DIY Holiday Adventures

Still catching up post-Covid, I didn't get to all the DIY December ideas on my list this year. No scrap ornaments nor holiday banners like my Celestial Banner for Search Magazine! What I did do came down to the wire, and the reactions to this trio of festive projects were...mixed?

The Jewelry Treasure Chest

I saved this top opening gift basket several years ago but forgot what I had wanted to do with it – until I saw it again this year, that is! I thought the flip top made it the perfect treasure chest for my niece. She's been sorting through some of my jewelry making supplies for the beads she likes, so I made as many bracelets and necklaces as I could with her favorites, the pink bead discards I don't like, and all the odd, low quantity, fun beads that don't match anything else. Many of the bug and butterfly charms and unique bobbles came from three cases of beads I found at Goodwill earlier in the summer for $8 each. Unlike some of my seemingly elaborate Black and White Bobbles, these were all done with simple elastic cording that can grow with her or can be taken apart later if she wants to do her own creations. More plastic Mardi Gras necklaces and fake pearls removed from other cheap costumes supplemented the chest along with her play masks, tiaras, and folding fans. I also put some of the jewelry sets I made in smaller boxes or little velvet bags within the chest to make them seem even more fancy. This was seemingly the biggest hit of the holiday when my niece didn't want to open anything else on Christmas morning because she had to go through the entire chest claiming she wanted to wear twenty pieces at once. Unfortunately, she only wanted the pink and later red jewelry – refusing to consider any other color even when playing with the mask and fan. So... I guess it was worth it?

Potter Scrap Pumpkins!

I got a pair of Gryffindor pajama pants for my husband that turned out to be quite long. Upon hemming them, I saved the excess inches intending to make something, but what? Once I knew making personalized scrap ornaments for each of my family wasn't feasible this holiday season, I realized I could still at least make Stuffed Pumpkins for my older niece with these pant ends. Once upon a time she was a big Potter lover, but this print is mature and subtle enough to just be regular autumn décor without screaming boy wizard. One end is gathered closed before the stuffing with fabric scraps and plastic bags. Rustic twine for the pumpkin sections, dollar store leaves, curly pipe cleaner vines, and a cinnamon stick stem topped off this gourdy pair. Upon seeing them on Christmas Eve, my niece first asked where I got the fabric and if they had been worn before they were pumpkins? Which I guess I could see as humorous because they hadn't been, and likewise, they weren't stuffed with dryer lint – although that is a perfectly viable stuffing option in a pinch. All gathered were very bemused and said that I was a very resourceful person. I'm not sure, however, if that resourceful was meant as a positive or just being polite, for I was also teased for saving all the holiday package shipping paper. Hey, man, it's good for painting drop cloths and scrap sewing patterns!

It's a Christmas Vacation Pillow

I get my husband a lot of character shirts at the thrift shop that he may like until they wear thin but sometimes the sizes aren't right. Usually I give away the too bigs and too smalls immediately or make pillows for the bean bag. This National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation shirt, however, I found again wrapped around loose ornaments when I opened my ornaments tote bin this year – meaning I must have intended to make it a pillow last year. Fortunately, unlike my Wonky Halloween Pillows, this was in good condition and easy to cut out the design square before running it through the machine. Again scraps and plastic bags were my stuffing – this is only a decorative pillow rather than needing to be soft and cozy. Its hockey playing Santa pillow companion was an earlier upcycled thrift find – I only have two Santas in my house and both are left shooting hockey players! There are more ready to retire shirts that I would like do as a quilt like my Memento Mori piece, but only my husband would probably get all the pop culture shirt references, for no one seemed to get, care, or notice the Christmas Vacation quote on the pillow. Oh well. Thankfully, everyone did eat all the pizzelles of course.

Visit Kbatz Krafts on Facebook for more photos or follow us on Blue Sky for the latest craft adventures! Peruse the Kbatz Krafts Archive for more projects including: 

Carving and Baking with Real Pumpkin

Mini Pumpkin Garland

Going Green Jewelry

Christmas Princess Upgrades

 

One expects changes as a child grows, which is why I don't usually go all out with the perfect finishes for my niece's Pastel Play Dresses. Such growth, however, is also an opportunity to upgrade our Christmas Princess with some ruffles, alterations, and new bling.

Having my first bout with Covid meant all my grandiose Fall sewing plans fell to the wayside, but these simple holiday embellishments have helped me get back into the crafting swing. Since its shape as a short caplet will not change, I starting by adding a gold fringe from a closing Joann Haul to the cape hem with a running back stitch using invisible thread. I knew I needed golden flair for my niece and shopped the Joann's clearance accordingly for some matching yellow threads handy now after pressing and pinning a cheap Wal-Mart gold satin as a shiny new cape lining. Unfortunately, I did struggle with tacking in this add-in lining numerous times. Like my long gestating brown housecoat set that I intended to have done before Covid struck, making sure the lining draped correctly with the cape took several adjustments both laying it flat and leaving it on the dress form before I was satisfied with several lining pleats in the back of the cape. Though I kept trying to convince myself it didn't have to be perfect, I also want this shiny fun to last for more holidays to come.

Next, a ritzy red fabric found at my local Goodwill this summer became a new foot long hem ruffle to lengthen the original Butterick B4319 tunic. They call me “The Woman in Black” there, and the store clerk asked me if it was a cape. I said I didn't think so but it was sparkly and that was what my niece said she wanted. I do have more of the original thrift Halloween capes from which I made the dress, but I'm saving that material for when I need to expand it with a new back panel or side gores. This ruffle took about half the glittery red; it's already cut width was just under doubling the hem length for the prerequisite gathering flounce. I did this new attachment by hand, for I didn't trust this slinky sheer metallic fabric to go through my sewing machine. Likewise, I initially stitched dollar store gold ribbon – the same as the silver trim used in the Cheap Frozen Costume – with my invisible thread at the original hem to further unite the two-tone reds. However, the invisible thread proved far too cumbersome by getting caught on the ribbon's metallic prongs so I went back to a yellow thread instead. I didn't double or line this deadstock mystery material for the ruffle, but did fold it over for shine on both sides upon expanding the dress sleeve with a fun little rectangular tippet. It was easy to open the gathering at the bicep and let the new tail drape, again with a gold Joann's trim setting off the new seam.

Like my Halloween Mystery Costume was meant to look like the personification of Halloween accumulated over time with its patchwork, this costume will indeed become piece by piece anew each Christmas. Obviously at some point it will no longer perfectly match, but the secret is making sure at least two items at a time coordinate. Here the red ruffle and the sleeve tippet go together. Next year I can stripe the top sleeve puff with more gold satin or do a matching full length sleeve – or gasp, add my niece's new favorite color: pink! Here the remaining gold sleeve trim was used for the drawstring of a little reticule purse. I could stripe this poof by stitching an alternating piece of the glittery red with the yellow satin, however these materials are both delicate and of different weights so that could look too wonky. Instead I simply laid the red strips horizontal on the yellow rectangle along with the last of the gold metallic hem trim and top stitched everything in place with a running back stitch. This turned out to be not exactly straight or symmetrical, but the top drawstring channel and the gathered closed bottom hide the imperfections. Yes, I could have been far more meticulous, but for a once a year use project like this, what would precision matter? This came together in a few hours, and the toughest part was trying to finagle the last of the gold fringe as some sort of tassel on the bottom that I ultimately left off to save for another future doodad.

Hot glue and clearance Wal-Mart yellow tulle made for an instant veil under the back poinsettias and bells of the existing Christmas wreath head roll in another simple yet oh so dramatic upgrade. I could have made a truncated hennin to go inside the roundlet, but my niece loves to precariously swing around my fifty cent pimp cane turned gnarly forest staff every chance she gets! Originally made for my Halloween Mystery Costume, this staff does double duty with my Mother Christmas Costume, so I decided to make my niece her own mini forest scepter more to her scale. A dollar store Halloween battery candle and empty tin foil roll combined with some backing cardboard, egg carton, and masking tape became the most magical yet cheapest make possible. Like my staff, stiffening hot glue creates that enchanted wood design as well as securing the egg carton strips around the faux candle flame like a mystical splintering effect. A black acrylic base coat and brown highlights finalized the branch motifs, and unlike my staff, this weekend project actually glows! I spoke to my niece on the phone during this multi step upgrade, telling her I was working on redoing her Christmas costume. “Thank you,” she said in her little five year old voice. I kept hearing this in my head thereafter, her appreciation spurring me on despite my lagging and any little imperfections or fudges and fixes along the way.

For Santa Lucia Day after saying, “Hi Kristin. Why are you dressed like that?” and “Who's Mother Christmas?” My niece grabbed her staff and said, “One of my own!” She kept running back and forth swishing the skirt and sleeves and refused to take her off dress for dinner. We had to compromised by letting her wear the cape at the table but she didn't want to share her scepter with her grandpop. My mother who taught me to sew (you can read my Legacy of Sewing article in the #FamilyTime issue of Search Magazine available now) was impressed with what looked like such a deceptively elaborate costume. The ruffle was actually a little long and the tie in the back was still loose enough for more room to grow. Had I gone straight through this project, it would have been done in a week but instead real world interference meant it took a month. However seeing her joy upon donning the costume, handing out the picture prints for others from inside her reticule, and waving her scepter about...this is why we do it amirite?

Follow the Kbatz Krafts Facebook for more photos or join us on Blue Sky for the latest craft adventures! Visit the Kbatz Krafts Archive for more projects including: 

Holiday Handprints

Green Velvet Skirt

Celestial Banner for Search Magazine

Black and White Bobbles!

 

In addition to my Black and White Polka Dot Dress, I made more assorted black and white bling – bang for my buck that looks a lot more classy and sophisticated than for what these totally cheap jewelry sets actually cost.

First came the seventy-five cent clearance cameos from one of my spring Joann Closing Hauls. I was finally able to utilize some flat black faceted beads in addition to dangling black bobbles and cheap gold beads that came from either a thrift grab bag or beaded holiday garland that I cut up for the beads. I don't remember which! The cameos made for earrings, a necklace pendant, and a bracelet with a small dangling cross to match. Obviously nothing here is more than plastic yet it's a posh looking set that adds instant elan to any little black dress.

Next I made two odd, ball style sets by supplementing a handful of unique but low in quantity beads. Two random white fireballs were done up with gold crosses for a pair of earrings shiny enough to match some of my heirloom pearl and gold pieces. More creamy pearl-esque balls of several assorted sizes combined with more cheapy black and gold beads for a full suit of earrings, necklace, and a sideways cross bracelet. These faux pearl beads ended up being very tricky thanks to a very small threading hole, forcing me to use a lesser gauge beading wire for the necklace. I have trouble crimping the ends of such wire properly, thus I generally just twist, knot, and wrap the wire but it always seems to hold. Jinx! When I wore this graduated ball set, my dad asked why I was dressed so fancy. I said, “Thanks. I made it!”

All of these random grab bag beads came from the sadly now closed local Carnival of Collectables Antique Mall and have been in my stash for sometime. In my previous Bling Binge, I was trying to use as much of my stash as possible to make jewelry sets whether they were in my seasonal colors and wearing window or not. Here however, I used miscellany pieces to make what I wanted and needed right now – filling in gaps with black, white, and gold that I only wear in August. Regardless of outdated Victorian and Edwardian classism, I don't believe in wearing white after Labor Day. It's autumn people move on to fall colors! Of course, that's not going to stop me continuing to use up many of my black bobbles as well as the black wood bead garland seen in my Haulloween 2024 video.

Simply cutting this bead garland strand made for a long, opera length necklace before a matching bracelet and ear bobs. In contrast to the imitation pearls, because these string holes are so large, I was also able to use up some smaller millimeter beads to finish the earrings and prevent the larger beads from sliding off the ear wire. Because who doesn't need more black wood bead necklaces, I continued with a smaller collar style necklace – this time alternating with other black beads for a tone on tone set again with a matching bracelet. Next, leftover silver Christmas garland beads combined with more of the wooden beads made for a sophisticated cross necklace set. Finally it was time for some large plastic gold beads with the black wood beads, matching dangling earrings, and a cross bracelet. Whew!

Believe it or not, I still have MOAR of the black wood beads, and I'm tempted to experiment in alternating them with more autumn colored beads. September was formerly my time to wear red (a color understandably retired for political reasons), but moving up silver and black or all black in chunky, cool tone sets goes well with this transitional weather, crisp black and white buffalo check scarf, or my black and white plaid skirt. I love thinking outside the box in making accessories that go with any outfit or season but don't break the bank. The most expensive materials here were probably the elastic cordings, beading wire, and earring hooks that a jewelry maker should always buy in bulk and have on hand for when colorful inspiration strikes.

Visit Kbatz Krafts on Blue Sky for more crafting or follow our Facebook and Instagram for project photos. Revisit the Kbatz Krafts Archive for more bobbles including:

Green Holiday Jewelry

Jaunty Autumn Hat

Jewelry Making Basics

Drab to Glam Lampshades

Red Pops and Black and White Polka Dots

 

My quest for a black and white polka dot summery wardrobe continues – graduating from my Black and White Polka Dot Tank Top to a strappy knee-length dress with a dash of red inside and out for that classic fifties vibe.

Instead of utilizing my Drafted Nightgown Pattern as with my tank top, I first chose a new to me thrifted McCall's 7116. Being unfamiliar with this pattern, I went to work on a mock up from a Goodwill “Khaki” bolt. Although this was supposed to be my size, it just wasn't the right design for this black and white polka dot print. I need more room in the bust and high empire waist, which could be solved by cutting more ease and creating stylized gathering. I always end up altering a commercial pattern in some way so such changes were not unexpected. However the polka dots and double gathering combined felt as though it would be too busy and bulky for my breezy lightweight intention. This isn't a mistake; it's why sewers do pretend practice before the lesson is learned once it's too late with the fashion fabric. Fortunately, I'm also halfway there in using this pattern for a warmer fall dress!

Alas it was on to the thrifted Simplicity 2587 pattern instead. Using the red cotton remaining from my Mother Christmas Costume, I cut my pattern pieces and basted them together for any adjustments. Here the pattern fit as intended with only a shortening of the shoulder straps and excess inches in the back seam. Huzzah! Now this mock up can be taken apart to serve as my pop lining. I think there is a right and wrong side and some of the waistband pieces may be backward. I needed to piece together the end of the waistband with odd triangles, too, but for a lining that won't be seen, so what? It's also down to the selvage with this red cotton so I had to use another red satin-esque remnant for the skirt lining – which is okay for a shiny flash of color that may be seen. Since I have the polka dot fabric to spare, I cut extra around my pattern pieces for finishing seams and fold overs to hide the strips of white Goodwill grab bag interfacing in the collar, armhole, and straps. After all the black on black seam binding in my tank top made my eyes wonky, I'm more than ready to save my black trims for more dramatic frocks and bind this biznitch with red satin ribbon instead. Although this turned out to be the most time consuming part of the garment because I had to assure my red thread never came through on the outside black and white polka dots, it's another cheeky pop if you see inside the arm. I did end up needing more red ribbon though, buying less yards for more money at the Dollar Tree. Shrinkflation!

Strangely I don't think I went through the proper order of sewing on this project – assembling most of the new to me top for increasing fit and fine tuning before the more straightforward skirt. I've been trying to find an empire style, triangular bust bodice pattern for awhile, even drafting something of my own in hopes of a matching top for my Black and Orange Polka Dot Skirt. Since I didn't need the bust room, I sewed up the center line for more modesty, but unfortunately taking in that generous back seam left the waistband seams slightly misaligned with the bodice side seams. I was tempted to remove it altogether but decided to keep the empire band because I can do something totally different in correcting this pattern next time. I was more unsure about how the straight line skirt would fit as this is my problem area and I prefer skirts more full. When cutting the black and white polka dots, there were extra rectangles that I sewed together as another back skirt panel. This allowed me to loosely gather the entire skirt at the empire line for more flow for my hockey butt – which is apparently drastically different measurements then my back block. I had to piece the last of the red satin remnant for the bottom half of this add-on panel, resorting to another red lining repurposed from a dress I made previously for the top half. So far I have discovered at least three previously made, worn once, and taken apart again dresses put back in my sewing drawers. I have no idea why I did this! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Initially I intended to simply fell the polka dot skirt seams so in case you see red lining, you also see a polka dot pop. However, both the polka dots and the assorted red linings were fraying a bit too much so I went with more red ribbon seam binding that took much more time than I expected. I'm just glad that I didn't intend this as a maxi dress! Turning up the hem was the perfect knee length, and a rack of clearance trim from a hobby gift card became red panache for the hem, collar, and waistband. In this project I discovered that since my weight loss, I hadn't changed the adjustable dress form, and now I had to take it in for the dress to fit back over the form while I basted my trim in place. Darts are my bane, but I was able to do two small bust pleats in the top empire line as well as cinching the bottom line's gathering with the red trim for a final look that is fitted and flattering yet breezy enough and still able to get off freely over my head. Initially I wasn't sure how much red trim I wanted, but it also hides any seam lines where the polka dots are slightly cut off with a “Wow, what fun!” instead of a “Homemade mistake, whoa.” I debated some fun black buttons at the front v or at the strap ends before having the brilliant idea to put two small bats on the front and back. These critters are from a longer bat trim roll used previously on my Halloween Mystery Costume. I try to use it sparingly, but this up close chuckle disguises where the trim ends meet and attaching them with little red eye stitches gives the dress even more humorous personality, tee hee. 🦇

I needed a summer frock and learned a lot about what I would do differently, yet I already want to use this pattern again. Despite being a new to me pattern with fit adjustments, lining compensation, and trim hiding; I am pleased with the attention to detail and the project overall. These polka dots were necessary seasonal pieces, and I didn't disassemble everything at the first stumbling block because I wanted to wear what I made. Persisting on the fixes, bells, and whistles made for a really fun garment even as summer waned. I'm itching for more orange autumn projects, so this pattern's long sleeve option may come in handy soon!

Follow Kbatz Krafts on Blue Sky and see our project albums on Facebook or Instagram! Visit the Kbatz Krafts Archive for more Sewing Adventures including: 

Green Velvet Skirt

Cheap Elsa Costume

5 Skirts from 1 Pattern