Halloween Crafts: Thrifted Dress to Fluffy Fantasy Costume

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Halloween is less than a week away and I needed a costume. Time for a little thrift store magic. 

Or should I call it formal dress hacking? It's one of my favorite techniques, especially for those "I have no ideal what I was to be for Halloween" moments.

I take an old cast off dress, and with a little imagination and a bit of cutting and sewing turn it into something special. The best dresses to use are old bridesmaid and prom dresses. The pouf-ier the better, more fabric to work with and more inspiration.

So, I found this dress at Goodwill on sale for a whole $2. It has a lot going for it already.

It has a sparkly bodice made using a floral lace. It's pretty and stretchy.

I love the material for the skirt, and there's so much of it. It's ankle length on me.

It has adjustable straps with is great, because I find myself having to shorten straps on practically everything I wear regardless of occasion.

Now the interesting thing about this dress is the extra set of "straps" made from the same material as the skirt. It's hard to tell if they're meant to hang on or off the shoulders. When I tried it on they wouldn't stay up, and they looked super frumpy hanging down.

Well, I know exactly what I want to do with this dress.

First, I pinned the droopy outer strap to the adjustable one about halfway up the strap.

I handstitched it down while folding it slightly to make little pleats and sewing down faux pearls on each pleat.

I turned the dress inside out and folded the skirt lining, then pinned the hem to the waist seam. I proceeded to sew it in place using a blanket stitch to keep it stretchy.

After sewing the lining, I cut the skirt to match leaving it about an inch longer.

I thought the neckline of the dress was too low for me, so to fix this I took a small amount of the skirt material and folded it half before gathering it by hand.

Once gathered, I stitched it in place from the backside, then cut away the excess material.

Now it looks a little more modest and cuter. Just needs a little bow in the center.

And I still had a lot more skirt material left, so I took a large rectangle of it and gathered it at the top edge. I needed it to just wide enough to go around my waist.

I pinned it to some ribbon leaving enough ribbon on the ends to tie in a nice bow.

After sewing down the ribbon, I can wrap the new "overskirt" around the dress and tie it in a pretty bow.  It's great because I can remove it and use it for other costumes or outfits as I wish.

And here's the finished costume dress. Perfect to pair with some wings or ears for a cute fairy or elf costume.

The little bow on the bodice was a nice touch. If the bodice hadn't fit me as well as it did, I would have added some loops to thread ribbon for a lace up effect. Maybe an idea for my next costume.

I trimmed the edge of the overskirt in a curve as an extra touch. It's one of my favorite parts of this project, there was still plenty of scraps of material leftover after making it.

Enough to make some hair accessories.

First, I cut the leftover material in strips about 3 inches long. I also cut 2 strips from an old pair of tights.

I tied the knot in the tights to make a loop to form a "hair tie". I could have started with store bought hair elastics too. Anyway, I just needed to tie the strips of material to the hair ties as shown.

The more I tie the fluffier it looks. Perfect for a pair fancy hair scrunchies to pair with my costume. The same technique could be used to make wrist cuffs or even doll sized tutus.

And with that I am ready for Halloween, well mostly ready. I just need to get the treats ready and finish another sewing project. Look forward to it.

Give it a Try:

• Loops & Threads™ Start-to-Sew Kit
  
• Assorted Bent Scissors By Craft Smart®
  
• Loops & Threads™ Long Pearlized Pins
  
• Dritz Darice Start-to-Sew Kit
  
• Dritz Sew 101 Pearlized Pins, 1-1/2", 75 Count, Assorted Colors
  

Read More »

Craft Haul: Quick Trip to SAS

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

I needed just a few supplies for some upcoming crafts. So I stopped by SAS in Tempe, Arizona for the first in what felt like years. Of course, the day I chose had to be one of the few days in Arizona that we got a major storm. I still managed to get my purchases home dry. I can't say the same about myself. 

Anyway, here is my little haul of goodies. 

I needed a little bit of black tulle for a Halloween piece I am sewing. So, luckily I found the perfect amount in this discount baggie for a whopping $0.99. The pink tulle is a bit of a bonus. It might come in handy too.

I needed some ribbon, which SAS sells by the yard. However, I found a bin full of random embellishments. It was a "fill a bag" for only $0.99 each. I found the exact the ribbons I needed, plus some extra ribbon, elastic, and bias tape for future projects. 

I needed a small amount white fabric as a backing for a project I am planning for Christmas. These fat quarters were perfect, and they were only $0.99 each. That seems to be the price of the day.

What wasn't $0.99 was this yard remnant of black satin. It was $3.99, and it will work well with the tulle for my Halloween project. 

I got some thread and elastic, always useful. Also some fake flowers to have on hand. They range from $0.49 to $1.49, and are handy for making hair accessories. 

These long glue sticks are also handy for making hair accessories among other things. And they're only $0.15 each.

I couldn't resist browsing the wall of sewing accessories. I picked up some more pins and these bobbin buddies. 

They're similar to these ones I've been eyeing on Amazon. You use them to keep loaded bobbins with their matching spools of thread. Keeps things nicely in place, and at least gives the illusion that I am a neat and tidy sewer.

That's all for this craft haul. Now I need to use it all. In fact, I am almost done with my next sewing project, and I should be posting it soon.

Look forward to it. 

Read More »

Looking Back at Old Posts: My Crafting Space

While editing a recent post, I noticed the thumbnail of a much older post that really caught my eye.

It was for this post from 2012 about my New Year's resolutions.

This photo says so much.

It's a photo of my old craft and sewing space at it's absolute worse. Such chaos, but I absolutely love it.

Looking through it all, I can remember so much. For almost every item in this picture, I can remember exactly why it is there and what project it was for if any.

Examples:

The scraps of black and white striped knit fabric were leftover from the t-shirt to dress I made for my nephew's Cabbage Patch Kid doll when he was little (see T-Shirt Redo for a Doll, a Tutorial).

The porcelain doll in the up right corner wearing a blue dress was a doll I found at a thrift store. I gave it a makeover before this (see Prettied Up).

Next to the doll is a Bratz doll that also received a makeover (see Pretty in Pink).

On the desk is a purple pencil box I bought at a back to school sale from Office Max. I was using it for sewing supplies, I later switch to using if for actual pencils and erasers, and now I use it for small electronic items. That's right, I still have it over 13 years later. Those things are built to last.

The chair was given to me by a friend from church. She gave me a ride home and just happen to have it in the trunk of her car intending to drop it off at a thrift store, but offered it to me instead. The desk came from a neighbor, similar store.

Above the small white drawers, you can see a cat face. That's from cute paper book cover I got in high school for my textbooks. I kept it for years before using it to cover an aluminum can to make a pencil holder. 

Above the chair, you can see a basket covered with lace. It's a basket I save from being tossed. I decorated it with lace and used to store my lace and other trims (see Decorating and Launching).

And that's just a handful of memories.

Makes me want to go through all my old photos and posts, maybe there's a few more memories to share later.

Look forward to it.

Read More »

Sewing for Dolls: Simple T-shirt and Shorts Outfit for a Bjd

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

My latest sewing project is doll clothes.

Yes, more doll clothes. The perfect tiny project for sewing on the go, as long as you don't mind random parents and grandparents asking you questions about who you are making them for, many assume I'm sewing for a kid.

Anyway, I made a simple but cute outfit for one of my ball jointed dolls (or bjds).

I made a little t-shirt, a pair of knit shorts, and a pair of socks.

Of course, I did make patterns and a tutorial as well. You can find it here on my doll blog. They should fit a 8-10 inch doll.

Here they are worn by my lucky little ball jointed doll. His name is Makoto. He is a yosd sized or 1/6 scale doll, about 10 inches tall.

I got him several years ago, but had never gotten around to making clothes for him. Now he isn't running around in his underwear.

I love how the t-shirt came out. Those tiny buttons look so cute. I found them ages ago at SAS Fabrics in a little bag of tiny embellishments. I finally found a use for them.

The shorts gave me some trouble. I accidently made them a too big for this little guy. I adjusted them and the pattern accordingly, so all is well.

The socks were super easy. It's not the first time I've made socks this size, or tights (see Sewing for Dolls: Socks and Lingerie? Plus Tutorial Links).

The shirt closes in the back with Velcro to make changing easier. Some ball jointed doll owners like to take their heads off to change their clothes, that's not for me.

Now all that's needed is a few little accessories. I was thinking maybe a tiny hat and maybe a little backpack. But, that's a project for another day. 

Plus, I still have some other items to finish up, more doll clothes.

I will share them soon. Look forward to it.

Give it a Try:

• VELCRO Brand Sew On Tape
  
• Loops & Threads Start-to-Sew Kit
• 1/4" Knit Elastic by Loops & Threads

Read More »

Scrap Rosette Brooch Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

Today, I am sharing a tutorial for a quick and easy use for fabric scraps, making brooches.

So, dig up your cutest scrap fabrics and let's get started.

Scrap Rosette Brooches

Materials needed:

• Colorful fabric scraps, about 5-6 inches long preferably.
• Pinking Shears
• Felt scraps, or felt sheets if you don't have any scraps.
• Pretty buttons that match your fabric scraps.
• Pinbacks
• Scraps of lace and ribbon.
• Thread
• Basic Sewing Supplies

First, using your pinking shears, cut the fabrics into long strips. Roughly about 1-2 inches wide and 5-6 inches long.

It's good to cut several strips of varying widths, it makes the next steps more interesting.

Here is my video tutorial for lace rosettes. You will need to follow the same steps to turn your fabric scrap strips into fabric scrap rosettes.

While you're at it, make a few lace rosettes too to pair with your scrappy ones.

When you're ready, gather all your rosettes and buttons and start assembling.

Stack together at least 2 rosettes in colors that work to your taste to create a cute brooch.

Sew a button in the center, sew through all layers of your brooch. Feel free to add any other embellishments that you wish.

Cute a circle of felt and sew to the back of the brooch. This is demonstrated in my lace applique brooch video tutorial. Attach a pinback to finish up your brooch.

Now go make some more, they make great little gifts.

I made several varieties. These black and blue brooches are my favorite, I love the cute heart buttons.

I also love how well the lace works with the pattern of the fabric on the green brooches. The purple and blue fabrics are an interesting combination too.

I hope you enjoyed this post, my next one should be up soon. Look forward to it.

Give it a try:

• Loops & Threads Pinking Shears
• Loops & Threads Start-to-Sew Kit
  
• 1" Bar Pin by Bead Landing
  
• 9" x 12" Basic Felt by Creatology
  

Read More »