Hedwig for Halloween this year because this was a fun costume to make (and it didn't involve satin, woo hoo!). 

The base is the red riding hood cape and the cozy winter hood, both from the Oliver and S Little Things to Sew Book.  The hood and cape are made out of flannel and covered with "feathers" of bleached harem cloth.  I love that they are floaty and textured and kind of starting to fray (hopefully they don't fray too much more!).  I used a pental pastel dye stick to add a bit of brown.  I agonized over how much and where but I think right now it's a bit too subtle.

J. is happy with it (whew!) and I think it will work well for Halloween -- it's pretty warm on it's own but she should be able to wear it at school with just a t-shirt and leggings. Then she can put on another couple of extra layers for trick-or-treating.   She did request a full length white dress to wear underneath but I don't see that happening, lol.

Ghastlies and Ice Cream

Wow, did I ever buy a lot of this fabric last year!  Good thing I still love it (and even better that my daughters do, too!).  

This is an O + S Ice Cream Dress for my eldest.  She's 7 but tall and skinny so it's a size 5 with the size 7 length.  After I cut it out, I wished I'd given myself even more length so I used 1/4" instead of 1/2" seams on the bottom panel.  I hope with the topstitching and understitching that that decision doesn't come back to haunt me (no pun intended, hehe!). 

The dress is fully lined but it wished I would have seen Nicole's version before making mine, it would have saved me a couple steps and made the dress hang better.  Instead of using one piece + the yoke, I kept the double hem and just cut a second front and back panel for the lining. Next time!

Yet more Butterick B4320

The starting point for this costume was a moment of weakness in Dress Sew in Vancouver.  I was drawn to this beautiful brocade because of the colours but also because of it's lovely weight and drape.  In my head, I justified the $10/metre cost with the thought that the girls' dress up dresses get more wear than their regular clothes do.  I gulped at the thought of spending $30 on a Halloween costume but bought 3 metres because it's only 36 inch wide.

Again, I made View C, this time with the matching sleeves (on a side note: isn't it amazing how totally different it looks with different fabric?)

I don't care how pretty it is, never again will I sew with brocade!  You just have to look at it and it ravels.  I used a Hong Kong seam  finish for seams that have to lie flat and bound (binded?) the other seams in bias tape.  I started off with high hopes for how pretty this was going to be but got lazy and messy after only a few seams. 

It's not that I begrudge the time this type of finish takes (although that is part of it), it's that I started having this sinking feeling that even after all this work, this dress is not going to make it much past Halloween.  I hope I'll be proven wrong but the topstitching is already looking iffy and it hasn't even been worn yet. 

I will definitely try a Hong Kong finish again, though.  I think with the right colour binding, matching thread and a bit of patience (all conspicuously absent in this project!) it could look fantastic. 

More Ghastlies -- Halloween bags!

I am still not working (boo!) so have time to do silly things like make bags for the kidlets to collect their treats in on Halloween.  This one is about 14" wide by 14 1/2" high and is lined for durability -- if we let them my girls will trick-or-treat long past the time most kids have given up!! 

 

More Butterick B4320

I have made this pattern before . . . several times in fact.  The first time was Snow White in 2009.   I cut and mostly made a size 4 for my then four year old before realizing that she was going to be swimming in it.  I had bought fabric according to the fabric requirements on the envelope and had enough to make a whole new dress (which was good since I had no clue how to alter it.)  Gosh she looks so little here!  No word of a lie, she wore this dress everyday for six months!  She would get up in the middle of the night and put it on.  She even wore it to our Christmas eve open house. 

The third time was for Thing 1's fifth birthday party.  She wanted to be Alice.

The fourth time was for Thing 2's for halloween last year.  She and Thing 1 called it an Odette dress (an obscure Barbie princess).  I can't believe this is the best picture I have of it!!  Man it was cold last year.  She had to be lifted up stairs because she couldn't get her legs high enough between the dress and the snowpants!

This year, Thing 1 wants to be a witch, just like on the Ghastlies fabric I've been obsessing over!   When she described what she wanted to me I realized that view C could work.

The main fabric is a really soft polyester something-or-other that I bought on clearance from Dress Sew when I was in Vancouver in the summer.  I used the sleeves from view B and added a bell sleeve in hallween net underneath.  I used that fabric over the inset panel as well (but it's kind of hard to see) and I hand stitched silver stars over one side and the back of the skirt (they're pretty and hopefully they'll reflect the light!). 

I made a petticoat for underneath (partly because it was requested and partly because I spent hours handstitching the hem only to find it a good inch too long.  Oops.) 

The other oops was that I extended the bodice too much even for my long waisted girl.  I had to rip out the zipper and instead of ripping off the skirt, I added pintucks.  Unfortunately, I didn't think it through and they don't match up at the back.  They do the trick of shortening the bodice and add a bit of interest, though. 

As you can see, Miss Thing is quite excited about it!  She went to a movie with her daddy this afternoon and he wouldn't let her wear it, the meanie!

Ghastlies Skirt

Thing 2 loves dresses . . . as long as they are 100% polyester and of the store-bought variety.  Momma-made dresses and tops have been soundly rejected of late but handmade skirts are most definitely acceptable.  

I am so in love with the Ghastlies, I'm glad didn't hold back when I ordered it :). The band at the top is Kona Cotton in Coal from the Fabric Depot and the bottom band is Ring Toss in Grey from Hawthornethreads. I questioned myself about the waistband colour (and am questioning it even more after seeing it in pictures) but hubby insists it was the right choice as it needed a little bit of solid to balance out the pattern (!!).  Also, the Ring Toss looks a bit creamy in this picture but I really like it with the Ghastlies.  

I based it loosely on the Moda Bakeshop Patchwork Skirt tutorial but I reworked the dimensions and left off the ties. I also made the waistband with just two pieces instead of four and it seemed to work out fine. (I would have made it with one but I cut my piece too short and the proportions were off. Oops). I would have preferred to make an Oliver + S Sunday Brunch skirt to really show off the fabric but I'm pretty sure Thing 2 would've found it too constricting.

Although she was very excited to have it and wanted to wear it right away, typically she did not want to model it for me so I had to settle for a picture of her from behind in her K-way and gumboots.  Oh my goodness, I love this kid!!

Another Ghastlies Dress

For this dress, I redrafted ManiMina's reversible kimono pattern as it only goes up to size 4 and my eldest daughter wears size 6.  Again, I made the armholes bigger as she will likely wear this with something underneath.  I also dropped the neckline a bit as she doesn't like anything too high.  I thought it needed a pop of colour so added hot pink ties and even went so far as to topstitch the armholes in hot pink. Turns you have to be really good if you're going to topstitch a dramatic colour on beige though so I ended up picking it out :). 

The front is A Ghastlie Night and Ghastlie Bramble  and the back is Quilter's Linen in Grey, all from Hawthorne Threads. 

This one is not reversible either -- I couldn't find anything that wouldn't show through the light coloured Ghastlies so ended up lining it with a cream solid.  I'm guessing by her reaction that my daughter will wear this long past Halloween anyway!

Ghastlies Reversible Kimono Dress

My only neice has her first birthday next month.  My brother and his wife live in a very small townhouse and I know she will be spoiled by all the family she has close by so, in lieu of toys (and since I already gave her the tag along doll I made for her!), I made her a dress.  The pattern is the Reversible Kimono Dress by ManiMina and the fabric is the Ghastlies in Smoke from Hawthorne Threads. 

(I love Hawthorne Threads btw -- they have a great selection, good prices and ship fast.  They have great costumer service, too -- the last time I placed an order they sent the wrong colour by mistake and when I contacted them, they put the right yardage in the mail to me right away.)

The lining and ties are made from a pink cotton lawn from fabric.com.  Because it's sheer, the dress is not actually reversible which, looking back on it was probably not the best choice: I love the Ghastlies but my sister-in-law may not want to dress her daughter in a Halloween-themed dress after October.  Oops.

I made a couple of changes to the pattern -- I increased the sized of the armholes so that they can put a long sleeved onesie underneath and I also added the bias tape as faux piping.  If I were to do it again, I think would take the extra step of making real piping as it would look crisper.   

My six year old was concerned that her cousin might be scared by the fabric. Although the witch is pretty mean looking, I think she's a bit young for that to be true, hehe!