The Fantastic 4 Team: Halloween Customs Part I: Rapunzel

The Fantastic 4 Team: Halloween Customs Part I: Rapunzel: Halloween is not my favorite, but I like to dress up as a family. Sadly this year, my girls wanted to be princesses, so they are going to be...

Halloween Customs Part I: Rapunzel

Halloween is not my favorite, but I like to dress up as a family. Sadly this year, my girls wanted to be princesses, so they are going to be the only ones dressing up. 

Estrella is going to be Rapunzel, so here is the model for the dress I made. They just got this barbie as a birthday gift. I got pink and purple cotton. My sister in law gave me some nice ribbon she used on her little girl's dress, she is going to be a Rapunzel as well!! 

Here is the result of four hours of sewing. Excuse my daughters face, she was not happy to pose for the camera. Again!!  I didn't follow the model exactly  of course and I switch the colors a little bit, but I think it still looks great.

I put some shiny ribbon in the middle so I could make the lace looking part, I made little hooks with the ribbon and then pass another piece of the ribbon through the loops to tie at the end.  I also added some ribbon on the waist and the collar because it was looking too simple and blah. The sleeves are my favorite part, I sew some ribbon to make the stripes, I love how they look all puffy. 

It is a little long for her, so the hem is quite big, but since it is also kind of loose, I figure she can use it for some years. It is a play pretend dress, but I think it is my best one yet, even better that the spring ones!!

 So, what do you think? it was pretty easy, (except for the zipper, that was hard) as I said, only four hours.  I started on Tuesday at 10 p.m. and finish on Wednesday at 2:00 a.m., I know, crazy, but better do it now than having to run the last day. If you are interested in the pattern let me know.

And here is a preview for Part II, Isabella's princess dress, can you guess which princess she is?

The Fantastic 4 Team: Estrella Looming

The Fantastic 4 Team: Estrella Looming: Here are the videos of Estrella looming the hat for her doll, unfortunately my video camera got wet and now the audio doesn't work, but you ...

Estrella Looming

Here are the videos of Estrella looming the hat for her doll, unfortunately my video camera got wet and now the audio doesn't work, but you can see how she is doing it. This is so super easy, try it with your kids!! If you have any questions about it, please let me know, I will be glad to help you!

If I remember well, in this one I asked her who was the hat for and she said "it is for my American Doll" then I asked her if she wanted to do another one and for who, she said yes, and Isabella. She also said she likes doing it. 

Estrella's first knitted hat

It has been so long since I wrote something on this blog, life has been crazy!! Summer of 2011 was so wet, brought mold to my house and lots of work, that I am still trying to catch up. But I have so many projects I want to share with you, might as well start!

Some months ago I decided that I was going to teach my girls how to knit and sew. Estrella turned 5 this summer so I figured she is old enough to follow instructions. I decided that looming was the easiest and fastest way to start knitting. I told her that we could sit together 30 minutes each afternoon while Isabella was napping and knit and talk. I told her that she could knit things for her American Doll, she was hooked!!!

I have always been fascinated with the idea of just sitting together with my daughters, by the fire, and a sewing/knitting project in our hands, and just chat the afternoon away! like girls did in Colonial Times! no TV, no internet, just mom and daughters sitting in a room sewing or knitting and talking. Doesn't that sound so inviting? Besides, knitting occupies idle hands and can broaden a child's attention span. Knitting provides a creative outlet for kids, helping them to relax. Kids can knit in the car on long trips too. They can experience the joy of creating something beautiful and unique with their own hands. Each project completed is something to be treasured!

So here is Estrella's first project, she was super excited, she started another hat right away, "for Isabella" she said. I have a video of her looming, which I will share as soon as I figured out how to! for now, enjoy the pictures of her very first knitting project. Let me know if you want tips on how to get kids into knitting. Do you think it is something worth the time?