Completed: CaliFayeCollection Gardenia Dress

 Raise your hand if you’ve already sewn an Elsa dress. Well, I can now raise my hand because I finally got around to creating one. After every sewing mother and grandmother in the online sewing community made one. And after everyone else bought all of the Elsa fabrics up at the fabric stores.

I used the CaliFayeCollection Gardenia Dress pattern, a dress pattern I discovered for the first time in STYLO 3.

Project details

Pattern: CaliFayeCollection Gardenia Dress

Size: 6

Modifications: added length, eliminated the pockets, I used an old blue hair elastic for the button loop

Fabrics: 

Front top/neckline/back/sleeves: white swiss dot

Front lower: blue non-stretch sequin fabric

Skirt: blue faux silk dupioni

Notions: white shank button with a snowflake on it, the last one leftover from the Nordic stripes flannel Christmas pajamas.

I later added a removable cape. It’s 3/4 yard of light sparkly fabric, three sides were hemmed, it's gathered at the top and sewn together with bias binding, with elastic loops at each end that attach to buttons on the shoulders. I got the idea here. An added bonus is that she is able to put the cape on and off all by herself, it's that easy.

 What better place to take photos of Elsa the snow queen than outside in the snow?? These photos were taken on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 frozen lakes.

So many Elsa dresses out there that offer inspiration, just in case you haven’t already made a girl’s dreams come true yet and are looking for ideas: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Now she wants an Anna dress. I think it’ll be the same pattern, but with ‘Anna colors’.

Kid Tomte Outfit

 Here is a tomte outfit I created for my girl, it was originally posted at The Pickled Herring for the Scandinavian Christmas 2013 series. Are you familiar with what a tomte is? Tomte is the red Swedish Christmas elf, an elf to delight children.

 Project details:
Top: Oliver + S Playtime Tunic, size 5, red fleece

 Bottoms: Oliver + S Playtime Leggings, size 7, red and white striped 100% cotton jersey knit fabric

could also be worn with a red and white striped knit hat

 Instead of 3 buttons in the back of the tunic I added 2 sew-on snaps (I've become a huge fan of these sew-on snaps).

 Hat: long red fleece stocking cap, I created it by making 2 tall triangles, 11 inches wide on the bottom, 31 inches tall, with right sides together sew with .5 inch seam allowances, cut corner, trim seams and turn right side out, tuck under 5/8 inch and sew 3/8 inch for hemming the bottom of the hat

before wet felting

 Felted slippers: elf shoes (free knitting pattern) knitted with red wool yarn, then wet felted in hot water wash machine, then hot dryer (Ravelry notes found here)

after wet felting

Thank you for taking the time to visit here.

King Herod Costume

 I just finished up a King Herod costume for a certain 10 year old boy who will be performing as King Herod in the Christmas drama at our church this year.

Project details
Pattern: vintage pattern (1981) McCall's 7733

 Fabrics:
3 yards gold brocade fabric for the cape

2 yards royal blue crushed panne fabric for the robe

1/3 yard liquid gold metallic fabric for the belt

 Notions: 12 inches gold trim for the frog 'closure' on the cape

 I'm wondering if something like this can be bought in a store and if so how much it would cost. This definitely wasn't the most money saving project, costing almost $40 with $30 just for the cape. But he needed a costume quickly and I was appreciative to have the opportunity to sew up one. Also if it's anything like the king's cloak I made years ago, then it will be used a lot.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

PS Last year he played the role of Saint Joseph and wore his Saint Joseph costume that I sewed for him using the same pattern!