Halloween 2017: The Girl

"I want a purple fairy queen costume!"  Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.  My girl gave me a super fun costume request this year. I'm happy to say, that she's happy and I'm done!  Boom shakka lakka.  She makes a lovely little fairy...and we all call her our little pixie anyway.

She was only a tiny bit picky...she knew what styles she DIDN'T want and I got to fill the holes.  She didn't want a tank top. She didn't want it too short.  She did want some poof, though and thank goodness tulle is so cheap ;)  

I insisted on sparkles and flowers and she was totally cool with that.  I also wanted to use lace- she reluctantly agreed, but I think she would have been more on board right away if she would have known what lace was when I asked her.

   

For the top, I used Glady's Graceful Leotard Pattern by Create Kids Couture.  It was a really easy sew and turned out so pretty and flowy with the lace got from Purple Seamstress Fabrics.  I added some flowers that we picked out together from...DOLLAR TREE, homey!  I love Dollar Tree.  

The skirt is 3 parts.  The bottom is an easy peasy no sew tutu. She wanted that fluff and I wanted something brainless.  Done and done.  The top skirt was made using Effy's by CKC.  I added a layer and converted it from a dress to a skirt.  Then I made the corset using McCalls 7230.  I wanted to really bring a fun renaissance flair in there for her and really finish off the look.

The accessories really set this costume over the edge of Pixie Hollow.  The crown was something she was INSISTANT on.  She wanted a huge flower crown and picked out these flowers specifically for it.  I think she did a great job!  The wings were store bought because eff that shiz.  That's my official stance on making my own wings, in case you were wondering.

Today was a rough day and I needed a strong finish, so I'm super glad I was able to get this all done and snap some pictures of my very happy child.  My writing is a bit lackluster because my brain is all mush right now, but I know if I didn't write it today I'd probably just put it off until November.  So, I didn't make a whole lot of funny jokes.  Just imagine a fart noise and boob joke right about now.  Now giggle.  My work here is done.

Happy Halloween...again, Y'all!

-Crystal-

Project Run & Play Week 2: I'm an Autumn

Week 2!  Project Run & Play has Autumn on the mind and I couldn't be more on board with cooler weather and cinnamon EVERYTHING.  Nom nom nom.  This theme is met by using the color pallet of Autumn as your inspiration.  Autumn, itself, is super inspirational, so I was excited to get started.  Here's my little Autumn Fairtytale look.

Normal colors of fall include the reds, oranges, yellows and browns that we've all come to know and love.  But while I was looking for the perfect set of Autumn hues, I came across this picture and had an AHA moment.  It spoke to me and I had to answer back.  So deep of me, I know.  I'm still far from the Earth's core though...

I started with the top.  I've had this fabric for a couple of years now and finally got the cajones to cut into it.  It's just perfect for fall and my girl really loves it.

I used Create Kids Couture's Loretta's for the top.  It's cute, simple and comfortable.  PERFECT!  Sleeveless works until November here, so it IS a fall look for my weather.  Maybe you'd freeze your tush off, but no sleeves is awesome in my home.

I did NOT make those jeans.  In fact I did make a pair of pants but the fabric just didn't flow in the end- just too much print. i wanted solid brown corduroy, but no one had any ANYWHERE.  What the ever loving crap, people!?!?!?  Since that's all I was willing to shell out money for and it wasn't gonna happen, I just slapped some jeans on her and called it done.  Haha!

Now on to the COAT!  This coat is my favorite part.  It took a million hours to make (roughly), but it was worth every nanosecond. 

I used a vintage Butterick pattern that purchased on Etsy.  I ADORE vintage patterns...mainly the way they smell.  But I always feel cooler when I sew one up, too.  Like "Hey, I can sew like they did when shiz was more difficult.  10 points to me!"

The length is what drew me in and clearly it had a dramatic affect on my daughter, too.

The coat is fully lined and includes a separating zipper, princess seams, and faux fur trim.  The trim took about 6 hours to hand-sew on and my fingers were bloodied by the time I had finished.  I should invest in a thimble.  

Since the pants were a no-go this time around, I wanted to make sure I made SOMETHING else...a flower crown it was!  There's nothing I love more than some pretty theatrics, so I just grabbed that glue gun and played Mother Nature for a while.  

Well, that's it, people!  I hope you like what I created this week.  We do!

I can't wait to see what you all sew along with and what the competitors TURN out.

Har har har...Got the puns going on ON POINT.

Happy Autumn, Y'all!

-Crystal-

Princess Rapunzel Dress

Hey folks!  I'm blogging today...no seriously.  It's been a while, but I finally sewed something and feel up to blogging.  Life has been crazy and my anxiety has been flaring up, so I've been quite anti-social lately.  I'm such a tortured artist.  Feel bad for me and send me chocolate ;)  My mother asked me months ago if I could sew a dress for my girl to wear to Disney on Ice.  Because she asked me 2 months ago I, of course, waited until I only had 5 days to make it.  I seriously finished it 25 minutes before my mom came to pick her up.  I'd say "never again", but we all know that's not true. Anyway, here she is!

Oh yes!  The frying pan and Pascal made it into the photo shoot.  What's Rapunzel without her BFF and her protection?  I mean REALLY!

The pattern I used was the Tori's Bustle Dress by Create Kids Couture.  I've really grown fond of them as of late.  The patterns are so pretty and they really have that princess feel to them.  The instructions are fantastic and there are cut charts for all of the rectangle pieces- no wasted paper!  WOOT!  I used various satins for the dress to give it a more luxurious feel (because 5 year olds are all about luxury).


*A little edit:  If you're wondering why the ribbon on the sleeves isn't sewn completely down, there's an answer.  The satin was made in the devil's factory and pulled and moved and made the world turn black every time I tried to sew it down.  I decided to tack it down in a few key spots and let it poof a little.  Not worth fighting the forces of darkness on this one*

The back is shirred.  I used to hate shirring.  I thought it was the easy way out.  What I've learned is that shirring is a great way to create the illusion of a perfectly fitting garment with room for the kid to grow into it.  It'll look fitted for much longer this way.  Also, it's just super comfy for the kiddos and I don't have to help her get dressed, LOL.  Lazy mom WIN! So, I was wrong in my initial thought about shirring.  That's my one time being wrong in 2015.  I'll be perfect the rest of the year.

 She loves her new dress and I love making princess dresses, so we both win.  I'm hoping to snap out of my creative funk soon.  I guess I'll keep pressing on and hope the slump wears off.  If not, I may have to get this little rascal to hit me with that frying pan...knock some sense into me!

 

May all your sewing be magical (even if a stupid cable line ruins your picture).

-Crystal-

Project Run & Play Sewalong- Season 10: Week Four (Crystal)

It's Signature Style time over at Project Run and Play, and I totally decided to go nuts and have fun with this one.  Maybe a little too much fun...almost got myself into trouble with the amount of fun.  But don't worry, I was Saved by the Bell.  Smooth intro, Crystal.  Smoother than Mr. Belding's Balding head.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

"This is wilder than than one of Jessie and Slater's fights" 
"This is sparklier than the Zack Attack blazer."
"Holy Hot Sundae, this is bright" 

But, dude, it's so me!

I am ALL over color and crazy.  I'm a *bit* on the theatrical side when I sew and usually tame it a smidge for the sake of your eyeballs.  But since we're doing a signature style, I just couldn't leave it alone.  I let it flow, and I love it more than all of the Buddy Bands in the world.  I adore seeing kids dress in fun things because you can only do it for so long before you exit "adorable" and enter "institutional."  Kids don't need to dress as serious as a caffeine pill addiction.

.
This dress looks like something Kelly Kapowski's barbie doll would wear.  The fabrics I used were: An acid wash print cotton I found at Joann's a year ago, some sparkle 2 way knit of doom, and the pink stuff I'll talk more about later.  The biggest Papow is all those ruffles.  I normally don't "do" ruffles.  They're hell to sew when you don't know how to use the ruffler foot you spent $35 on and when ruffling on the serger is something you just never got around to attempting.  So yeah, I hand gathered those ruffles...all of them.  Over 160" EACH ruffle (4 of them anyway), but it was sooooooo worth it.  The pattern I used to get my ruffle measurements was the Francesca's by Create Kids Couture.  I really do love Create Kids Couture patterns and I love the ladies in their FB group page even more.  They're just friendly. My daughter FLIPPED over this dress.  She can't wait to wear it to school....which brings me to the bodice.

I needed something with enough coverage for dress code (3" strap minimum), but the Francesca's bodice just doesn't have that. I decided to make the bodice using the Saffron Twirl Dress by Paisley Roots for the front.  For the back, I used the Saffron back piece for the arm holes, but layered it over the back of the All Spice (same designer) and added a little extra to create a button placket to close it up.  Then I used the All Spice flutter sleeve to make the cap sleeve. The Saffron has deeper armholes than the All Spice, so I knew I'd need the width of the flutter instead of the actual cap sleeve...so confusing, but it totally worked as planned.  The fabric is amazing.  It was found at the same yard sale the My Little Pony fabric was at and then was given to me.  Most people wouldn't have been so excited to receive this fabric, but I SQUEALED.  And it totally looks like it fits in with the Saved by the Bell opening credits.

So there you have it: Bayside Barbie. I believe Lisa Turtle would wear this to prom making Screech even screechier.  She'll have to take a number, though, because I don't think my daughter will ever take it off.

 

-Crystal-

P.S. One child + Mommy's Heels = HILARITY

Project Run & Play Sew-along- Season 10: Week one! (Crystal)

I have been massively MIA, lately.  My daughter starting kindergarten has ZAPPED me.  Thank goodness I have Project Run & Play to snap me out of my blogging funk.  It's season 10!  I started sewing along with season 7 and I'm super excited about my 4th time in the PR&P zone!  I was THISCLOSE to being voted in as a contestant, but a very worthy competitor won (although all of the looks I was up against were so cool and just as worthy) and I can take it much easier from this side.

 



Aaaaanyway...Season 10's week one theme is 80's cartoons!  My head almost exploded with all of the ideas.  And I had originally thought about using a gnome dress that I had made for the link-up based on my LOVE for David the Gnome, but I had already shared it on some sewing boards and wanted my PR&P post to be fresh.  I was given some epic retro My Little Pony fabric and decided that was my best bet!  I mean it's pastel and it's MLP, so it just SCREAMED 80's.

I had a hard time deciding what to make with my amazing fabric. I even asked for opinions for "epic vs practical" on a sewing board.  Almost everyone said epic and I was totally on board, and then I remembered that my daughter had been begging for skirts.  So with a guilt filled heart, I went practical.  While trying to decide on the perfect skirt, I started working with a coordinating knit and made a top.  I used the Skipper Top by Sew Much Ado.  I LOVE this pattern.  I've made a few and they're always perfect for what I need.  Fancy while feeling comfy...it's this yoga pants wearing mom's dream.  The freaking BEST thing about tees is that they work with a wardrobe in so many ways.  I loved it with my skirt, but it's perfectly adorbs when paired with just jeans (I did NOT make the following jeans.  They were RTW $10 jeans from Target).

 

So...the skirt.  I went back and forth and forth and back and climbed up to the top of the crazy tree before I finally settled on the Daphne's Bubble Skirt and Top by Create Kids Couture.  Bubble skirts are SO FUN and when you're sewing with such playful fabric, a bubble skirt just works like magic.  I used the same pink knit that I used for the shirt for the skirt ties.  It's the best bubble skirt ever.  Don't argue.  You know you want one.

 
 

 Ok, now I'm getting to the part that you guys are either going to love or hate- and I don't care what them haters say because  I LOVE SPARKLE, yo.  I gave my daughter practical.  But I could not let go of the epic.  I couldn't.  I just couldn't.  So I decided to add some mega bling by making an accessory.  FYI, the pic below cracks me up so bad.  Sometimes the best thought-out photo ideas look ridiculous...like "holding a brazier" ridiculous.  But I had to post it so you could laugh with me...and see my versatility (yeah, we all know it's soley for the giggles)

I took the collar pieces from the Ava Dress by 5Berries Patterns and turned it into a tie-on necklace.  I used leftover sequins fabric from the Elsa dress I made and put together something that keeps the top casual if it needs to be but fabulous if it WANTS to be.  Besides, sequins are so 80's.

I hope you like my week 1 look and I hope you link-up, too.  It's a ton of fun and really pushes your creativity.  I'm also SUPER excited to see what the official contestants come up with.  I have a feeling it's going to be tubular!

-Crystal-