Making a Princess Bubblegum Cosplay Dress

I was around my friend Keely's  house when she started talking about a Fancy dress event called INVASION COLCHESTER! Her and her family were planning on going as characters from Adventure Time, a strange cartoon for children set in what appears to be a post apocalyptic nuclear wasteland. My friend was stressing about getting a dress to become "Princes Bubblegum". I asked why she didn't just make one. "It's okay for you with a full sewing room and hundreds of reference books, it's much harder  to make things up as you go along". Challenge accepted. Can I make an affordable costume (around £20) using a standard sewing gear and no fancy or difficult techniques.

Many of these ideas would work just as well for a Halloween costume. 

Step one - Reference

What does Prince Bubblegum look like?
The dress looks simple enough, puffy sleeves, tight bodice, long skirt section. Then a contrasting collar and belt.

Step two- Initial planning

I decided to make a pattern for a tight-ish bodice and a floor length circle skirt. These would be sewn together at the waist and the belt would hide the seam. The whole garment would be made of poly cotton and have a zip fastening at the back. Initially I was going to leave the seams untreated and the garment unlined, however my friend said she would like to be able to wear it a few times. As a result I quickly change my  plans to make the dress more durable.  The bodice section would be lined and all exposed seams would be bias bound. The hem of the circle dress would be bias bound as well.

Step three - Making a pattern

Normally in my studio I have proper pattern paper or brown paper. However these aren't essential. You can just tape newspaper sheets together. use MASKING tape however and not sellotape. If need be later on you can iron your pattern if you use masking tape but sellotape will melt everywhere. You can also draw on masking tape much easier than sellotape.


I didn't have access to my books and so I had to come up with a pattern off the top of my head.
I can not stress the following enough- There is no supbstitute for a good pattern or a pattern making book.
However here's what I did. I drew a rectangle that measured 2cm more than my friends' nape (bottom of neck) to waist measurement high. The width was half her bust plus 5cm. I worked the neck out by measuring her neck and adding some ease this is VERY unscientific. The waist darts are easier, just take the difference between the bust and the waist and half it (as the pattern makes half a garment). The amount left is the amount you have to dart into the waist.I guessed at what angle the should sloped at and then drew in the arm hole, going down as far as the bust line.

Once the pattern was drawn  I cut it out, and then cut up through the bust darts, the side dart and the back dart. This left me with 3 pattern pieces.

Step four - Cutting out fabric

The fabric was folded selvedges together and the centre bodice panel placed on the fold. The pattern has NO SEAM ALLOWANCE. At home I'd use a seam guide to ass a traditional 5'8 of an inch seam. However I was back to basics here and so I fashioned a guide out of a cereal packet.




Step five - Making up

Construction of the bodice was relatively simple.  Just sew the panels together, right  sides together. The sleeves were slightly trickier. Now  here I went totally off track. I knew the sleeves were going to be VERY puffy, this gave me a lot of wiggle  room in design. I just taped the pattern together  the shoulders to give me the outline of the arm hole. I drew this on to some newspaper and then stretched the design making it Twice as wide and nearly twice as high. I then added 15cm to the bottoms length for the actual sleeve.

I removed the seam allowances from the arm hole of the LINING and bias bound it. Each sleeve was sewn along it's length and then pleated into the armhole of the bodice.

A pattern for the collar was made the same was as the sleeves with it being cut at the back for the zip.


Before the collar and lining were attached to the bodice  the circle skirt had to be made and attached.
Check out our guide on " How to make a circle skirt ".

The seams of the circle skirt were pressed open and bias bound and the hem was bias bound.
The collar was basted with minimal seam allowance to the neckline and the circle skirt was sewn to the bodice. All that remained was sewing the lining around the neck hole and  then pulling the dress right side out and pressing it. I tacked the lining to the bodice around the shoulders and around the waist as well to give it stability.








Final Thoughts.

This post isn't one of my typical "how to make" posts. It's more a collection if ideas and concepts. If you are not sure how to make something just get some poly cotton and give it a go, fly hands free once in a while, you may surprise yourself by your own ingenuity.

Can you wear your Halloween costumes all year round?

Everyone at Fabric8 loves Halloween. Most of us enjoy sewing, knitting or some other way of creating fun things to wear or cool decorations for the home. Halloween tends to be the time we can really go mad and indulge the less serious side of our nature. In the past I've seen people make "Dark Jedi" and "Zombie Pirate" costumes to wear to work. Looking closer at these outfits I noticed they were very well made and realised they were built to last. As it turns out the costumes were made for more than just Halloween. A long pirate coat for example can  be worn through out winter. The Dark Jedi robe became a bath robe to be worn around the home.

Then my boss had a stroke of genius. With everyone trying to save money these days why not show people some fantastic costume ideas  that can be worn all year round!

Steampunk was an obvious starting point for us. Check out our blog on a brief guide to what is Steampunk.
 This picture of our shop window display (complete with ghostly Renault reflection) helps to give a sense of the over all feel of Steampunk.

We stock Steampunk sewing patterns, however you can make any Victorian or Western wear a little steampunky with the right accessories. These creations can then be worn night clubbing, or out to special events. I wear my wasitcoats as part of a steam punk outfit and in day to day wear as well.  Steampunk jackets and dresses don't actually look out of place in most venues, they just make you look more individual and creative.

You can also use this blog to learn how to make pirate shirts and how to make harem pants (or  Pirate pants). Pirate shirts can also be used for Medieval wear, or for  when you just want to look like a poet.
  You can always make a fairy petticoat to add an ethereal touch of the super natural to any other outfit or use some translucent fabrics from our Halloween fabric section to augment an existing outfit.

 And you don't need to limit yourself to Steampunk. A good corset and petticoat combo can make a great "Dark Fairy" costume. These can then be worn  with a jacket or other top and with a more full skirt to form a ball gown.

Once you have an outfit you're happy with you'll be amazed at where it can take you. I know of modern day Victorians who go dinosaur hunting in the museums of London, and of mad scientist who go for days out at the London science museum, resplendent  in a lab jacket and brass goggles. Or of corseted ladies in full ball gowns who take picnics to Kew Gardens.  You can take just about any costume you want and then just become a "what ever-Zombie". For example, a retro zombie girl. This then gives you a perfect 50's dress to go out Jive dancing in. What ideas can you think of to make a Halloween costume reusable?

Don't see Halloween as a time to spend time and money on a throw away outfit. See it as a launching pad for new and amazing creations that will propel you into all sorts of adventures all year round!

A simple Halloween & Autumn Decoration

In the past I've made some intricate stuffed fabric Pumpkins. Whilst many people liked these a lot of people said they were put off by the amount of time each pumpkin would take, and the amount of sewing. After some playing around I've managed to create a very simple, but in my opinion rather cool pumpkin pattern. Don't feel constrained to orange fabrics, you can make a very ethereal creation with  a shimmering white or pale pink, or something festive with a Brocade.

You will need:
A rectangle of fabric 15 cm by 30cm
Small piece of fabric for the stalk
Scissors
Pins
Sewing Needle  (hand sewing needles  and Sewing  Machine Needles if using a machine)

Tailors Chalk
Toy Stuffing
Thread

Mark out a rectangle of 15cm by  30cm and cut out.

  Fold the fabric in half giving you a Square of 15cm by 15cm Stitch down the side opposite the fold

Sew two lines of parallel stitches at the bottom of the square. This is to perform a gather. You can do this perfectly well with hand sewing, just pull the threads tight and tease the fabrics into gathers. I used a sewing machine, anchoring the threads at one end with a back stitch but not at the other, then pulling the threads to make the gathers.

 Once you've gathered the fabric like this top stitch between the two lines of stitching to secure the gathers. Fold  right side out. You should now have a little bag with an open top and gathered bottom.

 Fill the pumpkin with toy stuffing. You can use cut up scraps of wool or fabric to save money here, But a bag of toy stuffing costs under £4.00 and my bag has lasted me many many projects.

With a hand  sewing needle run a stitch along the top of the pumpkin, pull this tight and secure to create a ball. 

To shape the groves into the pumpkin secure some strong thread with a stitch at the top and wrap it to the bottom of the pumpkin pulling tight, secure with a stitch and wrap the thread to the to and secure with a stitch  repeat   for as many grooves as you like. I started with four, equally spaced.

Take two rectangles of green fabric to be the stem. I used 6cm by 4.5cm. Sew together along the long sides and one short side (leaving an opening for turning through and stuffing. The line of stitching at the top doesn't have to be straight, making it a little slanty can make the stem look more organic.

Turn through using a pencil (yes I DID spend 10 minutes trying to use my finger before I thought of the pencil) and then use the pencil to stuff the stem with toy stuffing.

Stitch the stem onto the top of the pumpkin using small stitches going around the base of the stem.

And behold a pumpkin. I thought this was cute, however my favorite pumpkins have more grooves so I added another set of four using the same method as the original grooves.

 I am rather proud of my little pumpkin. There may seem to be a lot of steps but only because I wrote down EVERY little thing. You should be able to make up one of these little guys in 20 mintues or so. You could even cut out triangles  in felt to make a Jack-o-lantern and glue it on with fabric glue. As well as Halloween these decorations could be used for an Autumn display  or part of a costume (be it the green goblin or headless horseman)

Hosting a Halloween party.

Rainbow Halloween Star

All kids love Halloween, all kids from age 0 to 110. Making costumes is fun, but you need to show them off. Some parents are concerned with  letting their kids go door to door though. It is a shame to miss out on dressing up and having fun, so there is a simple answer. A Halloween party! Hosting a party can be as simple or as complicated as you like, but here are some tips taken from my experiences working as a party magician.

1) Find a venue for hosting your party.
If you have a large space at home or not many people coming for the party then you should have no problem hosting at home. However hiring a venue may be a lot cheaper than you realize . Club together with other parents to hire a village hall or even the school hall. (one school hall I know costs £20 for 2 hours, between 10 parents that isn't much at all). Many village councils are even offering a reduced rate for Halloween parties to help keep kids safe and off the streets.

2)Decorating your party space.
There are packs available for decorating your party place but these can become expensive. Now would be a great time to start Halloween Bunting making. Black and Orange Poly Cotton makes great bunting. For a added touch  cut out the pendants with pinking shears to give your bunting a zig zag edge. This will also help the bunting last longer. Covering furniture with white cloth can help stop it getting mucky, but also give the room an eerie Haunted house feel, like a house where everyone moved away long ago. Check on line for creepy stencils to download to make cardboard cut outs as well.

3)Music and Games
All the big shops do  mix cd's of Halloween party music and princes start for £5 or so. As for games, if possible keep it non-elimination. Many people have started to complain about the lack of elimination games in schools as they can prepare kids for the little knocks in life. This may be true BUT if you have elimination games in your party you will have a bunch of kids sitting around twiddling their thumbs waiting for the game to end. This will not be fun for anyone. Here are some games to try.

Esrella Amis Stars

Pass the Parcel  Take a price, be it a toy Dinosaur or a sweet treat and wrap in one sheet of paper, then take another treat and place that on your parcel then wrap with paper again. Repeat until you have a layer for everyone. Play music and stop it at random points, a child unwraps and ill have one small treat, continue the music and stop again, if your quick you can make sure everyone gets a prize BUT no-one knows who will get the big one at the center.

A Monster's tail. You need a long scarf or decorate a strip of fabric about 3 metres  long to look like a dragon's tail (think glitter for scales, or bright colour stripes. get the kids in a line and pop the hands of the kids on the shoulders of the kid in front of them. Wrap the fabric around the waist of the last  kid leaving a tail of suitable length. Now the head of the dragon has to catch the tail . A great game with lots of space. when the head catch the tail they become the new tale, leaving a new kid upfront to be the head. if you have enough kids split them into teams with a prize for the first team team where every kid gets to be the head and tail.

Skull and Crossbones fabric

The Balloon pass Challenge. Get the kids into two teams, and  get them to stand in a row. Get a balloon for each team and make them pass the balloon from the  front of the row to the back. When the balloon gets to the back the kid at the back runs to the front and then repeats the process. The first team where every kid has been to the front wins.Make the game harder by mixing up whether the balloons  have to be passed over their heads or between their legs.

Apple Bobbing. The classic apple bob. Some schools have banned this fearing germs. According to the Health And Safety executive though there is nothing to fear. If you are screamish about the idea there is an alternative . Cut out apple shapes on pieces of paper, on one side write a challenge like "3 press ups" or "recite Mary had a little lamb backwards". Then pop a paperclip on each one and  place them writing side down in a bowl. Attach a magnet to a piece of string and tie the string to a pencil to make a rod. Now the kids can go fishing for challenges.


Other things to Think about. 

Red Spider Web 

If some kids are going to be at your party without their parents then make sure you have contact details for them. If you are partying in your own home  spend 10 minutes taking the breakable items out of the room first. You will be a lot more relaxed if  you're not panicking about your favourite vase. Chocolate is lovely but can be messy. If you avoid chocolaty treats you will be spending less time the next day trying to clean the carpet and sofa.

Being at parties is always fun, but hosting them can be amazing fun. So get together with friends and family now and start planning a little adventure for yourselves and those around you.

Halloween preparations.

Halloween means many things to many people. For some it's a chance to grab some free sweets whilst for others it's a chance to let rip and show off an alter ego. For me it's all  about the chance to make the sort of costumes I love to make, but would not normally fit in at  say a wedding.

Halloween Organza Fabrics 

 There are many advantages to making your own costumes as opposed to renting or buying. For example it CAN be cheaper, in my case it tends to cost about the same BUT it's of a much higher quality.

However for me the main advantage is it helps show my creativity. This isn't something to stress about. No-one really judges you, it's more about how you feel about yourself. Looking at an insane black and purple petticoat laying under layers of  organza can give you a great sense of achievement.But creativity is not just a case of using fabrics we would normally not use, or extreme design. Halloween is an excuse to colour outside the lines, to through caution to the wind and to make yourself, or someone else, something spectacular.

Moonlight Web in Bronze

There are many wonderful costume ideas in the pattern books, but you cold also make a plain outfit into a Halloween masterpiece by just adding trimming, ribbons or layering it with one of our translucent spiderweb fabrics

To help  you on the way to creating your own master piece we have some free tutorials on the website
at http://www.fabric8online.co.uk/free-stuff
Here you can learn to make a cape, a cravat (for the CLASSIC Vampire, none of this sparkly stuff)  or a Tu Tu or a cape.

Also on this blog we have "how to make a pirate shirt" and "How to make Pirate pants". The pirate pants make great Genie pants.

To help you with your Halloween preparations we will be running a few mini blogs in the next week. From making petticoats and wings to organizing a Halloween Party!.