Joseph and Mary Costumes

We will be attending an All Saint's Day party soon and this year it was decided that the costumes would be Joseph and Mary.

THE PATTERN// McCall's 7733, size small (6-8), it's from 1981, 31 years old, so it's vintage... you know how I love children's vintage patterns. I bought this vintage sewing pattern on Etsy, happy to support vintage and happy to support Etsy :)

THE FABRIC// solid colored 100% cottons from the local fabric store

THE SEWING// nothing fancy here, the instructions were very straight forward. I do have to say that these costumes required a lot of fabric, so I had to cut the pattern pieces out of the fabric on the floor, this has also made me realize that as my kids are getting bigger and bigger that more and more fabric is needed when sewing for them.

The pink scarf wrapped around the head I didn't sew, it was a scarf I bought in France over a decade ago. By the way, that's Baby Paul playing the role of Baby Jesus. Baby Paul is Baby Emma's twin :) 

I'm taking a trip down memory lane and remembering all of the All Saint's Day costumes (either Bible characters or Saints) from year's past... and discovered unfortunately that I didn't take photos every year, but there has been Moses, Joseph and his colorful coat, Saint Louis King of France, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Elizabeth, and some of the very humble homemade costumes that my children have worn... paper, cardboard, & aluminum foil knight costume... we have more than one of these knitted/crochet chain mail ensembles...  princess dress for Saint Elizabeth...

Blessed All Saint's Day on November 1st to those of you who observe it!

Felted Bow Tutorial

 Felted Bow Tutorial (this felted bow was part of the look I created here)

Supplies needed:
:: wool sweater (I bought this 100% lambswool sweater at a rummage sale for around $1 or $2)
:: hand sewing needle
:: matching thread
:: scissors and/or rotary cutter used with a quilting ruler

 Instructions:
:: first wet felt the wool sweater by washing it in the wash machine with hot water, add just a drop of detergent and throw a pair of tennis shoes in there, too
:: dry the wool sweater in the dryer
Note: by wet felting  the wool sweater it will become really thick and sturdy, also the edges won't fray
:: cut out one sleeve and a large section from the front

 :: from the front section cut out a piece that is 14 inches long and consists of two diamond like shapes which will go 1.75", 4", 1.75", 4", 1.75" wide

 :: bring the two ends of this piece together and with hand sewing needle and thread sew these ends together

 :: from the sleeve section, cut out a piece that is 17 inches long, that has 45 degree angles on each end, that is 2.75", down to .75", then back up to 2.75" wide (in a shape that is similar to what's pictured in the photo)

 :: from any of the remaining scraps cut out a piece that is 3.5" X 1.5"

 :: assemble the bow by taking that smallest piece and wrapping it around the 2 larger pieces, with hand sewing needle and thread sew together the 2 ends of the smallest piece (so that the ends of the smallest piece are in the back of the bow)

 All done !

Enjoy making felted bows !
And have fun putting them everywhere.

Vintage Button Cuff Bracelet Tutorial

 Vintage Button Cuff Bracelet Tutorial (this cuff bracelet was part of the look I create here)

Supplies needed:
:: 2 inch wide white elastic (I used 7 inches for my daughter's 6 inch wrist)
:: lots of buttons
:: hand sewing needle
:: thread

 Instructions:
::  on the sewing machine with 1/2 inch seam allowance sew the ends of the elastic together
:: with hand sewing needle & thread hand sew on buttons until the elastic is completely covered in buttons (I sewed on 3 larger buttons over the seam & I recommend sewing on buttons all along the edges first (having the buttons hang out over the edge so the elastic doesn't show), then filling in the remaining space)

 Imagine all the possibilities with this one, if you used a multiple of different colored buttons, making an ombre effect would be lovely, wouldn't it?

Enjoy !

Pink Gum Ball Purse Tutorial

 Pink Gum Ball Purse Tutorial (this purse was part of the look I created here)

Supplies needed:
:: leather purse
:: small pom poms
:: E-6000 adhesive
:: 5/8 inch wide grosgrain ribbon

Instructions:
:: apply E-6000 adhesive to each pom pom, then attach to the leather purse. I started at the top & made rows all the way down. This purse is 9 inches by 5 inches and it took about 350 small pom poms which was 3.5 bags instead of the 2 bags pictured.
:: remove original strap, replace it with about 15 inches (or longer) of grosgrain ribbon.

Note: be sure to use the E-6000 adhesive in a well ventilated room

Enjoy !

Altered Couture Winter 2013

I'm so excited to be sharing these photos with you today! I had the great pleasure of being featured in the Nov/Dec/Jan 2013 issue of Altered Couture magazine (available at newsstands November 1st, 2012). If you haven't purchased a copy of Altered Couture before then you must! It's full of inspirational sewing ideas, plus there are 5 pages about my Jingle Bell Dress inside :)

On pages 118-122 you will find 17 of my photos that show step-by-step how I created the Jingle Bell Dress, including all the tools & materials needed, complete instructions, as well as a couple of helpful tips.

Thank you for dropping by and checking in on my humble little space.

PS Altered Couture magazine is available for purchase at JoAnn Fabrics, Michaels, Barnes & Nobles stores... it's also available through subscription.

Signature Boy's Look

ETA: Patchwork Blazer Tutorial is now available
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 {Project Run & Play Season 5 Sew Along ~ Week #6 Signature Look}

For today I have half of my signature look for you... here is the boy's look and when I have the girl's look all done I'll share that, too.

 This is what my son will be wearing at Christmas this year, it includes 3 pieces and 1 accessory.

 I sewed him a deep red long sleeve skinny t-shirt that is made out of a very thin knit Nike athletic fabric, it's a bit shiny, perfect for Christmas. Also a pair of deep red skinny pants with an adjustable elastic waist. The pants are made out of some designer fabric by Adrianna Papel which also has a bit of shine to it.

It took me forever to complete the gray patchwork blazer (the first blazer I've ever sewn and probably my last since it was so much work). Actually what took me the longest amount of time (5 days) was making the patchwork fabric, it's made out of 2 gray wool suiting fabrics that I cut into strips, then sewed them together & topstitched, then cut again and sewed them together & topstitched, to make a 3 inch square patchwork fabric, then I was able to cut out the pattern pieces and start sewing it. The blazer has deep red stretch suede piping along the edges of both lapels, 3 deep red buttons down the front, and deep red (cotton) lining.

 And lastly an infinity scarf (made from an old gray sweater of mine that is 60% lambswool, 20% angora).

Like I said I still have the girl's signature look which will complement her brother's look, it will be a deep red Christmas dress :)
I'll be back sometime later with that, until then, take care !

Sankta Lucia

 {Project Run & Play Season 5 Sew Along ~ Week #5 (Fall) Holiday Wear challenge}
For the Holiday Wear challenge we were invited to choose a fall holiday and let it inspire us to create an outfit. I chose Sankta Lucia (also known as Santa Lucia, Saint Lucia, or Saint Lucy) which is a Swedish holiday December 13th, taking place before the first day of winter, so officially a fall holiday. Watch a short video and read more about this special occasion. Traditionally Sankta Lucia wears a very simple white cotton long sleeve to the ankle dress with a red cotton sash tied in a knot at the waist. She also wears a green wreath on her head with lit candles.

 I absolutely love the gorgeous dresses from the movie "Emma" (one of my all time favorite movies) based on the book by Jane Austen. They are regency era dresses with empire waists, simplicity at it's best. So I decided to do a Sankta Lucia dress a la Jane Austen.

 To add some texture to an all white dress, I did some ruching on the front of the bodice, and used my very scientific method of 'scrunch it up & iron it down'. As much as I love to stare at those dresses in the movie "Emma", I discovered I don't necessarily fancy  sewing them. It would have been OK if it weren't for those dreaded set-in sleeves !  I added belt loops, one on each side to hold the double sided red satin ribbon bow which is extra long to make a super long bow which goes all the way down to the just below the knee hem. The back of the dress features 4 buttons and large pleats for gathering the skirt.

 I also sewed a traditional Sankta Lucia doll outfit for Baby Emma (that is the name this doll came with, a Corolle doll from France, this is Baby Emma's 2nd appearance, see her 1st appearance here). It is 100% cotton, double layered, with bias tape trim, it also has velcro closures in the back so my daughter can get the outfit on and off her doll easily. The doll also has a simple red cotton sash tied in a knot.

 Instead of a wreath with lit candles to wear on top of the head, I decided to design a headband and it was inspired by lingonberries. The headband has a branch of green wool felt leaves with red ball buttons. The red ball buttons remind me of the little red lingonberries which grow in Sweden, oh, how I love eating lingonberry jam (from IKEA) on warm pancakes or waffles! In this photo she is writing a letter to Tomte, then she put her letter in a special mail box where all the letters are sent to Tomte :)     

 So there you have it Sankta Lucia meets Jane Austen.
I'll be back after PR&P season 5 is done with more details how I created this look & a tutorial on the headband.
Be sure to check out all the fall holiday sew along looks in the flickr group.

 Fast facts
:: A fourth of my daughter's ancestry is Swedish
:: Fabric: white matte satin (fully lined with a high quality white 100% cotton)
:: Inspiration: Sankta Lucia, Swedish holiday December 13th
:: Detail inspiration: gorgeous dresses from the movie "Emma" based on Jane Austin's book
:: Font: Jane Austen
:: Photo shoot location: American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. These photos were taken on Oct 7th and guess who was at the American Swedish Institute on Oct 6th??? Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden!! Wouldn't it have been absolutely fabulous if I could have gotten a photo of my daughter in her Sankta Lucia dress with Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden!?!

PS If you are curious about Sankta Lucia or looking for additional ideas, visit my previous posts about Sankta Lucia:
:: knitted crown
:: crown/wreath centerpiece
:: children's program
:: smorgasbord
:: choir concert