Archives for January 2019

We’re going to take a quick break from Frozen costumes for another installment of “Oh No You Didn’t!”. This time we’re going to talk about the hidden dangers of using safety pins as a quick-fix in costuming.

Don’t get me wrong! There is a time and place for safety pins. They are my go-to for marking clothing when I’m doing a fitting. However, you don’t want to leave them in the costume while it is being worn.

1. There’s always the chance that the safety pin could spring open and jab an actor.
2. An actor could catch their heel in the space between the pins if safety pins are used in lieu of a hem.
3. The costume material can work its way into the coil at the base of the safety pin and make a hole.

I put that third point in bold text, because this is the must destructive result of using safety pins, and I have seen it happen more times than I can count! In fact, it happened to this table cloth that I found at Goodwill.

I love the green to brown ombré and the interesting texture of its material. However, its loose weave made it a victim to the ravages of a safety pin! The weight of the material on the hanger and the way it was probably tugged about caused the fabric to bunch its way into the coil of the safety pin.

This is a perfect illustration of what can happen when safety pins are used to take in waistbands or other “stress zones” on a costume and then worn with the pin still in place. It’s a great quick-fix, but it can have damaging consequences, especially on vintage clothing or fabrics with a loose weave.

So, how do we fix it? Take a deep breath and grab some wire cutting pliers. Place the coil of the safety pin between the cutting edges of the pliers and squeeze the handles. Be careful, as sometimes the pieces of the severed safety pin will go shooting across the room as they are cut!

It may take one or two snips, depending on which part of the coil contains the caught material. Gently remove and dispose of the safety pin fragments.

The honest truth? Sometimes I still use safety pins and leave them in, despite knowing the risks. It happens. Time runs out and/or there is a “wardrobe malfunction”. Safety pins can be a handy expedient!

However, especially try to avoid leaving safety pins in vintage clothing, sheer materials, or materials with loose weaves. These are particularly susceptible to safety pin damage…Not that I know that from experience, or anything…

So, now you’ve been warned, but you also have a solution, for WHEN (not IF) you have to use safety pins as a shortcut!

Let’s meet up with Kristoff on our journey through Arendelle! Elliott helped me with the first steps of making his costume.

First, I had him model the pieces we already had. These consisted of a blue sweater, brown pants, and Kristoff-ish boots. Here’s a closeup look at the swanky boots! They’re a little big on him, but boots from Lapland don’t exactly grow on trees.

I love Elliott’s sweet enthusiasm. He was so gung ho to help me make his costume!

Now, we need to make Kristoff’s main, focal costume piece: his fur-trimmed brown vest! Of course, no such vest exists at Goodwill. (Believe me, I’ve been looking for a couple years!)

However, I did find this sweater! I make a habit of going through the boys’ racks twice at thrift stores, because all of their neutral colors and subdued patterns blend together. I almost missed the potential in this sweater! A closer look showed me that it is all cotton and could probably take a brown dye.

My plan is to dye it, chop off the sleeves, and add the appropriate trim.

I found the dye color I needed at JOANN Fabric and Craft. Another crucial dyeing ingredient is salt. I prefer to buy it for 50 cents at the Dollar Tree.

It was time to prepare the “dye bath”, but not until we donned aprons! My favorite kids apron is the Måla Long Sleeve Apron from Ikea. It’s waterproof and the long sleeves completely cover the child’s clothes.

We added white, distilled vinegar and one cup of salt to the washing machine, plus a splash of detergent. While the washing machine filled with hot water, we opened the dye powder and pre-mixed it in a small tub of hot water. That splatter is why we wear aprons!

Next, we soaked the sweater in warm water until it was completely saturated. By this time, the washer was full and had been on the wash cycle for about a minute, allowing the detergent, salt, and vinegar to mix. I poured in our pre-mixed dye, shut the washer, and let the wash cycle continue for another minute to mix in the dye. Then, we popped open the lid, added the wet sweater, and continued the cycle.

After the wash cycle finished, we immediately washed the sweater with cold water and a bit of detergent. This helps to remove any excess dye. It was so exciting for Elliott to open the washer to discover that his sweater had changed from a charcoal grey to the perfect shade of dark brown! He tossed it into the dryer.

And, here it is! My next step will be to cut off the sleeves and add bias tape and fur trim.

Here’s a before and after look at the transformation our sweater has gone through, so far! What’s the takeaway so far? Well, as usual, sometimes great costume pieces are hiding in plain sight. This sweater had the perfect neckline, a good “weight” and it was a good size. It was the wrong color, but that was something we could change. This know-how takes a little time and practice, but your world will open up as you experiment with the hidden costume potential in plain, ordinary clothes!

I hope you’re not too burned out on Elsa, yet, because I have one more set of photos to share with you. These feature our little Annika (19 months). She is wearing her very own “Elsa” dress I found at Goodwill. As you can see, I added snaps to the side-fronts so I could use the same cape worn by both Emma and Eliza.

(I ran out of snaps, or I would have also put one in the center back of the dress.)

I style Annika’s hair into a little pony tail on top of her head. (It’s the only style that she will leave alone without pulling it out and it also keeps her hair out of her eyes.) So, I decided she needed a little hair bow to match her costume. I snipped a strip of leftover cape material and slid it onto a bobby pin.

Oh, also the dress originally had a lot of pilling on it, so I took my Evercare Fabric Shaver to it. Okay, NOW we can go back to the photo shoot!

Here she is! Itty bitty Elsa in a giant, frozen wold.

The mysterious fog across the lake was so lovely.

She got mad at us for a minute because we were cramping her style.

A clump of pine needles made her happy again. Annika loves holding sticks!

Ready to happily strike out across the snow with her pine needles.

Ooh! What’s this stuff?

She was so light that she was able to skim along the crust of the snow.

Heading up the “North Mountain”.

She was so intent on exploring that it was really hard for me to get any pictures of her little face! It works, though. Elsa spends a lot of time running away in the movie.

This gives you a good look at the detachable cape that we made in DIY Elsa Frozen Cape – Part 1 and DIY Elsa Frozen Cape – Part 2.

She was so happy to be outside and didn’t even seem to notice that she was wearing a costume.

We just love this little girl!

As usual, I couldn’t have pulled any of this off without my best friend and accomplice; my husband, Jeff. It turns out he’s excellent at handling models.

Adjusting Her Majesty’s train. I told Jeff that he wouldn’t need to fix one of our daughter’s trains for another twenty years, or so.

And that’s a wrap, folks! Stay tuned for upcoming posts about making a Kristoff costume for Elliott.

And now for something completely different…Here is Eliza as Elsa. Eliza is renowned for her sass and silliness when it comes to being photographed.

But first, here is the perfect Elsa dress that I found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store. It’s just right for this little snow queen. You can see where I sewed the three snaps to attach the cape we made in DIY Elsa Frozen Cape – Part 1 and DIY Elsa Frozen Cape – Part 2: In the center back and just in front of each armpit. Okay, back to the many faces of Eliza!

Charming.

Dreamy.

Bemused. (What am I wearing?)

Commanding.

Quirky.

Entertaining.

Wistful.

Cautious.

Sweet.

Coy.

The sweetest part of this whole photo shoot was how Jeff helped Eliza to navigate through the snow.

These may be Frozen-themed costumes, but consider this mama’s heart melted! Yeah. I know that was super cheesy.

If you thought this was cute, wait til you see Annika as Baby Elsa in my next blog post! Or, to see Emma’s stint at Elsa, go here.

Emma, Eliza, Elsa…Have I confused you enough with all the “E” names?

Welcome to the first of three posts I am making about our Elsa photo shoot at Lake Wenatchee! This one is focused on Emma. I brought every single article of white and turquoise clothing that the girls own and layered them under their costumes. Fortunately, it was almost 40 degrees Fahrenheit and not nearly as cold as it looks! Please enjoy this pictorial journey set to some of the lyrics from the hit song from Frozen, “Let it Go”.

A kingdom of isolation
And it looks like I’m the queen

Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door

The cold never bothered me anyway

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around

And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back, the past is in the past

Let it go
The cold never bothered me anyway

Let it go, let it go
And I’ll rise like the break of dawn

Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone

Here I stand in the light of day

Let the storm rage on