Fur Mantle

What can you do with a piece of fur from Ikea? Well, my plan was to make a fur mantle that would give the viewer the impression of a barbarian character.

I made a foundation for the fur and sewed the fur to the foundation.

And trimmed the fur into a suitable shape. 

Then, I decided I didn't want it to be white and did a dye experiment. And that is where it all went sideways. I didn't wait for the water to get up to temp. I wasn't sure the water would ever get up to temp. 

In the end, I had this bluish fur. It wasn't white, but it wasn't the gray I was aiming for. It's still pretty awesome.

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades

Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Horned Hat

I've been sewing up fleece hats this week. I found this great pattern from Feerie Telle and just had to pick it up and make a fun hat. 

The horns are made using smaller pieces so I went through my scrap bin and picked out some blues. 

I needed to get a feel for the effect so I pinned the front of the hat to my foam head. I think they turned out just great. 

Then I finished the hat and it is so great! I'm sure I'll make a few more of these, with different colored horns. These are the large horns. It also includes instructions for smaller horns. Have you made any fun fleece this fall?

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades

Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Odds and Ends

I don't have any charity quilts to share this week so we'll start off with some random things. I pieced this fun hat using the Harico pattern from Feerie Telle. Piece with some pretty small pieces from my giant bin of fleece scraps.

I created my November cover sheet for my diary. Colored pencils and ink.

I used my long arm to create some fun texture to create fabric for a costume for an upcoming gaming event. This project is still in the works.

I also pieced this basis for a fur mantle. 

I did some hand-finished binding on this piece. I cut this binding entirely too wide but it won't be visible so it will be fine. I still need to cut and piece the fur that will be attached to the base. Bias binding is worth it when you're working with curves. 

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades

Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler

Witchy!

When Sew Desu Ne? released this witch hat pattern last month I had to buy it.

I went to the big box fabric store to pick up the materials for my witch had and came home with so much more. All those sales paid off, though. I walked out spending only $30. 

This foam was in the remnants bin and just want I wanted to make my hat. 

The Halloween costume fabrics were on sale and this fabric just screamed witch/wizard hat to me. 

I was concerned I was making it too small, but it turned out just right. 

Finished in an afternoon. Now the kids will know where to find the candy come All Hallows Eve. I might have enough left over to make another one.

Tools and Supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion
Multipurpose sewing clips
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Juki TL-2010Q
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron

Wardrobe Wednesday: All Hallows Cape

Not long ago Professor Pincushion posted a wonderful tutorial on how to draft a cape pattern. I wanted to play along and on All Hallows I got busy in the early morning hours before the sun was up.

I drafted my cape pattern.  I wanted something small since this was my first draft.

Then I drafted the hood pattern. This hood is very roomy.

After cutting my cape pieces, I set the embroidery machine to stitching some fun designs. This design is from Urban Threads Embroidery. The set is called Gothic Nouveau and I bought it when it was first released in October. Urban Threads has hand embroidery versions of many of their designs, so don't let the lack of an embroidery machine hold you back from checking out their wonderful designs.

In hindsight I can tell you that these designs are too close to the front hem and not close enough to the bottom hem. I really need to print out my designs before setting up for placement. Not a disaster, but a learning moment.

The second learning moment came when I realized that I had cut and seamed two half capes to make a full-circle cape. The pattern designed by Professor Pincushion is for a half-circle cape. My choices to correct this error were few. I went with the one that I thought was the least painful and that let me keep my full-circle cape. I drafted a yoke to fill in the gap.

I decided to use a contrasting fabric, mostly because if I was going to make a mistake I was going to use it as a design element. Overall, I think it wasn't a disaster. I did learn a little something. More importantly, I learned how I can modify the pattern further.

I used another Urban Threads design from the same set for either side of the hood. Again, the design is too close to the front edge. Good placement from the top edge.

Here is the hood after seaming but before I finished the front edge. If I didn't need that hem it would have been perfect.

My finished cape! I wore it all day on All Hallows. It wasn't warm enough for outside, but it was good indoors. I have so many ideas on how to change this pattern. I want to modify it to make it easier to embroider. I want to modify the hood so it has a center panel that will change the shape of that leading edge. I want to make a longer version. So many possibilities!

Have you made something from a pattern you drafted yourself? I would love to hear about it.