Pillow Case Dress Making Fun

This is a great find! Taken from Jen's Leheney's Blog, "Red Instead"

How to make a Pillowcase Dress - new and improved instructions!

So, I thought it was high time that I updated these instructions. Now, let me make it clear - people have been making dresses like these since forever and I certainly don’t claim these instructions as my own - in fact, many thanks go to Mama’s Doodles (whose “easy peasy” image I redrew for clarity) and Rostitchery (whose instructions I slightly modified) but I have presented them here because I know there are a lot of people looking for these online.

So without further ado…

The traditional method of making pillowcase dresses creates a drawstring casing around the child’s neck, which makes the dresses adjustable for a growing child. This method eliminates the drawstring casing which can be a choking hazard (using elastic instead) while preserving the adjustability of ties.

Start with one pillowcase, cleaned and pressed. You’ll also need 12″ of 1/2″ wide elastic, and one package of bias binding (you get this in the notions section of the fabric store–look for double fold binding tape) or 60” ribbon. You’ll need a couple of safety pins for threading your elastic. Extra rick rack or ribbon is required to decorate the lower edge of the dress (optional).

Full instructions are provided below but here is a quick summary diagram:

step 1 Measure your child from the shoulder to the desired length of the dress. measure this distance on your pillowcase from the open end, and cut straight across. this cut edge will be the top of the dress.

step 2 On each side of the pillowcase, at the cut edge, draw armscyes (that is the dressmaker term for armhole). The shape is like a letter “J” with the top of the J at the cut edge of the pillowcase. For a small child, it should be about 3″ deep, for a larger child make it 4″ deep.

step 3 Fold the two top edges 1/4″ to the inside and press (don’t worry about making it exact–just get close enough). fold down and press these edges again, this time 3/4″. Doing this double turn makes the finished edge neat. Stitch along the first fold, from one end to the other, forming a tunnel (this is known as a casing).

step 4 Cut your elastic into two 6″ pieces. Attach a safety pin to one end of one piece and use that to thread the elastic through one of the casings. As you thread the elastic, the casing will draw up, forming a stretchy neckline. You’ll need to pin the other end of the elastic when it gets to the casing so that it doesn’t come all the way out. Stitch across the open end of each casing to hold your elastic in place. Repeat with the other elastic and casing. stitch across the open end of each casing to hold your elastic in place.

step 5 You’re almost done! Cut two pieces of binding, each 28″ long. You’ll notice that the binding is folded lopsided–one side is wider than the other. This is to help make sure you get both sides stitched. Always stitch with the narrow side of the binding facing up and you can be sure you’re catching the back side as well.

Slip one armscye edge into the fold of one of the binding pieces, leaving about 10″ or so overhanging the top - these form the ties. Pin as much as you feel you need to in order to keep things neat. Beginning at one end of the binding, start stitching along the free edge, continuing all the way around the armscye and to the other end of the binding. Repeat for the other armscye.

Instead of the binding, you can fold a casing (as you did earlier in step 4) and thread a piece of narrow ribbon 28” long into each of the arm holes, tying into a bow at the top. Once the ribbon is threaded through, sew a couple of stitches at the side seam to keep the ribbon from being pulled all the way out.

step 6 Sew some ribbon or rick rack approx 3 ½ - 4” from the lower edge, catching the original envelope opening of the pillowcase so that it doesn’t catch when your child puts the dress/top on.

That’s it! The hem is already finished for you.

Now you just have to tie the ties to fit your child and admire your handiwork.

Shop on my Blog!

I now added a functional shopping cart to my blog successfully. Its a lot easier now to have a store and blog and link exchange site all at the same time. You can add products to your cart that you see in the sidebars of this blog and buy my handmade goodies for children, fashionistas, mommies, and babies! If you would like something custom-made, please feel free to e-mail me at kawaiibykaitlyn@gmail.com and I'll try my best to make it perfect for you!

The cart software I use is e-junkie. For those of you that have blogs and sell products too, this would be a very cost effective method to have an ecommerce storefront for basically free! Its a java app and it can be found at www.e-junkie.com where you can add products to the online marketplace also.

As for me, I will be adding more cute handmade things to this blog/boutique shortly. Please keep an eye out for new items. I add them as I make them and will be making plenty. Thanks for shopping and reading Kawaii by Kaitlyn!

How to Make a CUTE Scrabble Tile Pendant

This is a cute tutorial from another etsy seller and artisan. I would have made my own tutorial but decided she did the tutorial very well.

I have a few pendants I made from this tutorial that I used when I first started out.

I will be posting my handmade scrabble tile pendants and finished necklaces for sale on etsy and on my blog.

Scrabble Tile Pendants are charming pendants made from recycled scrabble tiles and decorative paper. They are fun and easy to make. You can see a variety of these charming pendants for sale in my Etsy shop, Peachy Pendants, (where you can also purchase A Make Your Own Scrabble Tile Pendants Kit), or you can follow the instructions below and make one of your own!

I will also be giving away a free Scrabble Tile Pendant to one lucky Craft Tutorials reader. For a chance to win, leave a comment on this post by Saturday, September 20th at midnight. One winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, September 22nd. The winner will get one free pendant of their choice from my shop.

Good luck and happy pendant making!

To begin making your own Scrabble Tile Pendant you will need the following supplies:

- Scrabble Tile (from an old game or eBay)

- Silver Plated Bail (called aanraku bail)

- Decorative Paper (scrapbooking paper)

- Diamond Glaze (craft store)

- E6000 Jewelry Adhesive (craft store)

- Scissors

- Pen or Pencil

- Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1: Select the paper you would like to use for your pendant. You could use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or even a greeting card. Simply trace around one of the Scrabble tiles and cut out, making sure to cut the paper just slightly larger than the tile.

Step 2: Next spread a small drop of Diamond Glaze adhesive onto the blank side of a Scrabble tile. You can use a paint brush or just spread the glaze around with the tip of the bottle. Then place your cut out paper onto the tile. (Make sure the letter on the back isn’t upside down.) Let it dry for 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 3: Once the adhesive is dry, hold the Scrabble tile so the letter faces you and the paper is on the other side. Use scissors to carefully trim the excess paper off so that the paper fits the tile exactly.

Step 4: Next, apply a generous coat of Diamond Glaze to seal the paper and give your pendant a glossy glass like shine. It’s best not to use a paint brush for this step but to just spread the glaze with the tip of the bottle. If any bubbles form just pop them with the back of your paint brush or slide them off of the tile. Now let it dry for at least 4 hours.

Step 5: Apply a few drops of E6000 Jewelry Adhesive to the silver bail and attach it to the back (letter side) of your Scrabble tile. Make sure that the bail is exactly centered.

Let the bail dry for a couple of hours and you are ready to enjoy your handmade Scrabble Tile Pendant!

Cute Feather Wreath How-To

This post was taken from etsy.com blog. I would love to make this! Looks really cute <3>

Story by katiearms, TinyBazaar Published on May 12, 2009 in How-To	Photo by Danielle Thompson

Feather your nest with this beautiful and fiendishly clever project, courtesy of Danielle Thompson, a.k.a. TinyBazaar. Check out her blog, Kitschy Digitals, for more craftiness!

I love the feather trend of late, especially in fashion. One thing that can be difficult with feathers is their fragility; they often fall apart with even the smallest amount of wear. I had this in mind when I created this project. You don't have to worry about them disintegrating!

I wanted to apply this feather trend to a home decor project: create a wreath out of these printed paper feathers. The result is a modern take on the traditional wreath. (And so pretty to display for springtime!)

For this project you will need:
- The violet and/or magenta feather PDF (If you're interested in more feather colors, check out the digital kit or print-outs in her Etsy shop!)
- Some good, sharp scissors
- Metal wreath form (as pictured - mine is around 12" in diameter)
- Your choice of paper to print the feathers on (I used regular matte white photo paper, but you could use cardstock, textured cardstock, or any paper in any color you'd like.)
- A strong glue that will hold paper to metal (I used E-6000 because I wanted to make sure the paper would adhere to the metal really well. It's super strong but very toxic, so if you use this glue, use it in a very well ventilated area!)

Step One: I used several sheets of feathers for this wreath, as it will take quite a few. To save paper and ink, just print them as you need them. These files are PDF files, so you should be able to open these on any computer without the need of photo-editing software. You will need Acrobat Version 6 or later. You can download it for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/reader/.

Step Two: Cut out your feathers. One tip I learned a long time ago when I was doing a lot of decoupage: Instead of letting your cutting hand take the lead, let your non-cutting hand move the paper/shape. In my experience, it's much easier to cut out detailed shapes this way! For example, if you're right handed, you hold your scissors in your right hand, and the paper in your left hand. Keep your right hand (and scissors) still, and let your left hand move the paper back and forth. Your left hand will guide the cutting instead of the scissors.

Step Three: Once you have quite a few feathers cut out, you can start gluing them to your wreath form. This metal form has two "tiers." You'll need to start on the bottom tier. These feathers will rest underneath the feathers on the top tier. Start by adding a drop of glue to the top metal rim as seen here:

Then add a drop of glue to the bottom rim:

Then attach your first feather:

Keep attaching the feathers all the way around until you finish the bottom tier.


Now attach feathers to the entire top tier.

You're finished! Now you can embellish it if you'd like, or keep it as is. I added some green pompoms to my wreath.

Welcome to the Cutest New Blog!

<3 Hello and Welcome to kawaii by Kaitlyn's offical blog and storefront! <3

Kawaii by Kaitlyn is handmade super cute jewelry, fashion accessories, apparel, artwork, and more created by Kaitlyn Millet.

I am Kaitlyn and I will be posting new products regularly that I created myself.

Currently, I only sell online but am trying to get my cute stuff in children's boutiques, specialty shops, and consignment stores in Louisiana.

Pretty soon, I hope to have my "cuties" displayed in Children's Armoire in Covington, LA.

I have previously had my kawaii-style handmade goodies at Fleur De LisSalon in Covington, LA but it didn't sell as well as I had hoped. :( I hope to change that!

I have been creating items exclusively for children lately and I think I found my calling--to make cute things for infants, young kids, and mommies, plus some sweet boutique-quality-loving fashionistas!

Please leave me a comment on what you think of my handmade stuff!