Simplicity 8723 Harry Potter Halloween Costume

Harry Potter. This costume feels inevitable. I think we have been reading HP continuously since 2015. We're reading book 7 at bedtime now, so each of us will have read the entire series individually and together. J is not a big fan of dress up (unlike his sister), and usually asks for a completely impossible costume like a black hole, or dark matter (made it, but never posted the full costume). This year I tried to steer him toward a classic like a ghost or Dracula, but Harry Potter was the only idea that resinated. The second he put on the robe and had the wand in his hand he caught the Halloween spirit enough to forget that half his costume was his catholic school uniform. :)

The robe pattern is Simplicity 8723, it's got the entire size range, and I suspect I will be sewing this pattern again in the future. I used stash buttons, and a hair tie to make the closure, and the Gryffindor patch is from Amazon. I altered the pattern to make full underlining pieces for the front and a deeper facing for the back. I know my HP would want to rush off in search of horcruxes or candy and I didn't want the 4 inch front facing giving him away as a fraud. I hand stitched the lining and the facing. If I had planned ahead I could have done more on the machine but it was late and I was flying by the seat of my pants. Next time I would deepen the arm opening. It's pretty snug for something you're supposed to wear a sweater and button-down under. I also deepened the right pocket to accommodate his 11" hand whittled wand. His is ancient and mysterious lilac from the backyard at the farm. He also peeled the bark with his pocket knife (they're not as dangerous as you might think).

The exterior fabric is gabardine suiting in solid black from Fabric.com*. I had black Kona cotton in my cart, but changed my mind at the last minute. I hate how polyester it is, but I love the weight and drape. It really feels like real clothing feel of the finished robe. I'm telling myself the polyester is authentic school uniform material. The lining is Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Crimson* from Fabric.com*. I bought and used a full 2 yards for the hood and lining. I think the color is the perfect Gryffindor shade of burgundy. 

Robe Pattern: Simplicity 8723

Robe Fabric: Gaberdine Suiting in Solid Black from Fabric.com*

Robe Lining: Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Crimson from Fabric.com*

Gryffindor Patch: Amazon

*Fabric.com links are affiliate links.

Handmade Classic Witch Halloween Costume

Halloween is the best worst holiday. Parents making themselves crazy over an outfit their kid will wear once. It's stupid, and I love it. I remember my mom at the sewing machine late into the night before trick-or-treat sewing 5 handmade fantasies. In 7th grade she made me the most amazing Captain Hook costume, it had a red 3/4 jacket, and a hook made with a coat hanger, duct tape, and the bottom of a 2 liter bottle of soda (remember those?). All pure mom imagination without the benefit of craft blogs or pinterest. I tend to go overboard on Halloween, but I just don't care. Childhood is fleeting, the image of L at 8:30 this morning walking through Target in this costume as if she were the queen of South Philadelphia will sustain me well into old age. I hope she thinks of it when she is panic buying Halloween supplies for her own kids. 

This costume is a lot of pieces. I like to make costumes that can easily adapt to another fantasy and become dress up clothes the other 364 days of the year. The top is the Janie Dress from Mouse House Creations that I converted to a hi/lo peplum and added bells sleeves. It's sewn with stretch crushed velvet from Fabric.com. L could wear the top with leggings or a more sane skirt as a slightly fabulous regular outfit too.

The skirt is an improvised tutu. I bought 15 yards of black matte tulle at Joann, divided it into 5 layers, so each layer was 3 yards around. I gathered that into a 36" waistband, then used elastic to gather it down to L's waist size. The daisy tulle is a vintage fabric from my MIL's stash that followed L home the last time she visited. It's a nice bit of detail in the sea of black.

I made L a witch hat years ago, and I share the pattern HERE. This is more or less the same process but I sized up for a big kid sized head. The whole thing is sewn from acrylic felt with black ric rac around the brim. The pointed crown is a single layer of felt that I reinforced with fusible interfacing, the brim is two layers with a circle of thick reinforcing sewn in between to keep the brim from flopping. We used left over tulle from the skirt to decorate the hat with some spiders are the spoils of past Halloweens and a vintage button from L's collection.

Lydia took charge of the accessories. She made the broom herself months ago. She cut down a little black walnut tree, scrapped most of the bark off of it with her pocket knife, and wrote "fire bolt" on the end with a sharpie. For the bristles she used the spine of the walnut leaves that she tied on with yarn. She also made the choker from a scrap of the shirt fabric. 

Top Pattern:Janie Dress/Peplum by Mouse House Creations

Top Fabric: Stretch Panne Velvet Velour in Black from Fabric.com*

Dress Pattern: Improvised

Dress Top Fabric: Vintage 

Dress Under Fabric: Black Matte Tulle from Joann Fabric

Hat Pattern: Improvised

Hat Fabric: Acrylic Felt from Joann Fabrics

*Fabric.com links are affiliate links.

Little House on the Prairie Dress-up Clothes

A long time ago (as the book begins), when I was a little girl my crew of farm cousins/neighbors/friends was absolutely obsessed with Little House on the Prairie. Egged on by the books and the TV show we would divvy up the parts and play for hours. My mom made calico dresses, aprons, and bonnets in multiple sizes (my aunt made them for her girls too), and we had a vest and peasant shirt for my brother to flesh out our fantasy. We hitched two hay bales (Pet & Patty) up to an old wagon in my uncle's shed and pretended we were headed west with all our worldly possessions, fording rivers, and evading Indians. I used to pack a metal pale with blocks wrapped in a tidy bandanna and pretend it was my one room school house lunch. We used to climb to the top of the steep pastures then run down the tall grass on the hill pretending to fall just like Carrie does in the opening credits of the TV show. My childhood didn't involve poverty, or upheaval, or prairie crossing, but I identified with the agrarian, nature loving lifestyle of the fictional Laura Ingalls (as opposed to the actual Laura Ingalls whose story would break your heart!). 

My city kids have to imagine even harder to put themselves under prairie winds and big skies, but looking the part always helps. Last summer L asked for a sunbonnet and an apron she could gather things in. For Christmas I gave her those two things, and a dress and petticoat for good measure.

The dress is heavily inspired by the beautiful garments of Taylor's Scarlet Threads. Had I waded into the weeds of this project with more time to spare, I might have just ordered an outfit. For what I spent on fabric, The Scarlet Thread dresses are beautiful and a relative bargain. But, I started with less than 48 hours to finish, and there is joy in the making. I wanted something that could be mixed and matched for pretend play, and worn alone to church. My dress is based on the Violette Field Threads Zoey dress. I bought it for the simple gathered sleeve and relaxed fit at the waist (hoping it will fit for a while). I added a button placket (rather than the snap front) and a round neck opening. I used the width of the skirt from the pattern, but modified the length, and didn't use the ruffle. I made 3 one inch growth pleats in the skirt, and 2 half inch growth pleats in the sleeve. L measured a girls size 10, but I bought the tween pattern (a little bigger in the chest only) so I could make the design again as she grows. I love that VFT offers tween sizes, I think older girls would love the designs (totally not reflected in my demure translation!). I'm perfectly pleased with the VFT line of patterns, and have a first communion dress design picked out for spring. 

The dress fabric is Robert Kaufmann Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Stems Midnight from Fabric.com. From the moment I unwrapped it, I loved it. It's exactly the scale and colors I was hoping for. Pretty but believably historic. The cotton shirting is suited to garment making, and has a very satisfying rustle that L (and I) love. 

The bonnet is from McCalls M7231 that I originally bought with the intent to modify into this dress. The bonnet is just fine, but a little too big.  I have nothing good to say about the dress pattern, so I'll keep my comments to myself. The pattern is probably better suited to someone brand new to sewing.

The bonnet fabric is also Robert Kaufmann from Fabric.com. The body is 1/8" Carolina Gingham in Chocolate, the visor lining is Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Tiny Flower Midnight. Next time I would skip the second fabric, the combination is a little busy for my taste. 

The apron and petticoat are improvised based on the final length of the dress. I will make a second apron. This one already had a run in with some hot apple cider in a togo cup. Who knew apple cider stained! 

The apron fabric is (of course!) Robert Kaufman Essex Linen, the choice for a big ol' apron. The petticoat was a late addition made from cotton eyelet, and lace trim I given to me from my mother in law's vintage stash. 

My husband got me Prairie Fires the Caroline Fraser biography of Laura Ingalls for Christmas (although he may have regretted it when we were on our way to Christmas dinner and I was weeping over Pa's death). The chapters on her childhood, and early marriage are tough to read. I read the First Four Years (and haven't let my kids read it yet, wanting to foster the magic before the reality come crashing down), I know life was hard. I knew the books weren't all facts, and any blogger knows we present ourselves in the way we want to be seen, not necessarily in the way we actually are. But, when I read how hard parts of her life were I was heart broken. I felt like a dear friend had withheld something from me. Thank God she pulled herself up by her bootstraps in the end! 

The book is fantastic, and puts the Ingalls/Wilder experience in a useful national context based on historical events and the work of other writers. It also clears up the tricky business of how much influence her daughter Rose had on the children's series. I'm not quite finished, but it's a good read!

I was a little worried the 8 y.o. mind might file dress-up clothes in the reviled clothing category of gift, the one that gets tossed aside before the lid is even fully off the box. Luckily, I was wrong. Given the choice between this costume, and the pink crushed velvet dress I made for her birthday, she's chosen this dress every day since Christmas. It saw 4 days of continuous wear from the second she unwrapped it. She wore it to grandmom's for Christmas dinner, and stuffed it into snow pants to go sledding, leaving me one very satisfied maker. 

Dress Fabric: Kaufman Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Stems Midnight from Fabric.com
Dress Pattern: Modified Zoey Dress from Violette Field Threads
Apron Fabric: Kaufman Essex Linen Blend White from Fabric.com
Apron Pattern: My Own
Bonnet Fabric: Kaufman 1/8" Carolina Gingham in Chocolate available at Fabric.com
Bonnet Lining: Kaufman Sevenberry Petit Fleurs Tiny Flower Midnight from Fabric.com
Bonnet Pattern: McCalls M7231
Petticoat Fabric & Trim: Vintage, from my Mother-in-law's vast fabric archives.

* Fabric.com links are affiliate links. I paid for all of the fabrics, and only recommend what I like.
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Cowgirl Halloween Costume

I could pretend that I made this costume for L, but as anyone who has ever hand sewn sequins knows...I made this costume for me. When J was 2, I made him the first version of this costume, and it wasn't quite what I had envisioned. I was new to sewing, had never drafted my own anything, and the end result was respectable, but not quite right. I had some unfinished business with the cowboy/girl and I had to finish it this year. 

This vest is a modified Hansel and Gretel Vest. The chaps are self-drafted using a few basic measurements. The button down shirt is a hand me down Theo Button Up from J's outfit in Stylo 3. The boots are from eBay, the jeans from Lands End. 

The belt buckle is layers of wool felt and embroidery. I've never embroidered before (the internet taught me how) and the biggest obstacle was transferring the image. I usually use a window as a light table, but I did this well after bedtime the night before L's school party. I wish there was no shadow of the pencil I traced the image with, but the singer marking pen let me down, and I was too tired to much improvisation.

My kids have never (ever!) had a full sized candy bar, and tonight they each have two. I think that about sums up our trick or treat experience. Philadelphia is a city that is more than happy to chew you  up and spit you out, but somehow Halloween and free candy (and free wine) bring people together!

The skeleton below was made by my mother-in-law 30-ish years ago! It's aged well and J was thrilled to wear Grandmom's creepy costume (which is lucky considering how long it took to sew on all those sequins!). 

Happy Halloween!

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Vest Pattern: Hansel and Gretel Vest by SweetKM

Main Fabric: Sew Classic Micro Suede from Joann

Accent Fabric: From my stash

Wool Felt: from Felt on the Fly

Chaps Pattern: Self Drafted

Button Down Shirt: Theo Button Up by Zonen 09

Boots: Old West 

STYLO Restyled : Bimaa Bat & Small Fry Skinnies

As you saw yesterday I made a ton of stuff for STYLO magazine. After a few weeks of sewing like it was my job, I need to convince myself that the distinctive Hansel & Gretel looks can be broken up and remixed into my kids real wardrobes. 

Its a double pattern review day, something I would normally never do (I like each little thing to have its own tidy box). I didn't post this before Halloween because I didn't want to spoil any STYLO surprises (and I hadn't taken any pictures yet) by jumping the gun with these sweet little skinny jeans. With that safely behind us, let's talk about J's Halloween costume before anybody puts a turkey in the oven. 

The bat is four separate pieces. The wings are the kind you see all over the place with elastic that goes over the shoulders and little loops at the tips to put your fingers through. They are self drafted and sewn with black crepon from Joann. I used black vinyl at the tips for reinforcing, and at the back where the wings meet. The mask is a free download from the internet cut out of felt.  I added the ears, and a vinyl layer for a little more interest. The top is a Bimaa sweater, and the bottom is the Small Fry Skinny Jeans, both can be put into the standard wardrobe rotation after Halloween.

For the Bimaa:

A week before Halloween I went in search of a shawl collar sweatshirt for J. I looked at the Bimaa (the day before it was rereleased!), but it only went up to size 6. I let the idea drop, thinking I still had time to draft my own collar and tack it onto a t-shirt pattern. A few days (or was it hours!) before Halloween I was desperate for a shawl collar sweatshirt pattern for J so I went back to the Bimaa thinking I could make size it up myself. In that week Lou Bee Clothing had release a new version with expanded sizing! Yay! Problem solved. Two hours later I have a smart little shawl collar sweater for my bat.

PATTERN: The Bimaa is a standard inset sleeve t-shirt pattern that comes with 3 neck options: hood, cowl, and shawl. All are just adorable, and I will definitely be making other versions in the future. The sizing is now 6months - 12 years, AND its gender neutral. The Bimaa has a ton of bang for your buck.

FABRIC: Fleece was on sale the day I was there, so I made it work. Both costumes are outerwear weight, making them perfect for chilly Halloween wear (except it was 75 degrees the day we trick or treated!) I used some leftover charcoal gray knit as an accent at the collar and cuffs, and some black vinyl to add a little detail at the shoulders.

FIT: I sized up to an 8 because the fleece didn't have as much stretch as a knit, and its pretty thick. I could have gone up another size.

ALTERATIONS: I added thumbhole cuffs (cause I'm on a roll). I also added shoulder patches (a la Trine & Brienne). They go a long way to add some detail to an otherwise plain sweatshirt.  J thinks they make him look like an "army guy", so you'll be seeing more in the future.

Now the Small Fry Skinny Jeans:

PATTERN: This is the Small Fry Skinny Jeans by Titchy Threads. You've seen these guys all over the interweb for good reason. They are a perfect reproduction for hand making convincing looking jeans. I had some reservations about making a pattern from a designer I had never used before that involved so much finishing and my first fly zipper. No reason to worry, the instructions are very clear and thorough. I didn't have to do a single thing twice. 

FABRIC: This is medium weight Italian Stretch Denim in Indigo from Michael Levine. It is perfect for these pants. It is sturdy but lightweight, and has just the right amount of stretch to make seriously slim pants play friendly. 

FIT: I sewed a 6 and added 1" to the length of this pattern. These are some seriously slim pants. They fit my super slim J perfectly. My kids HATE jeans, they are stiff and restricting, and the snaps always pop open, or they sag at the bum. Somehow these jeans don't have any of those issues, and J loves them. 

Both the Small Fry Skinny Jeans Pattern and the stretch denim were provided to me for free. I assure you the opinions are my own. If I hated them I would have said nothing!

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Linking to 

Straight Grain Sew & Tell

Field Trip Raglan Kitty Cat

My sweet little children are all over the place at Halloween. They change costume choices daily, most  of their choices are virtually unmakeable (a single pink Smartie!?). We barely trick or treat, I hate costumes that are overly specific or that they can't put on themselves to play with later, and I veto any licensed characters. All of this adds a whole lot of complication to costume planning. This year we set two parameters 1. I can make it with a useful clothing pattern 2. it will be an asset to our existing dress up bin. With that in mind today we are exhibiting L's Tippy Cat Costume.

L wants a kitty of her very own vey badly, but mommy just isn't ready. Until I am, she uses Gramma's cat Tippy as a substitute. He gets the first hug hello and the last kiss (for real) goodbye when we're at the farm. Last year she had a Tippy Cat birthday cake, this year she has a Tippy Cat costume.

The costume is the Oliver + S Field Trip Raglan. It is sewn in gray fleece from Joann, and some furry stuff that is so crumby and synthetic on the reverse side that I had to line it with a cotton knit.  I made it a size bigger than normal to accommodate the thicker fleece and the minimal stretch. I added a few inches at the hem, and a waistband so I had a good spot to attach the tail. Of course, I added thumbhole cuffs pawsThe hat is just a fleece square with the corners sewn shut to make the ears, and I used the same mask template to make a kitty face.

Stop by on Monday for J's bat costume (here is a sneak peak), and some exciting news for SweetKM.

Happy Halloween!

Free Toddler Witch Hat Sewing Pattern

I have a vast archive of homemade halloween costumes that I have never blogger about. If L looks conspicuously young in this photo, its because its two years old. And the hat was made almost two years before that. Yes, L was a witch for her first halloween. I wanted to make her a hat that would stay on her little toddler head, and that she would be pretty likely to keep on. The result has a very tall point, a very short brim, and very cute on a tiny little witch. 

This free pattern includes a PDF download of pattern pieces, and the pictorial instructions shown below. There are only 3 pieces to this hat, and only 4 seams to sew. I made the hat out of synthetic felt from Joann. Sewing with felt is sort of like sewing with construction paper, it's easy to work with and there are no seams to finish. All of this makes this little witch hat the perfect starter sewing project. 

For me the fun part is adding the decoration. Sure it could be a plain ol' witch hat, but I love this oversized purple felt bow. I sewed on a giant green plastic spider that was a birthday party favor, but you could use one of the mountains of spider rings your kid brought home last year, or pick some other little creepy crawly up at the party supply store. 

Download Pattern Here:

FREE TODDLER WITCH HAT PATTERN

Sizing:
12 Months - 2T approximately 18 1/2" head circumference.

Supplies:
Scissors
Tape
1/2 Yard Black Craft Felt  54" Wide
Matching Thread

Optional Embelishments:
Ribbon
Yarn for pompoms
Plastic Creepy Crawlies

1. Print pattern pieces, use the 1" square box on each sheet to be sure it is the correct size.

2. Match up the grid and the letters in the corner of each page, then tape the pattern pieces together.

3. cut out each pattern piece on the cut line. Pin pattern pieces to fabric, aligning with fold where indicated, but out fabric.

5. Here are the pieces first folded in half, then unfolded. You will have cut 1 Hat Crown, and 2 Brim pieces. One will be the Top Brim, one will be the Bottom Brim.

6. Right sides together (hint - wool felt has no wrong side!), fold the crown piece in half at the fold line. Sew a line of stitching 1/2" from the open edge. Back stitch at the beginning and the end as close to the cut edge as possible. 

7.Trim the corner of the tip. Press open the resulting seam. Carefully turn the crown piece right side out. Use a knitting needle, or pencil tip, to push the tip of the cone of the crown to the sharpest point possible without pushing a hole in the end of the cone. 

8. Using a long basting stitch, sew 1/2 line around the bottom brim piece. Trim from edge up to (but not through) the line of basting at 1" intervals. Flatten the tabs to be perpendicular to the cone of the crown.

9. Place the top brim over the point of the crown. Align the inside edge of the top brim piece with the basted line on the crown. Pin the top brim to the tabs along the bottom edge of the crown making sure they are flat up against the top brim piece. Sew the crown to the top brim by sewing a seam 1/8" from the inside edge of the top brim.  

10. Place the Crown/Top Brim assembly on top of the Bottom Brim piece. Make sure that all of the edges of the two Brim pieces align, and that the tabs of the Crown are sandwiched between the two Brim pieces. Pin along the inside and outside edges.

11. Sew the Bottom Brim piece to the Top Brim/Crown assembly 1/4" from the inner edge of the Top Crown piece. Sew the two Brims together 1/4" from the outer Brim edge.

12. Lightly press your hat (make sure to use the lowest setting on your iron if you are using synthetic felt). Embellish as desired. 

This is my first attempt at multi piece pattern sharing.  Please send any helpful feedback to:

 sweetkm1 (at) yahoo (dot) com 

Share your finished projects on instagram:

@kristi_sweetkm

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