Happy April Fools' Day everyone! It's day one of the 2015 A to Z Challenge...are you ready for a crazy month?
The A to Z Challenge is a blogging event where bloggers gather to create nearly daily posts throughout the month of April. We start on April 1st with letter A and then continue through the month until we end on Z, taking Sundays off for good behavior.
There are over 1,100 participating bloggers this year. Wow! I'm in my second year of participation. I had such a great time last year, that I've been excited to get this ball rolling. I won't lie though, with my schedule being as ridiculous as it is, I'm a little scared for the month. Here's hoping I can make it!
We're starting off with a sewing project...one of many. If you have a girl between the ages of 2 and 12 in your home, then you've probably been hit sometime in the last couple of years with the Frozen craze. We have two nieces who are totally in love with all things Frozen, so obviously, A is very much for Anna.
I started with Cindy's no-sew version over at Skip to My Lou to give myself a brief pattern jump start.
I used:
2 yd. felt
2 yd. PomPom trim
1 yd. coordinating ribbon
How I Did It:
I followed Cindy's cape pattern to get myself started. This was really straightforward and only took me about 15 minutes.
Start by folding your felt horizontally, leaving your fold on the right hand side. Bring the top left corner down to meet the fold at about 3/4 of the way down.
Flip your felt upside down and repeat the fold process, pulling your top left corner about 1/2 of the way down the length of the felt. You should end up with a layered cone like the one above. This will give you your basic cape shape.
Slice off the bottom of the felt in a gentle arc about 1/2 way down the entire length. The top piece will be your cape body.
Undo one of the folds. Repeat the curve cut with the top of your cape to create the neck hole. You can sew your ribbon directly to this piece and be done, or you can continue on adding the capelet and fringe.
I flew by the seat of my pants to make my capelet, but Cindy has good directions on hers. I cut a general shape to match my cape and then sewed my Pom Pom fringe along the edges. With that done, I placed the outside of the capelet against the inside of the main cape and laid my ribbon along the matched up edge. I got everything lined up pretty, pinned it, and stitched the three layers together. After that, it was just a simple flip of the capelet...and voila! Anna cape!
It still looked a little plain to me, so I added some decorative stitching around the edges of the main cape parcel.
We had a pretty happy 4-year-old on our hands.
This might possibly be the easiest cape pattern I've ever used. Cindy knows her stuff. I will definitely be using this one again.
Now...one of these days I need to get brave and make an Elsa dress...
Are you participating in the A-to-Z Challenge? Leave me a comment to let me know you've visited! I'll be making the rounds throughout the month, but I definitely want to return the favor for anyone who takes the time to stop by.
Next up... B...
You make it sound so easy :) I'm betting it's a lot harder than you made it look. Great cape. I know several little girls who would think it was the most awesome thing on the planet. I had a two year old explain to me why Anna was definitely the best ;).
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Adorable! My nieces would love this!
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z!
Your images are so clear, and the finished project is indeed adorable.
ReplyDeleteVery cute (and the model is even cuter)!
ReplyDeleteMy gosh, this is precious. Awesome job!
ReplyDeleteVery Cute! Have fun on the challenge.
ReplyDeleteAwesome project Elle! I will have to keep this one bookmarked for when my niece is a little older. I like tutorials like this with lots of pictures as it is very helpful to see if you are doing it right.
ReplyDeleteSean at His and Her Hobbies
hi Elle, the name Erratic Project Junkie, drew me to your entry and i am all thumbs and a leftie, but i found the cape interesting and your blog eye catching and colourful. All the best with the challenge :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaby! It took me a few tries to get it right. I got a little obsessive over the specific shade of green/aqua. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sean! I tried to keep to easier projects this time. Makes it more simple for me and quicker for readers. Heaven knows A to Z keeps us hopping!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy! Glad you could visit!
ReplyDeleteThanks Shaina! Did you decide to sign up?
ReplyDeleteShe's pretty darned cute. We like her quite a bit. She also keeps us entertained. Apparently, she decided to color her entire left arm green earlier today with a magic marker while her mother was on the phone.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! Glad you could visit!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really is a straightforward project. Glad you could find me on A to Z.
ReplyDeleteIt's really not too bad Tasha...pinky promise. I think the basic cape took me about 30 minutes (including the stitching). With the pompom and the capelet, total project in under an hour and a half.
ReplyDelete