Polka Dot Border Skirt

I think I need to stop making skirts.  It seems like it's become an obsession.  Probably because they are so easy.  I'll try to focus on more non-skirt items as my summer continues.

Anyway, I found these two fabrics in the remnant bin at Walmart for less than $2 apiece. The purple is sort of a knit, the kind used for maxi skirts.  It's so soft and comfortable!  The polka dot is a flannel.  I'm not sure about the rules of combining different fabrics, but I don't care; they looked so cute together!

The first thing I did was decide my skirt design.  I played with the idea of doing panels again, but since I just finished a panel skirt--and I wanted to do something quick and easy--so I decided against it.  The best way to do this was to add a simple polka dot border around the bottom of the skirt.

I cut my purple fabric in half, giving me two (relatively) equal pieces.  Then I cut out bands of the polka dot, 5 inches long by 40 inches wide.

Starting with the polka dots, fold the hem of one side up half an inch and iron.

Fold up again, and iron.

 Stitch the folded hem.  I used a double stitch, and a contrasting purple thread.  Repeat for other band.

 

Pin the band to the purple fabric, right side to right side.

Sew together and you get this.

Repeat for other band and purple fabric panel.

Since this purple fabric was so wonky--I've never worked with this before, and I didn't realize it would be so difficult to control; it wouldn't lay flat, even when I ironed it--I measured my skirt from the bottom.  I aligned my bottom hem and pinned the two purple panels together, completely ignoring how they aligned on the top.

Then, sew the panels together.  I even added a zigzag stitch to the inside seam afterwards to give it more support.

Once both sides are stitched up, it's time for the top hem.  I folded down the top to give me an even and straight line, also leaving enough room for my elastic band.

Sew the top hem, leaving an inch long gap to stream the elastic through.

With a safety pin, thread the elastic through the opening in the hem.

Sew the elastic ends together, overlapping them about an inch.  Complete the seam for the hem, and you're finished!

This was an incredibly simple project.  The only thing that slowed me down at all was the uncooperative nature of the knit fabric.  Still, I love the way it feels, and the way it flows so well, so I will have to try another project with this material!

~Buttons

Radial Symmetry: Night Vale Style

I finally got around to listening to the podcast Welcome to Night Vale... and I fell in love instantly!  

Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast done up like a radio broadcast from a fictional city where the paranormal is commonplace.  It's super hilarious and cute.  I can't get enough of it, and its dashing and sexy-sounding narrator, Cecil Gershwin Palmer--voiced by Cecil Baldwin.  

(Artwork by Viara (on Tumblr))

So, I decided I wanted to try another version of the radial symmetry project I did with the kids in art class last month.  But this time, I used Night Vale (and it's rival city, Desert Bluffs) for my muse.

For the last project, the art teacher was kind enough to give me the special, fancy paper the kids were using.  But for this one, I had to settle for simple cardstock.  This means it's neither as big--nor as fancy--as the previous project.  Also, I used color pencils instead of paint because I didn't trust my painting skills to get the details right.

First, I created a square on the cardstock, measuring 8.5 inches down the long side and cutting that off--giving me a prefect 8.5x8.5 inch square.  From there, I marked each side at the 4.25 inch mark, and connected the lines vertically and horizontally.  Then, I connected the corners to the center.  Super easy!  Since I didn't have a compass for making it a perfect circle, I settled for connecting the wedges with a straight line.

Then I made my templates.  I created a Night Vale inspired wedge from the podcast's logo:

And I created another wedge inspired by Desert Bluffs (which has its own logo from a bonus episode... 19B "The Sandstorm").

I copied the templates onto the paper (using this method), in an alternating pattern.

Then I picked my color scheme.  Night Vale is all in shades of purple, and Desert Bluffs in shades of yellow.  The yellows didn't look too good, so I went with oranges--which also added to the symmetry of the piece, as orange and purple are complimentary colors!

I colored them in with only three shades apiece.

I absolutely love this, and I can't wait to find some way to frame it on my wall!

On a side note, Pockets and I are planning on cosplaying as Cecil and his double, Kevin--from Desert Bluffs--for the Phoenix Comicon in May.  More on that story as it develops.

And as always.  Good night, Night Vale.  Good night.

~Buttons

How to Make Pikmin Hats

Pockets and I both enjoy gaming.  Most of the time, the games we like differ greatly.  However, there's one that we both have a passion for: Pikmin.  We aren't hardcore gamers, just recreational gamers, and we both agree that the first Pikmin (originally released on the GameCube) is too hard and scary.  I barely remember playing Pikmin 2 (also on the GameCube).  But, when I got my Wii U for Christmas, I just had to try Pikmin 3.

Needless to say, I fell in love with the game.  The controls are so simple, the storyline is interesting, the characters fun, and the Pikmin adorable!  There isn't a single thing I dislike about the game.  And this rekindled my love for the Pikmin franchise--so much so that I bought 1 and 2 on the Wii to give them another try; I am immensely enjoying 2 at the moment.

On to the point.  This past Friday, the Play Nintendo Tour came to a local mall.  To celebrate this, and to be a total nerd, I thought it would be a good idea to make fleece Pikmin hats.  It took some thought, but in the end, they weren't too difficult to put together.  In fact, they were quite easy!

So here's a list of materials you'll need:
Roughly 1/3 yard of fleece in the color of your Pikmin
Green fleece
Batting or poly-fil
Hat pattern (I got mine here)

The green fleece is for the leaf at the end of their stem.  If you want to do a bud, you'll need white/pink/purple (depending on which Pikmin color you choose) and green.  If you want a flower, you'll need white/pink/purple and yellow.  Also, for the flower--and I'll mention this later--you may need an adhesive fabric.

The first thing to do is decide which color Pikmin you want.  Each has different traits that you can embellish on your hat:

Red has a pointy nose
Blue has a pink mouth
Yellow has big years
Rock has jagged edges
Pink has wings
Purple has feelers
White has red eyes (I didn't include eyes on any of the others, but since it's what distinguishes the Whites, I would include it on this one)

So far, I've completed 5 of the 7--with plans to finish the other 2 this week.

This will go step by step with how I created the hats.  I won't divide it by color, rather, I'll show the different ways to add the embellishments as we go along.

Step 1:  Pattern

I searched endlessly on Pinterest until I found a pattern that would work for my purposes.  I mentioned it in the list of materials, but I'll post it again.  It's called the Halloween Hat Pack from FleeceFun.com.  This site has a wonderful video tutorial which really helped when I was attaching the stem.  They also have a free pattern you can print off, in many different sizes.

I printed off the large adult, even though my head is tiny.  I figured I could always take the material in if necessary.

So, print out the pattern and pin it to the color of fleece you're using.  You'll want to have it folded, so you cut out two pieces at once--a front and a back.

 

With your two pieces together, right side to right side, sew up each side to the top V.

 
(You can see here I wanted to add a brim to the Blue Pikmin hat.  So I cut off the bottom inch and sewed it back on.)

Set this part aside for the moment.  We'll come back to it later. 

Step 2: Make the Stem

This part can get a bit tricky, depending on how much effort you want to put forth.  Making a stem with a leaf was incredibly easy.  However, for variety, I wanted to make a bud and a flower (because we all know that flower Pikmin are the best!).  

But first, we need to make a pattern for the stem.  I drew this freehand on a piece of paper, making sure I made it as long as I needed, in relation to the hat I had already cut out.  


 


I don't think it needed to be so wide at the bottom, but it didn't hinder the design either.

So, put the pattern on your fabric (again, we want to have two layers for a front and a back).  Pin it and cut it out.

Do the same thing for a leaf, keeping the size consistant with all the other parts.  Cut out a front and a back as well.

 



















































To make a front and a back, we want our fabrics to be mirror images of each other.  So take one stem and place the leaf on top.  Take the other stem, and make the leaf a mirror image to the first.  Put the leaves face down (so the stem and leaf are facing each other right side to right side), then sew a straight stitch across.

 

If you want, you can add some decorative stitches on the leaves to give them a bit more detail.  It didn't take long, and it turned out very cute, I think.

Now, with front and back complete, put them together, right side to right side, and sew all along the edges, leaving only the bottom open. 




Flip it inside out and stuff it with batting/poly-fil.


 

I added a bit of wire, to try to get it to stand up, but it didn't work very well.

 

For the bud, make a pattern that is a pointed oval.  You'll want to cut out four of these on the color of fleece you need.  (Yellow, Blue, and Red Pikmin have white buds; Purple and White Pikmin have pink buds; Rock and Pink Pikmin have purple buds.  You can find images easily using a search engine.) 



Sew the pieces together, right side to right side, and you'll get a bud!



From here, my sewing machine was useless.  The fabric was too thick to sew through.  A fancier machine might be able to do it, but mine couldn't.  I had to sew by hand.  So I took a few pieces of green fabric and sewed them around the bottom edges to be the leaves.

Then, complete the stem as above, EXCEPT you leave the top and bottom open.  Sew along both sides, then turn the stem inside out.  Hand stitch the bud to the top opening, and then stuff with batting. 

And now the most difficult: the flower. 

While at Joann buying more fleece, I was talking with the cutting counter worker.  She asked what I was making and I explained, and she gave me a great idea for making the flowers!  Using Pellon Peltex 2, a double sided, very stiff, adhesive fabric!



So I cut out white half-circles for the petals.



I put five of them in a circle with a yellow middle.



Then I cut out the Peltex and sandwiched it between another layer of all white.  I ironed them together (as the directions say) and then trimmed off the extra Pletex and bottom layer.  For sewing it onto the stem, I hand stitched five little stitches in the center of flower.

Using this method, It was actually easier than the bud.

Step 3: Attach the Stem

Taking the main hat fabric that we put aside, turn it sideways so the seam we sewed is in the center.

 

Flip the hat inside out, keeping the seam in the center.  Now, take the stem and turn it sideways, so the seams are in the center.   Pinch it flat, so the seams touch.


 

Now, place the stem inside the hat, and line up the seams.

 

Straight stitch across and trim off the extra fabric.

 

Step 4: Adding Embelishments

Rock: 

For the Rock Pikmin, I simply stitched on decorative lines, giving it a jagged look.



 






Blue:

 

I just added on a pink triangle on the brim of the hat.


(And of course, I took the picture before I put on the mouth.)


Red:



For the Red, I cut out a pointy nose (front and back) and sewed them together.  Stuff with batting.

 

Attaching it was pretty easy.  I made a horizontal slit in the very front of the hat, right around the brim.  With the hat inside out, I stuck the nose into the hat, with the opening on the outside, then sewed it shut (just as we did with the stem).






Yellow:



Yellow's ears are huge!  So, what I did was make a pattern for the ears, again, keeping in mind the size to the hat.  In fact, I think the ears are a bit too big.

So, with the pattern, you want to cut out 2 ears, each with a front and a back (4 pieces total).  I also added a bit of a darker yellow to the center to give the ears some contrast.  You'll only need 2 of those pieces, as they are only on the front.

Sew the darker pieces to the front of the ears--making sure that the ears will be mirror images of each other.  Remember, one goes on the right side, one goes on the left.  Then, put the front and back together, right side to right side, and sew along both sides, leaving the bottom open.

 

With the ears, you need to do it before we stitch the hat together.  Put the ears inside the hat, with a bit of the open end sticking out.  Then sew up both sides to the V.

 




Pink:



For the Pink, I had to add wings.  I hand drew a pattern for a circular type wing.  Like the ears, you'll need a front and back for each wing--4 pieces total.



Sew them together, leaving the straight edge open for stuffing.

Similar to attaching the Red's nose, I cut two vertical slices on the back of the hat for the wings.  With the hat inside out, stick the smaller side of the wing through the slit (with the wing inside the hat) and sew it together.  Cut off the extra fabric.






 And here's a few pictures from the actual event.  We had a lot of fun!

Here's mine and Pocket's mom in the Yellow hat:

 

And I wore the Pink because it was my favorite!

 


~Buttons