Easy Angel Costume

Last week, my sister-in-law asked if I'd have enough time to put together an angel costume for my sweet  niece, Olivia.  It couldn't be that hard, right? I was right!  So super easy!  The materials were provided by my SIL . . . she picked out white satin fabric (2 yds.) and silver sequin ribbon.  Here's how I made it (minus the wings and halo):

First, I measured Olivia.
          chest - 32"
          length - 41" from shoulder to ankle
          arm - 21" from shoulder to wrist

I unfolded the fabric and re-folded each side onto the center fold (this allowed me to use less fabric in order to have enough length).  Using half of her chest measurement, I measured from the fold and cut two pieces (for the front and the back).

Then I cut the length.

I used a T-shirt as a guide for my pattern.  I cut the width according to my measurements, allowing an extra inch or two for the seam.  I wanted the costume to be a little big so she could wear warm clothes underneath for trick-or-treating :) My chest measurement was 32", so the front and back needed to be about 18" each.  I took approximately half of that measurement and used 11" for my width for the pattern.

Using my arm length measurement, I used the T-shirt again as a guide for the sleeves.

I hemmed the neckline for the front and the back, then attached the two pieces together making a shoulder seam and the side seam with RIGHT sides together.

I attached the long side of the sleeves with RIGHT sides together.

 To attach the sleeves onto the body, I found it easiest to turn the sleeve back to RIGHT SIDE OUT and slide the sleeve into the body (the body should still be INSIDE OUT).  Line up the seam of the sleeve with the side seam of the body and pin.  Pin the sleeve all the way around the arm hole and stitch.

After both sleeves are attached, I turned the whole costume right side out.  I hemmed the sleeves and the bottom to finish the edges.  To give it a little sparkle, I added the silver sequin ribbon around the neckline and the bottom of the sleeves.  I've never sewn on sequins before, but I just stitched it right onto the fabric on each side of the ribbon - it was so much easier than I thought it would be!

And . . . voila!  Nothing fancy, but sweet and simple!

 I can't wait to see it with wings!

Tied up

I had this idea that I wanted to make Evan a tie to wear for his Easter outfit.  I used some left over fabric from a previous project, and thought it would be easy to just stitch some fabric together, add some elastic to it, and voila!  I'd have a cute, handmade, quick and easy tie!  NOT!  It ended up being nearly a four hour project!  I blame my neurotic perfectionism.  I started by researching a couple internet sites and watching a few tutorials online.  Most of what I read and saw, though, was on how to turn a men's tie into a children's tie.  Not what I necessarily wanted to do.  So, I tried to make-up my own method.

The actual tie wasn't so hard.  That only took me a few minutes to do.  Stitch the edges of some fabric together, turn it inside out, create a "dimple" at the top, stitch it in place - done!  The tricky part is the knot at the top.  I was trying desperately to find a simple way to add the knot without any stitching showing or any seams.  It actually looked pretty good, but being the perfectionist I am, I wanted to back of the tie (which nobody was going to really see) to be seam-less, too.  I couldn't figure this one out!  After re-doing the knot about four times, I was somewhat satisfied and finished the tie.  Here it is:

Kind of cute, huh?  I'm open for suggestions on how to do the knot . . .

Sew cute!

I've been having so much fun lately making children's clothes with my new sewing machine (thanks, Mom, for the great Christmas present!).  I started off by making an apron, a few purses, a new diaper bag, and a couple diaper wipes cases. It is so much fun to pick out the pattern and look through all the fabric choices (I mainly shop at Field's Fabrics) - there are so many different colors and prints to choose from!  I could spend hours there selecting just the perfect mix and match combo of fabrics for my "master piece".  One must be very careful when selecting fabric, though, since it can become a little pricey.  I try to pick at least one fabric for my project from the clearance section to lessen the cost, but I've been able to create a few projects using entirely clearance section fabric - SCORE!  Although it takes forever to cut out all the patterns and fabric, it's so exciting once it starts coming together.  I usually get all giddy toward the end of a project, and start working really fast to finish it.  A couple times this has backfired, where I've accidentally stitched something on the wrong way.  Then, of course, I have to undo everything I just did and redo it - ugh!  Spazzy Perfectionist, just slow down!

So, after a few what I like to call "starter" projects, I thought I'd try my hand (no pun intended) at sewing some children's clothing.  Since I have 7 nieces, I thought it would be fun to make dresses/shirts for them all.  Here are a couple to start:

They turned out super cute, but the sizes are a little off from what the average child size should be, which has been a little tricky.  It ends up making the neck really wide, so the first dress/shirt I did needed some altering to make it fit properly.  I think once I get the kinks worked out, they will be perfect!  And they are, surprisingly, simple to make - bonus!

My next project was a request from my sister-in-law.  She's in love with these ruffle pants, so I made her daughter a pair of pants that match her dress/shirt (from the first picture).  I just finished them last night, and was so excited about how they turned out!  Adorable!

Once I get a little more practice, I think I might be able to sell some projects online!  Hopefully, people will want to buy them?  (hint, hint :] )