The Costume Chronicles, Part 7

any guesses on what this costume might be?

frosty, the snow-woman!

this sure was a fun one to make. i found the fabulous top hat at a local party store-- and it was pink!-- and it was shiny!-- and it was only nine bucks!  ruffle fabric in the exact same shade of pink was found the very next day-- a complete match made in heaven.

the hat was made for an adult, making it a little big.  i fixed the problem by adding a felt strip all the way around the inside.  problem solved!

The Costume Chronicles, Part 6

A full length adult tutu was on the sewing list for October.  So much fun to make, but my goodness!  Do you know how many yards of tulle this baby took?  Eight yards of light pink, eight yards of dark pink and six yards of white.  Such a pink princess skirt.  If you are a girly-girl, I definitely recommend that you make yourself one of these at least once in your life.

But if you want a satin sash, I recommend that you make it AT LEAST twice as long as you think it should be.  This one turned out way too short for a bow.  Sorry, little sis!

The Costume Chronicles, Part 5

yet another 2012 costume. . .

rapunzel and her pet chameleon, pascal.

for the wig, I used this wig tutorial.

the chameleon was made using this pattern:  Cute Chameleon by Brigitte Read.

he was fun to make.  i had never attempted amirugumi before.  i was surprised at how easy and fast he came together.  according to my children, i have many more opportunities to make little creatures in my very near future.

and man, am i getting good at putting in grommets!

i think that is part of my enjoyment of constructing costumes-- figuring out ways to construct something i have never made before and learning new techniques.

what new techniques are you learning this halloween?

The Costume Chronicles, Part 4

costume number 4 is Merida, from Disney/Pixar's Brave.

of course this costume would not be complete without a wig--and what a fun wig it turned out to be!

i made this wig the same way I did here, only I used two different kinds of yarn (red heart love, burnt orange color and lion brand hometown, dark orange color, one skein of each).  i also added several rows along the part line to add volume.

and then came the hours spent un-twisting the yarn to make the wig look 'curly'.  it was kinda fun and kinda relaxing. . . but took FOR.EV.ER!!!  was it worth it?  the jury is still out on that one.  what do you think?



Costume Chronicles, Part 2 & 3

the barbie musketeer costumes continue to be one of the most popular things on my blog.  who would have guessed, right?

i made two musketeers this year-- one pink and one purple.  the pink one didn't make to the photography session, but it looked just like this one, only pinker!

once in a while, when i look back at the things i made or wrote on this blog long ago, i am tempted  to edit it or re-write it.  but really that is the truest form of accomplishment-- seeing how far you have come and how much you have learned along the way.  

this little costume is one of those perfect examples.  as i have re-made it many times over the years, it has changed and become easier to make, easier to wear--just better!

it is now a one-piece dress, instead of four seperate pieces.  and the boots needed a transformation so that I can make and ship them to someone far away.

maybe a little bit simpler, but still pretty darn cute, don't ya think?

The Costume Chronicles, Part 1

(source)

halloween. . .  my very favorite sewing holiday of the year.  and this year i have lots to share. . .

costume #1-

someone found me through the internet and asked if i could copy the top costume (which she had purchased for her older child) into a size small enough for her younger child.  no problem!  it is such a fun and easy costume.

but did you know how expensive costumes are at target?  my goodness!  when this lady contacted me, she sent the picture, but didn't mention the cost.  i added up what it would cost me to make and sent her a price, assuming my price would be quite a bit higher than target's.  after sending the price, i went to see what it was on target's website-- MORE than what i quoted!  and made from a much cheaper fabric, too.

well, i guess that just solidifies it-- i will ALWAYS be making my kiddos costumes!

just one more good reason!  (since i need so many. . .  )

ps  the 'wig' for this costume is made in a very similar way to the yarn wigs i have made in the past.  make the skull cap the same way as this tutorial (in a matching color tights, of course).  then sew using a wide zigzag, a boa onto the skull cap in a spiral, starting at the top of the head.  it doesn't need to be exact-- just make sure the skull cap is mostly covered.

Wig Tutorial

making costumes is one of my very favorite things to sew.  and adding little details is super important to having a 'complete look.'  when making a lalaloopsy costume, or a rapunzel costume, or even a jesse costume, you're goin' to need one of these:

a wig!

supplies:

a pair of kids nylons or tights (any size, in matching color or a 'nude' color)

yarn

*** for a lalaloopsy wig, i used 2 skeins of lion brand hometown usa-- there are lots of colors to choose from, you can get them at walmart, and should be able to find them at jo-anns or michaels ***

*** for a rapunzel wig, i used 2 skeins of red heart 'love' yarn-- softer than regular red heart yarn-- the thinner yarn helps keep the rapunzel wig from getting too heavy in the back ***

*** for a jesse wig (from toy story), i used 1 skein of lion brand hometown usa-- the costume includes a hat, so the crown of the wig will be covered and doesn't require the 'thick hair look' of the lalaloopsys***

the waistband of the tights is going to become the 'skullcap'-- the hat that the yarn will be sewn to.  it is suprisingly comforable and stays in place pretty well.

using a zigzag stitch, sew along the sewing line. 

                            

try the cap on your kiddo to make sure it is not too big.  you don't want a lot of extra fabric anywhere.  it should fit snuggly.  once it is fitting well, stick it back on the kiddo and use a marker to draw some lines on the cap.

depending on which character you are making a wig for, the lines are going to be different.  you need to think about whether you are going to have pigtails, bangs, whatever.  for lala's, the most important lines to think about are the part lines.  for two pigtails and bangs, you want a curve on the front where the bangs are going to be and a part all the way down the back for the part line.

cut the yarn in lengths that are twice as long as you want them to be.  for lala pigtails, i would cut the yarn in pieces that are 3-4 feet long.  then just start sewing them on the skull cap.  use a large zigzag stitch so that it will still stretch once you have it on the kiddo's head.  start with the part line, and sewing the middle of the yarn onto the line, begin stuffing yarn under your presser foot.  it will take more than you think-- just keep stuffing them under there!

****  while sewing, be careful that you are not sewing any additional layers on the skullcap except the line you are working on.  trust me on this, you don't want to have to unpick anything on nylons or you will end up with some pretty big holes.  it certainly takes a little bit of work to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be, but stick to it. ****

for the part line, you will want to do a second layer as well.  then do the same thing as close to the edge as possible around the entire cap, except where the bangs are going to be.  cut more yarn as needed.

then sew some yarn long your curved bang line.  the side of the yarn that goes towards the back of the wig will be gathered into the ponytails.  the yarn that falls in front of the wig, i stitched down in place along the bottom of the skullcap.  then i added a second layer along the curved bang line-- with both sides of the yarn falling forward for thick bangs.

once you have all your yarn attached, put it on the kiddo and style and cut like you would real hair.  part it down the middle, pull it into ponytails (being sure to leave out the bangs, but include all the rest of the yarn from each side).  i used regular rubber bands for the ponytails.  then i trimmed everything up.  make sure the bangs are cut nice and straight (all three layers), and trim up the ponytails.

for rapunzel or jesse, you will need to be most concerned about the partline along the front of the hair.  you only need it to go from the front edge to about the top of the wig.  then add a second short line along the top of the cap, making a type of t-shape.

the part line will probably need a second layer.

for rapunzel, i cut lengths of yarn that were twice as long as my kid was tall.  the braid will take up some of the length, so make sure they are super long.

rapunzel:

jesse:

this one could have used a second layer on the top, but since a hat is going over the top, the most important part is just the very front and the back braid.

but the good thing about this process is that you can always add more yarn where ever you need it. 

okey-dokey.  that is about it. 

it sounds much more complicated than it really is.  just do it!

have fun and i would love to see pics if you make one.