Teen Titans Go Starfire Costume

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I hardly ever dress up for Halloween, and I have only made one other costume for myself, ever (Tinkerbell, which took about 20 minutes of cutting and sewing a knit tube).  Somehow, I got it in my head that I must be Starfire from Teen Titans Go this year.  Unless you have a kid between the ages of 6 and 12, you probably have no clue who that is, but we watch a fair amount of Teen Titans Go here, and I like her sunny, quirky personality (and also her pink hair).

Here she is, for comparison.  I made this to show as little midriff as possible while still being true to Starfire's original costume.  :-)  Haha I sound ridiculous.  

I bought the fabrics at JoAnn.  They are from the Yaya Han line.  They are both polyester pleather-type fabrics.  The purple is quite stretchy while the white is thicker and does not stretch.  The piping I used to mimic the drawn outlines is a dark silvery pleather piping from Mood.  I totally am the one who made it "sold out."  :-)

As for the patterns, they are a mix of Franken-patterning and making it up as I went along.  The skirt was the easiest.  Simplicity 2564 has no darts and a nice yoke, so I was able to color-block it and add a big circle for the buckle.

I used McCalls 7387 for my boot covers (my pattern envelope says MP281, which is odd), adding the white section at the top.  These came together quickly and stay put over shoes.  The only opening is for the heel of the shoe.  They are quite tight and are a bit of a pain to get on, but they fit well once they are on.

The top is the strapless bodice section of Vogue 8766 with the white section just kind of added on.  I used the shoulders of the other bodice views of the same pattern to get me started on the white section.

My arm thingys are basically just tubes with curved edges and stiffened by glueing plastic canvas inside.  The black lines and the big black circle on the bodice are fabric puff paint.

I am so proud of how this came together.  I kind of can't believe how much time I spent on this considering how often I will wear it (maybe 1 or 2 times more ever) but it was a fun challenge, and those Yaya Han fabrics are fun!!

Arenal Top by Itch to Stitch using Pennie Fabrics

Here is something fun!  I tested the new Arenal pattern by Itch to Stitch, and it is a fantastic pattern.

Here is the line drawing to give you a better idea of the style lines.  The contrasting yoke pieces lend themselves to a lot of really cute details, but the best part of the pattern for me is the handkerchief hem option and the V-neckline instructions that really do ensure a great result.

 This version uses two companion fabrics that I purchased at Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota.  They are both mid-weight rayon knits with sheer stripes.  The sleeve and yoke fabrics have narrower stripes than the body fabric, making the combo a little more fun and interesting than using only one fabric.  (My local sewing friend Myra bought some of this fabric, too, and I can't wait to see what she makes with it.)  I was lucky to find a close-colored cami at Target to layer underneath these sheer stripes.

I am so happy with how this top turned out.  It's always nice when you receive compliments on your sewing not just because someone knows you sewed it, but because they just like your top.  :-)

If I make this handkerchief hem version again, I will lengthen it an inch or two to ensure crotch coverage over leggings.  It is ok with thicker jeggings here, and the cami offers more coverage, but a longer tunic version would be nice, too.

This second version is actually the first that I sewed.  After this one, I determined I needed a wide-shoulder adjustment for future iterations.  This fabric is also from Pennie Fabrics.  It is a beefy cotton sweatshirt-type fabric.  The contrast is a terry fleece that I bought a few yards of from Mood Fabrics for a little lounge-wear ensemble that has yet to be created.

At first, I used the handkerchief hem on this top, but the thicker fabric wouldn't drape down nicely, so I changed it to the standard hem.  This is a great cozy sweatshirt.

I am very happy with this pattern.  I have another that I have already made, but I will share it in a separate post since I made a couple of small changes to the design. .


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McCall's 7319 Knit Dress

I can't decide how I feel about this.  I mean, I know I don't LOVE it.  I can't quite decide if I even like it.  One thing it has going for it is that it is SO comfortable.

The pattern is McCall's 7319.  My fabric is a very lightweight oatmeal-colored knit from JoAnn Fabrics.  I made a double skirt because of the sheer fabric, and that worked out well.  I left the hem and bottom edges of the wraps raw instead of hemming.  This knit fabric doesn't fray or curl at all, and it is so lightweight that the less I do with it, the better.

I do really like that the crossover detail continues on the back of the dress.  I find it really annoying, in both sewing and ready-to wear, when a detail on the front just stops at the side seams with nary a hint on the straight back.  My knit has only a little stretch, and it does make it challenging to get on and off.  Once it is on, though, it is super comfortable.  

I did a lot of tacking down at the neckline to keep everything just so, and now that I have worn it a few times, I think I need to tack at the waist as well.  The crossovers have a tendency to ride up and show the waist seam underneath.

So yeah, I don't know about this one.  I have been wearing it, but it's not one of my favorites.

Newsom Cardigan by Bristol Ivy in Berroco Corsica

If there's one thing I've learned from these particular photos, it's don't photograph a blue sweater against a blue wall.  Duh!  Anyway, I can't stomach a re-shoot at this moment, and I have such a backlog of projects to photograph that I am accepting these as "good enough."  I hope you will, too.  :-)

This is the Newsom Cardigan by Bristol Ivy.  This is such a cool design.  You start at the center back hem and increase to form the V-shape on the back that extends around the underarms and forms the front raglan sleeve shaping.  This was a pretty quick knit, too.

The yarn is Berroco Corsica, which is 90% cotton/10% cashmere.  Lovely to knit with and to wear.

This did require some pretty aggressive blocking at the back hem where the V comes to a point, but I was able to get it nice and flat.  Unfortunately, you can see the lines formed by my drying rack.  Oh well.

This is a great layering cardigan for fall, when the weather is still pretty warm here.  The raglan sleeves stay put on my shoulders, too, which isn't always the case with this shape.  I could see more of these in my future.