Valentine's Dance costumes

So for those of you that come to my blog and like to see costumes here are the costumes we wore to the Valentine's Dance.

So here is me and my husband as little Red riding hood  and the Big Bad wolf (corset and green skirt and blouse made by damsel in this dress).  The white skirt is a petticoat I made for Little Woman and the red hooded cape is one I found at Zurkers.

I also made my a cape today that I did not post about but you can see it here.  100% wool that I scorched to make look old and damaged so currently it smells a  little ( a lot) of burn wool.  So does my front porch.  The cape has since been washed smells better and is now felted and looks old just what I wanted for the dance but did not have time to do ready for the next go round.  

The nose I did not make it was also from a store called Party Works. He is wearing a pirate shirt too so when he would get to hot in the costume he could still look like he was in a costume sort ta.

You can see the other costumes in the read more section of this post.

This is my children with a long time friend of the family.

 

My oldest went as batgirl her dress was from hot topic, black shirt damsel in this dress, and cape I made for Little Women, vintage 1950's petticoat found thrift shopping by a friend of ours who knew we would love it.  The above photo I took for my daughter she wanted an image that would remind her of Phantom of the opera batman/batgirl style she wants to draw it.  Somehow my oldest daughter kept coming out blurry in photos so I truly only got the one good one of her above with her sisters.  Same happen with the youngest but I got one of her sitting with her tardis headband on.


My middle daughter went as a steam-punk Alice in Wonderland Most of her costume came from Damsel in this dress, she worked the bunny to make him steam-punk with a gear eye and things of that sort.  Blouse and white petticoat thrift shop finds.  She has red stockings on that have card symbols on them to represent the Queen of Hearts and so on.  I Hand knit the gloves she is wearing.  This daughter loves Alice in Wonderland if you remember last year she was The Queen of Hearts for Halloween and the Mad Hatter's daughter for a school costume dance.

My youngest went as a Tardis lots of Whovian's in this house.  The dress and headband that really lights  came from hot topic for the last Halloween second time she has used this costume, blouse from Damsel in this Dress, !950's Petticoat thrift shop find from a friend.

So for those who come here to look at costumes and send me emails as to wear they come from there you go.  Happy hunting and costuming  half the fun of costuming is the finding the and hunting for what you want.

The big Bad Wolf

So my family is going to a costume dance for Valentines.  My husband decided he and I are a matched set as the Big Bad wolf and me as Little Red riding hood.

 

The girls are going as a Tardis, Batgirl, and a Steam Punk version of Alice in Wonderland.  I will post photos later if I remember to take them.  But this is the progress on the one costume I had to make for my husband it is not quiet done but almost.  Good thing my kids are hams when it come to taking photos.  Do not know what I will do when I no longer have around to use as mannequins.

This costume was similar in construction to "Bottom the Donkey" I did in "A Mid Summer Nights Dream".

This is a costume that is a Frankenstein like pattern.  Meaning I took some of this pattern, some of that pattern, some I made up and this is what you get. A monster nope a costume that is what you want and not what the pattern company wants.

This costume is meant to fit my husband thus it is too big on my middle daughter.  Yes I have silly children I think these photos prove that.

For those who have never worked with faux fur best to draw pattern pieces on the back with permanent marker  and cut from the back with a razor blade.  You get a lot less fluff and stuff all over the house also cut outside. 
I cut over the cement porch since you only cut the back of the fabric the blade does not dull on the cement.  But it keeps you safer to cut towards the cement as opposed to over ones legs and accidentally cut oneself.

Pre-Valentine's Day

My grandmother was a florist for years, so was my aunt, my older sister, and I was a florist for years.  So yes you can guess correctly in that Valentine's is like one of my least favorite holidays because it always meant lots of work and not seeing those you loved.  It also meant customers coming into my work because they felt guilty not because they wanted to make their loved ones feel loved.

My grandmother is in heaven and this is now one of those holidays I think of her.  Which does make the holiday a little better to me as I remember working with her side by side when I was a little girl.  When I think of her I think of the little guardian angles she passed out I have two types from her.  My Aunt Virgie actually started this tradition but my Vavo carried it on.  I have saved many of these tokens over the years I plan on giving them to my grandchildren on their 8th birthdays at their baptisms as a gift from their great great grandmother in heaven.  I think it will be special or at least I hope so many generations tied together in a little token.  I have 12 tokens so I have saved 4 per child of mine if some have less than four I will save them for those who may have more than 4 kids.  Yes there are two types of angles that are different the silver colored ones are the more prized ones as that is the type most people in my family remember but she did pass out two types of angles.  Most probably do not remember the rest (the goldish coins) but they are all still from my Vavo.

The photo in this post is of my beautiful  Vavo and two of my three children when they were little people.  The picture in the picture on the right of two of my children they are wearing two dresses that I made them for Easter one year one is sewn and one is crocheted I made the headband too that the younger is wearing.

Hope you have a lovely Valentine's with loved ones and remember the day is about love for all not for guilt.

Irish crochet Tam kits

I have made a few kits available in my store these are limited items as the yarn used in my original Tam is from the 1980's and has not been made about 30 years.  So here is your chance to make the item with vintage thread and antique mother of pearl buttons.  Similar to mine only the color is a little different.

Lovely Irish crochet details on this tam. All yarn included in kit please crochet tightly or you will not have enough it take the entire amount to make the hat.  Samples are all in one color of yarn but would be lovely if colors are added to the Irish crochet details or the lace edging

Items in kit
*pattern
*3 balls of vintage yarn ( color twill cream/tan)
*5 antique mother of pearl (MOP) buttons because of their age they will show signs of age that adds to the charm of the piece ( not pictured they will all be different than each other no two kits the the same) so each hat is one of a kind when done
* pattern instructions

There are five flowers made for this cap one mother of pearl button per flower center

The yarn is Bernat Cassino vintage yarn from the 1980's and no longer made . See images of balls of yarn for color the hat samples are made from different colors of this same yarn. This is for a kit only not the finished item and only comes in the color twill cream/tan).

Items not in kit but needed for project
hooks used are a 5 and 8 steel
and G and H aluminum
liner fabric if you want yours lined ( mine were not)



Also this yarn likes to stretch so it is best to make a liner. If you do that you will have to figure out that part yourself. It is just a big circle gathered to a band that is the same diameter as your head plus a tiny bit about an 1/4 inch for easy of wear. But a pretty silk is nice inside make sure the liner will fit you then sew it into the hat at the brim and at the point where the brim transitions from brim to hat

about the yarn
name Cassino discontinued from the 1980's
Brand Bernat
Weight DK / 8 ply (11 wpi)
Meterage 110 yards (101 meters)
Unit weight 50 grams (1.76 ounces) per ball
Gauge 22.0 sts = 4 inches
Needle size US 6 - 4.0 mm ( for this pattern you will be using different sizes then the suggested size hook)
Fibers 100% Cotton