Dragon*Con 2014!

Oh my goodness did I have fun making some costumes for Dragon*Con 2014!

My step-daughter wanted to do a female version of the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and my step-son wanted to learn how to sew his own costume for Wizard Whitebeard (to match his friend who dressed up as Waldo).

 

After some Googling and discussion, she and I came up with a pretty cool design based on one of the Doctor's iconic suits and away I went! I am very pleased with the end result and wish I had gotten a better picture!

 

 

(Actually, I completely failed on pics all around this year, but you get the idea.)

 

The Wizard Whitebeard costume worked out great too and was a simple project for a beginning sewer. Of course he needed a beard as well and I found a wonderful tutorial on yarn beards over at Instructables! Had to do one for my other stepson as well for his dwarf costume. They both turned out absolutely fantastic!

 

He even wore the beard again for Halloween, but this time as a pirate!

 

 

Easy Toddler Dress Tshirt Upcycle

This is one of the easiest toddler dresses to make! Minimal cutting, two seams, and a little bit of threading and you have a roomy and comfortable dress for your little one! Could also be used to make tank tops for adults as well.

 

You'll need a rotary cutter, ruler, cutting mat, thread, pins, and a tshirt.

 

 

 If your tshirt has sleeves, start by cutting them off, leaving the arm seam intact. Then, right at the ribbed neckline, cut all the way across the top of the tee.

 

 

Fold down the top edge of the front towards the inside and pin. I did about a 1/2 inch fold. Repeat for the back.

 

 

Sew along the fold lines both front and back creating two long pockets.

 

 

For the straps, cut off the ribbed neckline into one long strip.

 

 

Using a safety pin attached to one end thread the strip through the pockets at front and back. Do a fit on your little one to check the fit of the neckline and then cut off the excess and sew the two ends together.

 

 

And you're all set! Super easy and cute! These have been really useful and stylish for us this summer and because they're so roomy they can be used again next year! Plus, if the straps ever get too tight they can always be replaced with longer strips! And they will eventually be great tank tops for your girl! ;)

 

 

 

Wedding Pillow

So, my niece just got married to a young man from Texas and I was in need of a wedding present. Since she was facing a move from her native North Carolina to Texas, I wanted to make something personal but very portable. ;)

After a bit of wandering I came across this great idea from In Between Laundry.

It's just a simple embroidery design of each state joined by a heart. It was one of my first real attempts at embroidery and it came out beautifully.

 

I wish I had gotten a better picture of it, but I finished it last minute. Anyway, check out her tutorial if you're interested in creating one yourself. Happy crafting!