Yesterday’s post over the awesome Where the Wild Things Are First Birthday thrown by Adi, from Garden of Edlen, for her son Jack left one of my favorite details out… just because I wanted to share it with you in a separate post because it was THAT cool.
Right before we left, we got to see little Jack open his gift from us and from Jason and Suzannah from Adventures in Dressmaking. Suzannah had made little Jack a hat like Max’s from the story “Where the Wild Things Are.” It was so adorable I asked for a few tips for all my readers out there still trying to figure out Halloween costumes this year.
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| Jack modeling his Handmade “Where the Wild Things Are” Hat made by Suzannah from Adventures in Dressmaking |
Here is what Suzannah said about making the hat (I’ve underlined parts that I think are really great tips for modifying a pattern for a little one):
**She modified a pattern/tutorial from Instructables to create the hat— “Sew a Where the Wild Things Are Hat Pattern” from Jesseratfink.**
- I of course sized it down for a baby’s head–I guessed Jack’s head measurement after reading a commercial hood/hat pattern for toddlers. I used a tiny volleyball we had sitting around as a head model as I sewed! Was a little tricky to guess the placement of the ears for a baby but it worked out.
- I made the outer hat out of wool felt to make it nicer (and a better/more true to the original color) and lined it with a thick cotton/spandex knit I had in ivory. That’s the main difference–the poly fleece gets icky and dirty looking fast and I’m sensitive to it looking cheap. I’m sort of a snob against fleece, though. No offense to everyone who likes it. I used the lining fabric on the inside of the ears and the felt on the other side, so they had different texture.
- I was sure to understitch around the whole thing so the lining stayed in place, and I left the center back open so I could turn it inside out there and close it up in a hidden place.
- I didn’t want to give baby Jack wires for the whiskers so I used black soutache braid trim–it’s the suuuuper narrow shiny stuff you can make/applique loops with, but in short enough pieces it stood out enough for whiskers that weren’t too droopy. I also put a little piece of velcro at the neck closure; not sure why the Instructables tutorial doesn’t do that.
- I used millinery wire to make the ears stand up, and stuffed them with stuffing. I bent the millinery wire down at the corners so it doesn’t poke his head.
Thanks Suzannah for the tips! I love making Halloween costumes, but sometimes am stumped on how to make the most of a pattern. Changing up the suggested fabrics and materials to make it better for me is a great idea! Check out Suzannah’s blog for lots of awesome sewing tips and some really wonderful tutorials that have great step-by-step photos!
