"Harsher punishment for parole violaters, Stan...and...world peace."

This year, I was flooded with Halloween costume orders on my Etsy store, just like last year-- except THIS time I was prepared. I stocked up on all the sewing essentials I knew that I would need, and started taking orders in September. I knew I would probably be sewing my butt off until the week before Halloween, so when my friend asked me if I would be willing to make her a special order costume, I was hesitant to add anything more to my plate. She insisted that she wouldn't need it until the day OF Halloween, so I finally agreed to do it. 

She wanted to be Miss Congeniality, from the cover picture on the DVD. That pink dress where she is wearing a sash and holding handcuffs and roses all nonchalantly. It seems funny to me that my friend had never been able to find a similar dress in a store or online, but she said she had looked high and low "forever." Maybe it's just so specific of a gown that it doesn't show up in retail often? I don't know. Anyhow, I started looking for patterns casually whenever I had to go to the fabric store for supplies, and eventually I stumbled across one that looked similar enough to the pink satin goal that is Sandra Bullock's cover gown. 

After finishing all of my store orders by the 27th of October, I began to tackle the pink dress and it turned out to be far more complicated than I thought it would be. I didn't realize it had this entire corset contraption underneath the lining of the dress, complete with interfacing and boning galore. Once zipped up, this dress wouldn't be going anywhere. 

Here's a picture of the inside nonsense once it was finished:

The dress also required a slit to be manufactured into its side, which the pattern did not include. My friend would be wearing this costume to work on Halloween, so it couldn't be quite as revealing as the original dress. I lowered the slit and built it into the right side seam. I'd never done a slit in a dress before, so it was a little tricky, since I had to put the slit into the lining as well, and then sew them together as neatly as possible. Wouldn't want the girl to look like a hussy. 

Anyhow, I was pretty happy with how the dress came together, considering it was unlike anything I've ever made before, and extremely fitted. I've made more corsets in my 25 years of life than I can count, but those are adjustable to size through laces-- this dress had to fit like a glove as is. 

I'm sure if I had to make this dress again, it would turn out more finished-looking, but for a first try, it ain't bad, I suppose. My friend loved it and looked adorable in it, so that's all that really matters. I also got it to her in the nick of time, so that's good too. 

Boo to YOU!

This past Friday, my entire family and I attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom. I made my twin sisters their costumes as well as my own (which I featured in my previous post). My mom made my brother Mat's Lone Ranger vest, and it turned out awesomely. My other brother Stu went as a "bandit" that the Lone Ranger was tracking. 

We trick-or-treated, saw the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow, and dashed all about the kingdom in our getups until the stroke of midnight. (Then we still stuck around a few more moments to capture some more pictures and eat some cotton candy from the Confectionary...) The Boo to You parade is the best parade I've ever seen at Disney World, and I never get tired of it. I'm really grateful that my entire family got to see it this year. 

This is my sister's Cinderella "rags" outfit that I put together, based off of a McCall's pattern. She looks adorable in it. 

This is my other sister's Merida gown and belt, that looks far more flattering on her than on my dress form, but you can still get the general idea from the picture. I believe this was also based on a McCall's pattern with some alterations and add-ons, like the ruffles on the sleeves and neckline. 

You can get a better view of the western vest my mom made in this picture of the Lone Ranger. So mysterious...

I'm glad that I was able to have a little getaway trip with my family for the weekend, but now it's back to the grind with costume orders for customers! Halloween is only a few weeks away! :)

She really is a funny girl.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast has always been my absolute favorite Disney princess. I mean, I love them all, but none can compare with the admiration I've felt for this brunette, bookworm of a girl that I was introduced to when Beauty and the Beast first debuted in kindergarten. And ever since kindergarten, I've sported a gold ballgown for Halloween at least...four times, I think? Could be five. I think I reused the same ballgown once or twice, although it may have gotten a bit shorter as the years advanced. 

Anyhow, this year I decided to go back to my roots and dress-up as Belle for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. As a Disney Cast Member, I am able to receive discounted tickets for my family and myself, so we're all going! Even my brother is flying in from California to take part in the spooky outing. 

I did, however, decide to shake it up with my Belle costume and go as "village Belle" in her blue dress this time instead of her yellow ballgown. I was also inspired by the version of the village look presented on ABC's Once Upon A Time, so I modeled my costume after that one. That costume utilized a three piece outfit, including a corset vest, which I thought would be flattering and French at the same time. Instead of brown trimming around the vest like in the show, I chose to use a wine colored trim instead. No reason really, other than I thought it looked prettier. I also made the blouse out of lace and cotton and full circle skirt out of bridal satin in a jewel blue tone. 

I'm extremely happy with how my costume turned out and I can't wait to wear it this coming Friday while I trick-or-treat in the Magic Kingdom with my family and fiancé! 

It is a fact universally acknowledged that tiny regency dresses areadorable.

Last week, I saw this adorable teal rose print in the store and fell in love with it. I didn't have a pattern that would suit the fabric, but I had been itching to try a regency era dress and I thought the fabric would be perfect for that style. The roses in the diamond pattern just looked so elegant. So I went ahead and just bought the fabric. My fabric stock continually grows because I am constantly spotting prints "for later." I am glad I found a use for at least one right away.

I found a beautiful pattern shop on Etsy and bought this lovely regency doll dress pattern. Heritage Doll Clothing has very well fitted, beautifully illustrated and explained patterns for historical dolls. I picked this specific pattern (there are a lot of great ones to choose from) because there were plenty of variations included-- different necklines, sleeve lengths, and hems. Also, it included a pattern for a "camisette" to wear under the gown, which I absolutely love because I personally don't like when you can see the American Girl Doll's "skin." So the camisette solves that problem, and looks absolutely adorable and is suited to the time period at the same time. 

I'm extremely pleased with how the dress turned out and how cute the fabric looks in this style. I already sold two of these dresses on my Etsy shop and I'm excited to find some other fabrics to try. :) 

This is a back view of the dress. 

This is the camisette. There are draw strings on the sides to pull it snug to the doll's body. 

Some of My Creations :)

Ties From a Different Dimension

A few weeks ago, I attempted my first necktie made from Star Wars licensed material. It was a teacher's appreciation gift for my boyfriend (excuse me, I mean fiancé now) since he started his first full-time teaching position this year.

He'd seen this blue Star Wars spacecraft blueprint material months ago when I used it to make a skirt for my Etsy shop, and he said he really wished he could have a tie made out of that fabric since he thought it looked "so cool." His words, not mine. At the time, I had no idea how to make a tie and I thought it would be extremely complicated for some reason. 

Turns out, it isn't complicated at all. It's a little time consuming since there is hand-sewing involved, but I actually love hand sewing and find it to be relaxing. 

When I googled how to make a tie, there were plenty of sewing tutorials to follow. The only materials needed are about half a yard of the print you want to use for the tie, half a yard of iron-on interfacing, and half a yard of the lining for the back of the tie. 

After I successfully completed and gifted the Star Wars tie to Mr. Fiancé, and he loved it, I made a second tie (this time Marvel Avengers themed) for my brother's birthday. It was even easier the second time around. Plus, now I have learned how to make another another item that I can add to my Etsy shop. :)

Great Gatsby!

I had been counting down the days until the The Great Gatsby (starring Leonardo DiCaprio) came out this summer. Literally. I had been counting down to May 10th on my Facebook status updates, and annoying lots of my friends, I'm sure. It doesn't matter though, if they love anything half as much as I love Leo and F. Scott Fitzgerald, they'd understand. As soon as tickets went on sale for the Thursday night premiere, my sisters and I were in line at the theater to ensure our spot. I'm so glad that we did. 

In celebration of the long-awaited movie, the girls and I put together a makeshift garden party before the premiere, 1920s-style. We put up a flower screen with twinkle lights, made mini cappuccino cupcakes, and lit some candles in the dining room.

I made a few delicate lace headbands to wrap around our pin curls. On mine, I added a large sparkling rhinestone brooch that reminded me of something Daisy might wear on an evening out on the town. We had so much fun dressing up for the night, and my brother was kind enough to indulge us with a photo-shoot using his fancy camera. 

I think the only one of us that wore an actual vintage dress was Jesse. She looked adorable in her peachy antique Oscar De La Renta frock. Mary looked like a bombshell in her gold sequined number, and I went with the lightest pink dress that I could find in my closet. It worked well for the occasion after I dressed it up with some satin evening gloves and beads. 

We just had the most splendid time partying like it was 1925. Gatsby, you certainly didn't disappoint.