girl. Inspired.

travel, food, design

  • TRAVEL
  • FOOD
    • Breakfast
    • Breads
    • Main Course
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Soups|Salads|Side Dishes
    • Sauces|Dips|Salad Dressings
    • Cake Decorating
      • Inspiration and Ideas
      • Tips and Tutorials
  • Design
    • Craft/DIY
    • Sewing
      • Patterns and Tutorials
      • Pattern and Product Reviews
      • Sewing Ideas and Inspiration
    • Parties
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe

Peacock Costume

October 21, 2015 by girlinspired 2 Comments

Once you have learned how to make a tutu, the costume options are endless.  Have you ever sewn a tutu? Be sure to read through the tips in my original tutu tutorial that will teach you how to make a tutu that won’t scratch your little one’s skin! Then read on for this tutorial on a stunning twist on the traditional tutu where you can make all your daughter’s dreams come true by whipping up this homemade Peacock Costume!
Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!I struggle with Halloween costumes.  I can get really, REALLY into sewing up something spectacular, but I’m also acutely aware that the amount of time that a costume will be worn is about 1/20th the amount of time that it I might spend making it.  Nevertheless, I usually make at least one of the girls’ costumes, if not all.  And almost every year, someone wears a tutu.  Maybe it’s because it’s just so easy to make a tutu or that they are so versatile – from princess to bumblebee, all you have to do is switch up the color and you have a great costume foundation!  Once you sew your tutu, you can pair it with a plain top or leotard and some tights; add a few accessories and you’re set!  You can also adjust the costume for the weather.  The overall time/money investment is drastically reduced (in my house, at least) if I can figure out a way to make a costume out of a tutu. This year….we’ve turned the tutu into one mighty fine PEACOCK!

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Please excuse me while I gawk at the gorgeousness that is my daughter.  She transformed into a dramatic, little peacock for our photo shoot and, as so often happens, completely takes my breath away.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!Ready to make a tutu?  Get ready to wrestle some tulle, but don’t worry, it’ll all be worth it!

For this Peacock Costume, you will need the following supplies which are available in Jo-Ann or online at Jo-Ann and my Amazon affiliate links below:

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!4 yards each, of 5 colors of tulle**
1 1/2 inch black knit elastic, 1 yard
black thread
Maker’s Halloween Peacock headband (optional)
feather trim, 1 yard (optional)
Tulip shimmer face makeup
black leotard, tights, shoes (use items already in the closet!)

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 1:  Begin by measuring your child’s waist and the desired length of the tutu – for example, I measured from the waist to the ankle for a long, dramatic tutu.  Make a note of the waist measurement and set that aside.  We will begin by cutting the tulle into sections according to the length measurement.  Fold the tulle along it’s width (typically 56″ for tulle).  Your yardage will drape off the cutting mat.  We need to cut five sections of tulle at the desired length.  My measurement was 26″ from waist to ankle, so I cut five sections of this cobalt blue tulle to measure 26″ long (and 56″ inches wide).  **If you are making a shorter skirt or sewing for a toddler, you will want to measure the length and multiply that by 5 to determine the amount of tulle to purchase.  For example, if your desired length of finished skirt was 12″, you would only need (12″ x 5=) 1.75 yards of each color of tulle.  Be sure to add 6″ or so on to your finished yardage to make sure you have a little excess.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 2:  Continue to cut your other colors of tulle so that you have 5 pieces for each of the five colors – 25 sections in all.  Line them up next to your sewing machine in color/hue/saturation order.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 3:  Now it’s time to gather the tulle sections.  The quickest way to gather the tulle is by letting your sewing machine do the work for you.  Using your regular presser foot, adjust the sewing machine settings so that you are using the longest stitch length and the highest tension.  With these adjusted settings, you simply feed the tulle through and the machine gathers it for you.  Also, since it’s stitching on tulle, you will be able to adjust the gathers later even though you’re tension is set high.  Be sure to leave about 7″ of thread hanging at the beginning and end of each sewn layer so you can adjust the gathers later.  Begin with the lightest shade of tulle (I started with the aqua as seen two pictures above) and stitch along the long edge of the tulle (the side measuring 56″).  The machine should gather this section and when it is gathered, it should measure around 5-7″.  That’s a lot of gathering, right?!  Stop when you have just about 1″ of tulle left to gather and keep your needle down in the tulle.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 4:  Pick up your next shade of tulle.  Place the new piece of tulle to overlap the previous piece by 1/2-1″, as shown.  Use your fingers to guide the tulle under the presser foot and continue gathering until you get within 1″ of the next end.  You will notice that by overlapping the ends, the machine continues gathering the fabric seamlessly.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!Step 5:  Continue with subsequent shades of tulle until you have five pieces gathered together.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 6:  Now, it’s time to gather up the sections for the next layer of skirt.  We are going to rotate the color order of the tulle so that when the final five layers are set on top of one another, the colors all vary for each layer.  Start with “Shade 2”, sew/gather, continuing to add “Shade 3,4,5” and so on until you finish with “Shade 1.”

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 7: Once you have all five layers of tulle stacked on top of one another, you can see how the colors shift down one for each layer.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 8:  When you have all five layers gathered, it’s time to adjust the gathers for the waist measurement.  Take the waist measurement of your child and add 5″.  Now divide that new measurement by 5 (for the 5 colors of tulle) to determine how wide each gathered section should be.  So, my waist measurement was 20″, I added 5″, divided by 5 and found that each of my gathered colors should be 5″ wide each for a total skirt width of 25″.  Pull the bobbin threads gently and shift the gathers to adjust the section widths and make the layer the correct overall width.  Adjust all 5 skirt layers so they are uniform in width.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 9:  Time to sew the layers together!!  You probably won’t be able to sew all five layers of skirt together at once, but you may be able to do 3 layers and then 2 layers and then sew those together.  Using these clips to hold the tulle together is helpful in the tulle wresting game!  Match the raw edges the best you can and sew them together using a regular stitch length and tension.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 9:  Pat yourself on the back once you’ve wrestled all five layers into a neatly sewn strip.  You’re almost done!

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 10:  Time to sew on the elastic waistband.  Cut a section of black elastic to the exact length of your child’s waist measurement.  This should be 5″ shorter than the prepared skirt.  Match the center of the elastic to the center of the skirt and pin it so that the elastic is on top of the skirt, with the raw edge of the tulle coming up behind the elastic no more than halfway.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 11:  Sew the elastic waistband onto the tulle skirt using a wide zigzag stitch.  Stretch the elastic as you sew so that the end of the elastic extends  about 1/4″ past the end of the skirt, on each end.  I found it easiest to sew out from the middle where I had pinned the elastic, stretching as I sewed.  Also, be sure that you’re catching the tulle underneath with your stitches and that the raw edge of the tulle remains about midway up the back of the elastic.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Step 12:  Finally, overlap the raw ends of elastic waistband and stitch them together using a zigzag stitch.  DONE!!!

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

Use accessories and makeup to get your little peacock ready for trick ‘o’ treating!  This Tulip Shimmer Makeup worked REALLY well.  It was much thicker and provided better coverage than the cheap costume makeup that you get in the Halloween section at the big box stores this time of year.  I’ve never ever done face painting before and I think it turned out great for my first try!  She thought it was super glamorous, too!  It takes some work to remove it completely, though, so keep that it mind.  I’m sure makeup remover would come in handy.  We just used a warm, soapy washcloth, which removed almost all of it, though the blue right around her eyes took an extra day to come off completely since we didn’t want to scrub on her eyes.

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

I added this feather fringe trim around the neckline of the leotard with just a few quick basting stitches.  That way, it looks festive for Halloween, but I can take it right off when it’s time to head to dance class!

Make this dramatic tutu for a simple, but stunning Peacock Costume!

After I’ve spent a couple hours wrestling tulle, it is so nice to find a few ready-made accessories to pair with the ensemble.  I loved this Peacock Headband to complete the outfit – it was in the aisle with all the hair accessories at Jo-Anns.  You can also find it online, which I linked to above.

What costumes are your little ones dreaming up this year?  If you get to work a tutu into the ensemble, I’d encourage you to also visit this Soft Waistband Tutu tutorial, which is great if the tutu is going to be touching their skin – you can use this same Peacock Tutu tutorial and just incorporate the knit waistband and lining.  Have fun!

More Halloween Costume Tutorials

Little Red Riding Hood

Mickey Mouse costume

Petite Princess Sewing Pattern

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Dorothy Dress Tutorial

More DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

Filed Under: Crafting, Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Patterns and Tutorials, Sewing Tagged With: costumes, Halloween costumes, peacock costume, sewing tutorial, tutu

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

August 31, 2013 by girlinspired 59 Comments

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

If your little girls are obsessed with all things mermaid, this is THE tutorial for you.  There is just something so enticing and mysterious about mermaids and my girls could play “mermaids” for hours, how about yours?  Whether your daughter likes dress-up or she’s searching for the perfect Halloween costume, this 30-minute mermaid skirt tutorial is sure. to. please.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

To make this mermaid skirt, you will need a stretchy knit – it looks super cute with a regular jersey knit, it can also be made with a lycra/spandex/swimsuit material for a great costume effect!  You will need just a small amount of fabric – less than a yard for most children’s sizes.  For the quickest construction, use a ruffling foot to gather the fabric for the bottom skirt ruffle and a serger to sew the three seams.  Of course, you can gather the skirt ruffle without a ruffling foot and you can sew the seams with your regular machine – and still finish in less than 30 minutes.  (be sure to use ball-point needles on your machines and a zig-zag stitch if you use a regular machine)

Are you ready?  Let’s get started!

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

You will need two measurements to make the skirt – your child’s hip measurement and the length from her waist to her ankle.  Cut one piece of fabric into a rectangle for the main skirt portion.  The width (the direction of the most stretch) should be the hip measurement – 2 inches.  The length of the rectangle should be the waist to ankle measurement – 4″.

Also cut:

a strip for ruffling that is 4″ by 2X the width of the skirt rectangle (or 2 x  hip measurement-2″)

A waistband piece that is 4″  by the width of the skirt.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Begin by cutting a curve along the ruffling strip and the skirt piece.  Fold the skirt in half lengthwise.  Fold the ruffling strip in half, bringing the short ends together.  Now cut a curve along the bottom (non-folded) corner of both of these pieces.  Just eyeball it so that you have a smooth curve rounding off the corners (about 4-5″ up the side of the skirt piece).

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Now ruffle the long strip.  Feed it through your ruffling foot for super speediness.  Be sure to leave the threads long on each end of the ruffle to redistribute the gathers to fit the skirt if needed.  If you do not have a ruffling foot, stitch a long basting stitch down the length of the ruffle, pull the bobbin threads to gather the strip.  Either way, the gathered strip should be the same length now as the bottom of the skirt piece.  Match the gathered side of the ruffle strip to the bottom edge of the skirt, right sides together.  Pin in place (or don’t, just check to make sure the length is the same).  Stitch or serge the ruffle to the bottom of the skirt.  No need to hem!

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Turn down the attached ruffle.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Fold the skirt in half with right sides in and match the two sides.  Stitch or serge from the top of the skirt down to where the ruffle seam is – do not stitch the two ends of the ruffle strips together.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Set the skirt aside for a moment and grab the waistband piece.  Match the two short ends, right sides together and stitch (or serge!!!) to form a tube.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Fold the tube in half along its length to form the waistband.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

With the skirt right side out and the waistband on the outside of the skirt, match the seamline in the waistband to the center back of the skirt.  Pin the waistband to the skirt, matching raw edges (the folded edge of the waistband will be facing down toward the hem).  The waistband should be the same circumference as the skirt, but be sure that the two are pinned evenly around the whole waistband.

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Serge together (or stitch – be sure you’re using a zigzag stitch)

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

And that is it!!  Wasn’t it quick and easy?

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

30-minute Mermaid Skirt Tutorial

Mermaid perfect in no time!

Gold and White Polka Dot Fabric can be found at Michael Levine, here.

Blue and Grey stripe knit can be found at Girl Charlee, here.

Teal knit from my local Joann.

Filed Under: Halloween, Patterns and Tutorials, Popular Posts, Sewing, sewing for girls Tagged With: costumes, Halloween, mermaid party, sewing tutorial

Dorothy Dress Tutorial

October 30, 2012 by girlinspired 22 Comments

If you need a last minute costume for your little girl, this quick Dorothy dress tutorial might come in handy.  I shared the tutorial for making Olivia her Dorothy costume at the Train to Crazy a few weeks ago.  Hope you like it!I absolutely love making my three girls their Halloween costumes, but this year, I’ve succumbed to time pressures and ended up purchasing two of my girls’ costumes.  When my seven-year-old told me she wanted to be Dorothy, though, it pulled at my DIY heartstrings a little too much.
I just couldn’t buy a polyester Dorothy dress from the costume aisle.  I was pretty sure I could whip something up quick.  And it would have been super fast if I didn’t find myself staring at a million different trims trying to decide what to put where.  That really slowed me down.  In the end, I went with my initial instincts and today I’m going to share with you a tutorial for a dress that you could probably finish in less than an hour.  Ready?
You will need the main material and a lining material – I used a really lightweight gingham for the top layer and muslin for the lining.  You will also need three measurements:  chest, underarm to waist, and waist to hemline.  Using my daughter’s chest measurement, I cut the bodice pieces.  The front bodice piece width should be half the width of the chest measurement + 1/2″ (1/4″ seam allowance on each side).  To find the height of the bodice piece, measure from the underarm to the waist, factor in 1/4″ seam allowance on the top and 1/2″ seam allowance at the waist; then cut your piece at this length on the sides with a smooth curve up to the center.  I hope that’s clear.  For the back of the bodice and lining, you will cut a simple rectangle that is the same width as the bodice front + 2 inches if you are going to add shirring as I did AND the length should be just the length from underarm to waist plus a total of 3/4″ seam allowance.
 Stitch your bodice front to the bodice back along each side seam; repeat for lining.  Now, cut your skirt pieces.  I wanted a really full skirt so I cut two pieces selvage to selvage for the main skirt and two pieces selvage to selvage for the lining.  The length for the pieces was determined by measuring from my daughter’s waist to just above her knee, with added length for seam allowances.  Join the short ends of the skirt pieces to form two tubes (one main, one lining).  Now, you’re going to attach each skirt to its corresponding bodice piece.
 Now, we’re going to join together the dress and lining and finish the top edge of the bodice all in one easy step.
If you are making a stretchy little dress that is easy to get on and off, you can use this shirring method.  If you’re not familiar with shirring, it really is a cinch!  You can read more about it in my shirring tutorial.
Now, to add the classic Dorothy buttons, but with an easy halter strap:
Finally, you’re going to finish your hems.  I loved the idea of having the fluffy petticoat look underneath the main dress.  I had a hard time deciding whether or not to add ric rac around the main dress hem or to add stripes with red trim toward the bottom of the skirt; in the end, I just did a plain hem and then added some nice old-fashioned eyelet trim to the hem of the underskirt.
And that’s it!  I put the dress over a tulle pettiskirt for extra fluff and added a little white eyelet bolero that was mine when I was a little girl.  Target stocked the glittery shoes and Toto in basket, thank goodness.  I have to say, I’m so glad I took the time to make this costume  and my Olivia is, too!
 
 
 
Happy Halloween!

Filed Under: Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Sewing Tagged With: costumes, fabric, girl clothes, tutorials

kcwc fall 2012: Pirate Costume

October 10, 2012 by girlinspired 12 Comments

  Right now, Addison is madly in love with Jake and the Neverland Pirates; I’m talking mad love!!!  A million times a day, she begs to watch “Jakie pretty please with a cherry on top” while batting her eyelashes and then she marches around the house singing the theme song.  It is adorable!  So she’s going to be Izzy from Jake and the Neverland Pirates for Halloween – I ordered the costume online.  HOWEVER, in a twist of irony, her little buddy Easton is going to be a pirate for Halloween, too, and his mom nails me down in November of every year to commit to making the next year’s costume.  I kind of like being needed like that, especially from one of my long-time besties.  Addie got a real kick out of trying on this costume for me to test its pirate readiness.  I made a little pirate beanie for Easton’s newborn baby brother (see it on the skull back there?), and we liked that so much, I whipped up Addie her own.  She would also like a pirate costume the same as Easton’s, but PINK.  She’s especially talented at growling “Arghhh” and swinging her crooked elbow.  I die. 
the patterns: same pants pattern as yesterday’s pj pants, shredding the legs made quick work of the hems.  I used a vintage vest and sort of traced, redrew a new pattern. 
the fabric: Thrifted striped knit for the pants and cap.  For the vest, I used a faux hammered leather I picked up at Joann’s.

the sewing: I sewed the pants with the serger and finished the elastic waist off on the sewing machine – 10 minute job.  The shirt required only scissors and pinking shears as I simply chopped up a never used turtleneck onesie.  I stitched the vest and lining right sides together and then turned right side out, topstitching with gold thread to close the opening and add a little detail.  Finished the armholes with black bias tape.  This took a bit longer, but I’m itching to make a few more vests for the girls for everyday wear and I’m glad to have a working pattern now.
What kids clothes are you working on??  Feel free to link in the comments!

Filed Under: Halloween, Holiday Inspiration, Sewing, Sewing Ideas and Inspiration Tagged With: costumes, kid clothes, knits, pirate costume

Little Red Riding Hood

February 22, 2012 by girlinspired 13 Comments

I gave this Little Red Riding Hood cape to Grace for Christmas, but haven’t been able to photograph or share it until now.  I had fun printing up and including the Little Red Riding Hood story as I knew my thrill seeker would love a scary story to go with her new gift.  
 
I found the pattern for the cape with the ric rac detailing in a darling little book called “Making Children’s Clothes” by Emma Hardy.  I used a deep red velvet rather than felt and lined the cape with the same Michael Miller apple fabric that is used in the book (could not resist!!)  I also added a hood.  
On a whim, I tried the beaded pearl machine embroidery around the entire perimeter of the cape and hood and fell IN LOVE with the look.  I knew right after I finished this little number that I wanted to somehow incorporate that embroidery stitch into one of the garments for Project Run and Play (I ended up using it on the Sunday’s Child coat for Outerwear week, also on velvet, remember?).  The contrast of the smooth satin embroidery against the plush velvet is just beautiful.  
 
 Grace was excited for a photo shoot opportunity and loaded up her basket with apples.  Olivia prowled on the outskirts as the wolf and swiped an apple or two, which was not appreciated by Little Red Riding Hood. 

Filed Under: Sewing, Sewing Ideas and Inspiration Tagged With: costumes, embroidery, fabric, girl clothes

Mickey Mouse costume

October 25, 2011 by girlinspired 14 Comments

One of my closest girlfriends doesn’t have the slightest interest in “DIY,” but she LOVES Halloween and appreciates a handmade costume for her little boy, Easton.  This means that at least once a year, I get to try my hand at “boy” stuff!  This year, Mickey Mouse was in order for this cutie.  Easton wore his favorite mouse ears, a store-bought white collared shirt and a pair of Addie’s black leggings along with the sewn pieces.  
 
  • I used Burda 9671 for the jacket.  I had a really hard time following the pattern instructions and ultimately abandoned them altogether, but the jacket turned out fine in the end (good for a costume, not so much for church).  
  • I used this tutorial for the bow tie.  I used fleece to line it because I wanted it to have a nice puffy costume feel.  The tutorial was a cinch to follow, I’d highly recommend it.
  • I started with this tutorial for the suspenders, but made both straps connect at the center back with just one suspender clip.  Another great tutorial.
  • For the shorts, I just followed a simple shorts pattern and then used fusible, double-sided interfacing to add two white ovals on the front.  So cute!!
  • I also made some little yellow booties to slip over Easton’s shoes; I think the booties totally pull the whole look together.  
Isn’t he the cutest thing?  I’m so blessed to have my girls grow up alongside the children of my closest friends!

Filed Under: Holiday Inspiration, Pattern and Product Reviews, Sewing Tagged With: costumes

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
About Stef
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search Older Posts

Sharing Policy

It is my hope that you will find inspiration on the Girl. Inspired. blog. All photos are copyright protected by Girl. Inspired. If you wish to share something that you have seen here, I am absolutely thrilled! Please use only one picture with a direct link back to the project you are referencing. Thank you so much for your understanding!

Privacy Policy

What are You Looking For?

Search by Category

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

This site uses cookies: Find out more.