Elmo Outfit

My granddaughter, Tristyn is going to be 2 years old on November 1st. She is having an Elmo themed birthday party. A few months ago while I was on Pinterest I found this outfit.

My daughter liked it so I told her I'd make it for Tristyn's birthday party. I was at a show over the summer and found a really cute Elmo print in a Fat Quarter so I picked that up. I also found the perfect red fabric. It looks a little bit like red fur so it will make a good Elmo face. My daughter wanted to incorporate pink into the outfit to make it more feminine but pink and dark red don't really go well together. I found some lace at another show that I thought might work. Here is what I'm starting with to make the outfit.

I like the inspiration piece but for a little girl I wasn't a big fan of the "suspenders." My original thought was to add a little ruffle to the sleeve. But then I decided that I'd just replace the sleeve with the Elmo fabric. I made a dummy from muslin just to try it out. When I figured out how much fabric that was going to use, I discovered that I wouldn't have enough leftover for the skirt.

Instead of my original idea I tore out one of the sleeves from the top I bought and used it to make a pattern. Then I measured to see how much fabric I'd have left after what I needed for the skirt. It was just enough for the sleeves.The sleeves are in.

I found a pretty trim which I think will add some femininity to the outfit. I've sewn that around the bottom of each sleeve. 

The next step is to add the face. I found a picture online and used that as my template. I played around with the size until it was what I wanted. Then I traced the different features onto fusible web and cut them out in fabric. I used an Applique Pressing Sheet to assemble all of the parts.

Left picture was my temlate for the fabric pieces. Right is the photo from the Internet. Center is the face in fabric

Now it is time to transfer it onto the shirt. I fused it in place. After looking at the pictures, I decided to do all of the stitching in black. I used a very small blanket stitch rather than a satin stitch at first but didn't like the way it turned out so I did a satin stitch which looks more like the pictures. All that's left is the trim around the neckline.

I used the same trim around the neckline. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I love it when I have a vision and the end result is even better than what I had in mind. Here's the finished top.

Next is the skirt. I want it to be full so even though Tristyn is pretty tiny, I used the full width of the fabric for my pieces. Since all I had was one fat quarter of the Elmo fabric I cut 2 strips 6" wide and sewed them together with a 1/4" seam. I cut the red fabric 10" wide. My original plan was to use the lace as an overlay to cover the red fabric. I finished the bottom of the Elmo and red fabrics by turning under 1/4" and then again another 1/4" and topstitched that. The lace has a nice scalloped edge so I didn't have to worry about finishing that.

When I put all of the layers together, I didn't like the way it looked. I tore everything apart and thought about it for a day or so. The lace just didn't look right. I decided to split the difference and  cut 1 1/2" off the top of the lace. Now it will be three separate layers. I like the way that turned out much better.

I got a little carried away with the project and decided to make hair bows too. I cut 2 - 5" circles from the leftover red fabric and 2 circles 1 1/2" from the tiny bits of Elmo fabric I had left. I put the Elmo fabric in the middle and made Yo-Yos from the red. I used the same trim and sewed that around the edges and filled up the inside. You can see a hint of the blue fabric, and if I had known when I started that I was going to add the trim, I probably would have left it out. But I got caught up in the embellishing.

It has been a long time since I designed a garment. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that I ever did; I always used a pattern. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I remembered all of those skills from when I made my own clothes and did Halloween costumes for my daughters when they were little. I think the outfit is adorable. I can't wait to see Tristyn in it at her party on Sunday. I sent a picture to my daughter and she showed her husband. He said it was impressive, which made me feel really good. Here's the finished product.

Tristyn's Birthday Outfit

Happy Sewing,

Carol

Laga Handbags

We were across the aisle from Laga Handbags at Pacific International Quilt Festival last week. This is the second show in a month where we have been in close proximity to them. Here's a picture of their Besar Handbag. It is just one of many styles of bags and accessories that they have.

The company was founded to help the survivors of the tsunami in Indonesia. All of the products are made on treadle sewing machines. The shape of the bag is marked so the women know where to sew. Then each piece is free motion stitched within those guidelines. Since each one is individually made, no two are exactly alike. It really is amazing to watch.

It is interesting to see how the choice of thread on the fabric changes the look. Sometimes it is a tone on tone look. There was a beautiful bag that was black with black stitching which was a very elegant look. When I was talking to Amy, their consultant at the Tucson show a few weeks ago, she told me that she never knows what to expect when she gets new bags because the colors vary and so do the thread colors.

If you'd like to learn more about the making of these gorgeous, yet functional works of art and the story behind them just click on their logo on the right side of this page.

Smart Car vs Our Truck

This little Smart Car was parked next to us at our hotel recently.

When we looked at this tiny car next to our big truck we decided that it if we took the shell off it would probably fit in the bed. Pretty crazy.