Sewing for Halloween: Pixie Hollow Fairies featuring patterns from Patterns for Pirates, Ellie and Mac, Peek a Boo Patterns, 5 out of 4 Patterns and Sew Straight and Gather
/When my oldest was two years old I handed her a Halloween costume catalog we received in the mail and asked her to pick out a costume she would like for Halloween. I tried explaining to her that mommy would make whatever she wanted. She seemed very confused and wasn't sure what to do. We talked about it on and off for about two weeks and she kept picking the mommy and me costumes. We continued talking and finally came to the conclusion that she wanted me to dress up with her, so I assured her I would also make me a costume. She chose a mermaid costume for both of us and so I decided to make a fish costume (Flounder) for my son. Well, my husband found out I was dressing up and insisted he needed a costume too. We brainstormed and finally decided a Prince Eric costume would be the best fit for him.
We had so much fun dressing up as a family that we have done so every year since. This year we debated for a long time, too long because I was months behind schedule in September when we finally made our final decision and began purchasing fabric. I present Pixie Hollow Fairies!
When I start planning for Halloween, I google images of the characters I want to create. I study their images and create a plan of the best ways to recreate that character.
We chose Tinkerbell for my youngest and I started with the Patterns for Pirates Heart Breaker Cami.
I switched the back and front necklines so I would have more of a sweetheart neckline like tinkerbell has
I made the cami, tried it on my daughter, marked her natural waist and then added a seam allowance and cut off the cami at that mark.
I used this tutorial to create a circle skirt
Cut leaf shapes out of your skirt. It worked best for my size to make 6 leaf cutouts.
I chose a ponte de Roma fabric because I liked the idea of the way a stiffer fabric would make the skirt hang, this also meant I do not need to hem her skirt.
Attach skirt to bodice
Well, in our family having a Tinkerbell means you also have her twin sister Periwinkle! For Periwinkle I chose the Ellie and Mac Island Getaway dress pattern. I made a few small modifications to her dress.
First, I cut out three white leaves, ironed interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric.
Place leaves under the short side of the skirt as desired. (I attached the leaves at the waistband.)
Attach the skirt so the short side is on the right side of the model.
I chose to shorten the skirt several inches once it was finished.
I also used the Made for Mermaids Bonnie leggings in Capri length. After my daughter tried them on I marked where her knees hit and cut a triangle shape at her knee. I also chose not to hem her leggings because they are knit and I liked the way the curl of the knit adds to her costume.
For our son we chose Terence the Dust-talent sparrowman, who is Tinkerbell’s best friend. Again I used the Made for Mermaids Bonnie leggings. For his tunic I used the Go To Patterns Adventure Tee. I forgot to add length to make it more tunic like, but our son is pretty short so it was okay. Again I did not hem the sleeves or the bottom of the shirt because it is knit and won't unravel. Also, in Pixie Hollow they use organic resources to create their clothes and not hemming his clothes make them look more leaf like. Lastly, I used the Great Outdoors Reversible Vest from Peek a Boo Patterns. I only made one layer of the vest to create my look. I also had my son wear it while I trimmed it up to make it look like a leaf. I trimmed one side of his vest and then I folded it in half and trimmed the other half the same way.
The obvious choice for my husband was Lord Milori, ruler of the Winter Woods. For his pants I used the Patterns for Pirates Papa Bear Joggers without any modifications. For his tunic I used the 5 Out of 4 Patterns Halftime Hoodie. This is where things get tricky and fun. Lord Milori was truly a group effort by my husband and I as he helped quite a bit with drawing the pattern pieces.
I've decided lord Milori appears to be wearing two tunics, an under vest and a top tunic. We started with the under vest.
I used lots and lots of tracing paper that I found in the interfacing section of my local store. I traced two front pieces from the halftime hoodie and then I trimmed the neckline to resemble lord Milori’s neckline.
I used the back piece as drafted but I did add a point in the back.
Then, I traced a collar from one of my husband's shirts, made sure it was the correct length for the vest and added it to his collar.
Now for the front. There are three pieces to lord Milori’s front so I traced the pattern piece three times and handed them to my husband. He used images of Lord Milori and drew out the pieces of his tunic onto the front pattern pieces. Then, he went back and added in seam allowances to the areas where it was needed.
Lastly, I measured the armscye, took 80% of that number and created bindings for his arm openings.
Lastly, I got to be Queen Clarion, the Queen of Pixie Hollow. Being Queen of Pixie Hollow is actually a really big deal to me because as a child my favorites Halloween costume was the year my mom sewed me a Tinker Bell costume! My costume was the easiest this year, I used the Sew Straight and Gather Uptown Downtown dress in maxi length.
Every fall I drive myself and my husband crazy creating our family costumes, but it is truly one of our favorite family traditions and one we hope to continue for years to come.
In honor of Halloween and the creativity it brings out, we are featuring a new guest on the blog. Chance explains how he uses patterns, foam and household tools to bring some of your favorite characters to life. Whether costumes or cosplay, his techniques and tips can help you kick your next project up a notch!