Quick - It's Almost Thanksgiving!!!

So I just realized this week that my daughter has nothing to wear for Thanksgiving. How can that be? We always have something for a holiday. I'm going to claim pregnancy brain on this one. But today, the problem was solved. I headed to Hobby Lobby (cue the angels!) with plans to make something elaborate (silly me). Instead, I stumbled upon some fall napkins that were surprisingly the same size as a bandana. Oh, yeah! I know exactly what to do with those!!!

Here's what I got...

 The bandana-sized napkins were $1 each (on sale!), the ribbon was $2 (on sale!), and the 1/3 yard of yellow fabric was $1.63 (on sale!).

 Here's what I made with my $4.63 purchase during my daughter's nap today...

I basically followed the same steps for a bandana dress (like here), but I added a ruffle at the bottom. I thought all that brown needed some brightness.

I cut two 4" strips of the yellow across the width of fabric.

Then I stitched the ends to form a large circle and folded the circle in half, matching the raw edges and pressing the crease.

Next I serged the raw edges (you could also use pinking shears or a zig zag stitch) and put in two lines of gathering stitches. I probably should have used matching thread for gathering, but I was lazy and didn't want to go upstairs to look for some!

I matched the ruffle edge to the outside of the dress hem, pulled up the gathering threads, pinned it in place, then stitched it down. I also topstitched the dress hem to help the ruffle stay down.

Hope you all have something cute for your cutie to wear the rest of November. But if you have a girl that needs something quick, run to Hobby Lobby. They also had a napkin that was brown with yellow and orange owls all over.

Happy crafting!

Julie

Minnie Mouse, aka Princess Annelise

Well, I finished my daughter's Halloween costume about 10 days before Oct 31, but never got around to taking pictures of her in it. I'm blaming it all on hot weather, then a mosquito epidemic, then cold (Houston's version) weather, trips to the zoo, housecleaning, and life in general. Our Fall Festival was last night at church, and that's where I finally got some pics of Annelise in her costume. But first, here's a look at the Minnie Mouse dress NOT on the wiggly, energetic toddler.

The pattern I used is Simplicity 2989 (from their inspired by Project Runway line). It has lots of sleeve, neck, and skirt options. This was the only toddler dress pattern I could find with a collar. All the fabric and the heart applique are from JoAnn's. I could have bought a Minnie dress online for $30-40, but I made this one for maybe $15 total (and didn't pay shipping!). I wanted to use a shiny fabric, but didn't find any in pink with polka dots, so I used cotton instead. The upside is I can wash it with no worries.

 I modeled this dress after the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse version of Minnie, who always wears pink. That's my daughter's favorite show, so it was an easy choice. Minnie's medallion on the show is an oval, but all I could find that was similar enough was this heart. Just as cute, I think!

The underskirt has 6 inches of gathered tulle, which makes the skirt stand out a bit.

And what does Annelise look like in her costume? Here she is at our church's fall festival.

 Not too sure about the whole affair. Also, the whole way over in the car, she insisted she was Princess Ah-na-neese (her pronunciation) and not Minnie Mouse!

 

Hey, why did you put these on my head?

A rare smile! I think she was more excited about the zebra and giraffe behind her (Noah's Ark theme, you know).

Am I done with these now? (And she was!)

And this year I joined in the costume fun - pretty sure this is my first Halloween costume since I was in junior high! I got the idea yesterday around 2:30 pm from the Creating Keepsakes magazine staff. They all had beauty queen names and posted pics on facebook. One pregnant lady had Miss Conception for her sash, and I knew the shoe (er, sash) fit! So I went through my craft stash and whipped up my own version. I think the kids just thought I was weird, but the adults seemed to enjoy the joke.

Now that Halloween is over and it's November, I guess it's time for Christmas crafting. I still have to finish Annelise's Christmas stocking (which I started when I was pregnant with her in 2009). This is her 3rd Christmas, and the pressure is on to finish. I would also like to make a new tree skirt this year. And I have exactly one month to finish planning her 2nd birthday party and decorate her new "big girl" room. I could go on about things I have to do/want to make, but I'm going to stop there. Gotta get busy crafting!!!

Happy crafting to you,

Julie