DIY Halloween Costume Round-Up

Halloween is just few days away so I thought a little Sew Can Do costume how-to round-up would be good for those last minute costume needs and fun like a virtual costume party too!  

 Costume Tour Time!

My Princess Merida tutorial was a big hit last year and has been really popular this year too. I've seen some fabulous "I made it!" pics from readers looking for true-to-the-movie style. I show how to modify a basic dress pattern to get the classic Brave look, how to make a quiver & belt and, of course, a wild red yarn wig to make your little Merida complete.

Go vintage cute with my classic Strawberry Shortcake hat how-to.  Add a red dress, apron & striped tights for a complete berry girl look.

Give a little pirate some extra sense of adventure with my Argh! Pirate Eyepatch tutorial.  

I also share how to put the rest of the costume together HERE.

Holy Smokes!  It's a Batman Mask & Gauntlet Pattern!  Use my free downloadable patterns to make these classic Batman accessories.  Toss in some grey pajamas & a cape and the look is complete.

And modify the mask pattern and add some other basic items to turn it into either the Old Time Bank Robber:

Or a BOO-tiful Secret Message Ghost:

Use my Just A Giraffe Coat tutorial to turn a basic jacket pattern into a wild-animal wearable:

While this isn't a free pattern here on the blog, my Dynamite Dinosaur Cape PDF Pattern makes a super warm and comfy costume:

It fits ages 3 & up and is easy to customize in whatever colors desired for boys & girls.

And for some other costume inspiration ideas, here are a few other creations I've made over the years and links to more info on them:

Shining Knight & Enchanted Princess:

            

Classic Roman Soldier (includes link to an amazing helmet how-to):

Our Star Wars Trio: Yoda, Han Solo & Princess Leia.  The Leia hairdo hat & gown patterns can be found in my shop.

This walk down Costume Memory Lane almost makes me want to make some more;)

And for more fun costume ideas, check out my DIY Halloween Costume board on Pinterest:

Let's Celebrate Star Wars Day!

Did you know today was Star Wars Day?  I totally forgot until my husband mentioned it this morning.  Which I should know since I make Star Wars related hats in my shop.  Doh!  So in honor of the occasion, here's a quick a walk down my Star Wars projects "memory lane" to get you in the mood too.  How can you celebrate the day you ask?

Maybe with some theme cookies or other spaced out sweet treats:

Give a few out of this world gifts:

Pull on some Wookiee Wear:

Rock the Leia hairdo:

Show your Dark Side:

Maybe a baby Jedi?

or go all out with full on costumes:

But no matter what you do....

May the 4th be with you!!

Come to the Cute Side With A Costume Pattern Giveaway!

Do you know the power of the Cute Side?  It's little kids+whimsical costumes.  They always get smiles wherever they go.  Especially at Halloween.  A little over a year ago my whimsical hat making skills kicked off with my Space Princess Hairdo Hat.

There was such amazing response to this little hat I still can't quite believe it!  Of course I got several suggestions for more fun themed hats to go with it (especially from my 5yr old & husband) and last Halloween my kids were all coordinated in their costumes:

After much tinkering I came up with this one, The Little Vader, so the small boys could get in on the action too. Technically my model is not a boy, but she's got the required level of fierce to carry the hat off -  just look at little bossy pants commanding things here:

So to celebrate all the little sci-fi cuties out there this Halloween season, I'm giving away TWO  sets of my most popular patterns: 

The Space Princess Hairdo Hat and 

Space Princess Gown & Belt!

Each winner will receive the hairdo hat and gown PDF patterns to make a complete Space Princess costume.  The patterns are both easy enough for a beginner and have full color, step-by-step photos and sizing for tiny baby up to 2yrs.  Using fleece makes them perfect for those chilly trick-or-treating nights and simple to wear over clothes.  Two lucky winners will be able to make a comfy & memorable costume in no time!  

And if you're not super into sci-fi looks, just remove the belt and the gown is ideal for little angels, snow bunnies or use as a cuddly winter dress.

Ready for your chance to win?  Here's how to enter:

Visit my shop, The Green Hedgehog, then come back and leave a comment saying what your favorite item is.  Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

Get Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):
- Like The Green Hedgehog on Facebook
- Favorite The Green Hedgehog on Etsy
- Follow Sew Can Do
- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook
- Link to this giveaway on your blog or Facebook


The giveaway will be open until 11:59PM EST Saturday, October 8, 2011 IS CLOSED. The randomly chosen winners will be announced at the next Craftastic Monday Link Party.  Good luck!

A Little Wookiee Wear

I want to start off saying I thought I'd have some fun Mother's Day ideas for you this week.  As you can see, this is as far from that theme as you can get.  With schooling the kiddies, my sister's b-day this weekend, my business stuff & still having Easter decor all over my house, I'm a bit behind.  Is is just me or does it seem like there's barely any time between the holidays/special occasions anymore?  That doesn't leave much time to get creative.  And unless it's an uber-clever idea, it'll get buried among the bazillion other Mom projects in blogland anyway.  So, since this blog is already a crazy blend of pretty & geeky projects, this mother has something a bit different to share: Wookiee Wear.

I made this little set last week as a custom request for a special mom customer of mine.  Her son is a huge Star Wars fan and she's planning a big themed party for his birthday.  She asked if I could create some Chewbacca style feet & hands for her daughter to wear for the party.  At first it was a challenge to figure out how to make them look fun, but still be comfy.  I had just enough of this fabulous faux fur fabric to create the set.  I made the feet as boots so they would cover her feet, but still be Wookiee-like in shape.  I lined them with fleece so they'd be nice & soft on the side and I left the bottoms open so they'd just slip over her shoes like spats, so she could easily run around and play:

I made the hands as mittens, so they'd be easy to put on & take off:

I lined those with fleece too, so they'd be nice & soft to wear:

After I finished them I was a little sad to let them go.  I totally fell in love with these little guys:

And that totally surprised me, since I wasn't a huge Chewbacca fan.  Maybe it's because they just look so fuzzy & fun.  They could work as bear, monster or yeti feet or as a throwback to those giant furry boots from the '70s.  But I totally want to make them again.

So an extra special Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there that love (or put up with husbands/kids/relatives) who love Star Wars;) And a very happy May the 4th Be With You (aka Star Wars Day)!

Sharing these creations with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!

Panoramic Sugar Eggs - Gone Geeky!

When I was a kid the most awesome item in the Easter basket was always the panoramic sugar egg. They always looked delicious & beautiful.  I still love them, so this year I decided to try making some using this tutorial.  Of course, me being me, I couldn't just go with the "usual" themes when it came to decorating.  So here are a few of my own designs in all their geeky glory.  

Let's start with the Pac-Man Panoramic Egg:

Yes, that is Pac-Man about to devour a power pellet inside.  And good thing too, since there's a ghost lurking nearby:

I used a red button candy for the power pellet and my trusty favorite, modeling chocolate, to roll out & shape the characters with a knife.  Royal icing added some blue maze details, eyeballs and acts as the glue to attach everything to the sugar.   The outer icing was piped on with a star shaped tip for the scalloped effect.

For Star Wars fans, there's this Yoda Superstar Egg:

Yoda is made from green modeling chocolate with royal icing eyes and all the details are drawn on with a food pen.  A small fondant cutter made the yellow modeling chocolate stars.  I added a bit of blue icing and now it's ready for a Jedi with a sweet tooth. 

It's even stormtrooper approved:

And for something more traditional, here's the Little Duckling Egg:

I used one of the DIY spring candies I made the other day for the interior and nestled him in a bit of blue icing for the "pond":

I colored the outer royal icing mint green this time and added a few flowers with a piping tip for outer accents.  They dry really fast, so within half an hour the eggs are ready to display.

Now that I've gotten the hang of making these, I can't wait to come up with more designs for future Easters!  

Sharing these creations with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too so click HERE to check them out!