Make a Halloween Baby Carrier Shark Costume

Get ready to turn heads with the cutest baby in town on Halloween! 

Last year when the cute baby in the photo above was born to my niece, I asked my niece what she wanted or needed for the baby. She told me all she wanted was a baby carrier costume. Music to my ears! Costumes I can do! They're one of my favorite things to create! But a baby carrier costume? I was stumped. I honestly had never heard of such a thing. 

I asked my niece to share photos with me of what she had in mind. She showed me this image of a shark costume. Since the article only explained how to create this costume, but failed to offer a pattern or photos, I'm expanding on this Halloween Baby Carrier Shark Costume idea with a FREE pattern. Trust me, it'll make things a lot easier! 

So... here we go! Get ready to create the easiest, most darling baby costume in town!

HERE is the link to the free baby carrier shark costume pattern. Make sure you print the pattern without shrinking it. 

Let's get started!

Supplies needed

Grey felt

Black felt

Red flat bias tape

White pellon, 1/8 yard

Fiber fill

Grey thread

2 large googly eyes

Glue

4-6 Medium to large safety pins

Directions:

1. Cut out 2 of the bodies from grey felt. Cut a hole for the shark mouth in one of the bodies. 

2. Cut a piece of black felt a little larger than the mouth opening.

3. Cut out teeth from heavy white interfacing like Pellon.

4. Sew the teeth in place. 

5. Sew the black backing behind the teeth.

6. Sew red flat bias tape around the mouth mitering the bottom corners so you get a sharp pointed edge.

7. Right sides facing, sew the grey felt bodies together, leaving an opening to turn them right side out.

8.  Clip the corners and rounded edges.

9.  Turn the shark body right side out.

10. Lightly stuff the shark body with fiber fill.

11. Sew the opening closed.

12. Glue the googly eyes in place

13.  With large safety pins, from the back side of the baby carrier, safety pin the shark body to the carrier.

To complete the costume, dress in black, add swim goggles for you and your little one, and throw on a multicolored blue tutu skirt... you know... because your outfit is going to need a little splash too (pun intended)!  

Happy costume making! And Happy Halloween! 

xoxo Grandma

More costume ideas:

The Flintstone Family Costumes

SaveSaveSaveSave

Simple Baby Boy Gifts to Sew

Do you need a perfectly simple, yet cute baby boy gift? Today, I'm sharing with you two of my favorite gifts to sew. 

This bow tie and these baby booties both take around 30 minutes to whip up from start to finish, which makes them top contenders for simple baby boy gifts. Plus, look at them... they're darling! 

The free pattern called "Baby Booty" includes a photo tutorial. You'll find this on Michael Miller Fabrics blog. It can be downloaded here.  Once you download this pattern, I'm suggesting you do the following to improve the sewing process just slightly:

• Step three states to use a seam ripper to rip an opening for the elastic. I think it looks nicer to make buttonholes for the opening instead.
• Baste the top & top lining and the heel and heel lining before you sew them onto the sole.
• Add batting between the soles. This gives the soles warmth and cushioning.

This dapper bow tie always impresses a new mom or dad. You'll find the free pattern and tutorial here. For fun, if you have enough fabric, make a matching bow tie for the Dad to be.

Find an hour in your day, grab some scrap fabrics and sew up these two baby boys gifts.

You won't regret making a few extras to have on hand for the next baby shower you're invited to. xoxo Grandma

Baby Blessing Dress Using Mommy's Wedding Dress

My daughter's wedding dress was a classic: lace with short capped sleeves.  Since she was getting married in October, she wanted the dress to look more like fall. So, we paid to have the dress altered and had the cap sleeves removed from the dress and replaced them with lace, elbow-length sleeves (as seen in the below photo). I asked that the original sleeves be saved and given to us, just in case I might ever need to use them. Those original cap sleeves were my inspiration for this baby blessing/christening dress.

To make this blessing dress, I took those original lace sleeves and cut them down to make the sleeves for this baby blessing/christening dress.  In an ideal world, I would have had more of the lace to use, but I can't say I didn't try. I even went to the dress shop where I purchased the wedding dress to see if I could purchase some. Sadly, the store informed me that it could take up to three months to get orders from this company and suggested that I cut into the train of my daughter's wedding dress, which I did not dare do.  So instead, I cut the leftover lace into pieces as shown below and then pinned those pieces onto the bodice in a random pattern. I tried an organized pattern but it looked awful! Then, I sewed all those little pieces in place - a very time consuming labor of love.

The pattern I used was the same one I used to make my daughter's blessing dress over 30 years ago (photos of that original dress can be seen here). 

I altered Vogue pattern #2878 slightly by adding pleats to the skirt instead of ruffles and shortened the dress by about 18 inches.  My daughter felt the original dress was ridiculously long. 

After finishing this dress, it needed a slip to add some volume to the skirt. But I wasn't in the mood to make the slip that came with the pattern because it was almost like making another dress.  Instead, I made a skirt and then sewed it to the bodice of the dress.  Of course I didn't think of this step until the dress was completely finished, so I ended up hand sewing it into place.  

Just look at those old looking hands, those are my hands holding this precious baby on her blessing day. Didn't the dress turn out so lovely?

So grateful that my husband and I had a lot of SkyMiles so we could be there when our newest granddaugter was blessed by her dad at church - it was such a special day!  xoxo Grandma

Linked to:  Project Run and Play You might also like theses blessing/christening dresses:

Here

Heirloom Dress

A Sunhat From Placemats - a Refashion

Summer is right around the corner and to protect that precious skin, try sewing up THIS free Petal Sunhat pattern designed by The Cottage Mama.  

I'm glad to report that this was an easy sewing project.  To add a lot of detail to the hat, I used two fabric embroidered placemats instead of regular yardage to cut the pattern from. Look at all that darling detail work on this placemat that I snatched for 50 cents each from a second hand store!

From each placemat, carefully center the pattern pieces over the center of the embroidery designs and cut out the pieces. 

You should be able to get three pattern pieces from each placemat. (The piece in the middle was plain white with no embroidered details.) 

I next unpicked some of the details that were too close to the edges as follows:

Then I followed the directions as stated with the pattern except for the part about where to leave the opening in the fabric to turn the hat.  I did not want to hand stitch along the scalloped edge of the hat.  Instead I left my opening to turn it on the side seams of the hat as shown below.

I also omitted the button from onto the top of the crown because I wanted my hat to be completely reversible. 

I liked this pattern so much I made two of these sunhats. 

If you need a cute sunhat, try this pattern and use a fabric placemat to make it look like you spent hours embroidering it when in fact you only spent half the time. xoxo Grandma

You also might like THIS post:

Summer Outfit with Reversible Hat

Linked to:  Threading My Way, Crafty Allie, Nap Time Creations, Diana Rambles, Creating my Way to Success
Featured on: and All Free Sewing

Vintage Looking Baby Peasant Shirt - a Refashion & Free Pattern

I originally made this shirt from a table runner for my oldest daughter's baby and was so happy when I realized it got passed down to my youngest daughter for her little girl.  I love that my children share their baby clothes with each other!  Nearly a year and a half ago, after my youngest daughter saw this vintage looking baby shirt, she commented that she wished she had a girl that could wear it. My mother always warned me to be careful what you wish for because it just may come true.  And of course, it happened.  Eight months ago that baby girl of mine gave birth to this darling baby girl of her own.

Earlier this week, I finally got around to recreating this peasant shirt pattern in two different sizes: 6 month and 12 month.  If you want to create this vintage looking baby shirt, go to THIS post and download the free pattern.  Peasant shirts are so easy to sew together but if you've never made one, there is also a tutorial HERE on how to make a peasant shirt.  If you need a different size pattern, I found several free patterns HERE and HERE.

To make the baby shirt pictured in this post, you'll cut the sleeves edge and hem along the edge of the table runner. You also need to adjust the pattern just a little by shortening the sleeve's hem to 6 inches long. I also added two casings to this shirt. The first casing is at the bottom of the sleeves and the next casing was added 1 1/2 inch below the armholes. To add the chest casing, I sewed 1/2" white bias tape to the wrong side of the fabric and then added elastic into that casing using the babies chest measurement.  

This peasant shirt pattern works great with classic linens.  If you don't have anyone who wants you to cut up their table clothes or table runners, go to your local thrift shop or a garage sale and see what treasure you can find to use with this pattern.  There is a lot out there if you know where to look.

For more close-up details of this vintage looking baby shirt, go to THIS post.   I hope you enjoy creating vintage clothing using linens, because I sure do.   xoxo Grandma

Turning a Tablecloth into a Shirt

Tablecloth Into a Shirt - Tutorial & Refashion

I love clothing made out of linens and lace!  I found this ivory tablecloth for $5 at a thrift store and decided to turn this classic into a peasant shirt for my granddaughter. This tablecloth has pretty cut-work lace edges and cut-work around the center too.

As you can see, it took two separate photo shoots to get these photos, so you could see how cute this refashioned tablecloth looks sewn up as a shirt.  The finished length of the sleeves is 8" and the finished length of the shirt is 12".

My granddaughter got mad when I pulled a handful of sand out of her mouth...what a mean grandmother!

If you want to turn a tablecloth (or something similar) into a shirt, here's what you'll need to do.  When cutting out the pattern, line-up the pattern's hems along the edges of the tablecloth.  The advantage of doing this is the shirt wouldn't need any hemming.  HERE's a free pattern to use to make this classic peasant shirt.  It's available in two sizes: 6 month & 12 month baby.  If these sizes aren't what you need, there are a lot of free patterns available for peasant shirts on the internet so start searching and I know you'll find the right size for your project.

Supplies needed:

• A tablecloth
• Bias tape the same color as the tablecloth
• Thread
• This pattern
• 3/8" elastic

Now, here's how to make that shirt:

1. Cut out the pattern pieces and making sure the hem lines up with the finished edge of the table cloth.
2. Sew the sleeves to the front back and top pieces as shown. Attach both sides.
   
3. To the neck, unfold one edge of single fold bias tape and sew to the edge of the neck.
4. Now iron the bias tape to the wrong side of the neck.
5. Sew close to the edge of the bias tape.
6. Measure around the babies neck, add an additional 2 inches extra so the shirt slips easily over the babies neck.  Using 3/8" elastic cut the elastic for the neck.
7. 3" from the bottom of the sleeve, sew on bias tape the same color as the tablecloth.
8. Thread elastic the length of the babies upper arm through the seam tape on both sleeves.
9. Sew the side seams.

You're finished!  No hems for this shirt!  I hope you like this pattern.  If you have a favorite peasant shirt pattern, use it instead of the one I created. I'd love to know if you plan to try this technique.  xoxo Grandma

FYI: I used the center of this tablecloth, cut around the edges to make a doily and then used that doily to make THIS doll skirt.

Vintage Looking Baby Shirt

This shirt was made from a table runner using the same pattern.

Linked to: Frances Suzanne, Nap-Time Creations, Smart Party Planning, Threading My Way

2 Shirts & 1 Skirt = a Dress - a Easy Refashion

If you read my last post, you know it was Kids Clothes Week this past week. I'm so glad I participated, because I got a ton done! 

In addition to the leggings I showed you here, here is another project I was able to complete for Kids Clothes Week: a toddler dress refashioned from two shirts and one skirt.  This is one of the easiest refashions I've ever put together! As I was rummaging through my stack of stuff to refashion, I came across two shirts and one skirt that coordinated. I love the happy peach and pink colors mixed with the white in the Gap shirt. It makes me feel like spring is almost here.

If you'd like to refashion a shirt or two along with a skirt then read along to learn how you can do it too.  

First, I cut off three inches from the bottom of the floral top.  Then I cut off the bottom part of from the second shirt.  

Next, I cut a piece from the white skirt 1 1/2 inches shorter than the shirt bottom and the same width as the shirt bottom. (Of course, I saved the rest of that skirt for another project.)

Now, line-up the shorter fabric (skirt) onto the wider fabric (shirt) and run a gathering stitch through both layers.  Gather the fabric and pin onto the floral top.  Sew through all layers and voila-- your dress is completed!  The best part of this project was that in less than an hour I had a cute new dress to ship off to a granddaughter.  If you try this, let me know.   Okay?   xoxo Grandma

Linked to: Frances Suzanne, Creating My Way to Success, Nap-Time Creations

Adult Leggings Refashioned into Baby Leggings

Last week was Kids Clothes Week , an event where participants commit to sewing at least one hour every day for a week.  I choose to participate... only with a little twist. I do my sewing everyday but Sunday. And on Saturday, I get in as much sewing as possible and stay up way too late sewing and watching old movies. Well, this time the goal was to recycle, which if you follow my blog, you know is one of my favorite things to do.

The first project I worked on last week was recycling a pair of jean stretch leggings (also known as jeggings) that looked great on my tall, lean daughter. That is, until we went on this roller slide in Okinawa, Japan and she ripped a nice sized hole in the seat of her pants.  She kept saying that these were her favorite pants but the hole was just too big to salvage them for her. So although I couldn't fix them for her, I did what any good mother/grandmother would do...

I cut her leggings into two pairs of baby leggings for her daughter.  For one pair, I retained the original hem and for the other pair I retained as much of the original top of the leggings as possible to fit that adorable baby (pictured above with her mother wearing those once deemed "favorite leggings").

I decided to spruce up one of the pairs of jeggings a bit. So, I used a linen napkin to add a little ruffle to the bottom of the pair of leggings that I retained the original top.  I cut the napkin into 2, two-inch strips. Then I gathered the strips and sewed them onto to the hem of the leggings.  The last part of the refashion was to unpick the pockets and scale them down by cutting off about 1 inch from each side and an inch from the bottom.  I resewed the pockets about 3 inches higher so they'd fit on my granddaughters bum (you gotta cover up those diapers, you know). The thread color I used for this project had to match the existing thread, so when I top stitched it would look like it belonged.  Once that was completed, I sewed the crotch together.  

The second pair of leggings was super easy to sew because I used the original hem and kept this pair simple and basic.  

The end result was being rewarded with two pairs of baby leggings all from one adult pair of leggings. Baby 2, Mom 0.  My daughter could have just thrown these leggings away, but what fun would that have been for me?   xoxo Grandma

Linked to:  Creating My Way to Success