Little Mouse and Madeline

I made a few other costumes this October.

A friend of mine had her baby a bit earlier than expected. When I found out, I knew she needed a mouse costume so she could hang out with big sister who was going Trick or Treating as a cat.

The hat was made from a free on-line pattern/tutorial here. It was very simple to put together and so adorable!

The sleeper is adapted from Peek-a-Boo patterns Classic footed pj pattern. It was surprisingly a pretty quick and easy thing to sew--even with the zipper! Hooray!  I added in the pink tummy and we made the pads of the feet pink as well to make it extra mouse like.

Obviously a mouse needs a tail.

I wanted Momma to be able to use this outfit as a sleeper after Halloween so I attached the tail with a button so it could be removed. Easy peasy.

I'm smitten with it and can't wait to see how it looks on.

The other costume I made was for this little sweet pea. Her Momma requested a Madeline dress and I was happy to oblige. 

The dress pattern is Debbie's Birthday dress, View 2.  I just left off the pocket and added long sleeves and a red bow to make it a bit more Madeline-like.

I think it turned out super duper sweet, didn't it?

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween! We have thunderstorms predicted here so we are scrambling to find indoor options. It's a real bummer! But we are making lemonade out of our lemons. I think we are going to head to the local assisted living center to visit the residents and hand out apples.  It may prove to be the most fun Halloween yet!

~Lindsay

Monarch Butterfly Costume

The Bug requested a butterfly costume for Halloween this year. I thought for sure she would want to be a pink, purple and blue butterfly but she surprised me and requested a Monarch. 

I used the costume at iCandy for inspiration (despite her warnings that it was labor and glue gun intensive).

The wings themselves are made of felt and glued onto a lightweight foam board. The spots are outlined in sequins, black on the front and orange on the back since I ran out of orange and didn't have time to order more. As often happens, I kind of like it and I'm glad I was forced to make it work.

The whole thing is held on by a couple of elastic straps that are sewn onto a piece of felt. I was afraid it would be too heavy and she would object to wearing them but she loves them.

The dress is from the Anywhere Dress pattern.  The fabric is a strange knit. It's like ruffle fabric, but it's not ruffled. I bought it in the remnant section so I don't know the make up of it or the intent. It may even be swimsuit fabric. It's fairly thick though and it has a very fun texture to it.  I added a grey knit band on the bottom just for a little bit of interest. I'm hoping she can wear this dress after Halloween.  I may yet add grey cuffs on the sleeves.  

The leggings are from the Go To Legging pattern. They are so simple and so quick to sew. I made them out of some sweater knit I had in my stash.  I love both of these patterns.

The boots... well those are from Target and they are ALL the Bug.

The orange felt pieces were attached with spray glue so I was working fast. Thus, they aren't perfectly symmetrical.  It bothers me. But not enough to fix it.

Her antennae are simply styrofoam balls covered in glitter and attached to a black headband with pipe cleaners. I love how they kind of droop.

And did you notice Emily? Yes, Emily has her own set of wings. 

This is what happens when I finish a project ahead of schedule. I think of other projects. But I had felt left over. It would have been a shame to let it go to waste, right?

And this? This says it all.

This is why I do what I do.  I love that toothless grin.

~Lindsay

Cinderella!

Here she is in all her princess splendor!

I see all the faults of this dress, of course, but the Bug's eyes light up and she is transformed.

Insisting I call her "Cinderella" for as long as the dress is on.

I also made the long sleeved tee shirt to wear underneath.

Halloween is typically chilly in these parts.

I ended the sleeves in a point with a little elastic loop for her finger to resemble fingerless gloves and make it a little more princess like.

Underneath, the pettiskirt, more nylon chiffon than I ever care to deal with again. 

(almost a football field worth!)

But it's so cute.

It might reappear in green as a Christmas dress. We'll see how crazy I'm feeling.

The look on her face. . .

The wonder. . .

The excitement. . .

It made all that pattern sizing hassle, all the satin and chiffon headache, just disappear.

~Lindsay

Chef's Hat

As promised, here are pictures of the chef's hat, that goes with the apron (2 blog posts down.)

Isn't our mummy pumpkin adorable?
I got the pattern from www.youcanmakethis.com, and to be honest, didn't expect it to come out so well. I did make one adjustment to the pattern. I added a thick interfacing to the bottom piece to help it keep its shape.
I kind of want one for myself.

~Michelle