Kids Clothes Week Day 6: Supergirl Costume

It's day six of Kids Clothes Week!

And, in case you haven't seen, I'm having a GIVEAWAY!

...you can enter it by clicking here. Now, on to KCW...

I didn't have a chance to post for day 4 or 5 because of life. On day 4, I cut up a thrifted dress using a thrifted pattern for a girl's nightgown. On day 5, I sewed the front top to the back top, gathered the sleeves, and attached them to the bodice. Boring. There are no nice pictures of that process. It's at a stand still now because we got interrupted by Supergirl!

Our local Hobbycraft had a fundraiser today and the theme was superheroes. They had a bake sale, craft sale, art sale, kids crafts, and a costume contest to raise money for a hospital. We love Hobbycraft and were excited to go to support the fundraiser today. Originally, I was going to take two Spidermen. Then, one of them changed her mind and convinced me to make her a Supergirl costume.

So, after a quick study of Supergirl's outfit, we visited Hobbycraft yesterday to get some red fabric (on sale 1/3 the regular price!!!). That left this morning for me to make the skirt, cape, and specially requested mask (this was desperately wanted knowing the real Supergirl didn't wear one). It was tough mainly because it's Saturday. Usually, there is nothing that we have to do and there is lots of time to play with the kids. It was hard to stay focused, but any time my little girl wanted me to play with her, I gave her the option: I can play now or you can have a Supergirl costume in a couple hours. She chose Supergirl every time. Miraculously, I was able to make a skirt using Made's Circle Skirt Tutorial. I used the yellow waistband left over from the shorts I cut up for the Batman T-shirt. So I altered Made's method a bit so that the raw edge of the waistband wouldn't show.

I used Georia Lee's Superhero Cape Tutorial as a rough guide to make a cape. 

I simplified the applique by only sewing on the yellow shape and then stitching the outline of the "S" in red. From my costume inspiration, it looked like this was a bit closer to Supergirl's and it cut down on the time it took to make the cape, which was most important today!

Finally, I made a mask. I used some felt left over from the chalkboard party favors and the drawstring from those same yellow shorts mentioned earlier.

I got it all done in the nick of time and quickly snapped these pictures on our way to the car with Supergirl and Spiderman. Funny enough, Spiderman won the costume competition! We came home with about £50 worth of Hobbycraft kid craft supplies....how fun is that! My little guy fell asleep with a smile on his face tonight because he was so happy he won. I was just happy that I didn't have to make his costume...it was so easy to dig into the dress up box, pull it out, and put it on! But, it's also so satisfying to see my little girl proudly posing as Supergirl.

 If you're interested in participating in Kids Clothes Week, click here for more information.

Or you can take a look at all the great kids clothes that people are making by taking a look at the Kids Clothes Week flickr group!

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Kids Clothes Week Day 3: Little Heartbreaker Pants

It's day three of Kids Clothes Week! 

And, in case you haven't seen, I'm having a GIVEAWAY!

...you can enter it by clicking here. 

For day three, I made some new trousers for my son. He's about to outgrow ALL of his, so it's time for some new ones! I was as cheap as I was for my little girl's dress (KCW Day 2), so when it came to fabric, I hunted through the local charity shops and found a very large pair of women's trousers (£4) that I cut up and turned into this cute pair of boys' trousers. That was much better than £8 per metre at the fabric shop!

I made the Little Heartbreaker Pants from Sewing for Boys. They are adorable...and too big as you can see from the pictures. This was on purpose so the my little guy can wear them for a long time. They'll be baggy now, but will hopefully fit at least until the fall. That's my plan. I even left length inside so that I can bring the cuff down if he gets taller.

This was my first time using button hole elastic, even though it's something I always look for when buying my little guy trousers. I like it and it's another great way to make the trousers fit longer. The facing is from an old button down that King Damascus had in our give away pile. I snatched it out to make a shirt for my son (which I hope to have done by the end of the week!).

The brown pockets are from scraps. I love the overall color combination and think the outfit is going to be adorable with a matching striped shirt!

Today, we settled with orange plaid that matched well enough, wasn't too wrinkled, and was fresh from the closet so hadn't had time to get dirty yet. Bribed him with a lollipop to do the photo shoot and he was such a perfect model! He did everything I asked him, happily. A rare moment in time.

He doesn't love these trousers nearly as much as his Batman shirt, wont' be begging me to wear them, but I know he'll get enough use out of them that it was worth the time I spent. He's even forgotten he didn't want to put them on for the photo shoot and is still wearing them...that's a good sign.

 If you're interested in participating in Kids Clothes Week, click here for more information.

Or you can take a look at all the great kids clothes that people are making by taking a look at the Kids Clothes Week flickr group!

☼

I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Ladybug Taggie Blanket Tutorial

Let me begin by saying that I completely failed at kcwc. Oh, well. At least I got my little girl's nightgown made and started on my little guy's pajamas that should get finished this next week. The last few days, I have been working on Halloween costumes (cowboy & cowgirl) and quickly made this ladybug taggie blanket for a friend who's going to have a baby soon.

 I thought I'd make a tutorial for this one because it is so easy and I think just about anyone who knows even a little about sewing could make it. Here's what you'll need: 

paper, pencil

ribbon

fabric scraps (I used fleece and an old t-shirt)

2 round objects to trace (I used a plate and a bowl)

the usual sewing supplies: thread, scissors, pins, sewing machine

Step 1: Trace the largest circle and the overlapping smaller circle. 

Step 2: Use the larger circle to trace the bottom of the ladybug's head. 

Step 3: Sketch within the ladybug shape to get an idea of what your ladybug will look like. 

Step 4: Cut the entire ladybug shape out of fabric color A (polka-dot fleece).

Step 5: Cut the entire ladybug shape out of fabric color B (black t-shirt).

Step 6: Cut the head shape out of fabric color B (black t-shirt).

Step 7: Sew a black ribbon (or other color) to the center length of the fleece.

Step 8: Sew the head to the color A body (fleece).

Step 9: Cut 5 inch of each ribbon length. I cut 8 total (6 legs and 2 antennae). Fold them in half and pin to the ladybug color A (fleece). Make sure the folded edge is pointing toward the centre of the ladybug body.
Step 10: With right sides facing, place the fabric color B (black) over the ladybug shape and pin in place. The ribbons should be sandwiched between the two fabric pieces.

Step 11: Sew around the edge and leave a three-inch gap so that you can turn the ladybug right side out.

Step 12: Turn the ladybug right side out. Tuck the 3-inches in and topstich around the entire ladybug edge.
Step 13: Sew over the edge of the center ribbon and the bottom edge of the head. This will hold the front and back together and will also create a design on the bottom of the ladybug. And you're done!

BOTTOM

TOP

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Pinned It & Did It: Braided Scarf

My braided scarf...

Braided scarf I pinned...

                                                                    Source: nettevivante.blogspot.co.uk via Jessica on Pinterest

I absolutely loved this braided scarf when I came across it and pinned it immediately. I love the color and the style.

I've been on the lookout for some great fabric to make this scarf, but haven't had any luck (slim pickings where I am). However, I did have a few stained, ill-fitting shirts stored away to make something on a rainy (or sunny) day. I thought I'd use them to make something for my little girl or guy. Instead, I made something for me! Wow...I can hardly believe it. I made something from my actual "things to make for me" pinterest board that has been more of a place to dream than a place where dreams come true. When was the last time I made something for me??? Maybe this hat. That was a while ago.

Nette describes how much fabric she used here and gives some sort of instructions here. I had to do some fiddling since I used a shirt instead of purchased fabric. My adjustments included adding two seams in order to make long enough strips to braid. I used lace like Nette, but wrapped it around all the lengths in two spots instead of one so that all my stitches would be hidden. 

Another difference was the type of fabric: mine was cotton and hers was viscose. The cotton worked well, but doesn't seem as full as hers. Next time I'd try to make my unbraided length wider but couldn't here because I was limited to the amount of fabric in my shirt.

Overall, this was a success! Hooray! It was easy to make, I got to reuse a lonely shirt, and I now have a new cute scarf to add a little bit excitement to a plain shirt any day!

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I'm linking up to these fabulous parties!

I'd love for you to follow my pinterest board.

Jean Pocket Purse Tutorial

Here is how to make a purse out of a jean pocket because you promised your little girl & boy you'd make them each one to use tomorrow at the Sawdust Festival...and you can't break your promise!

Totally worth staying up until after midnight...

My mom (Kay from JerryandKay) made the one for my little guy. My favorite quote of the night was when she said, "I've never seen Jimmy Kimmel before!" We laughed a lot after midnight.

Okay...if you want to make a purse from a jean pocket, here's how you do it...

First, gather your materials...

1. Old jeans  2. Rope, Ribbon, or Something long & narrow for a strap  3. Thread & Needle

4. Beads (optional)

 Cut out a back pocket from the jeans. Make sure you cut out the entire pocket, not just one side of it.

Then fold over the top and trim it to a length that you like. I cut mine along the stitching so it's a diagonal.

 Flip the pocket over and trim any excess fabric that may be sticking out at the sides.

Now, the really fun part...choose a button. Make sure you have plenty to choose from and a second opinion (mom) or a third opinion (dad) always helps, too! Especially, when the second opinion comes from the person who is making my little guy's bag (my mom, of course...she's got the best selection of buttons!).

 Once a button is selected, place it in a good spot.

Draw a line on the good spot and make sure it's the same width as the button. Carefully cut along the line to make a button hole. Then place a pin through the hole to mark where you'll sew on the button.

Get a friendly poodle to help you make sure your pin is in the right spot. Lift up the flap and put the button in the place of your pin.

Next, take three strands and thread them through a needle.

Sew the button securely in place. 

Now it's time to sew the straps on. After threading and knotting the end of a needle, stick the needle into the inside of the pocket and out through the side, then through the strap. This will keep the knotted end in the pocket and out of sight.

 Whip stitch the strap to the side of the purse. You can see that before I sewed the straps on, I strung some beads between two knots to add a bit more color to my little girl's purse. She loves pink. 

After the strap is securely stitched on to the purse, knot the end of the thread. Then push the needle back inside the pocket and then out after 3/4 inches or a couple centimeters. Pull the thread completely out and clip it very close to where it comes out of the fabric. This will hide the end of the thread inside the pocket. 

Stitch the other end of the strap onto the other side of the purse the same way.

Now, you've got a cute pocket purse for your kid to carry...or for yourself...or for someone else that you love! 

 She loved hers and carried it all day!

 She thought it would make a good backpack, too!

If you make one, I'd love to see it! 

Feel free to add a picture or two to my flickr group, Share with Sunny Stitching