Rainbow Butterfly Trinket Tutorial

So, some of you might know - I'm engaged. My working theme for my wedding is: Rainbow Butterfly Garden. It always sounds cheesy when I say it out loud, but trust me when I say I have a good feeling about this ;)

On my agenda of fitting the theme, I have seen some gorgeous decorative butterflies for sale at the markets. I've considered my options available on the matter; which range from potentially hiring a display from the vendors, to forking out the dollars as a bonbonerie (<- Possibly the best wedding word ever!). But I imagine the male guests wouldn't be as thrilled to be gifted one, so phooey to the wasted expense!

That got me to thinking one lazy Sunday that I could make them myself! Dingdingding went the alarm bells... I decided to take some pictures as I went along, so lucky you as you score a free tutorial.

These are the materials I used:

1: 3x Transparency film w/butterflies | 2: Various beads for decoration

3: Jewellery findings (crimp beads only used with nylon thread) | 4: Nylon thread

5: Needles (only 1 needed! A sharp pin is also OK) | 6: Glue (preferred was hot-glue, not pictured)

7: Puff glitter glue | 8: Scissors

I started off by Googling for free butterfly images and found the outline of a butterfly that I liked. Using Photoshop, I coloured certain areas in full black; and others I used the gradient tool to colour the wings, and altered the opacity of some of the butterfly's colours.

Once I had a page of 8, I went to the local Officeworks and requested 3 colour prints on transparency film. The total cost: $2.91.

Using scissors, I carefully cut around the outline of three butterflies of the same colours. You only need to cut the antennae for the one that will go on the bottom, not all three.

For the first butterfly, you do nothing. The one that will be in the middle, gently fold the wing up where it meets the body, on each side. You will do the same for the 3rd, however if you make the third more pronounced it will help the viewer see all three sets of wings.

Next, glue the three layers together. For my first attempt, I used the glue shown in the picture. It was akin to superglue, and I'm not sure that I recommend it. For the subsequent two I have made, I used a hot glue gun and it seemed to work even better! Make sure that the glue is only placed on the body of the butterfly, not the wings. You want them to be free to move, remember?

Allow the glue to dry, and carefully you can use glitter pens to decorate any areas of the butterfly. I'd only recommend decorating the wings of the top-most layer, but I also added spots to the ends of the antennae. 

Be careful with this next step! Using a needle, I pierced through all three layers and the glue so that I had a small hole running through the middle. At first I wasn't sure it would work, but it did. So if you have any of those moments.... Perseverance will pull you through!

In the above image, I have already begun to thread the hanging nylon with decorative bits. Pull that need through at this time though, but wiggle it around a bit to make it wider for your thread or eye-pins, as required.

When I created my first butterfly, I did not buy clear jewellery thread as  thought I had some at home. I was mistaken, as it was the nylon and non-clear kind. As a result, I wasn't 100% happy with the finished look. But it can be used! When  made my next two, I used my jewellery supplies and made it with fine chain instead. I prefer this look, but go with what you like!

I used decorative pieces that I brought from the local Spotlight to gussy up the hanging parts. It is recommended that you have the butterfly firmly between beads on the bottom and the top so it sits right as it dangles. So make sure it is flush and it won't sit awkwardly on your decorative line.

If you...

Use chain:

I used eye-pins to thread the beads on in my 2nd and 3rd attempts. The sequence can vary, but it basically needs to go: eye-pin, bead, butterfly, bead and then twist the remaining straight end of the eye-pin to make another 'eye' and enable it to be attached to chain.

Use nylon thread:

You can replace the chain with the nylon thread; but to ensure the butterfly sits nicely, you will need to re-thread your line through the first point of entry to your bead at least one extra time. This will help your bead to stay where you want it to. 

When using the crimp bead, I threaded it first onto my line. Then, I threaded the end bead. I threaded the end of the line back through the crimp bead and then squished it tight with the pliers. I had to add in a few knots for my own piece of mind too. 

I finished off the last end with a lobster clasp. This allows it to be secured at any point of the chain; but also where I have put it on my rear-view mirror, the clasp encircles the entire circumference of the chain allowing it to adjust to its perfect cinch.

And voila! Here you have 3 finished treasures:

There is some assumed knowledge here about how to do basic jewellery work. There are some great tutorials out there though if you are new to it. I even have one here which can help you! Please ask any questions if you need to, I'd be more than happy to help!

Oh, and why should dangly decorations get all the fun? I took a boring pen, old bit of ribbon and golden decoration I appropriated from the last wedding I attended and whipped up this pen. Don't forget the hot-glue! It's currently spicing up my pen caddy at work ;)

To have fun with this craft, you only need to stop the butterfly after the glueing stage, then you can let your imagination run wild!  Decorate mirrors, headbands, make magnets.... Have fun! I know I will <3

Disclaimer: Please ask if anything does not make sense, towards the end my head literally started pounding! Do not hesitate to ask any questions at all.

Cue: The Knock-Off

Recently, I started a new job. Not the job I coveted, but maybe things have worked out for the best. At least for now. One of the best things is the ability to have no restrictions on what I can wear (besides thongs and shorts!). A downside of this is gives me the challenge of what to wear each day!

I purchased a dress from one of my favourite shops, Cue. The hardest thing about buying from my favourite shop is the prices. Ouch to the $229 that the dress cost me! Given my sewing mind, I realised I could do my own version of the dress for a fraction of the cost! And so my challenge was set.

The original dress has salmon pink for the bodice, and chocolate brown for the skirt. I was excited to chose my own colours for the dress, and chose a deep purple and an amazing Japanese fan print for the skirt. 

My skirt features a different style of pleating and a lower neckline. The original neckline cause irritation to my collarbone area. Spotlight, where I purchased my fabric and other bits and pieces didn't have the colour purple I wanted for the zip, so I went with pink instead for a fun detail.

When I wore the dress to work, it was with a brown skinny belt and matching kitten heels. 

Would you like to see some of the building stages? Read on!

The toile was draped on my dressmakers dummy, Bumble Bee. She is padded to my dimensions, and was purchased from the fashion school at the end of my course. Although the term 'draping' conjures images of folding and draping fabric onto the dummy to create a garment, it is not the only meaning of the term. Its a means to make patterns utilising the curves of the body that is not the same when drafting a flat pattern.

One thing that really excites me about this dress is the finishing techniques used. Thanks so the two tutorials from The Slapdash Sewist, and on from The Musings of the Dedicated Housefiancee, I made a dress with fully sewn arm holes and enclosed lining around the seam around the zip and where the bodice meets the skirt.

This is what the lining looks like on the inside. I love how it looks so much that it will feature in my next dress. It will be made from suiting material in purple and grey.

Well, that's it for now. I'm off to watch Spongebob Squarepants and Ren & Stimpy as I cut out the pieces for my next dress. 

Until next time!

Update!: The dress in Action. I wore it today, and it also happened to be a day that a Police License Plate competition I entered had their press release. I was invited along as 4 of my suggestions were chosen, and the biggest vehicle on the fleet was one of them! Woohoo! :D

Read the article on the NT Police Facebook Page here. How cool right? (the green highway patrol vehicle to the side reads: PATROLN which was one of the other 3 ;) The two not pictured are BSAFE and YDUI which will go on motorcycles (so I'm told!)

Dress for Under $10 - Blue Paperbag Skirt

Blue chosen to match eyes!

Recently, I purchased a bicycle (I plan on being a little active and using it too!). On my powerwalk through the shopping centre to pick up my purchase, I passed by a specials rack at Rockmans. Hanging there was some pretty coloured singlets that I couldn't ignore, marked down to $5.00.  It really made me think of Jill's 'Make it by Monday' challenge "Dress for Under $10.00", and how that would literally get me half-way there!

After I cycled my way home, I got down to sewing business. Okay, well it was after I drank about a litre of water and had to take an hour-and-a-half nap to recover from my midday bike ride!

When I came to, I got back onto track. Going through my fabric stash, I came across some light blue fabric linen/cotton blend that I had purchased on my last trip to Bali (which I'd had made into a blue tulip skirt). There was about two meters left, more than enough to do what I'd planned. 

I used this tutorial by Make It Love It as a starting point. My laptop then froze (as it is apt to do) so I made the rest up as a went along.

I tried to use shirring for the back of the skirt, but it didn't seem to work with the heavier fabric. Lesson learnt there! I ended up sewing a thick piece of elastic to make the back panel gather. Big minus is that it is visible on the inner part of the skirt but at least it cannot be seen when being worn!

I think I would prefer the skirt if it was gathered all the way around instead, as the fabric at the front was prone to falling forward, whilst the back of the skirt seemed to stay up quite well. 

I like that I can pull the skirt on and off as there is no zip, however I think the back elasticised panel could stand to be more fitted. The skirt tie is great as it definitely helps to cinch everything in. I like that the ends of the bowties sit at such a long length too.

There are things I would do differently if I were to do this skirt again, but I'm very happy that it didn't turn out too terribly. I don't know that it is flattering enough to wear many a time, however I do feel a little more unique in it!

I really love the two blues together. I received a couple of compliments for it too, which was pretty groovy. Please excuse the day-glow quality of my skin. I swear after the amount of time I spent outside (without sun protection :( ) today, I would have expected an iridescent red instead!!

Unfortunately I don't have any photos but the two above, as my Karl only had my mobile phone and my insistence on taking a photo for the contest (don't get me started on the not-so-awesome background...). Now I'd like to say this outfit only cost me $5.00 as the fabric was in my stash, and the shoes I wore were a Christmas gift from my sister. So I think I cover a couple of requisites for the link-up fun!

Thanks for reading! Linking up here:

Purple Bag from Online Tute

A fun bag from The Boy Trifecta's free online pattern! I loved making it (well, some bits were un-lovable!)

Called the Grandview, it is slightly modified from her original. Why? Because I just couldn't bring myself to do the last row of ruffle, I thought it would cover the pleating too much as I used a narrower band of fabric for it. Which I think is not such a bad thing as I think the pleats look great! I also did a strap in two parts, knotted at the top. May or may not have been a good idea, we'll see how that goes! 

The pattern didn't provide for a pocket in the lining, however it was very easy to put together. I made sure I had my keys, mobile and lipstick nearby so that as I made the compartments they would fit in nice and snug.

I used the bag for the first time today, and it felt great. I've never made a bag before and yeah I must admit it feels good. Lookit the shiny snap...! Makes it feel very legit. I love the deep purple, and the lining fabric I am also fond of. This little bag is full of personality, and I can't wait to get to know it better! ;)

See them in Action!

I love making my clothes. It makes them unique to me, and fun. I always love when I get that look. If you make your own things, you know the one. That look of disbelief and awe when you proudly declare 'I made it myself'. There is also that great feeling that you get, the satisfaction that comes with you knowing that those added extras you did are all from your own experiments and pulling together favoured elements into one cohesive design...

Anyway, so the point of this post is to show some of my clothing as worn my me. Not all of it, because I don't have the pictures. And I don't mean the ones I have to coerce my long-suffering fiancee to take for me for the promise of a massage! So I shall carry on...!

The first is my dress created from Simplicity Pattern 2497. I followed a nautical theme with the fabric choices, and added a pleated skirt and shoulder embellishments (see the original post here). After wearing the dress for the first time, I didn't like the sleeves. So with a nervous snip snip... Off they came. I'm glad that I prefer the look sleeveless!

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to snap a full-length picture of the dress. These photos were taken at a family day out at the Freds Pass Rural show. The two gorgeous young boys are my nephews. Such sweet little men!

The next garment is a top I designed from a costume I had made. It was adapted from my Cure Blossom costume to be a top instead of the original dress. I wore this to an afternoon at the races. My headwear is also one of my own creations... Read more about it on my other blog, A Rainbow of Balloons.

Next up on my project list to make is a purple skirt with pink self-made piping. I've never made piping before... so it should be an interesting project. I will let you know how it goes! Also I am craving to make this fantastic bag from The Boy Trifecta... Again, I will show you (if it turns out good! hehe)

Until next time!

Rainbow Smile ... Sew-Along Top #2

So, Blogger was playing up when I initially went to do my post. Then I was slack and didn't touch up this post. Ergo, here I am to fix that! (Finally!) As a balloon twister, I love to wear unique and eye-catching outfits. I recently decided to go by the 'stage name' of Rainbow, and since my business is called "A Rainbow of Balloons" I love to include it in my twister's wardrobe.

I used Simplicity 2497, a Cynthia Rowley design (click here for the last time I used the pattern), for the base of the shirt. Initially, I was going to do the version with the ruffled front. Mostly pink, but with a purple bias trim. This time I modified the dress to be a top by extending the hemline approx 6" so it would blouse out nicely whilst not coming un-tucked.


Because I was running out of time, for the Spring Top Sew-Along hosted by Rae; I decided to forgo the original pattern. I've had some fun rainbow grograin ribbon that I've purchased not once, but twice off eBay (same seller, months apart... I love my rainbow!) And yes, I made a belt out of the same ribbon, following one of Disney's tutorials.

Because the top is scandalously low, when twisting I have to wear another top underneath. I choose to wear a deep purple tank, I love that colour combination!

I decided to dub the top "Rainbow Smile" as it really does look like one (imho) and it really does make me smile. I would like to try the the pattern again, to make that elusive ruffle dress! I really recommend it, it has proven to be so versatile. I'd love to hear if anyone reading may have also used that pattern?

Goody Gum Drops

So I've entered this in Made by Rae's Spring Top Sewalong. I finally managed to convince my other half to take some photos of me in my new top. I have partially delayed a post on this hoping to make a matching skirt, however I keep procrastination and the competition deadline for  is looming.

So! About the top:

The pattern was originally draped for Cure Blossom, and it is insanely difficult to buy what you want at our local Spotlight so I decided to try dying fabric for the first time. Unfortunately, it came out too close in colour as another used in the top; ergo it became unusable. I really liked the colour against the purple fabric, and I had an 'ah-ha!' moment and decided it would also be great as a top.

• Self-draped previously as a dress, I modified it to be a top.
• Self-covered buttons, (my Gumdrops!) to be matchy-matchy.
• My design aesthetic didn't want visible machine stitching, so the blouse is lined and has self-made bias binding.
• The fabric is cotton drill and what I think is a cotton/linen blend. The pink was originally white, and dyed with Rit dye. 

My favourite part of it all is the back of the top. I'm pretty sure I will make this  design once again, but the plan is with rainbow striped fabric and making a dress.

Oh, and the flower is detachable, as a brooch. I thought it was a cute accent to the top. The idea of the ensemble is the intention that it could become one of the outfits I wear doing balloon twisting. Keeping it cute, unique and colourful! (Just what I love)

Thanks for reading, and please wish me luck!