Belle's Blouse and Bloomers

Ahh, it's been awhile since I've posted! I figured it was about time I posted the next step in making Belle's dress.  As you can see from the picture above I am actually already finished with my take on Belle's blue dress. I can't wait to show you all some more pictures!  The one above is just a teaser.  I have to finish catching you up on the progress first.

I am combining both the blouse and the bloomers into this post.  For the blouse I basically just used a pattern.  I don't trust my own pattern-making skills with blouses, hehe.  They are a bit harder than skirts.  Pictured below is the pattern I used.  I didn't buy it specifically for this project.  I'm sure there is a pattern that would be better for Belle, but I didn't want to buy a new pattern.  I've had this pattern for years and it worked out perfectly, I just needed to make a few adjustments.

The only adjustments I made was taking a few inches out so it was not as baggy around the waist and on the sleeves.  I also created a drawstring for the neckline instead of using elastic for the neckline. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the blouse. But you can kinda see how the blouse turned out in the picture above.

After making the blouse I used the same fabric to make the bloomers.  I was a little unsure of how to make the bloomers.  My plan was to paint the flourish pattern on the bloomers just like I did with the pockets.  Painting a flourish design is a lot harder than painting stripes.  I decided I needed some sort of stamp so I could make each flourish uniform.

Using styrofoam I cut out the little leaf shaped pieces and glued them to a piece of poster board. In other words, I simply created my own stamp.  Then I was able to paint my homemade stamp and stamp it onto the fabric.  It worked perfectly.

For making the bloomers I also used a pattern.  I used simplicity pattern 3677 (it's a pattern for a pirate costume).    I made just one simple adjustment;  instead of elastic at the end of the bloomers I made cuffs like belle has in the movie.

Now all that's left is the vest.  The vest was the trickiest part which is why the next post will be devoted to more detailed information about how I made mine.  

I'm so excited, and kinda sad, to see this project finally come to an end.  

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!

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!

Making Belle's Underskirt

I'm sorry that it has been awhile since I last posted. I was really trying to post more but things always happen that I have no control over. That's life though.  So much has been going on in my life and to be honest I just needed a break.  But I'm finally feeling like life is back to normal again and I'm once again falling back into routine; which means all my free time is spent with my sewing machine :)

First things first.  I decided that the first thing to make for Belle's dress is the underskirt.  I love making skirts because in my opinion making a skirt is a lot easier than making a blouse. I'm saving the harder pieces of her outfit for last.

To start I found the perfect fabric at the local craft store (Joanns).

I almost didn't have enough fabric so I had to be a bit creative in how I cut the fabric.  I made the skirt with three tiers and with an elastic waist band.

Belle has a coordinating fabric underneath the underskirt that you can see when she tucks her skirt up.  I added my coordinating fabric to the last tier of the underskirt and then hand-sewed it onto the back of the skirt.

After I finished the skirt I really didn't like the bulky elastic waist band.  I decided to add one more tier to the skirt and gathered the second tier to that tier.  I still used elastic for the waist band.  As you can see in the picture below the waist band isn't as bulky anymore. Problem solved!

Now that the underskirt it done I can't wait to make the skirt.  Slowly but surely this costume is coming together ;)

My Summer Project

When I first heard about the live action Beauty and the Beast I could not contain my excitement.  I grew up on the animation, it was one of my favorite movies, and now they were making a live action of this beloved movie.  When it came out I planned an outing with my friends on opening day to finally see the long anticipated movie.

I loved it so much!  Of course, just like most movies, there were a few parts I didn't care to much about but this post isn't a review so I won't go into details.  One aspect of the movie I absolutely loved was all the costumes.  I felt like it was a feast for my eyes taking in all the amazing costumes.

Each summer I usually pick a sewing project to work on so this summer I decided to make one of Belle's dresses.  But which one should I make? I could never do her yellow dress. Yellow just isn't my color and I'm still not sure if I like her yellow dress from the new movie.  It just doesn't feel like the old dress, it feels to modern.  But her blue dress on the other hand.  I fell in love with it the first time I saw it.

This outfit is amazing! I love all the separate pieces that make this outfit. The apron, the pockets... I even plan on making the bloomers Belle wears under her skirt.

Last week I picked out fabric for the dress.  It took a while to find all the right fabric but after much searching I was able to find just the right pattern for each part of the dress.

I can't wait to make this costume!  This will officially be my second cosplay (technically my third if you count the Hiccup cosplay I made for my brother) and my first Disney cosplay! As I work on this dress I will be taking pictures of the process and I plan on posting a tutorial just like I did for my Astrid Cosplay.

I'll say it one more time, I'm very excited about this project!  I can't wait to start ;)

DIY - Hand Lettered Ornaments

Even though I'm excited that Christmas season is finally here again, I'm sad to say that I'm little bit late in getting our Christmas decorations up this year.  Usually my family sets up everything for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  Well, I think Thanksgiving must have come early this year because it can't be Christmas season already?  

To be honest, it's really hard to get into the Christmas spirit when you don't have a tree yet. This weekend we are planning to find the perfect tree for our house but in the meantime, our house is lacking the Christmas feel.  

Well, anyway, each year I set up a small white tree in my room.  As I was setting up the tree the other day I realized that I wasn't happy anymore with the same decorations we use every year.  The tree needed something new this year. Grabbing all my lettering supplies I went to work on fixing this problem by creating my own homemade ornaments.

I decided to make these ornaments very simple.  Mainly because I didn't really want to spend all day making them. First, I simply cut out small squares and circles in thick card stock paper.

After I cut out the shapes I used my watercolor markers and wrote quotes from my  favorite Christmas songs on each cut out.  You can use any markers.  I enjoy using markers that have a brush tip so you can make your lettering look like calligraphy.  

I had fun thinking of creative ways to write out each one.  Once I finished I punched a small hole in the top and strung some cord through.

After I hung these ornaments on the tree I knew that these amazingly simple and fun ornaments were just what my tree was missing.  

Now to finish the rest of the Christmas decorating. Before long Christmas will be here and I'm already feeling overwhelmed at how fast time is flying by.  But I hope you have a blessed Christmas season, and I wish you joy as you tackle all the decorating. 

DIY - Miniature Wooden Crate

For as long as I can remember thrift stores have always been my favorite place to shop. First, you can't beat their prices. Secondly, it's basically a store that sells everything from clothes to furniture and all the in between.  I always find a new treasure whenever I go to our local thrift store.

My latest find was this darling miniature crate. I knew right away it would work great for organizing, not to mention it was just adorable.  For only one dollar how could I say no!

The only problem, I hated the color. It was a metallic silver. In my opinion it was a poor choice of color for the crate.  But I knew I could always repaint it to match my room.

I used the same paint I used for my last few projects (my Crackle Paint Picture Frame, and my Painted Mason Jars).  To get the same color  I used for my painted mason jars I added a little white paint to lighten the light blue paint.

 I decided to do the crackle technique with the crate so I painted the undercoat white.  It needed two coats of white paint.

 If you want a more detailed tutorial on the crackle technique using Elmer's glue check out my previous blog post here.

After I applied the glue I painted the crate with my light  blue paint. As it dried it began to crackle.  It still amazes me how this works. One moment it's just one plain color and the next minute it's starting to crackle and the undercoat is peeking through.

Can you believe this adorable crate used to be an ugly metallic silver?  I can't either.  Not only do I adore the new color of my crate but the crackle effect added a nice texture to the wooden crate.

 

I've decided that finding something that has potential and 're-painting' it to go with my room has become one of my favorite pastimes.  I hope you will find his post helpful and that it will inspire you to be creative.

Do you like to shop at thrift stores too? What kinds of treasures have you found and re-purposed?