Halloween Costume: The Rest of the Costume!

I finished my halloween costume in time for Saturday night's Howling Halloween Bash!

I decided to add a few layers to the mask, some jewels and a third eye. For you Game of Thrones fans, you know that young Bran Stark has a recurrent dream about a 3-eyed raven in the 2nd season. I finished it off by adding a hole-punch on each side of the mask to thread black ribbon through so that I can tie the mask around my head. The several-year old elastic that the mask originally came with has since lost its elasticity. Here it is!

Next I put together my top. I used an old black, long-sleeved tee I had and sewed a right angle triangle of black lace under each arm to give the look of wings.

Next, I attached about 6 inches of black ribbon at the end of each arm, at each shoulder seam, and at the middle of the neck so I could easily attach the feather boa. In the photo below you can see the ribbon at the neck and shoulders.

Add a plack skirt, these creepy fishnets, and a pair of black shoes and I'll be good to go! Ideally I'd wear a pair of pointy black heels but since I have to wear flats post-surgery, black ballet flats will have to do. I'll post a picture of me wearing the hole ensemble this weekend!

What Can You Make From a Sarong?

I found this plain white sarong laying around the house and decided to make it into a dress. Typically, sarongs are 36x72 inches or 3x6 feet not including the fringe at each end. Plenty of fabric to make a variety of things. And the best part about sarongs is they come in some many colors and patterns and the fabric is like egyptian cotton its so soft. 

I made this simple sundress by the following steps:

1) I first cut the sarong in half.

2) With the first half, I sewed the sides together to desired width for a skirt then attached an elastic band to desired waist width.

3) I decided to trim off the fringe because it as tangled and ratty-looking and hemmed the bottom.

4) Next, I got to work on the 2nd half to make th top. I made the back with a simple dress pattern. As for the front, I experimented by trying to make a draped neckline reminiscent of cowl neck sweaters.

5) I attached each side and hemmed the neckline and arm holes then attached to the skirt. 

Here is the finished dress. It didn't come out quite as I expected, specifically the front neckline, but that's what I get for not following a pattern! The dress is still fun and will loan itself well to the tropical climates of Hong Kong and Bali (where I am bound for in 9 days!) since its a thin material and the fabric is lose-fitting.

After I finished the dress, I got to thinking... "What else you can make with sarongs?" Here is the list I came up with.

1) simple sheath sun dress
2) short bath robe
3) teddy
4) short or long A-line skirt
5) short of long wrap-around skirt
6) shrug
7) strapless dress with elastic over bust and at waist

Please add to it by leaving a comment! I have changed the settings so you don't have to be a registered user to post a comment!

Making a Skirt from a Maternity Top

I found this cute top on end-of-season clearance for $3 last year. I wore it once then washed it and it shrunk up rather than in. One of the reasons I bought it was because of its length. Hitting below my hip bone, it would have been good for layering. But since it shrunk, I'm not sure I ever wore it again. Another item for the closet aka black hole. 

I pulled it out again today thinking about taking it in to give it a better fit, but decided instead to make a t-shirt to skirt conversion. You can see how this top lends itself to becoming a skirt with its A-line cut.

I cut the top off right below the arm holes, then attached a 3-inch band of green printed fabric to the top for a waist band. Next step was to create an enclosure for the band at the waist. I loath sewing in zippers and the only thing worse is sewing a zipper on stretchy fabric. So I added some character by using these buttons made of recycled plastic.

Here is the finished skirt. This was a pretty simple project and inexpensive, too! The original shirt was about $3, the buttons were also $3 but I used a 40% off coupon, and as for the darker green fabric and thread, I had both of those laying around the house from previous sewing projects.

Detaching a Bodice from its Skirt: Take Two

A couple years ago, I bought this dress on clearance a Kohl's mostly because I wanted the big black belt that it came with. But I kept the dress, hung it in my closet thinking that someday, perhaps, I would wear it.

The thing is, the t-shirt top was too big for me though the skirt fit fine and every time I tried it on thinking I might wear it, I felt uncomfortable because it didn't fit right. So back in the closet it went until recently when I decided to detach the two pieces, discard the top and make a skirt out of the bottom.

This skirt had to have been the easier remake! Step 1: detach top from bottom. Step 2: buy 2 inch width elastic from the fabric store. Step 3: pin elastic in place and sew. And done!

Updating a Skirt

I got this skirt on clearance years ago at Old Navy. I wore it over the summer then buried it away in my black hole of a closet thinking I would someday wear it again. The thing is, though, its too poofy and ruffly for me and I feel too old for the style. So I put my thinking cap on and grabbed my scissors and got to work.

I decided to take in some of the flare at the bottom of the skirt. There was so much fabric that the skirt looked poofy at the bottom so I took in each panel seam by 1 inch so there was not as much flare. The photo below captures how much flare there was before I took in the panels. 

Still not satisfied with the adjustments, I decided one layer of ruffle I could handle but not two, so I cut the bottom layer off.

Still not satisfied,  I decided the pink needed to be toned down a bit. The thing is, I don't really wear pink. Yes I'm a girl but too much pink makes me feel, well, too girly.

So I have this perfectly nice skirt that came with a sash you wrap around the waist. But the skirt is perfectly fine without it and the sash just adds unnecessary layering which bunches and needs to be adjusted constantly. So I removed the sash from that skirt, see photo on left below and added the sash to the pink skirt. Its kind of GI Joe meets Barbie!











And I don't know if I'm satisfied yet, but I've had fun remaking this one!

Taking in a Dress Marisa Lynch Style

Remember my post from a few weeks back, "taking in a dress that doesn't fit?" I was inspired by Marissa Lynch's blog www.newdressaday.com so I thought I'd try my hands at a remake from a thrift store find. After a few weeks of living in couch potato-land post-surgery, I finally got to work on that dress.

I started by taking apart the top and bottom. Then tackled the skirt which was the easy part! There were a couple holes in the side seam, as you can see in the photo on the left, so I took in the skirt on that side only. Since the skirt was two squares of fabric sewed together and gathered with elastic at the waist, it didn't matter how I took it in. In the end, I took it in about 4 inches because I wanted the skirt to be loose.

Next I tackled the top. Which proved to be more difficult than I anticipated since I wanted to remake the neckline from boatneck to v-neck and majorly take in the bodice.  If your eyes are good, you can see how large the top is by looking at the pink measuring tape in the photo below to get an idea (measurement is inches).

I cut the top down the front middle and got to work with my new neckline. I made two folds on one side of the bodice and three folds on the other to play with assymetry. I also took in the sides to give it a better fit for my figure. Finally, I sewed the two pieces back together. Here is the finished product, with a close up on the bodice. The dress is navy and emerald, so this black belt won't do, but I just put it on to get an idea of what a belt would look like.

Halloween Costume: Make your own mask

In an earlier post,  suggested I was going to go as a mermaid for Halloween this year. I've since changed my mind! In my free time (I have a lot while recovering from knee surgery), Ive been watching a lot of TV shows... Downton Abbey, Drop Dead Diva, and the best Game of Thrones!

Image from Martha Stewart

I also have lots of time to surf the web. I got the idea to go as a raven from my new favorite show, Game of Thrones, and my favorite crafting guru, Martha Stewart. Here's a great page on her website to give you some ideas for your own costume: 

http://www.marthastewart.com/275248/homemade-halloween-costumes-for-adults/@center/276965/halloween

I know, I'm cheating as this costume's instructions don't include sewing, but in my variation, I promise I'll do some sewing!

I have had this mask for more than a decade and never worn it. I've kept it mostly for its sentimental value... I bought it at the gift shop of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in England. For my raven costume, I thought to repurpose it by painting it black and replacing the feathers with black ones. After all, it has a great, dramatic beak! 

I started by peeling off the glued on pink feathers and sequins. Instead of painting the bright yellow beak, I decided to glue on faux leather in black. I then reapplied feathers in black and added some leaf cut-outs around the eyes that I made with the same material and stencils I found online. The only adhesive I used was hot glue. I'm thinking of adding a 3rd eye, like the raven that keeps reappearing in Bran's dream in the show but haven't gotten there yet.

The rest of my costume will be simple. I'll post pictures of it soon! Here's what I'll need which I happen to have laying around: 

Black shirt and skirt

Tall black boots

black feather boa 

black gloves- or you could go the long-nail route

sheer black fabric for wings

How to Buy (and Sew) Curtains for Less

When my husband and I moved into our house, we were short on money for redororating due to all the money we'd spent on the down payment and closing costs. So, when it came to redecorating, I had a tight budget. Each room got a gallon of paint, some framed art we had from our old apartment, and curtains. But when it came to buying curtains, I had to get creative as they can get real expensive real fast!

I went hunting all over town for cheap curtains from Pier 1 to Bed Bath and Beyond. At BB&B, I was lucky to come across some 84" drapery panels in this shiny gold color. Their clearance price was $10 each, what a steal! So I took them home and cut each panel into 2 lengths, 1 shorter length for the window curtains above and 1 longer length for the closet below. After cutting to the right lengths, all I needed to do was hem 1 end and sew a pocket hem in the other end big enough for the curtain rod to fit through.

















Above are photos of the closet curtains both open and closed.  Coming from someone who hates bifold doors, these curtains were a more elegant option and just as effective at concealing a cluttered closet. And using the same fabric and the same curtain rods on both the window and the closet really pulled the room together.

Dressing up a Plain Dress

Like today's previous post (the zig-zag patterned dress), I found this purple dress in the same resale shop for $5. On it's own this dress is simple with smooth lines. Really, nothing needs to be done to it. But the dress is polyester, and I don't know about you, but I find polyester has a tendency to highlight flaws, especially in sunlight. The goal of this project is to create two dresses in one. The dress as you see it can be worn on its own or with a shawl in the evening. 

For the daytime flaw-hiding version, I'm going to dress it up a bit, or at least try to! Earlier this summer, I came across a pretty skirt with a cream-colored lace overlay on a salmon-colored base. I really liked the concept. Sadly, the skirt didn't fit right and I'll never pay retail for something that needs tailoring! 

Step one: Find a nice lace material for the lace overlay, see example to the left. While I don't like this specific lace, this is the concept I am going for.

Step two: Sew a simple A-line skirt with zipper. 

Step three: Attach a belt made of thick ribbon to the top of the skirt. There should be enough ribbon to be able to tie the belt in a bow in the back above the zipper.

Step four: Embellish the belt with sewn-on beading. 

Step five: Put on purple dress with law overlay skirt for daytime wear. 

Step six: Take off lace overlay and alternate accessories for evening wear.

Once again, this is a project that will have to be put on hold for a little bit while I'm recovering from knee surgery. 

Taking in a Dress that Doesn't Fit

Remember a few posts back I wrote about "resizing a dress that doesn't fit?" Well this post is just the opposite. I found this dress for $5 at a resale shop. It's in great condition with the exception of a few tears in the seam along the hip/leg. But that's okay because I'm going to take it in. The original size tag was removed from this dress but the store tag estimated it to be size 13-14, which is 3 sizes too big for me, so more material to work with!

Here is the dress on my dress mannequin. Size aside, the dress style is totally unflattering. If you removed the elastic band on the inside of the waist, you'd have a big rectangle of fabric, shapeless. Overall, the dress needs to be taken in, top and bottom.

Also, if you look at the way the dress hangs, the elastic should be at the natural waistline of the wearer, but when I tried it on, it sat several inches lower. So, the waist needs to be lifted which I will do by taking it up in the shoulders. 

Now, look at the droopy sleeves, if you look at the profile shot below, you'll see that there are intentional slits on the arms. Another unflattering addition. I'm going to cut off the sleeves and make an elegant, boat-necked tank dress out of this glorified potato sack! 

Obviously I didn't fall in love with the style of the dress but the zig-zag pattern in emerald and navy. 

Since I'm laid up right now 24 hours post-knee surgery, I can't finish this project right now. But come back in a few weeks and I hope to be done with it. Here is what it'll eventually look like (except it'll be about knee length):

In the meantime, since the dress is just laying around, I'd love to hear your ideas for an alternate remake. Post your comment below or, if you're too shy, e-mail me!

Evoking an Era with Accessories

If you're like me, you like to get your money's worth out of a dress no matter how much money, time, or energy you put into it. Remember that green dress from my earlier post "detaching a bodice from it's skirt"? Fast-foward a year or more and the dress has been hanging in the closet collecting dust since its debut in 2011. Time to whip it out again!

As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband and I hosted a cabaret show in our home. All guests were required to dress in attire evoking vintage hollywood...from fascinators, fedoras, feathers and fishnets...to bow ties and boas. Red lipstick, long-stranded pearls, and gloves also made appearances. I don't claim to be a vintage clothing historian, but surfing the web for 30s era clothing gave me some ideas... a long draping dress, sequins, a fascinator, gloves, and some vintage jewelry. I thought this dress would work perfectly for the occasion.

I wore the dress accompanied by this lovely fascinator I found at FascinatorsNYC.com. They have a great selection at a variety of price points. There I found some of the most inexpensive fascinators on the web; but don't confuse inexpensive with cheap! The fascinator I got was very well made and versatile, I can wear it as a hair clip or pin it on clothing. They shipped promptly and shipping rates were very reasonable.





















I also wore a vintage (faux) diamond necklace with matching earrings and bracelet and long black gloves. I would have preferred green ones, but couldn't find any at the halloween stores and worried that it would be difficult to find a green that matched the dress by shopping online.

At the party, someone said I looked like a mermaid in the dress, so I may wear it again! Come back after Halloween and look for my mermaid posting!

Detaching a Bodice from it's Skirt

A year or so ago I was invited to a masquerade ball in NYC. I looked high and low for a nice, yet reasonably priced, evening gown that would match a feather mask I bought in New Orleans.

The event was right before prom so I figured I could find a reduced price or clearance gown. I was wrong, but what I did find for $23 was an ugly green dress... with a beautiful beaded bodice. The rest of the dress material with a cheap poly blend, with ugly straps and a short bubble skirt which accentuated my hips that didn't need it. As a whole, it was totally unflattering. But I bought it anyway, put it on my dress mannequin and put my thinking cap on. I decided to remove the straps and the skirt. This is what I was left with:


Then I went to the fabric store (surprise! surprise!) and looked for dress material in a complimentary color as an exact match I soon realized was impossible. Keep in mind, the material had to compliment both the bodice and the mask. To the left is the material I purchased. Several different shades of blue and green, it played off the iridescent sequins and beads on the bodice very well. I then attached the two parts together and added that mask from New Orleans and had a complete costume for the masquerade ball.

Setting the Stage by Sewing

For my 30th birthday, my husband and I hosted a Cabaret in our home. Acts included a belly dancer, two burlesque dancers, comedy acts, a hoop dancer, a fire eater, and a circus strong man. Here is the poster I made for the show:

For such a classy show, we needed a classy stage backdrop. Using red velvet, I made two panels for the sides of the curtain and my mom made a bubble valance to go across the top and we hung it using the curtain rod that was already in place.

Next (I know this part has nothing to do with sewing, but I will get back to that) we built a stage using milk crates and plywood. Obviously we needed to cover the area below the stage to conceal the milk crates.

Initially, I planned to use a black plastic table cloth for both the backdrop (to cover the remaining part of the window) and the stage "skirt." But changed my mind. Instead, I recycled a fancy sheet that was becoming threadbare in places and unusable. See below for the up-close pattern.

Et voila, here is the finished product:

For reference, the window was 8 ft wide x 4 ft tall and the sill was 3 ft above the floor. The recycled sheet was queen sized.

Resizing a Dress That Doesn't Fit

Eons ago, my sister found this dress on clearance at JCPenny. I think she spent $10 on it. Its a beautiful two-tone silk that looks iridescent in the right light. I really liked the dress and since she didn't do anything with it, I stored it away waiting for the right moment that it would fit me in the hips.
That day never came. The dress was too big in the waist and too tight in the hips.

You'll never guess what I did, I went to the fabric store! To look for another fabric that would match that of the dress as closely as possible.  The fabric that I found was not an exact match but pretty close as you will see. I cut open the seams on the sides of the dress from the knee to the waist and attached a triangular piece of the new fabric to loosen the fit in the hips.

Then, I turned the dress inside-out and took in the darts at the waist. At this point, I tried the dress on and felt looked funny with the two strips added to the sides with no other embellishments. So I added a waist band in the color of the added side panels. That still looked a little too plain, so I added a brooch. Below is the final product with a view from the front.

Customizing a Wedding Veil (and a Bachelorette Veil)

A good friend got married in April 2011. She knew what she wanted in a veil but didn't want to spend $200 on it, and who would? So as a wedding gift, I made one for her. We took a trip to the fabric store to get supplies including:

metal hair comb
sturdy ribbon about 3/4"thick
beads: pearls and silver seed
pre-made veil in a box for $14.99 (or you could buy your own tulle to save more money)

Other things I needed but had at home included:

beading supplies (wire, crimp beads, wire cutting tool and crimp pinching tool)
hot glue gun and glue sticks

I did a trial run with the bachelorette veil first. For that I used the plastic hair comb that came with the bridal veil, a yard of neon pink tulle, pink zebra print ribbon to go at the bottom edge of the veil, and a variety of pink beads to string around the top of the veil where the tulle meets the clip to give it a jeweled effect. Here is the finished product, sorry, I don't have a picture of the beading.

Next I tackled the real thing-- the wedding veil. First, I attached the veil to the clip, then I strung beads around the connection between veil and clip using beading wire which easily threads through tulle. To ensure that the beading wire stayed in place, I used a hot glue gun on the back of the clip and concealed it with that sturdy white ribbon. Below is a close up of the clip.

 Below is the whole veil which had little tiny pearls sewn on when we bought it.

 And below is a picture of the veil on the bride on her wedding day.

Recycling an Old Dress

I was asked to be in a wedding that took place last month. The bride was flexible and only had two requirements: dress must be dark purple and must be around knee length. She gave me a few examples of dress styles she liked, but left the choosing to her bridesmaids.

Let's take a step back in time, now... With my mom's help, I made my prom dresses in high school for both Junior and Senior proms. I held on to my Senior Prom dress as I loved the color. Eleven years went by before I had the occasion to wear it again (the wedding last month). But rather than wearing it again, I decided to take it apart and remake it for a bridesmaid dress. Sadly, I don't have a picture of the original dress, but imagine a strapless, A-line, floor-length gown. Not too hard, right?

After I salvaged as much of the fabric as I could, I pinned it on my foam dress mannequin, I love that thing. Below is a close-up of what I wanted the bodice to look like.

And below, here is the whole dress, knee-length at the the bride's request. Obviously, the dress would need to have two layers as this would be beyond scandalous, LOL!

Now, I can pin anything on my dress mannequin and make it look exactly like I want it do, but sewing without a pattern is still beyond my capabilities. So I went to the fabric store and looked at patterns. I could not find an exact match, but found a similar pattern. Here is the finished dress below (I hadn't finished hemming the arm holes at this point).

Sure, I had to buy thread, a new zipper, and fabric for the underside layer of the dress, and I had to invest some time. But in the end, I saved a large sum of money and I got a tailor-made, original dress in the end.