Monday, February 22, 2016

Shopping day!

I get my materials from all over the place, but my favorite by far is Hancock Fabrics. Reasonable prices and the employees there are just amazing. (I promise I'm not getting paid for this!) We decided on a match set in colors for the kids' RenFaire costumes in shades of blue and gold. I'm going for reds and golds, mostly so I can reuse my Red Riding Hood cape and save cash. The little white squares pinned to everything are my labeling system. I'm making six costumes and my sewing space isn't that big so I have to stay organized, especially since so many pieces use a lot of the same fabric (I bought FIFTEEN yards of black broadcloth). 

Monday, February 8, 2016

2016 is starting off running!

I sat my kids down about a month ago and asked them what they wanted to be for Halloween. Last year, I waited until June and it was almost a disaster. Trying to make 4 (My sister wanted the same thing I had) Halloween costumes in 3 months between work, school activities, and basic day to day life was just...exhausting. I pulled if off though, and got the most awesome Marceline and Finn ever!

The Marceline costume was made with Simplicity 4760, an old pair of jeans and some boots she borrowed from me! Finn's shirt was modified from the same pattern and the shorts were made from McCalls 6972. The hat and backpack came from Nate Little, and can be found here---> Adventure Time Finn Hat and Backpack.

My costume was "The Catch of the Day". It was basically a hooked mermaid.
I purchased a corset from Ebay for this one. The "mermaid skirt" was actually easy enough that I made mine and my sister's in a week! I modified this pattern -->Mermaid Skirt Pattern to have a little less tulle because I went to a party and I dance!

This year, the kids have decided that they want a "Five Nights at Freddy's" theme. My son wants to be Golden Freddy (slightly creepier than the one pictured here) and my daughter wants a genderbent Marionette (a LOT creepier than pictured here). I'm going an, according to the children, boring route and making a steampunk version of Little Red Riding Hood. It was inspired by this picture in particular.


Golden Freddy
Red Riding Hood

The Marionett              


BUT WAIT!! THERE'S MORE!!

 I was attacked by two small people a couple weeks back because they'd heard about the Renaissance Faire and now they wanted to go...in full, historically accurate costumes. *big gulp* I'm sure I can do this. There are plenty of patterns and people who have done this before. Not to mention, I have friends that do this every year so at least I have help right!


Something like that.

After much research, I decided to go with Pre-Elizabethan Renaissance clothing. None of those neck things and a bit less embroidery. After explaining to the 8 year old that I am not, in fact, a blacksmith so no, you cannot have a "real" suit of armor, he settled on a Tudor era style he could live with. I am also branching out even more and making the undergarments, including the corset, chemise and bloomers. 


I will update with photos, tips, raves, rants and tears as the months go along. This is going to be a fun few months!





From the bottom up

I altered the pattern a bit to tone down the copious lace. I wanted to use it more as an accent than a show piece. Especially since I went a...