Dr. Seuss Character Tutorial: Thing 1/2

Thing 1/2 tutorial

I am sorry to say that I have no before pictures of my materials

Materials: 

• Feather boa
• beanie (mine was thrifted)
• Hot glue and  gun
• Felt
• Fabric paint pen (bold point)
• safety pins

Steps for assembly:

I purchased a beanie in blue for my daughter and my son from my local thrift store. I also used Michaels's price match policy to get the online price at hobby lobby for the feather boas. All I had to do was show them the price at the register. I got the one with actual feathers. This post was my inspiration.

Once I had the materials, I plugged in my glue gun and started gluing the boa to the beanie. At this point, I must advise caution because I burned my fingers with the hot glue. it seeps through the knit pretty easily. Also, I recommend glueing the string that holds the feathers in the boa to the beanie for strength. If this project is being completed by a child, I recommend adult supervision.

Once my beanies were done, I tried them on my models, the monkey and the elf.

For the patches, I purchased the larger piece of craft felt and a fabric paint marker in black. At Michael's there were several available. I chose the large one with the "bold" tip. Using a pencil with 2mm lead, I traced a salad size plate (after checking proportion) onto the white felt. Then, I penciled in the design. Technically you could go crazy with this and make it look exactly like how the things look. I wasn't being that careful, so I just wrote in "Thing 1/2" on each piece of felt and traced it in the black. The last thing I did was cut it out.

Finally I pinned the patches to the front of red clothes. The Monkey will be wearing it pinned to an exercise shirt, as it is a PE day for him in school. He will be wearing plain red exercise shorts to complete the outfit.

For my daughter, I purchased a red dress from the thrift store. I personally like Savers because I do not have to search through everything. They separate by size and offer a 20% off coupon that you can use on the spot if you donate.

I decided to pin it to the inside using 4 safety pins. Alternatively you could baste it to the clothing, which would still allow for easy removal.

Here is the Elf holding her dress and hat.

Shop Like You're Designing a Collection

Credit
This post is an adaptation of a podcast by Dr. Julie-Ann of Grandma's Sewing Cabinet and Modern Retro Woman. Her podcast gives guidelines for shopping for sewing projects with a focus on pieces that coordinate.
I chose to apply her information to shopping. While yes, I sew, lately I have been drowning in housework. I cannot seem to get ahead enough to find the time to sew... that, and logistics in my house are, um, awkward to say the least.
Enough excuses. On to the good stuff!

Suggestions

Dr. Julie-Ann suggests the following to create a look book for sewing projects:

• Start with a story- What do you want to convey with how you look? Decide on a theme, if you will.
• Create an Inspiration board- Find 5-10 images of styles, places, things etc. that inspire you and help you tell your story.
• Create a profile of yourself- Define who you are and what position you hold in life. Think about your story. (This step can be done first).  

1. Name 
2. Occupation
3. Income
4. Education
5. Residence
6. Marital Status
7. Number of Children
8. Activities/Travel
9.  Favorite Designer(s) & Places to shop

• Choose a Color Scheme- Decide on 2-3 solids and 1 print. Neutrals are a great place to start.Again this should fit within telling your story. Note: This should definitely be done before you enter a fabric store to avoid the "Squirrel!" from Up effect, if you know what I mean.
• Choose your Fabric-Consider the purpose of your piece (casual vs. office vs. formal). This is a hands on exercise and should also help you tell your story.
• Choose your pattern- Finally, based on your story, fabrics, and purpose of your clothes, you can be more focused on choosing what to make.

Adapting

So, obviously with some of the suggestions you have to tweak them to apply them to shopping, but there is relevance to the advice.

• Decide your story/ Profile yourself- Who are you and what do you want to say about yourself?
• Decide color- While it would be nice to completely start from scratch, that's wildly impractical and expensive. So, take some time to look at what's in your closet and try to find a pattern of color. Coordination is the key. Purge what you don't wear.
• Create an inspiration board- Fashion is always changing. There are classics and trendy pieces. Save on the trends and splurge on the classics if you can. 
• Set a budget and time limit and make a list of what you want to get. This will help you save money. If you can't find it right away, or you don't love it and look smashing in it, leave it! On the contrary, if you have the money for it and you'll be kicking yourself later for not buying it, get it. Just be aware of return policies.
• Shop. Open your mind to where you can find things (thrift, vintage, consignment, discount stores), but make sure it's quality. Don't forget your shopping list, theme, and color palette! Do not buy anything that does not coordinate with at least 3 other pieces.
• Catalog- Take pictures of your outfits that you create. You can post them in your closet to help you decide what to wear (especially outfits that get compliments), but you can also take them with you shopping to help you coordinate.

As a mommy who needs to focus when she shops, I hope I can put these tips into practice. I, personally, am prone to the "Squirrel!"-length attention span and need a bit of focus.

Resources

These tips are based on the Podcast by Dr. Julie-Ann
They are also taken from the March issue of InStyle (page271) "Whip Your Wardrobe Into Shape". You can find the Checklist for Spring online.
The Thrift Store Directory will help you find a thrift store in your area.
Design Seeds can help you find a color palette.
And if you are into sewing and want to create your own unique fabric go to Spoonflower
For pattern ideas and some patterns you can visit the Burda website.
To create an inspiration board, you have to try Pinterest, or just visit it.

Hopefully, you can be more organized when you shop or sew. Happy organizing!