Garden Gnome Hat Tutorial

When I got my little one these spiffy red clogs I just knew I had to make her a little garden gnome outfit to wear!

I made the hat from easy and quick to sew red felt with a mushroom applique made from some felt scraps I had on hand. The rest of her outfit is from my vintage kids clothing collection.

Don't you just love those old fashioned suspender shorts?

If you would like to make a cute garden gnome hat too, read on!

Put two pieces of felt together about twenty inches long each.

I drew an 18 inch line up the center of my hat pattern to make sure both sides are balanced.

Measure you child's head circumference and draw half of it along the bottom of your pattern for the brim.

The front side will be straight across and teh back side will dip down about an inch and a half so it can hug your child's head.

Draw the rest of your hat from the sides and add 1/2 inch seam allowance around your pattern.

Before you sew your hat together gather some felt scraps and use some double stick tape or fusible double stick adhesive to attach alittle mushroom applique.

Sew the right sides together. You can add some interfacing like I did to make the hat more stiff so it doesn't flop over. Because it's felt there is no hemming required!

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Elephant's Graveyard, Opening Night And Some History

There was a town. There was a circus. There was railroad. There was a murder...
We had our opening weekend and I do believe the play was a success. I was so mesmerized from the great performances by the actors, the sets, sound and yes, even my costumes! I love how a good play can take you away in a way that films can't.

 Most of the actors in the play are professional actors who have had long careers in stage and film. 

Santa Paula, where the theatre is located is an hour and 15 minutes from Hollywood, but a world away. 

I grew up in Hollywood myself. I went to Hollywood High School, smack on the corner of Sunset and Highland, in the heart of Hollywood. James Dean, Lana Turner, and Judy Garland went to Hollywood High school too, although several years previously! 

I was in the drama club and did a lot of extra work in films and had some miniscule bit parts on and off. I have to admit I was a terrible actress. But I loved being on film sets, especially all of the yummy free munchies at the concessions table.

My brother, myself, and my Dad, Hollywood, 1970's.

 I grew up in a typical Hollywood family. Dad was a film editor, and mom was an artsy type.  

Dad at work, Paramount Studios, 1980's

So when my husband, myself, and our four kids moved out to this very culturally isolated ( to me at least), farmhouse from very crowded, and wordly Santa Monica to live a country life, I became lonely. I was homeschooling my kids, and had a very hard time making friends here. 

Every time I made a friend they seemed to move away! This strange occurrence has happened with five different friends since I moved here 7 years ago. Maybe God is telling me something?

 I bought a horse but was a miserable failure at riding. My horse was an excellent reiner and could spin on a dime, but I was terrified of him! Then he got arthritis and my trainer adopted him. 

When I became pregnant again, 3 1/2 years ago, I started sewing to pass the time. I had attended FIDM but never really used my fashion design degree besides a brief job as a magazine stylist, another brief job as an assistant bridal designer, and a couple of film assistant costuming jobs. I never sewed much except for Halloween costumes after having my first child, who is 18. 

Sewing and blogging has brought me full circle and opened up my world for me. Including my job at the theatre. I love to sit with the actors out back, sometimes steal a cigarette from them, and hear all of the great old Hollywood and theatre stories they have to tell. It feels familiar and comforting. 

Then I get to go home, tend to my chickens, my kids, my husband, home and yard and be the country mom and wife.

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Elephant's Graveyard Costumes and Jodhpurs tutorial !

I have been super busy all week sewing costumes for The Elephant's Graveyard.

There I am in the credits!

I have the costumes  about 80% complete and tonight was the first run through with the cast wearing some of the pieces I have made for them.

This play has a lot of sewing involved and I am learning a lot working on projects I would never make for myself or the girls.

This is the first time I have sewed menswear and I actually enjoy it.

There is a crispness to it.

I am so grateful for being able to get paid to do something I love.

Ringmaster Costume

 I am really happy with how these jodhpurs turned out. There were no patterns available that I could find so I altered a pattern for some high waisted mens trousers.

I used McCall's 4745, a civil war uniform. 

This pattern is perfect because it has a high waist. I shortened the legs  and and drew the exaggerated hip found on jodhpurs, narrowing the leg at the bottom. It's really a simple thing to do and you don't need to search for jodhpur patterns for hours like I did!

This is how I redrew the pattern for the jodhpurs. Just widen the hip and narrow the bottom legs, Shorten the legs too.

Marshall Costume

I used Simplicity 2895 for this vest with welt pockets.

I also made the black frock coat pictured for another character but I haven't taken a photo yet. 

I may have to make the shirt for one of the characters because we can't find anything in his size 52.

This was the first time I made welt pockets! I was so happy that I could do it. It was one of those sewing techniques that always scared me. They aren't perfect and I still need more practice.

TOWNSWOMAN COSTUME

 I used a Reconstructing History pattern for this high waisted skirt still being worked on. It doesn't look like much of anything yet. I tried to dye it brown but the dye didn't really take. I'm going to try again and add some sort of embellishment to it. I had to work on this pattern quite a bit to get the pattern adjustment for a full abdomen. You have to raise the waistline at the center front. I am learning a lot about fitting different types of bodies on this project.

 Here is the actor in my vest. He still needs a shirt and pants. The actress is wearing my muddy colored skirt.

STRONGMAN COSTUME:

My inspiration photos:

This costume was fun to make. It looks like one of those striped bathing suits from the turn of the twentieth century.

Our strongman is a big man and the director wanted him to wear some shorts over his bodysuit for modesty.

To make the bodysuit I connected a shorts pattern and a tank top pattern from Simplicity 2330, narrowing the pattern a lot for using a stretch fabric. I used the same pattern for the shorts too.

Simplicity 2330

I added a ruffle to my clowns' jacket because it was a little too short for him.

Here are my clown and strongman at rehearsal. The clown still needs a hat and I have to make some shoes for the strongman.

A few more costumes,  the steam shovel operator, the railroad engineer, ballet girl, and strongman. The engineer is wearing my husbands striped overalls and Big Mac jacket!

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Vintage early 1900's circus clown costume pictures

I finished my 1910's era circus costume. Well....almost.  I haven't done the hat yet.

Below are the two photos I used for inspiration for this costume.

source not available
 Don't these clowns look a little scary? This photo captures the bohemian lifestyle of the old circus so well. You can only imagine how fascinating it must have been when the circus would come to town in the days before television, films, or other modern inventions.

From RETRONAUT. Visit the link to see more beautiful vintage circus photographs. 

I love the winsome expression on this clown's face. I think he is quite handsome. 

If I lived during those days I would have run away to join the circus.

 I got the idea to applique the polka dots on my costume from this photograph.

In researching vintage circus costumes from the early 1900's I learned that the costumes weren't nearly as colorful as they are today. They were made from natural fabrics and the hats were much smaller. I haven't finished the hat and I will post another picture on the actor it was made for  when we have our dress rehearsal in late June. He will have some big shoes and a hat and a white skullcap. Clowns didn't wear wigs in the old days. They covered their heads with white skullcaps.

Thank you to my mom for being such a good sport to pose in this outfit!

I used an old sheet from the thrift shop to make the costume and I backed it with muslin to give the costume a weightier feeling. Most professional costumes for the theatre are backed with muslin. It makes them more durable and long lasting and gives body to vintage styles which often had a lot of layers.

The buttons are some vintage velvet ones I bought at the flea market last week.

I appliqued the polka dots to the fabric.

I used up the commercial pattern below for this costume . 

Simplicity 2849

I cut the jumpsuit in two creating a pant and jacket. I added an extension for the top to make button plackets.

If you live in another coutry have you ever been to the circus?

Do they still have small circuses where you live and how do you feel about them?

Here in the US we have a big, mega circus called Ringling Brothers. They perform in giant arenas and I feel the charm of the old circus is lost in such a huge venue.

And of course we can't forget, Cirque De Soleil which is amazing but far too expensive to take the average family.

And many people are against the circus now because of animal cruelty issues that have been discovered in some circuses.

 The circus seems almost like a relic from long ago.

However, there is a smaller one called Circus Vargas . It doesn't have any animals and passes through our town every year. We like to go to it because it's small, inexpensive, and we can get good seats.

The acrobats are fantastic.

Our visit to Circus Vargas last summer....

Political issues aside, children will always love the circus !

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1915 Circus Girl Costume

This is the first costume I completed for the play The Elephants Graveyard, which I am costuming. It takes place in 1916 and is about a group of circus performers. 

This first costume is for the circus girl who rides the elephant.

1915 Circus Girl

My Inspirations were these old photos below of circus girls from the era. Those short dresses must have been considered quite risque in the 1910's when women's skirts reached the ankles still.:

I made my outfit from some fabric I found at the FIDM Scholarship in downtown LA for a dollar a yard. Upon examining it more closely I realized it was silk charmeuse! I almost put it aside for something else that isn't a costume, but decided to use it after all because I feel it gives the costume a more authentic feel. Synthetic fabrics didn't yet exist in 1916.

Besides, I am hoping to impress the director so I can get more of these period pieces which I love doing!

This dress was draped on my dress form and then fitted to the actress who has the same measurements as Isabelle, my lovely model and daughter.

I wanted the feel of a bustle with the tulle peeking through  so I pulled up the skirt and stitched it.

I wanted a gold hook and eye closure to match the gold trim on the dress but couldn't find any so I painted some white hook and eye tape with gold craft paint.

I was lucky to find the tulle in the same color as the silk at the scholarship store as well. This dress was very inexpensive to make.

The headpiece is made from pretty feathers but I didn't get them in the shot and didn't notice until now. I hate when that happens!

The gloves were bought in a bridal/ quinceanera shop. These types of gloves are worn by girls when they have their Quinceaneras, a traditional coming of age celebration some hispanic girls have when they turn 15.  

The actress will be wearing tights and ballet pointe shoes. I wish I had had some for these photos!

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