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 Glitter Starbucks Tumbler

I've seen the Starbucks Cold Cup Glitter tutorial and I thought to myself, "I can make that but easier"...so here's my tutorial for ya!

To start with, you need an empty Create-Your-Own Starbucks Collage It Tumbler. 

I stole this from Starbuck's website...our little secret ;)

Other Supplies:

• Glitter Scrapbook Paper (The scrapbook paper that I found was very thick and difficult to roll up, I don't recommend buying cardstock like paper, thin paper is best.)
• Pictures and/or stickers
• Super Glue
• Scissors
• Pen/Pencil

Tutorial:

1.  Remove the insert from the tumbler and trace the outline on the back of your glitter paper.  Cut out your new background and try it in the tumbler, to make sure it will fit.  I originally cut mine too long and I couldn't screw the bottom back on.

See the bottom, the paper is too long!

2.  Once you have the proper size for your new insert, you can start decorating your glitter paper (I tried using double sided sticky tape but it wasn't strong enough to hold the pictures when the paper was rolled up, so I ended up using super glue).
3.  Cautiously insert your newly decorated insert (be careful not to snag any of the decorations).  

4.  Enjoy your new tumbler!!

Wasn't that easy?  No glue or messy glitter needed to make this awesome tumbler!

Simple DIY Elbow Patches

This past winter I wrote a guest post for Clothed Much.  It was a simple tutorial written for people who love fashion but who may not have everything a sewer might...so there's a little improvising in the tutorial to make it easy for everyone.  I realize it's not very season appropriate at the moment however I thought it would be nice to share here.

Here's the tutorial: 

Do you have a hole in your sweater or are you just obsessed with elbow patches like I am?  In either case, adding elbow patches to a sweater or cardigan is super easy and it can even be done without a sewing machine.  Yup, you read right, no sewing machine needed and nope you don't need fabric glue or a glue gun.   However it will require a little hand sewing, which shouldn't be too bad because I know you all have a mending kit or minimergency kit, right?  (Note: I'll try to be as detailed as possible in my instructions for those of you who don't do much sewing)

To create your own elbow patches here is the list of supplies you will need:

Supplies

1.  Hand sewing needle
2.  Felt in the color of your choice (one rectangle from the craft store should be enough) - you can find felt at Walmart, JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores or Michaels
3.  Thread (to match or contrast the color of the felt)
4.  Tailor's Chalk or a non-permanent fabric marker (you can also use regular chalk or a regular washable marker instead)
5.  Sharp scissors
6.  Tall square tissue box
7.  Pins or safety pins

Are you excited to make some elbow patches?  I am, let's get started!

Instructions:

1.  Put your sweater/cardigan on and using a mirror and your chalk/marker make an "X" on your elbow area.

Yes, I missed my elbow in this pic, but you get the idea...

2.  Next take your scissors and cut off the top of the tissue box.  Remove any plastic that may be around the opening of the box top.

3.  Grab your felt rectangle and fold it in half (hamburger style) and pin it so that the fabric stays folded in half.  Using your tissue box top as a template, trace an oval on the felt. 

4.  Pin your ovals over the "X" marks you made.  Fold the sweater/cardigan in half to check and see if the oval are placed evenly in the same spot of each arm.

5.  Begin hand sewing your patches and try to keep the fabric level and even as you sew.  For this project I recommend using an overcast stitch.  You can find great hand sewing instructions here.

6.  After the patches are sewn down you are done!  If you can't get enough of elbow patches you can also try making them in different shapes like I did in my previous tutorial here.

fawn & flora

 I'm a reader of Wonder Forest and recently Dana announced the launching of a new store called fawn & flora.  As soon as she made the announcement I headed over there to see all the cute creative supplies.  I ordered something for my friend (cupcake liners) and I ordered some stuff for me (fabric tape and tissue tape).  

I received part of my order last week and I'm waiting for the other part of my order to arrive sometime soon.  I can't wait to use my decorative tape for some upcoming projects!!! 

I love getting personal notes with my orders!  Even though it's something I ordered I feel like it's a gift from a friend.  

Owl Elbow Patch Tutorial

I'm guest posting today at The DIY Mommy and I'm showing you how to make Owl Elbow patches like this guy:

To view my tutorial click here.

Vera Wang Inspired Tulle Trim Cardigan Tutorial (Valentine's Day Themed)

I saw this Simply Vera by Vera Wang cardigan at Kohl's and thought it was super cute but way over priced at $64.  I thought about making one for myself but I really didn't want to go and use one of my cardigans and upcycle it so I decided to make a mini version for my friend's little girl.

Here's what you need to get started on your own or one for your mini me:

Supplies:

1. A Cardigan (old or new)
2. Tulle (4" for a child and 6" for an adult), the length of the tulle off the bolt should be plenty to go around the bottom band of the cardigan
3. Ribbon for the inside of the cardigan (make sure the width is not larger than the seam of the bottom band), you will need the length of the bottom band plus 3" extra
4. Rotary cutter and mat or scissors (unless the fabric store cut the tulle evenly, lucky you!)
5. Thread to match the color of the cardigan (I am using invisible thread)
6. Hand sewing needle

Instructions: 

1.  Cut and trim your tulle so that it is even.

2.  Take your hand sewing needle and start a gathering stitch for the tulle.  Once you have sewn the gathering stitch and the tulle is the length you need, tie off the thread with a knot (you can cut the gathering stitch once you have sewn down your gathers to the cardigan).

3.  Pin down the gathered tulle to the cardigan, keeping the top of the tulle close to the existing seam of the cardigan.

4.  Take your ribbon and lay it over the top of the gathering stitch at the top of the tulle.  Leave the extra length on the ends of the ribbon so you can fold it over and sew it down (to prevent the ribbon from fraying).  Pin it all in place. Placing the ribbon over the edge of the tulle will prevent it from rubbing against you while you wear the cardigan.  

5.  After you have everything pinned down you can start sewing your ribbon.  At this point you can cut the gathering stitch.  Begin sewing the bottom part of your ribbon and sew as close as you can to the existing seam.  If your cardigan is stretchy, you will want to pull it a little as you sew.  This will help preserve the stretch.  

  

6.  As you sew the top of the ribbon, remove your pins.  (The owl ribbon ended up being too wide for my project so I had to use a thinner ribbon, tragic!)

That's it, you're done!

I decided to add a little flair and make heart shaped felt elbow patches since the cardigan is Valentine's Day colors.

(Hopefully I will have time to write a tutorial to show you how I made these elbow patches)

I'd love to see pics of your creations :)  Feel free to share the links in the comment section! If you have questions leave me a comment or send me an email.