Friday, March 24, 2017

Edible Thunderbirds - Thunderbird 2 and Thunderbird 4 cakes

Sprog had a Thunderbird party. When asked what Thunderbird he wanted for his cake his reponse was "2 and 4". No amount of questioning seemed to get him to budge, so I gave in and made two.

The cakes were both made by the same method. A packet mix with food colouring, yellow or green, then cut and sculpted, coated with coloured buttercream, followed by coloured fondant, and features in more fondant. The Thunderbird two was a double cake batch baked in a lasagne dish, the Thunderbird Four cake, was a single mix in a loaf pan to get the height.



To set them off I made a Tracy Island using a round table, a blue tablecloth, a washing basket, and a green duvet. The final touches were the rocket toys we had to represent Thunderbirds 1 and 3. 



Thunderbirds are Go! - Costumes for Sprogs's 5th Birthday

We had a very important birthday this month. Sprog turned 5 and started school. A birthday requires a party, and the theme of choice was Thunderbirds are Go! Inspired in large part by a Thunderbirds dress up Sprog got as hand-me-downs from his bigger cousin Bruiser.

After the success of last years Paw Patrol themed outfits in lieu of party bags I decided to go that way again. I  requested the wearing of blue on the invite to go with the theme, and made hats and sashes for each party attendee. There was also themed cake(s). 

  

The hat I made using a free pattern from UrbanDon. Although this is a pattern for adults and I was making it for kids I didn't change it. Kids have big heads, and I didn't have time to futz about figuring out how to alter the sizing when I work full time and had 9 hats and sashes to make.

For fabric I used whatever I found cheap at the local hospice shop and supply store. I ended up with two fabrics, each in Thunderbird light blue/grey, and each appearing to be a cotton drill. I also bought a bunch of piping in as many colours as I could find, and lightweight cotton to match, more or less, the piping.

The pattern is easy to follow. I altered it a little as I didn't add the Petersham ribbon. It was a dress-up, and I couldn't spot any straight away when shopping so I dropped it. My other alteration was to topstitch the seams of the hat to get a crisper edge. If I was making this hat for regular wear I would reinforce it with interfacing, but topstitching gave a crisper edge for 4 and 5 year old purposes, holding it pretty much in place when hats were yanked onto heads. 


 




For sashes I basically cut 4 swathes on an angle. On the one that was going to be the front I ironed on an International Rescue logo I bought on AliExpress, then topstitched to secure it. When the four pieces were stitched together I summoned Sprog and pinned where to secure the top and the angle needed on the hip for it to fit him, then sewed where I pinned.

And done!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Baby dungarees with matching hat

My brother-in-law and his partner had a baby. I thought about the usual baby gifts, but decided against them, in favour of dungarees for baby, the first girl baby in the family for 3 generations. We'll nickname her GinnyW, cause my husbands family tends to produce boys they way the Weasley's do.

I used the same pattern as for my boys dungaress, the Okey Dokey Overalls from PeekabooPatterns. In consultation with GinnyW's Mum and Dad it was decided on full length summer weight dungarees, with popper openings on the legs.

As a fabric I used linen bought from Backstreet Bargains, leftover from making my favourite Leralynn dress. I had both main fabric, with whales, and the mint contrast fabric left. I used the contrast fabric for all the pockets and the linings. I would have likes to use it for the lining of the hat as well, but I ran out, so it was reversible whales for that, using the free Reversible Bucket Hat pattern from Oliver + S

Modifications were minimal. I used regular buttons, with whales on them, instead of dungaree buckles, and added a couple of little loops to fold the straps back through, just like on the ones for my boys. To accommodate the fold back I also lengthened the straps somewhat.

 

I packaged them up and sent them off to the UK in time for her first summer. I left the buttons on the straps unsewn so that Mum or Dad could check the placement first.