Rainbow Denim Ness Mini

Hi guys, I'm here to share my latest sewing project with you, not because its anything spectacular, but because its something I spent a lot of time and energy on an I felt it deserved a bit of lime light. I have been doing a lot of thinking about sustainability lately, and about the fact that fashion is one of the biggest pollutants on the planet today. Sewing of course has its part to play here, so I have been trying more and more to think carefully about what I am sewing to make sure that its something that I will get use out of, and will last a long time.

Pink Tutu's and my first go at pattern testing

This skirt appeals to all of my whimsy and flights of fancy, it is completely impractical for day to day wear and totally obnoxious, but that's kind of why I love it. I also thing it looks amazing glammed up with a leather jacket and pair of boots.

Rainbow Mrs Tumble PJs

Does anyone else out there love nothing more than getting home and throwing on a pair of PJs? I know I can't be the only one, and just how adorable are these, they bring me pure joy. Mr Fox does keep calling me Mrs Tumble when I wear them though!

All that glitters is gold

I'm back and with even more sparkles for you! I am so obsessed with sewing sparkly clothes right now and this post is no exception. As a bit of a break from the rather crazy rainbow I have been showing you lately we we are well and truly back to black for this one; where I am going to share with you not one but two new skirts I have sewn up.

Rainbow striped Dotty dress

It doesn't get much brighter than this does it! Its making things like this that genuinely just bring joy to my life and show me why I love to sew. This gorgeous little dress was on my make nine this year, and so in keeping with Children's week on The Great British Sewing Bee it was the perfect time to sew it up. Its also been an amazingly sunny week here in the UK for Feb so what better time to add even more sunshine to your day. Read on for more gorgeous pics of this dress, pattern details and a list of current rainbow jersey stockists... 

StyleArc Nina Cardigan in bold leopard print

Hi there, I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, did anyone get up to any sewing? Have you heard the amazing news that Sewing Bee is back on British TV on Feb 12th? That's less than 3 weeks away, I couldn't be more excited! But anyway that't not why I am here, I am here to tell you all about this StyleArc Nina cardigan which is my most recent make and a big tick for the first project in my #makenine2019 list. If your not sure what this is head over to instagram and have a little goosey.

Its the first time I have ever made a cardigan so its nice to add a new skill to my repertoire, and this fabric has been in my stash for at least 12 months so I am happy to finally give it a lease of life. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this make and I will go into more details about that below.

Metallic Rainbow Glitter Shorts!

Hi there, today I am so happy to share with you my latest make because I finally dared to cut into this amazing spangly fabric and I think I found the perfect pattern for it. Those that have been following me either here or on instagram will know that I have been testing skirt patterns over the last month or so in an effort to find the perfect pattern for this fabric. Well, as I was sewing my last piece, I had a crazy lightbulb moment and realised I already had the perfect pattern, tried and tested, and a perfect match; the Chataigne shorts from Deer and Doe.

Lil Space Critter

Following on from the adorable fox dress I made Miss Fox last week (if you missed it go check it out here) here is the second of the two dresses I made. I know the fox dress is super cute and all that but I actually think this one is my favourite, I mean that colour is just adorable and so perfect for this more autumnal weather that's finally coming our way.

Lil Foxy Critter

One of the things that seems to come as part of the territory with being a Fox is being tagged for every item of baby fox clothing imaginable! Now if you've read my blog before, or looked at my instagram you will have seen there has been no shortage of fox related crafts, however it seemed it was time to recreate that ever popular Fox dress we see popping in up in all sorts of guises all over the internet.

I've always been very defensive about people interpreting fox dresses because I have been a huge fan of the work of Wild Things Dresses on Etsy for a long time (honestly, these are the most amazing kids clothes ever!). However it seems that sadly all the high brand kids retailers have cottoned on and copied her designs in one form or another, which as a creative makes me very sad. So if you want an amazing dress like this one, and are not a sewer, please pay her a visit and purchase one of her amazing creations.

 

Here is an image of one of their amazing fox dresses along with the book which so thankfully tells you how to make your own, perfect for the likes of me who get enjoyment out of the process of making as well as the clothes.

I do have a copy of the book, as you can see in my first image, but sadly the patterns don't run as small as Miss Fox, so in this instance I have had to improvise a bit until she grows up and I can use the patterns in this book.

I used a tried and tested pattern the Lil Critters dress from Puperita. This pattern is so easy to follow and is the perfect dungaree bib dress, with slightly flared skirt it really is adorable. As with all her patterns the instructions are really clear and are a doddle to follow so I managed to make 2 of these on my day off today. Go me!

In order to make the fox face I just drew the shapes onto the original bib piece and then traced the individual shapes onto separate paper adding a 1cm seam allowance where I needed to join the pieces together. I am really happy with how it all came out, its a very cute little foxy face and this pattern lent itself really well to this adaptation.

For the fabric I used some babycord or needle cord which is very fine corduroy fabric. I love making dresses for kids in cord for Autumn/winter, its such a nice thick fabric and is relatively easy to sew and comes in a huge array of wonderful colours. It can be a little stiff but that's why it lends itself so well to this type of dungaree pattern.

I'm really chuffed with how this turned out and its a lovely fit on her so should serve her well this winter. I will definitely make more of this pattern and there will definitely be more Fox dresses in Miss Fox's future.

Have you ever made any cute adaptations to a regular pattern like this? I'd love to see them, the more cute critters the better!

Me Made May 2018 - Why I loved it, and why I didn't

Wow,  as if you weren't sick enough of my face I had to go blog about it too!

Those that have seen my instagram will be acutely aware I took part in Me Made May this year. This is something that has been going on for a number of years on instagram but this year was the first year I felt I probably had enough clothes to get me through the month - which I thankfully did. The base concept is to wear handmade clothes through the whole of May, this can take on various guises but I took it in its literal form. 

I just wanted to document how it went for me; my thoughts, why I found it really useful and why I actually hated parts of it. I'm going to cover what I learnt about my style and my sewing, my favourite outfits and also your favourite outfits. Its more of a record for myself than anything but I am pleased its given me enough drive to return to my blog.

Selfies - all the selfies

This was the reason I hated this concept. Honestly, I got bored of my own face so I can bet my bottom dollar you did too (so you know i'll just write a blog and fill it with me again!). Then there was the orchestration of it all. Do I have someone to take the picture for me, or do I have to prop my camera/phone up somewhere precarious, how many pictures do I actually need to take to get a decent one, loading them on to my phone, sorting through them, making a post etc etc. It was honestly exhausting so I'm very happy to be back to posting on my own schedule. 

My style 

Over the past month I have discovered for the most part I have 3 distinct styles which I am going to call;

Rockabilly

Goth as fuck 

or 15 year old

I'm not sure they gel perfectly well together in terms of having a 'capsule wardrobe' or whatever that is because a lot of it depends on my mood and what I am doing on that day. Obviously rockabilly works best for formal and work, Goth as works best on a night out and the 15 year old is just me trying to chill in something a bit more quirky. It does feel a little bit like I lack direction sometimes and I should just pick one but I don't want to do that, this is me and that's how I like it. Does anyone else find they don't really conform to one style? what influences what you wear?

I also noted that I have a definite preferences for paler colours up by my face and darker on my lower half. I think a lot of that is down to my hair being paler now so wearing black higher up washes it out a bit. This lead me on to have a good think about the types of colours I think work with my skin tone and the kinds of patterns I liked (note a distinct lack of floral!). Making sure I keep this in mind for my future sewing I'm hopefully more likely to make clothes that I LOVE rather than just being a little meh. 

My favourite outfits:

You can see a selection of my favourite outfits below. The reason for picking these was largely based on 2 factors: How they made me feel and how easy they were to wear. 

From left to right: 

Bettine by Tilly and the buttons in Atelier Brunette 'like a dandy', Another Bettine in some emerald viscose (this creases so bad but its soooooo comfy), A very altered Megan Nielsen maternity skirt in gold spot ponte roma (top is from collectif clothing).

Simplicity 8342 in some old lightning cotton jersey, Colette Zinnia skirt in flamingo cotton lawn, Lilou dress from Tilly first book in some houndstooth viscose

Your favourite outfits:

These were the outfits that got the most likes during the month. Sorry the third picture is not the one from instagram but I can't find the original (I've gone through 3 phones this month, my photos are all over). 

I can definitely see why they are some of your favourites they are all very striking outfits. especially the fabric in the middle one its so pretty. 

From left to right:

Kim dress from By Hand London in some llama print Robert Kaufman cotton, Another Bettine in some stunning crepe from Sew Over It, Wren dress by Colette patterns in some blue lightning jersey from Stof & Stil

So where does that leave me?

The one thing I did realise is that I don't have many great clothes for super hot days. I HATE not wearing tights and having bare legs. Even in a knee length skirt, if its a flared skirt and there is a slight breeze i'd still rather have tights on. I need to address that in my handmade wardrobe and i'm thinking some maxi skirt/dresses might be a nice way to go.

I also realised that a lot of my outfits just felt really uninspiring. Some clothes, whilst plain, can just make you feel great but I found a lot of my clothes just lacked lustre. With this in mind I am going to try and pay more attention to what I make and give it some consideration before I jump in. This starts with fabric and pattern choices but also what can I wear with it, can I bling it up a bit, does it need accessorising etc. Generally I need more sparkles in my life!

Overall it was a very helpful experience. I don't think I will do it so publicly again but it certainly came at the perfect time when I'm just getting back into personal sewing and it has motivated and invigorated me. Hopefully I can use this drive to take my sewing and style to the next level.

As a final side note the blog is very broken. I accidentally let me domain name lapse just after having little Miss Fox and now they want to charge me extortionate rates to have it back so it has changed to a .co.uk domain. This means all my internal links are broken, not the mention all my pinterest ones which just makes me want to cry. So I will be quietly trying to work on that and get this thing going with a bit of gusto again.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my makes, I really enjoyed everyone elses and got some great inspiration so thank you to everyone that took part and took the time to like my posts. 

Some roomy Rumi tanks

Continuing on my baggy jersey basics campaign This week I stitched myself up 3 (yes 3!) new tank tops which are again aimed at my post baby, breastfeeding body. Being as summer is pretty much on our doorstep I thought I best make sure I have thought about those hot sweaty days with a hot sweaty baby and have some functional vest tops.

The pattern is the Rumi tank by Christine Haynes, its a racer back vest top which is quiet fitted at the top, but has lots of room at the bottom so will hopefully skim those curves rather than cling to them. It was the loose fit at the bottom of this tank which really made me want to give this pattern a go.

The sew itself could not have been easier, as a pattern these things are a cinch and so quick to make. The instructions were perfectly adequate, they are brief, but then there is not actually much to be doing to make these. I made all of these, including cutting, in about 6 hours, but given my mobility at the moment that's pretty good going. I definitely recommend this pattern and I can see it becoming one of my staple go to patterns in the future. What I really like about this pattern is the way the binding is attached, it makes for a really professional clean finish.

None of these are 'perfect' makes, but they are certainly all wearable. The biggest issue I had was keeping the width of the neckband even as I overlocked it on. I am hopeful this is just something that would get better with practice as I was certainly better by the third version here.

I used three very different fabrics to make these tanks. My favourite (in looks) is definitely this pineapple one, however the fabric itself is horrible! Its really fine, it has barely any stretch for a jersey and it just feels a bit cheap really. I bought it from a local fabric shop a year ago because of the print but the last project I tried just didn't work as there was not enough give. Hopefully this tank will be baggy enough that this won't matter. This version kept its shape the best, but that's because you would struggle to stretch it out of shape. This is the reason why I edged it in the black, as I needed a fabric with more recovery for the binding. I do like the way it looks though, lets hope it wears ok.

Next up is the black one made from some very fine polyester jersey which I bought from the market years ago. This is a really nice fabric for this pattern as its so fine it has a beautiful drape. That being said this one has the most stretched out hem as the twin needle sewing was not so easy on something so delicate. Who doesn't need more black basic vests though? Exactly, we all do, they go with anything and if the hem is too stretched out when worn I can always wear it tucked into a waist high skirt. 

Lastly is this pinky/red marl version. This fabric I bought very recently in Elegance in derby (a local fabric shop) as I quiet liked the colour and texture and it wasn't very expensive. This fabric is a lot thicker jersey than the other two and so its drape is not as good. I do really like this version but I have a feeling the weight of the fabric isn't going to suit the pattern anywhere near as well as the others. This version has stretched out in the hem a little but its not bad, this fabric was also the hardest to attach the edging on and has the most obvious difference in width.

So all in all this pattern gets a big thumbs up form me, lets hope its the same verdict once I actually get to wear them! Again I will try and share some pictures on instagram once I finally get them worn

Have you ever made up the same pattern in numerous types of fabric? How did you find the differences? It really has amazed me, even in the same 'type' of fabric how much of a difference one can make to the other.

New Look 6216 - Striped baggy tshirts

Its ok that all my clothes for the next 6 months are stripey isn't it, or do I maybe need to start branching out a bit? :)

Following on from my earlier post where I talked about my personal sewing being all about the breastfeeding at the moment these are no exception to that. What with summer approaching and everything I thought I better sew a couple of short sleeved tops to see me through the warmer weather. I kept with the same theme of nice and baggy so there is room to lift up for feeding and also plenty of room to hide my post baby belly.

These tops are both made using the New Look 6216 sewing pattern which I bought form Sew Essential again. The grey stripe and pink version is made in view B which includes these extra sleeve bands and the black and white version is in view C which has slightly shorter sleeves. I actually haven't made a decision on which version I prefer as yet, they both look and feel great, but as I haven't managed to get the wear out of them you will have to watch this space for my final verdict.

These tops were ridiculously easy to sew. I have always shyed away from making any jersey basics, for a couple of reasons really; firstly they are usually so cheap to buy, why go to the effort of making them and secondly it always seemed really fiddly and not the easiest fabric to sew with. I was really wrong! I knocked both these up in about 4 hours total (including tracing and cutting the pieces) which is really fast and they look great. I have to say I am really pleased with the way I have been managing knit neckbands lately which makes me happy.

Again I have mostly just been experimenting by using up some of my stash jersey which was getting a bit out of hand. These were both made out of polyester jersey which I bought from local markets. I have a nice mix of poly and cotton jerseys in my stash but the reason I picked the polys for this project was because they have a much more flowing drape. They are a bit more lightweight that cotton jerseys tend to be so they lend themselves much better to this sort of baggy top. A definite consideration if you are thinking of making a top like this.

The fit seems to be pretty ok (as much as you can tell with a massive baby in your tummy!). I made this version in a more true to size size than the last top I made which I think was a much better idea, its less like a tent and seems to fit a lot better. I like the neckline on this top, its wide enough but not too massive to fall off your shoulders and the length seems pretty good.

All in all i'm really happy with how these have come out, a couple of quick satisfying makes. Again, its a shame I can't model them for you but I will make sure to pop some pics on instagram once they are in action.

For my next selfish sew I have been looking at tank top patterns, I think I like the look of the Rumi tank, though I worry it might be a bit short length wise. I will have another look around to see if I can see anything else that fits the bill, but if you know of any patterns please shout up.

Lastly, as a rather random final word; I have had my eye on this sewing pattern for a while now, the reason being that I have been hankering after making a top which Veronica Mars wears in the Veronica Mars movie. Ever since seeing this movie in 2014 I have had this make in the back of my mind but just haven't ever got around to it, mostly because of my fear of tackling a jersey basic I think. The top is this black burnout stripe one (I can't find a better picture on the internets). From my recollection it has a sort of faux leather binding which I would love to pull off. Watch this space, I now have the means!

Baby dribble bibs (including pattern)

Can you ever have enough dribble bibs? There is a possibility I might have gone a bit overboard on the bibs here but personally the answer to this question is no, you definitely can't have too many of these things. I know from the experience of my own little dribbler these things are a must for pretty much any baby (unless you are lucky and manage to get a dribble free one, but I am not convinced they exist). Master Fox was known to go through at least 3 a day some days so unless you want a constant wash on the more the merrier.

The best thing about these though is that they have all been made out of fabric I already had, so not only are they amazing and super useful but they were also free!

But even better than that, I have included my pattern and the instructions for these bibs in this post. Aren't I good to you :)

See below for my instructions as well as the downloadable pattern.

A note about the pattern: I made this pattern by tracing from a shop bought bib left over from when Master Fox was little. I love this size and shape for a bib, but the ones from the shops come in so many different sizes you might find you prefer a different type. In which case, just fold the bib in half, draw around it and add a small seam allowance, it really is as easy as that.

Click here to download my DIY Fox Dibble Bib pattern

Make sure you print the document at 100% size so that you know your final bibs will fit your little ones.

Materials: main fabric, backing fabric, poppers/snaps

I used a variety of different fabrics for these bibs:
For the main fabric I used quilting cotton and knit/jersey (some cotton, some poly). Cottons are easier to sew but are more rigid. Knit/Jersey are harder to sew with but they are nice and soft on babys skin
For the backing I used either flannel or knit/jersey, you could also use toweling, minky, fleece or cotton.
For the poppers I used Kam snaps but you can also use sew in press studs or no sew studs. You could even use velcro if you preferred.

Bibs made from quilting cotton

Instructions:

1. Using the pattern above cut 1 piece main fabric and one piece backing fabric. Make sure to cut the pattern on the fold.
2. With wrong sides together pin the front and back pieces together and sew around the edge leaving a 2 inch gap along one edge to turn the bib the right way around.
3. Trim the seams as close to the stitching as possible
4. Turn the bib so the right sides are now on the outside through the hole you left in the step above
5. Make sure that the seam allowance for the gap you left for turning is folded to the inside of the bib, it helps to iron these seams so that they stay flat
6. Sew all the way around the outside of the bib making sure you catch the seams over the turning hole
7. Attach a snap to the ends of the bib according to your snap instructions. 
8. Admire your work :)

Bibs made from Knit/Jersey

So you see they really are that easy there is little point in buying any at all.

Avert your eyes! Neon tutu tutorial

The brief was 'neon tutu' I think I nailed it don't you!

I love orange and pink together, I think its my favourite garish colour combo. I am desperately trying to decide whether put some orange back in my hair again, last time I got told I reminded people of a tutti frutti! Haha I don't think that's a bad thing do you?

Anyway, why have I made a neon tutu I hear you wondering? Why not? Honestly though there is a reason. I recently went to Leeds for a friends hen do, the theme was 80s and we were told we should be wearing neon and tutus! I did do the obvious and look on ebay for the cheap option but every time I looked at them I couldn't help think 'I'm not paying for that!' I didn't really have a plan beyond that though and by the time it was 3 days to go I realised I was a bit late to order one, there was no fancy dress shop near work and so I was just going to have to make it.

I did a bit of a search on the net for how to make tutu's but most of the results were for the no sew kind, and well I wanted to yes sew kind. I thought being as I just made up a process I would quickly type up how I did it whilst I show off the tutu in all its neon glory!

I bought one meter each of two different coloured cheap fancy dress nets from my local fabric shop (thank you My Fabric Place in Beeston) in these amazingly neon pink and orange colours. I then folder the fabric in half width wise and then in half again width wise and cut along the folds. This gave me 4 x 1 meter long pieces of both colours (8 pieces total).

Please note that I do have a small waist and whilst there is plenty of material here to make larger sizes if you want a bigger tutu, or in fact a fuller tutu you might want to consider buying 1.5 or 2 meters of each fabric colour.

Next I cut a piece of elastic which I measured to fit comfortably round my waist where I wanted it to sit (with a bit of stretch) and then added an inch for where it meets at the back. Make sure the elastic is not too stretched its uncomfortable but not so loose its not going to stay sat on your waist where you want it. I then marked the middle of the elastic with a pin.

I then lay 4 of the pieces of fabric on top of each other. I alternated mine so orange pink orange pink (have the colour you want facing out on top). You can of course do this however you like it, play about with the colours and see what works for you. You need to do the same with the remaining 4 pieces but keep these to one side we are going to be working on one half at once.

Next you need to attach the net to the elastic. You do this by making lots of large folds in the net and pinning it to the elastic. You don't need to stretch the elastic, but it might help if you do give it a little stretch as I did find my waistband didn't have much give. You want to put in enough folds that the piece extends just beyond the half way pin so there is a bit of an overlap.

Once you have done this with the first 4 pieces you then need to do the same with the second 4 pieces starting by overlapping where you left off and continuing to fold until the piece reaches the other end.

Finally you can get out your machine and using a zig zag stitch sew that bad boy down! take your time and make sure you catch all the layers.

Once you have done this overlap the two ends of the elastic and sew some tacking stitches to close the waist into a circle and that's it, time to twirl!

I did trim a couple of inches off the bottom of mine after I had stitched it as I preferred the shorter length, but you can choose whether you do this or not after trying it on.

 

It certainly is neon isn't it! I'm pretty sure I'm now at a point in my life where I am getting too old to wear outfits like this but regardless we had an amazing weekend away and had a great laugh (as well as some rather odd looks as we walked the streets in the day dressed in neon tutu's!). 

FYI, the matching bow I made using my Tulle Bow Tutorial

You have to excuse the lack of my face in these photos, I was a bit sleep deprived when I took them and my gaunt baggy eyes really didn't do these pictures any justice!

I hope this was a useful tutorial, or if not then a fun look into a crazy outfit! I do actually love this skirt, and I think its all to do with the colour. If only I had more occasions to dress like this!!

Have you ever made anything like this? Or bought one of those cheap ebay tutus? You should totally try making one, this one cost me £5, which was £1 less than ebay, and much nicer I think.

Now I want you to show me your crazy makes (or tutus) so I don't feel so silly!

Sam's Monkey

Recently I got back into some plushie making and it felt really good to get back in the saddle, I really enjoyed this little project monkey. Sam's Monkey was made for a little boys first birthday present, and I really hope he gets lots of love and cuddles in his new home and I hope you all like him too.

Being a new parent, completely clueless and with only a small few supportive friends with babies, I took to a forum of babies with a birthday close to Master Fox's for advice, support and generally someone else to talk to. All new parents will understand the desire to share every new thing their baby does, but also the worries about 'is this normal', 'am I doing it right' and 'help, I don't know what to do'. This group of mummies have been absolutely amazing (and slightly mad) but I am so proud we have come through a whole year together and it has been amazing to watch all the babies grow and share in their milestones (as well as the MANY sleepless nights!).

We decided to do a secret santa type thing for their first birthdays (I can't believe they are all 1 already, where has the time gone?). As well as buying a gift I couldn't resist the temptation to make something for my chosen baby. Rather than making clothes which are grown out of/risk not fitting, I decided to make a little cuddly toy. This is where Sam's Monkey was born.

I do like him a lot, he is very cute, and I love the long flimsy limbs which are perfect for dragging around and giving a good chew when little one is teething. I also love his big monkey ears, they are very characteristic. In hindsight the fleece fabric is a little dark for the black eyes and they are lost a little bit, especially in the pictures. I think they would have been better on the lighter fabric but I don't think is too much of an issue.

I'm sure this won't be the last plushie I make, they are one of my favourite things still. I think I am just a big kid at heart! Have you make your little ones soft toys before, or made one as a gift? I would love to see them all. I love a good plushie. Also, is it just me or does everyone else get a small glow of delight when they finally come to life!

 

Christmas dungarees

Its time to one up the Christmas Jumper with these incredibly festive baby Santa dungarees! We all know the joy of having a kid is so that you can dress them up and Christmas is going to be no exception to that. Little girls get all the love though with pretty festive dresses and tutu's where as boys only really seem to get the jumper. I therefore couldn't resist the temptation of making him a pair of festive dungarees to help him celebrate the season. Especially as his social calendar was far busier than mine this year!

The pattern was again from Puperita and is the Little Birds Romper pattern. The fabric was Riley Blake Santa Claus Express cotton and the lining is just some red cotton both from Ebay. I love the Santa fabric so much, those little smiling Santa's are so cute. I also tried for ages to find some buttons the size the pattern recommended, finally settled for some which didn't really go, then found out they were too big for my button holes anyway and ended up searching the house and finally finding some self cover buttons (which reminds me I need to get some more). I think these work loads better though, those buttons are adorable with the little smiley Santa face on.

This was another exceptionally good pattern from Puperita. It was really simple to follow and being a cotton it was a dream to sew and the finish is top quality. The fit is really nice on them as well, they sit really nicely on his shoulders but also have a good amount of room in the waist to allow him to move about in. I did have the benefit of being able to measure these in the leg exactly so that the leg cuffs sit perfectly. I will definitely be making more of these as he grows up because they fit and wear so well. I can imagine all sorts of versions: cute cotton prints, corduroy, denim, it lends itself so well to so many woven fabrics.

I would be lying if I tried to tell you that I didn't try to pattern match these, but as you can see it went a horribly wrong (how am I so bad at this?) It's not the end of the world and I'm not going to cry about it but I don't understand how I always fail at this. I'm sure I will get there in the end.

The only disappointing thing about these dungarees is that Christmas is now over and he will soon grow out of them :( Having said that though because you don't need much fabric for baby clothes I certainly didn't spend more on these than I would have buying him a Christmas outfit from the shops. However Master Fox had something totally unique that made him look so damn cute.

Have you ever made your kids festive outfits, or yourselves for that matter? I would LOVE to see them.

Tulle Bow Tutorial

So I did a quick pinterest the other day to see if I could find a tutorial on making little tulle bows which could be used as hair clips/brooches/sewn onto headbands etc and to my surprise there was a distinct lack of them. I decided that the internet deserved one so here you go... your very welcome :)

 

You will need: 

• Some tulle or net fabric. I used some 6inch tulle which came on a roll which was left over from our wedding decorations (like this). You will need one piece approx 55inch by 6inch (enough to wrap around a place mat about 6 times) and one piece which is just 3inch by 6inch.

• A regular coffee mug mat

• Scissors

• Matching thread and needle

• A Pin

 Using your coffee mug mat, starting at the back put the tulle about 2/3 of the way across making sure it crosses the middle of the mat. 

Wrap the tulle all the way around the mat until you have 6 layers of tulle covering the front. Making sure once again that the end of the tulle is 2/3 of the way across the back and passing over the center. 

Ensure you have a hold of all the layers and carefully slide the mat out from the middle.

 Pop a pin into the center through all layers to hold it together (the folds want to be to the side and the open edges to the top/bottom). 

 

Using a basic running stitch and matching thread sew through all layers from one open end to the other. 

Pull the thread to gather the bow in the center and wrap the thread around a couple of times. Secure with a little stitched knot. 

Taking your small piece of tulle, and starting at the back wrap it around the middle of the bow 2 or 3 times. Trim any excess making sure the end is at the back and hidden in the middle. 

Using your needle and tread sew a few stitches to secure the loose end down so that it doesn't unravel.

Finally using your scissors you need to carefully cut through the folded edges at the end of the bows so that they poof out nicely. Do this part carefully and trim any stray bits which might end up sticking out. 

And there you have a pretty finished tulle bow. You can pop a bobby pin through the end and wear it in your hair, a brooch for your coat or it can be sewn onto a garment for a bit of upcycling glamour.

I would love to see what you decide to use these for, so if you use this tutorial to make one for yourself leave me a comment with your picture or instagram me @thediyfox