Friday Fashions # 23, Striped Circle Skirt

I've had my eye on this skirt since July, when Jen posted the tutorial for the Ice Cream Social Skirt on icandy handmade.  This skirt was actually my first pin on pinterest!


Today I decided to sew my own.


I think with my fabric choice of green and blue stripes, my skirt looks like it belongs in an academic setting, rather than an ice cream parlor, but I love it!



This was such a fun, fast skirt to sew up.   I hope I can find another striped knit to make another.

I am participating in these Parties this week.

Fun-loving Halloween Wreath

I have seen a ton of tantalizing Halloween wreaths out in blogland this year.  I have a perfectly good Fall wreath that I put out every year for the entire season.  It has fall leaves and a scarecrow, so it works equally well for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  It really is fantastic, but I'm just starting to get a little tired of it.  And these new wreaths have been so cute.  When I realized that over half of my Halloween board on pinterest was wreaths, I decided to do something about my wreath craving.
Here are a few of the wreaths that have really caught my eye this season.

http://craftysisters-nc.blogspot.com/2010/09/eyeball-halloween-wreath.html

http://sugarbabyboutique.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-month-begins.html

http://ohmydeer.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/diy-halloween-eyeball-wreath/

http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2011/09/todays-guest-just-girl.html

My absolute favorite is this cutey.

http://lalabliss.blogspot.com/2011/09/gaudy-halloween-wreath.html

I just love this one!  And its all dollar store stuff.  I decided to use this wreath as my inspiration. So, I ran over to my store and see if I could find everything.
That's when I ran into Hilda the Witch.

Once I saw her, I knew that my wreath would take a small departure from my inspiration to include a witch on a broomstick. So, along with Hilda, these are the other purchases I made at the dollar store.

I wasn't sure how many packs of eyeballs to buy.  I bought 6, (12 eyeballs in each pack) but I only ended up using 3 packs.  My wreath has an 18in diameter.  First, I sprayed the wreath black.
While I was waiting for the wreath to cure, I tackled Hilda's refashion.   Then, I glued on Hilda onto the bottom of the wreath.

I added Spanish moss all around.

Added my Happy Halloween sign. 

I know I could have cut out my own letters and then decoupaged cute paper onto them.  The finished product would be one of a kind and probably cuter than what I currently have.  But the power of a speedy craft totally won the battle today.  It was nice to just be able to grab the sign and glue it on.  I was actually able to finish the project during naptime!  What a shocker!
Finally, I decided to add a few eyeballs and a few plastic bugs.
The boys helped me glue them on.  I had no real pattern, I just glued.

This wreath just makes me laugh when I see it.  It's just kinda fun!  It's tacky, kid-friendly, and full of Halloween cheer.  It isn't a wreath that says "I'm a grown-up with a house decorated as such."  This wreath screams, "I am a kid!"  Halloween is my favorite of the "fun" holidays.  Seriously, what is better that getting to play dress-up, gorging on junk food, and begging candy off the neighbors?  Yup, for such a fun-loving kid-friendly holiday, I needed a wreath to match the mood.   And this is what I get to enjoy everytime I look at my front door!

I'm linking up to these fantastic parties this week!

Dollar Tree Witch Revamp

Turning Tacky into Terrific!
As I was browsing through my local dollar store this week, I passed by these terribly tacky witches a couple of times.   They were ugly, just ugly, and very cheap looking.  They looked like they belonged in the dollarstore.  However, I had a brilliant idea for a witch, and here I was, staring at one, albeit a tacky one.  So, I snatched one up, brought her home, and got to work.

I dove through my scraps bin to find some leftover fabric from the banner I made for Halloween last year. I also grabbed my glue gun, Spanish Moss, and some Halloween trinkets.

I decided that the best way to remake "Hilda" would be from the top down.  So I glued a band of burlap to her hat and then a ghost and bat trinket to the band.  Already, she looks just a little better.

Her hair was no good. So, I chopped it off and gave her implants!  I thought Spanish Moss would look perfect as witch hair.

Then, I ripped off Hilda's cape and began remaking her outift.

I ironed HeatNBond hem tape to a couple strips of fabric so that I wouldn't have to actually use my sewing machine.

For her new skirt, I glued the pleats in place.

Then, I proceeded to glue these on as cuffs to Hilda's leggings. 

Then I added bat buckles to her shoes.

I glued the black polka dot fabric on as her shirt and added a strip of orange burlap for Hilda's belt.

Now, all she needs is a new cape.

I glued ribbon to the top of a piece of burlap and tied it around her neck.

Hilda's transformation is almost complete.  I just needed to fix this awful cat at the end of her broom. 

It was made out of felt and it was wrinkled.  A felt cat just wasn't substantial enough. 

So, I took a plastic bat, and glued that to the end of the broom in its place/
And, ta da!  Hilda is transformed. 

I am thrilled with the way Hilda looks now.  I really don't think she has the "dollar store" vibe anymore.  And, I only spent $1 because I already had everything but her! To make Hilda from scratch would have cost me more than $1 for the styrofoam alone. 
I have plans for Hilda which I will be unveiling in a couple of days, so make sure to check back in!
I'm linking up HERE this week!

Saturday Sew Along: Thanksgiving Advent Calendar, Part 1

My kids love countdowns.  One of their favorite activities during the Christmas season is our advent calendars.  Well, why not have a Thanksgiving Advent?  This idea was emailed to me earlier this year, and I couldn't resist making my own.

I decided not to follow this version, but to create my own, simplified version, so that this could be another class taught at my Relief Society's Fabulous Friday.
This is what I came up with:

I think this advent will really help my family  increase our Thanksgiving spirit.   Each day, we will pull out a gratitude/thanks quote and small activity.  The kids will love it.
Would you like to make one too?  Sew along with me.  I am breaking the instructions down into 4 parts, and I will be posting each Saturday.  We should finish the last Saturday in October, perfect timing for hanging this quilt up to enjoy the entire month of November.  And please, email me links of your project!  I would love to see what others come up with.

1.This week, you need to purchase your fabric and supplies.


Items Needed:
1/2 yd fabric for the back and sides (d)
1/8 yd for the "give thanks" rectangle (b)
1/2 yd fabric for the background or 1 fat quarter (a)
1/8 yd for pockets (c).  If you want 3 colors, like I have, you will need 3 different 1/8yd pieces.  There is enough fabric with very careful cutting for 12 pockets out of 1/8yd.
1/4 in Heat n Bond hem tape
1/2 yd fusible fleece
Black fabric paint and brush
freezer paper
wooden dowel

2. Next, you need to cut out the fabric pieces for your quilt's face.
a. Using D, cut out 4 strips that are 1.5inches wide and at least 20inches across.

b. Using B, cut a piece that is 14in x 4.5in

c. Using A, cut a piece that is 14in x16.5in


3. Next, with right sides together, sew a to b, allow 1/4in seam allowance.

Open. Press seam to one side.

4.  Now, sew two D strips lengthwise along side. Allow 1/4 seam.  Press seam to one side when done.


Trim any strip excess off so that the edge is even.
5. Sew the remaining two D strips to the top and bottom of the quilt face, trim off any excess at the edge and press open.

 You are done for this week!  See you next Saturday!

Note: I will be linking up the These Awesome Parties!

Friday Fashions #22, Green Knotted Dress

This week, I tackled a dress for my sewing project.

Remember my Knotted Paisley Shirt?

I have loved it!  I wear it all the time.  When I sewed it, I remember thinking that this style would make a really cute dress if it were lengthened.  Well,  I saw this pattern a couple months ago, so I snagged it when patterns went on sale for $0.99 apiece.


It is basically the same pattern as my shirt, only with the length and shaping over the hips for a knee length dress. It has darts in the back to give it some shaping at the waist, which my tshirt patterns doesn't have. The front still has that awesome knot.  And, it was totally worth $1 to have the pattern instead of having to draft my own!
The next week while browsing fabric for a different project, I came across this beautiful green and brown knit.  I love this color combo, and at only $3.98/yd, I snatched it up.

Today, I decided to pull out the pattern and the knit and get to work.

This dress sews up really fast. Because it is a knit dress, there isn't a zipper; it pulls over the head. So, I think even a beginning seamstress could probably sew this if she reads and follows the pattern's directions.
I can't wait to wear this dress to church on Sunday.




The awesome knot on the bodice!