Fairy Wings! (Tiny bit of hand stitching)

No girl should be without a set of fairy wings. In fact I have a hard time not wearing them! Wings are very simple to make, and inexpensive. So go ahead...make a set for you and your daughter.

You Will Need:

• 3 Pair Knee-Highs in the color of your choice (get them in those gumball-machine-type plastic eggs and they're only $.33-$.50!)


• Wire- I happened to have a reel of 17 gauge wire in my garage, you may want heavier wire to hold a more rounded shape (coat hangers might work, too).


• Needle and Matching Thread


• Wire Cutters, and Pliers

1.)  To figure the length of wire you need, just shape it in your hands and cut a few inches longer. Twist the ends. Do this twice for the top wings, and twice for the bottom wings.



2.) Taking one top wing and one bottom wing, twist the ends together. Repeat for the second set.



3.) Twist the two sections together. To avoid being stuck by the poke-y ends, I use the pliers to curl them inward snail-shell style.

4.) Pop open the Knee-High eggs, and slip one stocking over each wing section.



5.) Cover the ends in the middle with something to pad it. I used quilt batting, but you can use anything that works...that sock that was orphaned in the dryer would be great!

 

[caption id="attachment_181" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Padded Pokies"][/caption]

 

6.) Sew the ends of the nylons together on both sides, with a little hand-stitching, being sure to sew them to the padding.



7.) Now for the straps: Taking the third set of knee-highs, attach one to either set of wings by sewing the toe and edge sections between the wing-nylons.

 

[caption id="attachment_183" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Attaching the straps"][/caption]

 

8.) All that's left is to shape your wings and put them on!

No-Sew Tutu

Does it really need more of an explanation?  A tutu is a costume favorite, but you don't need to buy one... you can make it yourself with no sewing knowledge whatsoever.

You Will Need:

• 4 Yards Tulle (for adult size you may want at least 6 yards)
  


• Ribbon


• Scissors

1.) Cut the ribbon the length of the waist measurement plus 15 inches. Tie knots in the ribbon 7 inches in from each end.



2.) Roll the tulle into a long tube and cut 4 inch pieces.



3.) Once your pieces are cut you should have a pile of  rolled tulle strips. Unroll a strip and fold it in half end touching end. If this is too long for your needs, you may want to cut at the half, making two strips.

4.) Taking a strip of tulle, fold in half (end touching end). Starting at one knot, put the loop/folded-end on the ribbon. Then pull the ends through the loop thus tying the strip around the ribbon.



 

[caption id="attachment_193" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ends pulled through the loop"][/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_194" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pull tight to secure it"][/caption]

 

5.) Continue tying the strips around the ribbon until all are knotted on.



Viola! A Tutu. Tie around the waist of your little ballerina/fairy/princess.

 

[caption id="attachment_202" align="aligncenter" width="194" caption="What girl wouldn't be happy in a tutu!?"][/caption]

 

Things you can add:

Slippers

Lace Crown

Pipe Cleaner Crown

Simple Sheath: A Unisex Costume Base with Multiple Use (Easy, Break out the Sewing Machine)

This Sheath Dress/Robe is the base for many costumes. I found it on this Rostitchery blog, and it's so simple to make, you feel like you're cheating!

From Rostitichery:

"This is one of the most popular costume silhouettes there is--the generic "princess/angel/medieval maiden/Renaissance damsel/magical wizard/monk/every-fairy-tale-princess-in-grimms'-anthology" gown."

I will add, it also makes an easy Samurai/Martial Arts Guy costume, which is what I've done for this tutorial. You can see the original post from Rostitchery by clicking the link above, but I will also give a quick how-I-did-it.

You Will Need:

• Fabric, The best fabric for this is stretchy and some kind of knit (so you don't have to bother with hemming) Measure: Width-The length from wrist to wrist when child's arms are out; Length- Measure from top of shoulder to floor and double it


• Scissors


• Desired accessories

1.) Most fabrics will already be the width you need, so likely you won't need any cutting there. For my cuts, I folded my fabric in half (the short ends being the bottom) and had my son lay on it with his shoulders at the fold.

[caption id="attachment_144" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Please refer to Rostitchery for her cutting instructions"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_145" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="I wanted mine a little more fitted, so I cut the side as well as under the arm"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_146" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Folded in half to make the cuts symmetrical"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_147" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="All cut"][/caption]

2.)  I made the Neck cut. ***It's worth repeating: Start out small, you can always make it a little bigger. Once that hole is cut, you can't go back.***



3.) Sew the sides starting at the edge of the sleeve and around to the bottom edge. Do not sew the bottom shut.

4.) Accessories and details make the costume what you want it to be. For my Samurai/Martial Arts guy I sewed a strip of felt (no hemming to worry about, again) around the neck and down the front for a faux robe look, and tied a belt of red felt around his waist. I also made a Japanese medallion for the head band by drawing on a piece of the felt. (My son wasn't liking the full length robe so I also cut it a little shorter.)



For a Jedi Robe you could use brown fabric and tan trim/ties

For an angel/princess/fairy, you could use gold rope trim to wrap around and crisscross the bodice area, add wings, slippers, a crown, etc.

Here is a blog about making your own slippers.

No-Sew Knight's Tunic: Easy, Low-Cost, Costume Piece for Boys

Have you seen the price of costumes these days!? They all seem to be at least $20-$30. I know $20 just doesn't stretch as far as it used to, but I still think that's a little hefty for an outfit your child may only wear once (especially as it's made so cheaply that it will likely rip while trick-or-treating).

Today starts a week of costume blogs. Some will be No-Sew, Little Sew, or Break out the Sewing Machine... but all will be easy and inexpensive. I will also include some optional ad-ons.

This, No-Sew Knight's (or Musketeer, Peter Pan, Prince, etc.) Tunic, is super easy and quick. It's also a great option for those of us who need to fit a costume over a jacket or coat.

You Will Need:

• 1 yard of Felt in the color of your choice (found in your local crafts/sewing store)
  


• 1 piece of felt in a second color (you can find 8x10 pieces in the children's craft section of your local crafts/sewing store)


• Scissors


• Glue

 

[caption id="attachment_131" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="1 cut yard of felt. My boys were the Three Musketeers one year, so we chose blue."][/caption]

 

1.) Fold your piece of felt in half, and cut a neck hole (you may want to use a t-shirt for a guide) from the folded edge. For colder climates, don't forget to cut it big enough to fit over the jacket or coat.

 

[caption id="attachment_132" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Neck Hole"][/caption]

 

2.) Find an emblem you want for the chest. Trace it onto your Piece of Felt in the second color, and cut out. I found mine on a quick web search for "Fleur De Lis clip art".

3.) Glue the emblem to the chest of the tunic.



There is your No-Sew Tunic!

The rest of the costume can be found in your child's wardrobe: Pants and a long-sleeved shirt; a belt; and boots. You can also add inexpensive items like a sword, hat, or crown...easily found at a dollar store.

(There's a GREAT tutorial for making a crown at Bitter Betty Blogs.)

**I cut and sewed the shoulders on an angle to provide a more fitted look, but this is purely optional.