Belle's Pocket Tutorial

I have to say, the pockets turned out so much better than I expected and they were so easy!  As soon as I finished the pockets and added them to the skirt and apron the costume looked so much like Belle!  It made me so happy!

What can I say,  I'm really proud of the pockets.  Not just because they turned out great, but because I pretty much made them from scratch. No pattern and I even painted the stripes onto the fabric by hand!

I could not find any fabric when I went shopping that matched Belle's pockets. Luckily the pattern on Belle's pockets was simple strips so  I decided to paint the stripes onto the fabric myself. 

I used acrylic paints because that was the only paint we had in the colors I needed.  I cut out four rectangular pieces of cream fabric. The pocket that has red stripes is smaller than the one with blue stripes.  

This was a new experience for me, painting the pattern on the fabric instead of buying fabric that already has the pattern. I turned up my music and started painting away.

After I finished painting the stripes on the pockets I sewed the pocket pieces together.  I'm sorry I don't have many pictures of the progress. 

Basically I looked at the picture of Belle's pocket and did my best to re-create it. I cut an opening in the pocket big enough for my hand to fit inside (I only cut one opening on one side of each of the pockets, not both sides) and then created binding from the red fabric I plan on using for the vest.  I  sewed the binding on over the raw edges.

Lastly I sewed the pockets onto a thin strap, just like I did for the apron.  As you can see the pockets are not separate, they are both attached to the same waist strap.

There you go!  The pockets are done!  I absolutely love them!  I am going to be making myself more of these amazing pockets for my other historical costumes!

A New Dream

What a crazy summer it has been for me!  It definitely did not go how I planned, haha.  Life is hard sometimes and I've had my share of hard days this summer.   But I also had my share of wonderful days!  My favorite part of summer was spending quality time with my family; which included going backpacking and hiking.  Most of all though,  I'm overwhelmed by the amazing God we serve and each day He is showing me how much He loves me.

But guess what!  God spoke to me this summer!  For years I have been praying to God for direction for my life.  I've been content to take each day as it comes and God is always faithful to give me what I need for that day.  But I've never really had much of a goal or plan for my future.

After I graduated high school (In 2014, sheesh, that was awhile ago, lol) I never took the college route.  Mainly because I didn't know what I wanted to pursue.  Well, now I finally know what I want to study.  Today I had my first class in Early Childhood Education.

I have always loved kids and I enjoy doing childcare for friends.  God has put it on my heart to work with kids and love kids.  I have a passion for the little children in God's kingdom and I want to serve God by loving on these little ones.

I'm so excited to be taking the next step in following God and I can't wait to see how He will use me! It's never to early to dream!  And God's timing is always perfect!

It's official!  I'm a college student!

Making Belle's Skirt and Apron

Finally I have found the time to continue working on Belles blue dress from Beauty and the Beast. The skirt and the apron are probably the easiest parts to make out of the whole costume so I thought I would combine them in the same post.  

Since I have made so many skirts and aprons in the past I didn't need to use a pattern.  I simply cut out my fabric and started sewing.

I absolutely love how my skirt turned out!  I love the fabric I chose so much!  The only thing I would change about the skirt is I used a little to much fabric.  It is a very full  and puffy skirt with all the gathers I made.  But other than that, the skirt turned out wonderful.

In the picture below you can see how I made a button enclosure for the waistband.  I was only planning on using one button for the waistband  but my waistband ended up being longer than I wanted it to be (which seems to happen to me every time I make a skirt).  To fix this problem, I added an extra button and overlaped the waistband until it fit me perfectly.  I actually love how the skirt looks with the two buttons.

When I hemmed the skirt I made sure that it was only a few inches shorter than the underskirt. I tried on the skirt with the underskirt and I love how the stripped pattern of the underskirt can still be seen. When you pull up the underskirt it really starts to look like Belles outfit and I know it will look even better after I make the bloomers for underneath.

Now onto making the apron.  I really don't have much to say about making the apron.  If you have a pattern for making an apron, that's great, but if you don't aprons are super easy to make without one.

I cut out a big rectangle of the fabric and hemmed the sides and the bottom.  Then I simply gathered it and sewed it onto the waistband/strap.  Make the apron strap extra long so you can tie it in the back.

And that is all I have for now.  This costume is finally starting to take shape!  I'm so excited!

How to Make Incredibly Easy Iced Coffee (when you don't have a coffee maker)

Growing up, coffee was not allowed in the house.  I actually believed that it was forbidden to even drink that stuff.  I didn't really care though.  It was a mystery to me that people even liked this horrid smelling drink. Not only liked it, but craved it.  

I remember the day I gave in and had my first coffee.  I wanted to like coffee so bad but however hard I tried I wasn't craving it, and I still hated the flavor.  Well, I kept trying to like it and you know what?  It worked!  Not only do I like it, but I sometimes will catch myself craving coffee.  Especially iced coffee.  Not sure if this is a good thing to be proud about or not.  

I've learned that multiple trips to Starbucks can start to add up.  Even if the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato is worth the extra dollars (oh my goodness, that drink is just...AMAZING), I don't want to go broke because I buy myself coffee too much.

Since my parents still don't like coffee  (I still think they would prefer me to think that it's forbidden), we don't have a coffee maker.  But we do have ground coffee.  But how do you make coffee without a coffee maker?  It's actually really easy.  I've tried a few different ways and I'm going to share with you my favorite way.  I learned this super easy method to make coffee at a camp I work at in the spring.   

First thing you need is coffee grounds.  Take you coffee (about two tablespoons is one serving size) and put it in a small pan with about 1-2 cups of water.  Put it on the stove and heat up the water. It's important that you don't let it boil.  It will ruin the flavor.  I always forget and turn away for one second and come back to find my coffee boiling.  Let the coffee stay on the stove until the coffee grounds have all sunken to the bottom.

Onto the next step.  Line a strainer with a coffee filter and put it over your cup (or a whatever container works best for you).  Pour in your coffee, grains and all. Wha-La!  You have coffee!  Wasn't that easy!

But it's a very strong tasting coffee and if you love that kind of taste than good for you, but I still can't stand my coffee without a sweetener or cream.  To sweeten my coffee I always add about a spoonful of sugar and a splash of vanilla.  If you add the sugar while the coffee is hot it will dissolve better. To make your coffee iced simply pour it over ice. 

Lastly add the creamer of your choice.  I don't do good with dairy.  I love dairy but it will give me a headache if I have too much.  For my creamer I use coconut milk.  I seriously think coconut milk is better than normal milk in so many ways.

And that's how you make yourself a refreshing glass of iced coffee when the craving come.  I can't guarantee this method will make your coffee taste as good if you had a coffee maker but it's easy and it works great.  

Now that I know that coffee isn't forbidden, haha,  I enjoy making it occasionally.  It is a refreshing drink on a hot day.  Or an energy boost when your to-do list seems to go on and on forever.  Or, this one's my favorite, something to sip on during a long road trip.

And now you know how easy it is to make!