Pikachu Bandanna Tutorial

With the recent introduction of the Playful Pikachu pinafore, I thought I would make a tutorial on how to make something to go along with this pinny for an everyday look. I thought up this fun idea for a bandanna that can be worn as a headband! The black tips resemble Pikachu's ears, which is just too cute!

Here's what you'll need:
          Yellow fabric (it will need to be cut into a 20x20 in. square, so make sure you have enough to do that).
          Black fabric (you will only need a very small amount. You could use scrap fabric if you have some)
          Yellow thread
          Black thread
          Sewing Machine
          Sewing Scissors
          Serger (Optional)

(Before we start, I just have to apologize for the lack of actually good pictures. I had to do this one late at night and in a bit of a hurry. :P Sorry about that. The end result is great looking though, I promise!)

1.) To begin, cut out a large square of yellow fabric measuring 20 inches by 20 inches. Snip off a small amount from two opposite corners of your fabric. This is where you'll put the black fabric for the tips of the "ears."

2.) Take those yellow corners that you snipped off, and use them as a guide to cut out two triangles from your black fabric. Be sure to add a little extra to the bottom of your triangle to compensate for seam allowance.

3.) Pin the black fabric to your yellow and sew down.

Your fabric should look like this when you're done sewing.

4.) You have a couple different options for this next part. You can either select a setting on your machine that is a zig-zag stitch, or use a serger. I don't have a serger, so I used my sewing machine. I actually have a stitch on my machine that looks similar to what a serger does, so that's what I went with. 

Sew/serge along the entire outside of the fabric so that there are no more raw edges. Make sure you go around the black first with your black thread and then the yellow with your yellow thread. 

5.) After that, grab both of the black corners and fold your fabric into a triangle. 

6.) Fold the bottom of the triangle up about an inch or two and continue to roll it up until you reach the tip.

7.) Tie it on your little cutie's head in a knot and you're done!

This version is a very fast and simple one. If you'd rather something that looks a little nicer, you can make two of these and sew them both together. That prevents you from having any raw edges to deal with, but it does take extra fabric and time (which I didn't have either), so I'll leave it up to you. :)

Now she's ready to go and chatch 'em all! ;)

Star Power Bow Tutorial (For Mario and Luigi Pinafores)

I'm so excited to share my first tutorial with you guys! As I was thinking of what I could do, I thought it would be really fun to show you all how to make something to go along with the Pinny(s) of the Month- Marvelous Mario and Little Luigi! 

As I have mentioned on this blog, the pinafores I make can be worn for costumes and/or for everyday wear. I've already demonstrated how they can be worn as costumes in the post that introduced the two pinafores, but I think that this tutorial will be good to give you ideas on how you can make them into something to wear anywhere too! :)

Here's what we'll be making today: 

Totally cute, no? ;) This can also be done with red felt too if you wanted to make it for Mario. I just went with Luigi because, personally, I kind of like Luigi more, and I don't think he gets enough love. ;)

What you'll need:

          Green Felt

          Yellow Felt

          Stiff Black Felt (you can use the regular felt that's a little more floppy, but the stiff kind will be much easier to use)

          Fabric Pen (with disappearing ink)

          Sewing Scissors

          Hot glue gun

          Star shape (I used a small, plastic, glow-in-the-dark star from my daughter's ceiling. You can use something similar, or you can trace an image from a picture and cut it out. Anything that will be a good template to trace, and the size you want)

          Hair clip or headband 

1.) Cut out a strip from your green felt. Mine measured approximately 1.5 inches by 6.5 inches.  

2.) Cut out another green felt strip, but smaller. Mine was approximately .5 inches by 3.5 inches.

3.) Lay your star shape flat on your yellow felt and trace around it with your fabric pen. (Fabric pens are great for marking fabric since the ink will disappear when you wash it or within 24 hours or so). 

Now you have three pieces that don't look anything like a bow, but they will! 

4.) Take the bigger of the felt strips and fold the ends together, one on top of the other. Glue these together so that they hold. 

It should look like this after you've glued. :)

5.) Next, pinch the middle together so that it resembles a bow. This isn't necessary really, but it does help you to see how you want your bow to look when it's finished and it creases it so that the next step is easier. (Please forgive me for the horrible way that ruler in the back looks. I didn't notice it until after I had taken all of the pictures and finished the bow).

6.) Next, place the smaller strip around the bow. This will be the middle. Trim off the excess ends, but leave enough so that you can glue those ends together just like you did with the bigger strip. Glue the ends together while keeping the small strip tight around the bow. 

7.) Set the bow aside. Next, we'll be making little eyes for the star power! Cut a small piece from your stiff black felt, and then cut out very small ovals. You can use a pair of tweezers to help hold the felt so that you can get a nicely shaped and tiny oval. This part is just a little tricky, so if you'd rather skip it, that's fine! Although the eyes do make it look more like the star from Mario Bros., it will still look great! :)

8.) Carefully put a small dot of glue on the eyes (one at a time) and place them on the star. 

9.) After that, put a small dab of glue on the back of the star and place it gently in the middle of the bow (if you press it down, you'll see the glue through the yellow fabric and your little star will look funny). Then glue the entire bow onto a hair clip or a headband.

And you're done! Super easy and fun, huh? :)

Now dress up your little cutie and enjoy! 

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! If you would like one of these with your order, send me an email! I would be happy to include one for you! :)

Super {Adorable} Mario Bros. Pinafores!

HUZZAH!!! My first pinafores are finally DONE! :D

So, usually, the Pinny of the Month will feature only one pinafore at a time, but for my first post, I wanted to do two. Especially since Mario and Luigi are quite the inseparable duo!

Introducing the Marvelous Mario and Little Luigi Pinafores!

       

Making these was a lot of fun! They are pretty simple, but when you add in the accessories, it really makes the outfit come to life! :)

I also made the hats, which was a lot of fun too! If you're wondering how I did it, I followed the instructions in this tutorial from the blog, Fleeting Thing, here: http://fleetingthing.com/?projects=super-mario-hat-pattern-and-tutorial The tutorial doesn't include a pattern for the L on Luigi's hat, but that's so easy to figure out that I'm sure you can do it too. ;)

       

       

I just love how the back criss-crosses! Isn't it awesome when the back can be as much fun as the front? :)

But my favorite feature this: My models are both in very different sizes. One is in 12 month, the other in 3T, yet they both are dressed in the exact same pinafore. So, if you were to buy a pinny for your 9 month old, she could still wear it a few years later when she's wearing a 3T! The only difference is that when she's a baby, it will fit like a jumper dress, and when she is older, it will fit like a tunic top. 

Seriously, that is just the best. Personally, I get soooo disappointed when my kids get to wear something absolutely adorable for all of two months, and then they grow out of it. You can tell which outfits I like on them best by how tight it is, since I try to make it last as long as possible. But with these, you wouldn't have to worry about that! Talk about a nice break for both of you! :)

     

So my store is officially OPEN! YAAAY!! As Pinkie Pie would say, "I'm so nervicited!" Hahaha! Seriously, it is really exciting to open up my own shop, but a little intimidating too. Buuuuut, I'm excited to share what I can do with everyone. :)

So, if you like what you see, head on over to the store and check it out! And don't forget to check back next month for a new design! 

Addio!