Midsummer Nights Dream Tutu Tutorial

A few months ago a friend of mine asked me if I could sew a dress for her daughter who was going to be a flower girl in an upcoming wedding with a 'Midsummer Night's Dream' theme.


I said sure, if you let me photograph the finished product for the blog. Deal.


So we perused etsy for some good ideas. She fell for the knotted tutus. Fortunately, I knew exactly how to make these. Not only are super easy but they require NO SEWING! Anyone can make one.


So she came over to my house one night and helped me cut the material while I knotted it around a piece of elastic. This is the finished product.


After reading all your wonderful survey comments I was surprised to discover that many many of you would like to see more tutorials. So, I'm taking this opportunity to write one.


First step is to purchase your tulle. You may not be able to tell from the photos but we bought ours in varying complimentary colors. This gives your tutu some depth and character. We choose ivory, tan and gold. I wanted to throw in a puce color but the bride's theme is more of a royal blue.


We bought 6 yards of tulle! Varying colors. This was enough for one poofy skirt. The amount of poof you want will of course depend on how much material you purchase. You can get anywhere from 4 to 8 yards depending on your child's measurements. To give you some idea of what may be right for you, Lily is nearly five years old and we used six yards.


We also added small vines with wire running through the stems bought at Micheal's. You can add any other embellishments of your choosing. Ribbons would also do the trick.


Don't forget the elastic. One yard will do.



Next step. Cut your tulle. Most fabric bought at fabric stores is 45" wide. This makes cutting easy. Just cut on the fold so that you have two long pieces. Do this with all your colors.


Then cut the tulle again into 4" wide strips. This may look WAY to short but when you put it on your little toddler it's actually just right. Feel free to cut the strips once you have knotted them on the elastic to the appropriate length.


Once you have all of your pieces cut set them aside to make the elastic waistband. First, measure your child's waist and cut the elastic accordingly. Then sew the two ends together (sorry, I lied, there is a little sewing involved).


You can also use a ribbon instead of elastic. Just be sure you have the correct length since you won't have any stretch. This can be nice if you want to leave extra long ends to tie together and make a pretty bow in the back or front.


Then FINALLY you can begin knotting. To knot the tulle onto the elastic, fold one strip of tulle in half and place it under the elastic so that both sides are touching the elastic and the folded top is peaking at the top. (see bottom illustrations for help).


Then take the two ends and fold them up and over the elastic and through the hole made by the folded tulle peaking over the top of the elastic (see illustration) and pull through so that the knot is tight.


This knot is beyond simple. Trying to explain it makes it sound really awful. But just look at the below illustration to see what I mean.


Do this for the rest of your pieces until you are finished.


To add the vines in the photos I stripped the ends of the plastic vines with a wire cutter (see below illustration). Then take the exposed wire and wrap it around the elastic.


If you want to use ribbons instead just knot them as you did the tulle in varying intervals.


And VOILA! You're done!


Not to hard, eh?


Lily is also wearing feather wings. For those I just unraveled some wire hangers and shaped them into two teardrop shapes and fastened them together with string.


We then bought a feather boa and tied it with string to the wire frame.


Then I wrapped the gold ribbon in a criss cross around the two tear drop wing shapes and knotted the ends together.



I then cut two more stripes of gold ribbon and tied them to the criss crossed ribbon.


Finally I tied the one of the gold strips around Lily's left arm and the other gold strip around her right arm.


I used a plain nude colored cami from my closet for her top. I tied the straps in knots so it would fit her. Most camis are pretty tight and fitted so if you have one in your closet this trick may work for you too.


Feel free to link to this tutorial if you like. Use any pictures you think would help:)


Create a Link

Create a Link

Flickr Favs of Satudays

I love the simplicity of this skirt! So feminine and the colors are simple but bold. If I saw this skirt at Gap or Old Navy I'd buy it in a heartbeat.


In fact I have a birthday party to go to this afternoon and I'm wishing it were mine. I've been thinking about what I'm going to wear all morning and I've yet to decide.


I don't want to get too fancy because it's a child's birthday party but I like to dress up a little whenever I go to an event with other adults. This simple skirt would be just right.


I'd be lying if part of me isn't thinking of ways to quickly sew it before the party.


Brian would kill me. There's just no time. I still have to buy the present which I'll probably do on the way over.



I'm so terrible at buying presents ahead of time. However, this father's day I bought a great present a few weeks ago. The only drawback has been repressing my excitement for over a month. I'm just not cut out for being prepared.


I also loved this little ruffled neck top. The pattern is subdued enough so that the look is delicate and charming. Of course, the sweet little girl and braids don't hurt:)


Photo Credits by Flickr User Top to Bottom: Macy Dawn
bellalovesjulia

Vintage Wedding Refashioned Frock GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

Yes, its another refashioned frock! I had intended to post a new child-sized giveaway but the weather since Tuesday has been really awful. Like late March awful. Rain, 50s and neverending clouds. Today, it finally got warm. So I broke out my sewing machine and made a plan.

I found this frock at the thrift store. It caught my attention with its pintucks and blue embroidery.

It was of course, waaayyy too large for me. See before pic at bottom (this was after I took in the sides). I love finding these too-large gems. It's so simple to take-in a large dress, especially a sleeveless one.

This dress was originally sleeveless. But the delicate white fabric, pintucks and embroidered flowers reminded me of an antique wedding dress. So I bought some very light cheesecloth fabric and made elbow length sleeves. To add to the charm of the dress I added light blue buttons down the arms.

I raised the skirt by about six inches then sewed a light blue sash to cinch the waist. The size of this dress depends on how tight you decide to tie the sash. So I would say it would fit anywhere from a size 2-8.

If the winner of this giveaway also leaves a comment I will include the flower hair garland. I enjoy visiting blogs like {Frolic} which feature plenty of vintage wedding finery. Sometimes I think that if I were getting married now I would want to have a vintage wedding. They're just so quaint!


I want to thank all of you who participated in the short survey. I learned some very interesting things and was reassured about some others.

To my surprise the majority of you said that you wanted more tutorials! I would love to do these too! I will start putting on my thinking cap for some new ideas. It's these random thoughts that get me through the boring parts of my day. Sitting in traffic, waiting in line, lying awake at night.

I was also happy to discover that the majority of my readers use the highest resolution on their screens and have widescreen monitors as these are the best settings for viewing Grosgrain.

I also learned that many times my text overlaps a photo. I knew that this was a problem. It's mostly due to the fact that Internet Explorer formats my screen just a tad differently than Firefox. Sometimes it can't be helped because I don't have enough blank space between photos. If anyone out there knows how to remedy this between browsers I'd be all ears!


We found this little church very close to my mother's house. I'm sure there are a million quaint white washed chapels in our area, especially Lancaster, but for the life of me I could only think of this one.

I could see inside though the windows and wanted to go in and take some good pew pics but unfortunately the door was locked, not surprising.


I pointed out to Brian that Catholic churches are often open to the public. Maybe I'm wrong but it seemed that way to me.

Despite being so entrenched in the backroads the street that ran in front of the church was very busy and WHAT A SPECTACLE we must have been because every single driver that went by craned their necks and opened their mouths to see our show.

I guess I can't blame them. I did look rather dressy but after the 40th or so rubbernecker you could begin to understand my irritation.

How did all of you spend your Memorial Day? As I mentioned earlier, the past few days have been totally wretched. BUT, Memorial Day was just perfection! We all went up to Knobels Grove and spent the day riding rides, eating food and walking.



I rode a spinny sort of ride with Lily when we first arrived and was sick for the next few hours. We started the ride smiling and laughing and as time progressed my smile faded eventually turning into a grimace.

I also had a strange craving for tomato juice. I think its because I've been spoiling myself with tomatoes grown on the vine and found myself miles away with not a tomato seed in sight.
Speaking of tomatoes I'm off to eat one.

Okay, I'm back.

I'm also watching 'The Office'. It's the scene where Dwight starts a fire in the office to teach everyone a lesson about fire safety. When Angela throws her cat into the ceiling....HILARIOUS!

Anyway, I know I promised a fabulous guest giveaway this week. I was hoping to post it yesterday but it has been delayed and I will probably post it first thing on Monday. So please, stop by to be amazed! No lie:)

I'm off to watch more Office.....

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this dress just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.
Create a Link

After (above)
Before (below)
Create a Link

What Grosgrain fit is best for you?

We purchased a new laptop for our home a couple months ago. It had been so long since we bought a new computer- literally, over eight years.

So when I excitedly opened my new laptop to see what Grosgrain would look like in cutting edge widescreen, I suddenly realized that my blog is not the same fit for all viewers.

To get a better idea of what my readers are seeing when they open my page, I developed a super short survey (only nine multiple choice questions).

If you are a Grosgrain reader and have a minute I would really love to hear from you.

Thank you to all who participated! The survey is now closed.



photo: (Life Magazine, actress Millie Perkins)

Flickr Favs of Satudays

Here were some of my favs this week on Grosgrain Flickr. Today is Saturday. I realized I usually post my flickr favs on Saturday so I've decided to call these posts Flickr Favs of Satudays. Please don't hold me to this as I am very apt to change my mind:)

I hope to have lots of good giveaways next week. PLUS, one very exciting guest giveaway that I'm sure a lot of you will be excited about! I definitely am! Please check back to enter.

Isn't this little yellow polka dotted shirt ADORABLE! The tiny embroidered moon and owl really is the icing on the cake! Also, love the Peter Pan collar.

This Saturday, aside from checking out Flickr, Brian and I have decided to dedicate our whole day to cleaning. The house has really started to look as though a hurricane has blown through. That storm being called Molly. She gets so much satisfaction out of opening droors and pulling out their contents then of course, leaving them on the floor. This applies to toyboxes as well....and hampers....and pantries.


I have my own Mt. Everest to tackle, otherwise known as my clean laundry pile. Do any of you do this? Clean a bag full of laundry and then leave it sitting on your bedroom floor for days. I will admit I'm notorious for it!

Once in a MOPS meeting we were asked, if we could have one chore taken care of by outside help what would it be. My choice was by far, laundry. Laundry....hands down.

Speaking of weekend activities, I WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH! I can't think of much else. I dream of buying an RV and spending every other weekend at some fantastic location. I imagine driving down to Key West or Yellowstone.


I've been foolishly pricing RVs on ebay recently. And have convinced myself that it isn't such a pie-in-the-sky idea. Maybe someday "down the road". I find myself filling my downtime (waiting in traffic, washing dishes) thinking about how I would rearrange my RV to make it more cozy. I've got it bad.


Love the fabric on this skirt to the left. In the warm months of the year, the combination of white, green and red reminds me of strawberries and summer. As long as the white is the predominant color it gives a sunny not Christmas feel.


The fit of the skirt is also so flattering and feminine.


Photo credits from top to bottom: An Art Nest, Hexchenmarie, Limor477. To be taken to their photostreams just click on the photo.

Blueberry Pie Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

Finally another refashion frock! I go to the thrift store every Wednesday but I don't always find something that is usable. I like the dresses to have a punchy print. This dress was perfect. See before photo at bottom.


I love the color scheme of red white and royal blue. It's so summer and light.


Originally this dress fit like a Hawaiian moomoo. To refashion it I cut it at the waist. With the extra material I took from the midsection I created a waist band with two decorative straps that come together near the front with two antique white buttons.


I then sewed two strips of royal blue material that matched the blue tulips on the dress into the bottom as a trim. And finally added white piping along all of the seams.



I also created the hair piece. It is made from layers of red stretched nylon chiffon petals with a canary yellow button in the center and blue velvet ribbon ties.

As I was working on the photos at my laptop my doorbell rang. The person who stood on my porch was a young girl who said she was a Penn State art student who was trying to drum up some house painting jobs this summer.
She wanted to know if we needed any rooms done. I said no but thank you. She smiled and returned the thanks then complimented me on the dress:)


So that was nice.

I don't normally paint my fingernails. Like I mentioned before in this blog, I've never been the manicure type. But I recently dyed my hair without using rubber gloves which made my fingernails absolutely DISGUSTING!


They look like I've been clawing at the ground all day. This happens every time I dye my hair and I have to dye a lot. Every since I was 17 I've been getting long white hairs. They stand out against my dark black locks. So if I don't consistently dye my hair I develop an unkempt, mentally unstable look.



So long story short I had to paint them a very opaque color. Red was the most appropriate for this dress.

I wanted to thank all the wonderful advice readers had given regarding sergers! Some of the comments were very detailed and lengthy!


I did in fact purchase one. It is a Kenmore Serger model 16677. I bought if off Craigslist and had to go all the way to Philadelphia to pick it up.

Granted I also stopped and bought Brian's father's day gift and made a quick trip to IKEA but still it was fairly far for a sewing machine.


But I got a great deal and it works like a dream! It came with an instructional DVD which really helped me learn how to thread the machine and some of the interesting stitches it is capable of doing.
I used it for the first time to make this dress. It was beyond fabulous! No fraying! No loose threads! But I did have to rethread it several times which I will admit is a pain in the butt. But I think part of the problem was that I had my tension set too high.

I plan on making many, many more sewing projects with the serger. And am going to start my next project hopefully tomorrow.



I got the table flowers from our own garden. I don't really know what sort of flower they are but when they bloom they are the most beautiful, full flora around our home.


It made me a little sad to cut two off. I tried to break it to them easily. Before I did it, I walked past the bushes and told them I had to cut two of them at the stem. I imagined they all waited in fear for the next ten minutes until I came back with the scissors and made the difficult choice.


We're watching Labyrinth right now. I decided to get all the kids movies I remember as a child. Flight of the Navigator and Labyrinth were at the top of my list. Any other children of the 80s out there who remember these?






I remember watching this for the first time at a Girl Scouts sleepover. I had never heard of it before. I looked at the cover didn't think it was for me.


However, I quickly warmed up to the Jennifer Connelly character. She was a lot like me (although less gawky, more gorgeous) always acting out some climatic scene in a fairytale. I was such a geek!

Watching it now really brings back memories. I wonder if David Bowie really learned how to switch that glass ball over his fingers. Rather impressive! It seems like something he would learn.


I would say this dress would fit a size 2-8.


As usual, if you would like a chance to win this dress just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.
Create a Link

After (above)
Before (below)
Create a Link

New Sponsor: Vintage Chenille

In my living room I have a formidable pile of stuffed animals. I don't exactly know what to do with them. Most of them are gifts from from family so I can't bring myself to pack them away.

If more of the stuffed animals and rattles looked like the ones made by Leah of Vintage Chenille I would be delighted to display them in my daughter's room.

Leah uses soft Chenille fabric so that your special little toy will be easily snuggled with and loved.

She also creates vintage patchwork quilts that compliment any color scheme of your baby's room.


Also check out her vintage fabric covered notions. PERFECT for your vintage patterns.

This gorgeous raggy quilt was handmade with 6.5 inch squares of green and yellow vintage chenille and a thick cotton Japanese mushroom and floral print fabric. It is very warm, bright, soft and fluffy and would make a precious keepsake for any baby boy or girl. There is no batting, it is backed with a soft, thick new orange flannelette. This quilt has been machine washed and finished in the clothes dryer to begin the "ragging" process. Finishing in the clothes dryer always makes chenille extra soft and fluffy.

Leah can custom make these quilts for you in most colours and sizes, the above quilt measures 34" square, which is the perfect size for pram, bassinet or new baby.







Leah is from a small country town in Victoria Australia. Earlier this year they were blessed with a baby girl after 3 boys.

She has loved to create for as long as I she can remember, so naturally, she wanted to sew EVERYTHING for her new daughter!

She discovered the craft of patchwork using vintage chenille and began collecting vintage chenille to make her baby girl a quilt and now she just can't stop!!

Her collection of old bedspreads is beginning to take over their home, her children love them all and so do she. So many of them have a story behind them, which makes them even more special.


She's always on the look out for another, so if you know of any for sale you could let her know! Most importantly, let her know if you would like her to create something especially for you, 99% of her creations are unique because of the character of the vintage fabric.

You are welcome to visit her new blog: Handmade Bits & Pieces.

Favorites of Flickr

I really love clicking on the Grosgrain flickr page to see what people have posted. It's like opening a present.


Look at this ADORABLE dress! It's from that book by Eric Carle I'm sure you're all familiar with the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I didn't even know they made this fabric! I haven't seen it anywhere.


I'm very disappointed at the fabric selection where I live. Admittedly it could be worse but I'm always looking for thin soft pale fabrics that just don't exist anywhere. And when I'm buying fabric for its texture I don't like to purchase online since of course you cannot feel it.


Rarely, do I ever find exactly what I'm looking for when I go for a fabric run. It can be so frustrating!





Recently, I've been considering purchasing a serger. I don't think I am fully aware of what I am missing. I've heard it will cut and hem in one step. Is that really so? But I've also read that they are an extreme pain to thread. Do any of you have any advice on a serger?


I'm not looking for anything grand. Something within the $200 price range.I've also heard of an air jet threader. I assume that is something out of my price range but I was still curious about what it was.


I love the colors in these two photos. I especially love the pairing of fabric in the apron to the right. So bright and summery like a stylish carnival. See the whole apron here.


Please click on the photos to be taken to the author's flickr post. The top photo is from flickr user Kunklebaby the bottom photo is from flickr user miffysworld.

Bubble Blowing Skirt and Top GIVEAWAY!!!! CLOSED.

I made this outfit on the spur of the moment. It was a sort of fly by the seat of your pants idea. I went to bed the night before and decided that the next day I would sew.


So often, I get the steam to go out and purchase fabric but fall flat when I get home and the kids are racing around our tiny living space. But today I was determined and so I didn't waste any time checking my email when I got home. Instead I whipped out my scissors and began cutting willy nilly.


The top is reminiscent of many Anthropologie tanks I've seen recently with buttons cinching the front.


When I found the candy striped fabric for the top I knew it was perfect for a matching solid multi-stripe skirt. Originally, I got the idea for the skirt from a fellow sewing blogger....Katie Rich. She takes sweet photographs of her daughters in homemade frocks as well! When I found the striped fabric I knew that would be the direction I was going.


The color scheme really reminds me of Orla Keily's collection from one or two years ago. Very punchy but retro.


The top has a boatneck collar and cinches at the front with two straps and two navy black buttons. The sleeves and the body are not sewn together but one whole piece, making this top really easy to sew.






The bubble blower is from Gymboree and if you've never bought or used one of their bubble blowers before you must give it chance!


It creates dozens and dozens of bubbles in one breath and the solution is so strong that I've gone to bed and woke the next morning to see that they had survived the night on the floor.


You may not be able to tell from the photos but I am finally able to put braids in Lily's hair. It has always been very wispy and short despite the fact that I've never cut it. Now, it's getting really long and I couldn't be more happy! She looks older every day. My sister visited last week and was able to put a french braid in the back of her hair, something that could never be done before.





I also wanted to let people know that if you would like to enter my contests and do not have a blog, you may also link to the post through your facebook, myspace or twitter account. If you do this please leave me a comment directing me to the link.


I liked the idea of blowing bubbles in this outfit. It reminded me of a carnival. Fun and bright but not too florescent.



If I had the chance I would have taken Lily to Knobels Grove (a small local amusement park) and taken some photos. Although, that would have set back this post until next week. Perhaps another day, another dress.


I would say this outfit would fit a 2T-4T.


As usual, if you would like a chance to win this skirt and top just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.


Create a Link

Create a Link

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!! Custom Sized! CLOSED.

A couple weeks ago I visited etsy's front page and found a wonderful seller with FABUOUS style...all vintage and fun. Imagine my delight when she agreed to do a giveaway for Grosgrain- A custom dress made to fit the lucky winner!

Heather of Loose Teeth makes amazing pieces like this plaidwaist shirt dress, this polka dot halter, and this red check romper. If you've ever enjoyed pinup calendars and sexy film noir you MUST check out her store.

The dress featured in this post will be custom fitted and given to the lucky winner. It is made from 100% cotton red, blue yellow and white plaid seersucker with 100% cotton eyelet lace underskirt.

The underskirt is attached at the waistline and really fills out the skirt nicely. It has lace detail around the bottom edge of the seek sucker, the back and top edges of the bodice and two bows where the spaghetti straps attach in the front.

The gathered bust line is lined and can be worn with or without a bra. Heather will make it to size for the winner. It's super comfortable and ultra sweet looking.


Heather is no novice to sewing and has been sewing since she was 10. Two years ago she learned to fully design her own pieces. Since then it's been full steam ahead.

She loves to sew a challenging design and loves retro aesthetics.

Says Heather, "I love love love dresses! I'm also nuts for Halloween costumes, burlesque outfits and anything with ruffles and fringe on it."

"I'm freaking out on vintage style dresses right now so you will see a lot of those. I'm working on some original dresigns to be made in your size, so watch for those."

"I love a challenge. If you have a costume idea or retro inspired special engagement gown that you have always wanted, share it with me and I’ll see if I can construct it for you."

Aside from her passion for sewing she also loves to make costumes and even sculpt and pour her own latex masks and props.
Follow Heather's work and life on her blog http://www.looseteeths.blogspot.com/

As usual, if you would like a chance to win this dress just link back to this post. If you have any questions see the "questions and answers" link to the right. If you use blogger just use the "create a link" link at the bottom of this post. If you don't use blogger, that's fine too. Just create a link on your page as you normally would and I will see it using Technorati.

Create a Link

Create a Link