Completing the Turkey Trot Costume

In order to complete the Turkey Trot costume, I needed to finish my shirt.  

Materials

• 1 brown t-shirt
• 1 piece of felt in various colors (shown here: orange, crimson, red, and yellow)
• 1 piece of cardboard to create stencils
• needle and threat (or sewing machine)

How to: 

I started with the back design (flared feathers to look like the turkey tail).  Draw a feather like image onto your cardboard.  Cut it out and retrace desired number of feathers onto your felt. 

Cut out all of your traced feathers.  Arrange your design so you know how the pieces will line up. 

Stitch the design onto the back of your shirt.  

Here is what the back of my shirt looks like on:

Next I wanted to create a bib of feathers around the front collar.  I traced circles onto the remaining felt (but forgot to take pictures of this part).  Then I stitched them onto the front.  

Now that my shirt is complete, I tried on the full outfit.  It's hard to take pictures of yourself and I promise it is much cuter in person, but I love it! 

Turkey Tutu

For the first time I will be running a Turkey Trot!  And I am over the moon about it.  Having wanted to do this for a while I know the best part of this festive 5k: the costumes!  After a quick Google search it seems that turkey tutus are all the rage at these events.  I happen to have tulle left over, but I picked up a few new rolls just in case (and I was glad that I did!).  

Materials

• 1 roll of plain brown tulle (25 yards)
• 1 roll of plain crimson tulle (25 yards)
• 1 roll of yellow tulle with glitter tulle (10 yards)*
• 1 roll of orange tulle with glitter tulle (10 yards)*
• ribbon (at least 2 yards -- you will measure this to fit you)

* yellow and orange will be your accent colors over the brown and crimson base, that's why you need significantly less. 

How to:

Start by measuring the ribbon.  Remember a tutu fits around your hips, not your waist.  Wrap the ribbon around your hips and add 6-8 inches on each end (these will allow you to tie the tutu around yourself).  Cut the brown and crimson tulle into 24 inch strips.  I used both spools completely.  Start your tutu using a single piece of tulle strip.  Create a loop, wrap it around the ribbon, then pull the loose tulle ends through the loop.  

Continue this process alternating brown and crimson.  Continue all the way around the ribbon, leaving the ends for tying.  This will be your base.

Now cut 8 strips of yellow and orange tulle each.  These are your accent colors.  Loop them in sporadically along the ribbon.  

Test out the final product to make sure it fits and that you have tulle all the way around.  You don't want a bald spot!  I then tried my turkey tutu on with my brown t-shirt.  I will be making the t-shirt festive too, but for now I wanted to see how it would pair with the tutu.   

I LOVE the final product!

thankful for tulle

I am hosting Thanksgiving!  First year back in the Sunshine State and I get to host the family (minus Rick).  That means I have one week to get ready.  Naturally a wreath is in order.  I'm been wanting to play with tulle and this was the perfect excuse.

Materials

• tulle (12 yards) in desired color(s) -- I used a sheer chocolate with light glitter, a solid yellow with excessive gold glitter, and a ribbed orange with dotted glitter (I like the variety of textures)
• 1 wreath at desired size (straw wreath proved to be MUCH cheaper than floral wreaths)
• brown ribbon
• 1 wooden panel for message
• brown paint
• gold paint pen

How to: 

Start by cutting the tulle into strips.  I cut 24-inch pieces (12) of each of my colors.   

Fold the piece in half.  Keep a hold of the loop.  Wrap the tulle around the wreath and bring the loose ends through the loop.  Then flare out the ends. Continue on all the way around the wreath. 

When completed be sure to flare out all of the loose ends.  

Paint the wooden panel using the brown (or other desired color) paint.  Use the paint pen to write your own message.  Attach (tape) ribbon to the back of the panel with ends long enough to tuck into some of the tulle wraps on the wreath -- this will secure your message to the wreath.  

Add ribbon to hang the wreath and tie a bow at the top for charm.  And there's your festive wreath!