Tulle Little Red Riding Hood Costume (Mini Tutorial)

For the last few years I tried to get my act together in time to make Halloween costumes, but it never happened.  I told myself this year was going to be the year...no more excuses!

I looked in the stores for inspiration and I didn't see anything that caught my eye.  My son ended up spotting an Optimus Prime costume that he wanted so I bought his costume instead of making him one.  I felt bad about not making him something so I bought Transformer fabric and made him a Trick-or-Treat bag using Harts Fabric tutorial.  Sadly I had to omit the reflective tape because I had directional print and the width would require more than the yard I had in my stash.

I still had no idea what to make for my daughter...all I knew was that I didn't want to make something that required a lot of pattern pieces or sewing.  After perusing Pinterest I found a few cute tulle costumes that looked quick and easy to make.  It was a difficult deciding which tulle costume, but after consulting with the critics (my daughter and my husband) it was decided that I would make a Little Red Riding Hood costume.    

If you want to make your own Little Red Riding Hood Costume, here's my quick mini tutorial:

Supplies:

• Craft Scissors
• Measuring tape
• White and Red Thread
• White Crochet Headband (sold at Joann's)
• Red Crochet Headband (sold by the yard at Joann's)
• 15" inches of Black Ruffle trim (sold by the yard at Joann's)
• 6" inch wide red tulle on a roll (I purchased 100 yards online)
• 6" inch wide white tulle on a roll ( I purchased 100 yards online, however you probably need less than 25)

I used McCall's M6187 pattern for the cape, but I only purchased the main fabric and used bias tape instead of adding a lining.  If you don't want to buy a pattern, you can check out these great tutorial on how to make your own cape: 

• Half Circle Cape
• No Sew Cape
• 3/4 Circle Cape
• Unlined Half Circle Cape

Instructions:

To get started on your own tulle costume, measure your child's chest.  My 2 year old measured 20" inches so I subtracted 2" inches from that to make the tube 18" inches.  I thought 4" inches of white in the middle would be proportional for the center, however in retrospect I should have only made it 3"-3.5" inches.  The white section was cut from a single crochet bandeau (meant to be a tube top) so I used it's height (6" inches) to dictate the height of the entire bodice.  To create the red portion of the bodice I sewed 4 rows of the red headband to make the height 6" inches.  Once the red headbands were sewn together, I attached the two ends to the white center to complete the bodice.  I added the black trim after I finish the skirt but I wouldn't recommend doing that because it was difficult to sew with the poofy tulle in the way.  

Next, measure for the length.  Since my bodice was 6"inches, I subtracted that from the total length to get the length of the tulle bottom.  I wanted my dress longer (ankle length) in case it was chilly on Halloween.  In order to achieve the length I wanted I needed my tulle to be 18" long, which means I had to cut my tulle to be 36" inches long.  

I started looping the red tulle on the bottom row of the bodice and went all the way around.  For the second row I filled in the gaps and built the volume of the skirt.  

For the apron I wanted it to be 13" inches in length, meaning I would have to cut my tulle 26" inches in length.  I made a single row of the white tulle in the white portion of the bodice, and I made sure that there wasn't any gaps or holes.

To make the cape I sorta used McCall's M6187.  I cut the hood using the pattern and I laid the cape pattern on the fabric and cut it as if I was making a circle skirt.  The pattern calls for lining and pleats in the hood but I omitted them.  

Instead of using a pleat, I slightly gathered the cape to match the size of the hood then attached the two and covered the seam with bias tape.  As for the back seam I also used bias tape to cover the edge of the fabric.  I topstitched the bias tape down, sewing on the outside of the cape.

For the tie I used white ribbon from my ribbon scraps. 

To make the hem I used my rolled hem foot...it gave the hem a nice finish and saved me a lot of time!  If you don't own a rolled hem foot, I highly recommend buying one.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!!!

DIY Duct Tape Tablet Cover

Our tablet case broke so I went shopping for a reasonably priced replacement and didn't find anything locally for our tablet.  Apparently if you have an Apple tablet you can find a ton of tablet covers on sale.  I was a little overwhelmed by the online selection of cheaply made tablet covers, so I decided to make a new tablet cover and call it a day.  

I found a duct tape tutorial that provided great basic instructions so I used that and changed a few steps to make construction easier.  Please note that my tutorial is specifically designed for 10 inch tablets like the Google Nexus 10.

First things first, you need to gather your supplies.

Supplies:

1. Duct tape (1 print or 2 coordinating prints)
2. Measuring Tape
3. Craft knife or Scissors 
4. Scrap Fabric or Muslin (roughly 1/3 of a yard) 
5. Self Healing Cutting Mat

6. (Optional) Permanent Marker (in matching color), Q-Tip and Rubbing Alcohol

7. (Optional) Rolling Pin

Tutorial:

1.  Measure and cut out your fabric (don't forget to iron out all the wrinkles before you cut).  Cut a piece that is 10.75 inches wide by 22 inches long (mine is actually 24 inches long but I think that length is too long).  The fabric will be used to create a foundation to layer the duct tape and create the appropriately sized cover.  

2.  Start tearing off pieces of tape tape that are about 10.5 inches long.  Slightly overlap the strips as you work your way down your fabric.  Repeat this process on the back side of the fabric.  Feel free to use a coordinating print.  (I don't recommend making the strips long enough to fold over because it creates bulk at the sides when you go to add your border, so trim the strips that are too long.)  When you're finished, use the rolling pin to flatten the duct tape on both sides. 

3.  After both sides of the fabric are covered, we are going to add a border around the edge.  This will seal off the sides and create a clean finish.  Take a piece of duct tape a little longer than your side and leave half of the strip hanging off the side so you can wrap it to the other side of the fabric.  Trim off any excess duct tape.  [I opted to use the whole strip of duct tape (instead of folding it in half) because I wanted to keep the print.  (I used a black sharpie along my border edge to cover the white parts and lightly brushed rubbing alcohol on the parts where I marked the border.)]

4.  When the border is finished we are going to place the tablet on top of the fabric.  Fold the fabric over the tablet and extend it about an inch or an inch and a half over the top of the tablet.  Pinch the bottom of the fabric to create a crease.  We are going to use the extra part at the top to create a top flap.  You can add tape to the sides to keep the flap up or leave it open like I did.  I chose not to add tape on the sides because it would mess up my border print.  If you do add tape, you might want to add some on the inside as well to keep the duct tape from touching your tablet.

5.  To keep the fabric folded and the top flap down, we are going to create a strap to wrap around the cover.  Take a 22 inch piece of tape and fold it in half.  Wrap this piece loosely around the cover.  My tablet is less that half an inch in thickness so I didn't need too much room (you can insert your tablet in the cover when you wrap the strap around to make sure it will fit...I had to guess because I didn't have the tablet with me, hence the paper "tablet" in the picture).  

6.  Once you have the strap wrapped around, take a small strip of duct tape (that matches the back) and use it to tape down the end of the strap.  You can trim down the strap if you need to, in case there is some overlap at the ends (we don't want that bulk).  

...and voila!  Fin! 

Woodsie Baby Leggings

               

My little girl is rapidly outgrowing her legging so I decided to make her a few pairs that won't squeeze her like the store bought ones (I didn't photograph the other pair, sorry!).  I used an old pattern for the leggings and I added a little flair at the ends to make these legging look a little more girly.  I really love the fabric (bought at Girl Charlee's) but the colors are dark (grey-green and brown) and not very girly.

To make the bottom piece I just cut out a strip of fabric twice as long as the bottom width and 3 inches tall.  I used a gathering stitch and gathered the fabric evenly and used my serger to attach it to the leggings bottom before I sewed the side seam.  I believe I used a 5/8" seam allowance because the ruffle was a little too long for my liking.  After I attached the ruffle, I pinned and serged my sides together.  It was a quick and easy modification that makes these legging look a bit more feminine.

Easy Upcycled Toddler Belt Tutorial

This summer some of my son's shorts were too big at the waist so my husband made a make-shift belt by tying a grosgrain ribbon around Nik's belt loops.  It didn't look pretty but it did the job and helped keep up his pants!  (I'm a big fan of recycling and I repurpose things when I can, for example, I usually save ribbon and string from packaging of products we buy...and that is where the grosgrain ribbon came from.)

After seeing the make-shift belt I decided to make a proper belt by sewing two D rings onto the ribbon.  I took one end of the ribbon and folded it over the D rings and tucked the end under a 1/2" inch.

Stitch close to the fold of the ribbon and tie the thread ends.  Cut off the extra thread after you have made your knots.  If the end of the belt is unfinished, you might want to dab on a little fray check or fold the end over and sew it. 

Quick and easy, right?  This would be a perfect last minute gift for any little girl or guy, plus you get to reuse ribbon and keep it out of the landfill...win-win!

Picnic Dress (with tutorial)

I started making this dress months ago and I had my husband make the ant applique that I wanted to use...but for some reason this project got pushed to the back burner.

I used Leila & Ben's Sweet Little Dress pattern (which I have made before) and I got ahead of myself and forgot to add elastic in the neck casing before sewing it up, doh!  I made it work by using elastic in my bobbin and sewing two rows of stitches around the neck and sleeves...I kinda like the way it came out and I might try the same method again.

The fabric was purchased at JoAnn's but I have seen it for sale at Walmart too.  If you can't find the same fabric, you can also use plain gingham fabric in your choice of color.  I used quilters cotton in black and white polka dots to make the ant.  It might sound silly but I actually shopped around for the polka dot fabric because I want a specific size and look.  To get started, here is a list of the supplies I used for this project:

Supplies:

• Ant Image
• Scrap of Iron-On Interfacing
• Fabric Glue
• Black Puffy Fabric Paint
• Scrap of Polka Dot Fabric
• Tailors Chalk or Fabric Tracing Pen
• Scissors
• Matching Thread
• Small bit of Black Grosgrain Ribbon
• Fray Check (you can use something similar to keep the ribbon ends from fraying)

Instructions:

1. Print out the ant image from here and cut out the circle portion of the image.

2. Using your marking tool of choice, trace around the circle body onto your polka dot fabric.  Next you can do the same with your interfacing or you can iron on your interfacing and then cut out the body (this is my preferred method).

3.  To make the legs cut 4 strips of grosgrain ribbon about 2"-3" inches long.  Use your fray check at the bottom end of each ribbon to prevent fraying when you wash the garment.

4.  After the fray check has dried, play with the placement of the legs until you are happy with the look.  Once you have figured out how you want to place the legs, use your fabric glue to baste the legs in place.

5.  Pin the applique to your garment and start sewing!  I sewed (starting at the head) about 1/4" away from the raw edge of the applique and I sewed around each one of the legs.

6.  Now that you have your applique sewn, you can create the antennas.  I recommend using a scrap piece of paper to practice making an antenna before you start squeezing the puffy fabric paint.  Allow the paint to dry and follow the product instructions when washing the dress.

Isn't the dress darling?!  Now I need to make a matching black and white polka dot diaper cover to go with the dress.  This is the perfect opportunity to try one of these free diaper cover patterns.

*The matching headband is available for sale in my Etsy store, which can be found here.

   

Double Sided (Reversible) Pocket Square Tutorial

Thanks to my sewing hobby I've become popular...naturally this new found popularity comes with requests to make things.  One such request was from a high school friend that wanted pocket squares to wear to church.  He sent me this tutorial and asked me if I could make something like it.  Although this isn't rocket science, it looked extremely time consuming...and this project probably would have drove me nuts trying to get all the stitches perfect (I can be a bit of a perfectionist).  Thus I decided to try to convince my friend to try it himself since it only required a needle and thread...his response was that he didn't have time to do it himself.  In my head I laughed and said to myself, "Neither do I,"  however what I actually said was that I could give it a try on my sewing machine.

I had never sewn a pocket square before, so I had to do a little research before attempting this project.  Most of the pocket squares I found were hand sewn and made out of silk, but I did find a few that were non-silk and machine sewn (like these J. Crew, Express, and Hill-Side Pocket Squares), which convinced me it is okay to sew using cotton fabric and a machine.

Our friend gave me 3 different fabrics and thought about how I could make a cool pocket square out of the material.  Two of the fabric coordinated, so I thought it would be cool to make a double sided pocket square and add a little flair so the plain color side wasn't so plain.

Here's how I made the double sided pocket square:  

Supplies:

1. 2 Different fabrics of your choice (I'm using cotton fabric)
2. Thread
3. Cutting mat with ruler
4. Rotary cutter (or scissor)
5. Iron
6. Sewing Machine

Instructions:

1. Line up your fabric (on your cutting mat) so you will be cutting on the grain.  Cut out a 13' x 13' square from each of your fabrics, so you will have two squares.

2.  Pin your fabrics right sides together

3. Once you have your fabrics pinned you can sew around the square with a 1/2" seam allowance, leaving a 1"-1 1/2" opening on one of the sides (so you can turn it right side out).  Be sure to use the back stitch function around the opening area.

Use the back stitch function

4.  Clip your corners so they will turn nicely.

4.  Turn the pocket square right side out and use something to help you get those corners nice and sharp (I usually use a chopstick).

5.  Iron the square once it is right side out and pay special attention to the opening area.

6.  After you have the pocket square nice and ironed, go to your machine and top stitch around the edge of the pocket square.  For the one I made, I used a decorative stitch with metallic gold thread to make it interesting and give it a nice pop!

There you go, you're done!!!

(p.s. - this would make a perfect last minute gift for the holidays...wink, wink)

Boho Mending - Tutorial

My tween-age cousin ripped her jeans during P.E. so I told my grandma to bring them to me so I could fix them up.  I had the pants in my sewing room for a few weeks before I finally settled on an idea as to how I would fix them to make them look pretty/ trendy.

I decided on a pretty easy and straight forward fix, but I did have to do a little ripping and tearing in addition to my sewing...yup, that's right, I destroyed the jeans a little more to achieve this look.  Also, this sewing can be done by hand...I only used my machine for the sake of saving time.   

 Supplies:

1. Sewing machine with denim needle or large hand sewing needle for denims
2. Thread to match the denim color
3. Measuring tape
4. Scissors
5. Lace of your choice (I used 100% cotton crochet lace)

Instructions:

1. Measure the size of your rip and cut your lace to be an inch longer than your measurement.

2. On the right side of the jeans, brush the frayed material to it's proper position so it doesn't look like there is a rip.  Fold over the ends of the lace and pin it in place on the wrong side of the jeans.

3. Carefully placing the jeans under your machine...this takes a little wiggling and funky positioning to get it situated under the needle (and so you don't sew through both sides).  One your jeans are in place, sew a zig zag stitch along the top (starting at either end) and pivoting at the corner and sewing down that side, then continuing around the entire piece of lace.

4. Once you have stitched the lace, turn the jeans right side out and inspect the ripped area.  I trimmed a little here and there on the ripped section to expose the lace "patch".  I wanted it to look like it was peaking through and in some spots I had to cut away part of the jean material and fray it.  I achieved the fray look by removing the a few threads from the jean fabric weave.

5.  You're done!  Pretty easy, huh?  The most difficult part is getting the jeans in the right spot under your machine!  Trust me, it took years of being lazy to perfect that technique ;)  Ha ha ha....just kidding!