Tinkerbelle Halloween Costume

We won’t get to do official Trick-or-Treating here in Luxembourg, but yesterday at Hannah’s school was Halloween dress up.

Earlier in the week I asked her what she wanted to be.
”A horse.  No. Tinkerbelle.  Yea, Tinkerbelle.”

I had recently seen a Tinkerbelle (La Fée Clochette, as the French say)costume at a local toy store.

”Maxi Toys has a Tink costume that comes with a wand and wings and everything,” I told her.

”No.  I don’t want to wear that one.  I want you to sew me a Tink costume.”
I couldn’t say no because I do love handmade things and apparently store bought was unacceptable to her.

Here’s what I came up with:

It was simple, really.  I used a knit fabric that doesn’t fray so that I didn’t have to sew any hems. 
There’s a little fabric shop in Luxembourg and unfortunately the only green they had was this shade.  I asked the woman if there was anything lighter.

”Je voudrais ce tissu en un vert…”
I’d like this fabric in a (pause because I don’t know the word for lighter) green…
”Comme ça,” (like this) and I point to a lighter shade of a different green fabric.

”Ah, plus claire?”
”Oui!  Plus claire!”  There’s the word I was looking for.

Between my limited French and the women’s limited English, we were able to communicate with lots of hand gestures, a measuring tape and a picture of Tinkerbelle on my phone.  I left the store with everything I needed for my little Fée Clochette.

I started out by using Hannah’s bathing suite as a pattern for the top and added some ruffle sleeves.

Then I made the skirt by cutting double the length of her waist measurement and creating encasing for the elastic around the top.  I cut triangles out of the bottom and added a layer of tulle underneath.

Next I made wings by bending wire coat hangers and covering them with a pair of cheap white tights.  Shawn helped me by cutting off the hook part of the hanger and twisting them together.  I covered the piece where they meet with fabric and added straps so they can be worn kind of like a backpack.

Next was the best part.  Hannah and I used some old glitter nail polish that I had in my makeup bag to add sparkle to the wings.

Now all Tink needed was some shoes.  These were really simple to make.  I cut ovals out of fabric and sewed elastic around the edges so that they would gather snugly at the ankle.  Ya know those covers that doctors wear over their shoes with scrubs?  Exactly like that.
Then I added a little puffy ball to the front.

And some dabs of super glue to the bottom for a no-slip grip.

As a final touch, I braided some green ribbon through her hair.

She loved wearing her Tink costume to school and when I picked her up, her hair was disheveled, her wings were on crooked and the tulle from the skirt was bunched up in the back.

”Hey Mom, my teacher liked my costume and I said that my mom will make all new costumes for the dress up corner in our class.”

Great, I’ll be right on that.

Insta-Friday

Our house is situated very close to the Luxembourg Airport.
So close, in fact, that we see this quite often:

We’ve always lived close to airports, so we’re used to it. 

The rule here is no flights landing or taking off between 11PM and 6AM.
The Luxembourgish people, they like their quiet.

If you’re a history nerd like me, you’ll like this little story.  Even if you’re not a nerd, you’ll probably still like this little story.  It’s funny.  (In a passive resistance kind of way.)

When the Germans invaded Luxembourg in WWII, the Luxembourgish people were like, “Um, yea.  Since you guys are here and you’re going to build an airport, let us show you the perfect spot…”
And the Germans were like, “YES! Let’s build an airport!  Right here in this spot!”
Then the Luxembourgish people were like, “Tee-hee, giggle-giggle, snicker-snicker.” 
A few months later the Germans were like, “Dude, you guys didn’t tell us that this is the dampest, foggiest spot in all of Luxembourg.  None of our airplanes can take off or land.  What gives?”

(It sort of reminds me of the time in college when one of our friends had almost convinced another friend that she should wear a fanny pack.
”No, it doesn’t look dorky at all.  You should wear it.  You can totally pull it off…”)

                                                           ***

Luxembourg has a marathon and half marathon coming up in May.  
I wish I could be in half marathon shape by then.

This one makes my mama heart all proud and smiley.
Hannah got an award at school last week for using good manners.
Don’t you love it when parenting efforts pay off?

We had a couple of really warm days, which called for lunch outside on the patio.
With horse boots and a white unicorn, of course.

This is a typical traffic jam in our neighborhood.

I’ve noticed that Hannah’s hair bows have been disappearing so I picked up some new clips at H&M this week.
Me: What happened to all your bows?
Hannah: Um, I gave some away.
Me: You gave them away? 
Hannah: Yea, the girls in my class really like the ones you make, so I gave some to them.
How can I be upset at that?

An update on THE QUILT:
I measured, cut, sorted, matched and started sewing the blocks together.
Quilting sure requires a lot of math, yo.
And the possible fabric combinations?  Endless.
I hope I’m doing my girl Stephanie proud.

There you have it. 
That’s a little peek into our week via pics from my cell phone.

I’m linked up with Life Rearranged.

A Good Day at La Poste

I have a friend named Stephanie.
We went to school together from elementary through high school.
Then we each went away to college, got married, had babies, blah blah blah and met back up on Facebook a few years ago.

A lot of our conversations are about sewing and quilting.
You see, Stephanie and her mom make some stunning quilts.
Me? I’ve never made an actual quilt.
I started one about 8 years ago, but I was in over my head and never finished it.
Then I made what could loosely be called a quilt a few years ago. 
But it is more of a blanket than a quilt.
I had mentioned to Stephanie that if we lived closer, I would have her teach me to make a quilt.

Well, she didn’t forget about that and this week sent me the best present.
I mean, like, the best present evah.

This here is all the fixins to make my very own quilt.
A for real quilt, not a pretend one like I made a few years ago.

She included all the fabric, detailed instructions and even a spool of thread.
My job is to put the quilt top together, mail it back to her and she will piece all the layers together and do the fancy work on her very fancy machine.
I mean, really.  I’d be telling a lie if I said that I didn’t cry a little when I opened the box.

And then I cried a little more when I read her note, because besides being a quilting maven, girlfriend is funny.  She even included a Ryan Gosling bit and you all know how funny I think Ryan Gosling is, right?

 
I did have some trouble actually receiving the package because of a little snafu with Customs.  I got a letter saying that my package was being held and that I needed to provide specific documentation within a fortnight (yes, it actually said fortnight) or else it would be returned to the sender.

Apparently, one mom sending fabric to another is suspicious activity. 

Luckily a local Luxembourgish guy at Shawn’s work helped me sort it all out.
Then they tried to deliver the package to our house and no one was home to claim and sign for it.  So the next day I was able to pick it up at la poste, the post office.  I may have squealed when the woman handed the box to me.  And I think I skipped down the steps on the way back to my car.

So, thank you, Stephanie.
You are beyond sweet and generous and thoughtful.
You made my day, my week, maybe even my year.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a quilt to make.

Reduce. Reuse. Make It Into a Little Bed.

Unless you count this framed photo collage that I started but haven’t finished in our foyer, I haven’t really done anything crafty or creative since we’ve been in Luxembourg.

(Ignore the radiator.  Houses in Europe don’t have central heating – each room’s temperature is controlled individually by radiators, making for decorative and furniture arranging challenges.)

Anyways, I haven’t done any sewing, either.
When we got here four months ago, Shawn hooked my sewing machine up to a transformer-something-or-other so that it would work with a European electrical outlet.
There it is under the desk.
Not as obtrusive as the radiator, but still not very pretty, is it?


Then I realized that I was missing a piece to my sewing machine.
It must have gotten lost in the move.

I got online and ordered another – it was less than $6.  Score.
But it was on backorder and wouldn’t be shipped for eight weeks.
Oh, and the company I ordered it from is in the US but told me they can’t ship internationally. 
Even when I offered to pay for it.  Boo.
 
I had it delivered to my parents’ house and they sent it to me.
Thanks, guys!

So, where was I?  Oh, yes.  The crafting.
Today we finished the strawberries that came in this sturdy, wooden box.
It was too nice to throw away or even put in the recycle bin.

So I gave it a good wash, a coat of black spray paint and gathered up some scrap batting and fabric.

I made some little sheets, a tiny pillow and cozy comforter.

And we put it all together to make a bed fit for a horse.

Or a purple bunny.

Or a duck and a purple bunny.
(Scandalous!)

Up next: something pretty to cover that clunky, metal transformer box.

Tutorial: Kids Belt

We have a teeny tiny little problem. 
It’s Hannah’s waist. 
She’s tall and slender so pants that fit in the waist are too short and pants that fit in length fall down.  Even pants with the adjustable elastic sometimes don’t cinch tight enough
for her lean little bod.

So we fixed that with my latest project –
The Belt It Out Toddler Belt!

All you need is some scrap fabric, fusible interfacing,
two 1” D-rings, a sewing machine and thread.

I started out by measuring Hannah’s waist. 
I added about 6 inches to the measurement and
cut out a 23”x3” piece of scrap fabric.

Then I ironed a piece of fusible interfacing to the back.

I folded right sides together lengthwise and began sewing.  I sewed all the way down the length and across the bottom,   leaving the top open.

Then I turned it out,

and gave it a good press.

Next I pressed the unfinished edge over about 1/2 inch.

Then I slipped the D-rings on and tucked the unfinished end under.

Finally, I stitched across to hold the D-rings in place.

It was so simple that I finished in less than 20 minutes. 
Hannah looks darling in her new belt, but would agree to a photo shoot only if I took a pic of the belt and
not her sweet little face. 

Well, that and animal crackers. 
I’m not above it.

No Fuss Fabric Flower Tutorial

As promised, here’s my tutorial for no fuss fabric flowers.
Quick, easy and virtually no sewing skills required.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

And that’s it!
You might be thinking:

Can I fray the edges to make it look more shabby?
Can I add more layers?
Can my fabric strips be cut shorter or longer
to make smaller or bigger flowers?

Yes, yes and yes!

That’s the beauty of the no fuss fabric flower. 
You can’t mess it up, really.

And, did I mention that it has many possibilities?  

Attach it to a bag.

Wear it on a sweater.

 
Find a cute three year old and pin her curls up with it.

Now go make one.
All the cool kids are doing it.

I’m partying with these gals!

Mama’s Got a Brand New Bag

Saturday morning, Shawn and Hannah went on a little daddy-daughter date while I went to a sewing class at a local craft studio.

My goal?  Learn to sew a zipper.

It’s not that I’ve never sewn a zipper.
It’s just that nearly every zipper I’ve sewn has been
filed under “Projects that Fail.”

Here’s what I made at the class:
It’s got a cute pocket for my celly.

And one for my little camera.

And a zipper!  Oh, would you look at that zipper!

I was happy with my fabric selection.
And I was happy with my zipper.

But there was just something missing.
It needed some panache.
So with my leftover fabric, I made some panache.

The bag? Reversible and practical.

The flower? Versatile and ridiculously easy to make. 
No sewing machine required. 
Tutorial coming soon.