Princess T-Shirt Tutorial--Silvermist

There she is; the infamous Silvermist.  Well, infamous?  Maybe not.  But she is my daughter's favorite fairy.  More so than Tinker Bell.  Who'da guessed?  But she is.  This was the first dress I made in my mini line of princess dresses for Disney World.  This one was one of the easiest.  But, I think I made it more difficult than it should have been.

While I was searching Pinterest for ideas, I stumbled upon this gem.  I thought this video was going to change everything.  It was a big help.  But, Silvermist is the only dress I made this way.  This is the video for the no-sew/no-cut T-shirt dress.

So cool, isn't it?  I used the side tie idea for Silvermist.  I thought it was grand.

For Silvermist you need...

1. Royal blue t-shirt ( I used an adult M for my 6 yr old)
2. Safety pins
3. Felt squares--2 white, 2 yellow and 1 orange
4. Ribbon (I only had very thin ribbon so I used a total of 6 pieces for straps--3 in the front and 3 in the back)
5. Star shaped buttons or stick on gems
6. Aleen's Fabric Fushion (or any other trusty fabric glue)

NOTE: all of this could probably be sewn, but I don't sew.  I also don't measure.  Everything is eyeballed.

STEPS:

1. Watch the video and put the t-shirt twisting it sideways just as the video shows and tie
2. I safety pinned the tied sleeves together so I could get the dress on and off without having to re-tie
3. I then took the dress off of my daughter and laid it flat still tied

4. To create the flower petal I cut up the felt squares and glued them on.  This I thought was a great idea, but the felt is really thick.  It made the dress heavy and I think too hot for Disney.  Might use it for a dinner dress once it cools off a little bit down there.  In retrospect, I should have gotten a light material--maybe tulle even.  The next few steps are just cutting the different colors into petal shapes and gluing them on.  For the white and yellow, I used two sheets.  Only needed one for the orange.  And, again, I just eyeballed the cuts

 5. Let the glue dry!
6. Try the dress on

 7. I added straps next.  I didn't think that she would be able to keep the dress up on her own.  What I intended to do was to make halter straps.  Well, my eyeballs failed me this time.  I somehow wound up sewing the straps on over-the-shoulder.  One wound up in the front and the other wound up in the back.  Below is a close-up of the top of the dress.  I gathered 3 pieces of ribbon and put a stitch it in.  Then I held them in place on the inside of the dress and sewed a gold star button to the outside to cover up the stitches.  I did the same for the other strap. It wasn't until I put the dress back on my daughter did I realize that I had sewn them on in the wrong place. Oh, well, it still worked out and Slivermist has the over-one-shoulder thing going anyway.

FINAL PRODUCT

Princess T-shirt Dress Tutorials--Basic Dress

So, here is the basic t-shirt dress tutorial.  Honestly, it really is easy.  I, of course, went overboard, but that is just me.

So to start you need...

1. T-shirt (for my 6 year old, I got an adult M)
2. Sheers (really good ones).  I have Fiskars Dressmaker.
3. Ribbon
4. Fabric glue.  I use Aleen's Fabric Fushion.  I have used this glue to make some Halloween costumes and it works really well.  It is very strong and durable, but you have to let it fully dry.
5. Wax paper

STEPS:
1. Lay T-shirt flat on a flat surface

2. Cut off sleeves and collar

3. Lay wax paper down on the table and under any area of the shirt you glue.  The glue is very wet and it will seep through.

4. Now, to make the drawstring collar of the dress.  All that has to be done is to fold the back and the front collar areas of the shirt down about an inch toward the inside of the dress.  Glue the folded area so there is a space to slip the ribbon through. See the pictures.

5. Let dry.  Cut off any excess material.

6. Slip the ribbon through.  I used a bamboo skewer to push the ribbon through.  I started in the front of the dress and used one ribbon all the way around.  Many people will use 2 ribbons (1 front and 1 back and make bows over each shoulder).  I also just an idea to make a back tie dress.

7. Try the dress on and pull the ribbon so it creates that drawstring effect.  Below is a picture of the basic dress.  Once you have this down, let your imaginations run wild and free.  Embellish with more ribbon, duct tape, jewels, other fabric, etc...

NOTE:  Again, I am no seamstress.  I do not like the sewing machine.  One day I will get lessons in sewing.  Just right now I don't have the time.  All, that being said, I measured NOTHING!  Everything was eyeballed.  So, if you are looking for exact measurements, I am sorry but I don't have them.  That is how I roll :0)

100 Things--DISNEY #1

We are making our way through our checklist.  And our #100 is heading off to Disney.  We are all SO excited for this.  My husband and I have not been in NINE years and this will be the kids' first time ever.  Now, I have ventured to make t-shirt princess inspired dresses for my daughter and Disney inspired t-shirts for the boys.  I thought this would be a great idea and I still believe it is/was.  The only problem with the idea is, well, ME.  I always take something that should be so simple and make it a million times more difficult. There are a few reasons why I wanted to make these dresses.  Here they are...

#1--I thought they would be cheaper than buying the princess dresses from pretty much anywhere, especially Disney. (and they were significantly less expensive)
#2--I thought it would be more comfortable for my daughter to walk around DW in a cotton t-shirt than those polyester, fluffy dresses
#3--I thought they would be much cooler for her as well.  Being that we are going down there in August, I just know the heat will be beyond oppressive.  Oppressive heat in Florida in August would only be a blessing. I am sure it will be excruciating.
#4--I thought they would be easier to clean

I think I got most of them right--but, I should have just gone super basic with these dresses.  Alas I did not.  Now, I am not a seamstress.  My husband bought me a sewing machine for Christmas the year I was pregnant with my daughter.  I really wanted one.  I thought sewing would be simple.  My great-grandmother sewed.  She taught me on her antique Singer.  Well, that antique Singer was much simpler to use than my brand, spanking new one.  I was clueless.  I tried to sew some dresser covers for my daughter.  I had a HARD time to say the least.  Plus, I had morning sickness, yes, still in my 8th and 9th months.  Simply put, I did not enjoy sewing.  I will sew buttons and whatnot now.  But, I am still shell shocked from my Singer experience.  Because of that I am a gluer--fabric gluer.  I have created a few pretty darn good Halloween costumes with fabric glue.  I figured, I could use my tried and true fabric glue again.  And I did.  The dresses came out amazing.  However, they were not nearly as simple as I had hoped.  My imagination just ran wild and free.  I got too cocky and somethings failed. I had to go back and do a couple of do-overs.

I actually lucked out a bit too.  I went to Wal-Mart to get some cheap t-shirts.  They didn't have all the colors that I needed and all their sizes were too big.  My daughter is 6.  I was thinking adult mediums were the way to go.  So, I ventured over to Michael's.  I fortunately had a 15% off total purchase coupon and all the t-shirts were 2/$6--cheaper than Wal-Mart!  They also had a rainbow of colors.  I planned to make four dresses--Snow White, Rapunzel, Merida and Silvermist.  My daughter has a "real" Belle dress which we are going to use for her day at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  If you haven't heard about this--Fairy Godmothers in Training princess-cify little girls.  This boutique is, of course, owned and operated by Cinderella's Fairy Godmother.  It can be pretty pricey, but we are going for the $60 option.  Just a sidebar--they have the equivalent for boys too.  It is called the Pirate League.  My older son has his appointment set as well.  Not only do these kids get to be all Captn' Jack Sparrowed, but they get to be in a pirate parade too.

I started with Silvermist--a royal blue t-shirt and felt squares in white, orange and yellow.  I saw on Pinterest an idea that I thought would change my life--a no-sew/no-cut t-shirt dress.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, for the most part it was.  All you do is put the t-shirt on.  Pull the collar down so it rests above your chest--pulling your arms out, of course.  Then grab the sleeves and tie together. And I think if my daughter were older with a chest to support the dress, it would be better.  I had to sew some straps on--this part I messed up.

This is the dress I made



This is how the dress turned out

Not too bad, right?  I did sew some ribbon straps on and I wanted them to be in a halter style.  But, I somehow twisted the dress around and the straps wound up being over-one-shoulder.  So, it wasn't an epic fail and, yes, Silvermist does have an over-the-shoulder dress.  But, Silvermist also has boobs.  Hopefully, this dress will stay up.  For a tutorial click here. **

Next dress, Snow White--1 royal blue T, 1 yellow T, red ribbon (2 styles).  This one caused me some strife. Snow White's dress is blue on top and yellow on the bottom.  I thought I will just cut and glue 2 shirts together.  Well, my brain was not working that day and I wound up gluing the 2 parts on backwards.  Again, it wasn't an epic fail, but it still ticked me off. For this dress and the others that I made, I followed these 2 ideas, tweaking and adding here and there as I went.


I just cut the sleeves and collar off the t-shirt.  Then, I folded the the front collar and back collar area over about an inch or so to create a space to thread ribbon through.  I used my fabric glue to secure it.  I use Aileen's Fabric Glue. For a tutorial click above or click here to see how I did it.

That is the basic idea for the following dresses.  Back to Snow White.  Below are pictures of Snow White and the t-shirt dress I created.




I did fix this dress.  I used duct tape as the belt which I didn't really like.  But, also when I glued the 2 pieces together, it made the dress too boxy on my daughter.  So, I took off the duct tape and I had to cinch the wait and sew.  I then glued some really pretty, sparkly ribbon around the belt area and added another bow.  Picture to come.

Next up, Merida--teal blue T, gold duct tape, gold ribbon and a paper plate.  I LOVE this dress.  This was my absolute favorite.  It was by far the simplest and I think. the best.  For a tutorial, click here. **



And, last...Rapunzel--purple T, lavender ribbon, lavender flower ribbon, sheer lavender material, lavender satin material, purple duct tape, stick on jewels, a needle and thread.  This one, by far, was the most challenging.  For a full tutorial, click here. ** Again, I followed the basic t-shirt dress idea.  But, I added a lot.  I added a skirt.  The waist had to be cinched.  Faux corset ties were sewn in. Ugh!  It was ridiculous.  But here is what it looks like.



Again, my favorite was Merida, but my daughter's favorite is Rapunzel.  She LOVES it!  As much strife as these dresses caused me, she is one happy little princess.

As of right now, I am done with the princess dresses and I have started on to the boys' T-shirts.  I have 2 made so far.  Pirate shirts, which are so easy and I think I am going to make another set for them, and Woody vests.



For tutorials on the boys' shirts, click here.**



**Working on the "click here" links.  If they don't work, please be patient.  I am still getting them posted.  Thank you.

100 Things--Week #1

So this marked the first week that my kids were out of school, but my husband and I were not.  We still had to work--boo hoo.  So, my mom, the great lady that she is, watched my older 2.  My littlest is still in daycare.  That is ok--one less for her to worry about.  Being that she was in charge, she and the kids crossed off a few more items--#'s 94 & 72--The Sprayground and the park.

We have a really great county parks system here in Monmouth County.  They offer so much stuff.  We usually frequent the Manasquan Reservoir and Environmental Center because they are spitting distance from where we live.  But every so often we take advantage of other parks.  Dorbrook Park offer this amazing Sprayground and playground.  Probably, the best part of it all--IT IS FREE! The playground is beautiful and it has a soft, cushy, impact-absorbent flooring to it.  The area is also designed to be handicap accessible. Therefore it is has wide runways and plenty of railings and handlebars.

The Sprayground is amazing.  I love it.  It is a small-ish contained area.  The kids can run freely and no one needs to worry about them running out.  There are water dump buckets, spraying flowers, plenty of sprinklers, a water table, etc.  Giant umbrellas also surround the area for a break from the sun.  Lifeguards are on duty as well.

My mom took the kiddies there and they met up with one of my daughter's friends too.  The next day, the kids and my mom went to the playground. They had a blast.  Here are a few pix

100 Things--Weekend 1--Sunday

The next day, Sunday, we crossed off another item--#87 Jenks Rides

Now, by Jenks rides, if you are not from the area, is simply Jenkinson's amusement rides. Jenkinson's owns a large portion of the boardwalk down in Point Pleasant.  They have games, a fun house, mini golf, an aquarium, a night club--which I frequented back in the day, the beach and of course the rides.  Jenk's offers a really great deal, over Easter weekend people can get 2 for 1 ticket books.  Well, I did the usual, I got 1 book and 1 book free.  Well, little did I realize that this year, with 3 kiddies able to go on most rides, we'd blow through the large ticket book in one night.  I am used to having tickets leftover to use for the next summer.  I think I learned my lesson, next Easter, I am buying at least 2 ticket books so I can get 2 free--it will cost me $100 but, hey the kids love it.

Nonetheless, the kids had a grand ol' time.  Plus, it was really great to get back to Jenk's after Sandy.  They did get hit pretty hard and they were able to pull themselves back up.  Go Jenk's!

Now, I didn't count this time around as #97 going to the boardwalk because we really just hit the rides and then left.  When I think of going to the boardwalk, games have to be played and frozen custard must be bought.  And we still have the rest of the summer to do that.

So, here is what we did...