TUTORIALS

JOLTEON TUTORIAL

This is a tutorial on how to make a ,Jolteon, costume.  Jolteon is an electric type Pokemon that evolved from the Pokemon, Eevee.  I started with the ears first because I figured would take me the longest to make.

FIRST...I drew a template of the ears on card stock & cut them out(pictured above is the right ear, just flip it over & trace on another piece of cardstock to make the left ear)...make sure to cut out the inside of the ear & the outer.They will be 2 different colors.

SECOND...I pinned the cut outer ear to some yellow felt & cut out 4 pieces (2 for the right ear & 2 for the left ear).

THIRD...I pinned the cut out inner ear to some black felt & cut out 2 pieces (one for the right ear & one for the left ear.

..This is what the outer ear & inner ear look like after cutting them out & machine stitching the inner ear to the outer ears.

FOURTH...I bent some 24 gauge beading wire in the shape of the inner ear & hand sewed it in place on the remaining 2 pieces of yellow felt ears...LEAVING 2-3 inches of wire at the bottom of both ears..I twisted the wire.

FIFTH...I filled the inside of the hand sewn wire with stuffing from a pillow I never used..this gives the ears a fluffy look... SIXTH... I machine stitched the ears with the black inner ears to these right along the edges of both ears making sure not to sew over the wire.

  SEVENTH...I wanted to use a wide head band to attach the ears to..so I cut up some yellow felt to resemble Jolteon's fur..I wrapped & hot glued it in the center of the head band.               

LAST FOR THE EARS...I wrapped the wire from the bottom of each ear around the head band & twisted it firmly in place..then I cut out several strips of yellow felt, wrapped & hot glued it around the head band & over the wire so it wouldn't hurt the head.

For the body of the costume, I bought a solid white long sleeved leotard & some tights & dyed them yellow with RIT DYE.

 This is a picture of the finished piece that goes around the neck & shoulders...I cut up some soft white fleece to look just like the fluff around Jolteon's neck..I also cut a long strip of white cotton fabric & folded it in half..so i could pin the fleece inside of the fold to machine stitch it to the strip..I also sewed some long strips of velcro on the ends to hold it in place while wearing it...

This is a picture of the neck piece held together by velcro.

....I did the tail in less than an hour..using 2 pieces of yellow felt I cut to resemble Jolteon's tail..sewed it all together around every edge & point, leaving the top open to put some stuffing in...pack the spikes first then add just a little bit more to fluff the top of the tail (but not too much).

.....I decided instead of safety pins to hold the tail in place I would sew some elastic to the tail so it can be slipped on over the leotard..& stitched some yellow felt to the elastic  cause it was white..

       

   

These are pictures of Rachel(Age 8) in her favorite Jolteon Pokemon costume.

Decoupage It!

Step #1:  is to cut out a ton of pictures from different magazines & catalogs.  You can also find & save pics online & print them out..I also got my son to draw some pics of his favorite characters like Sonic the Hedgehog.

Step #2:  is deciding where & how you want to put all of your cut outs together..it's like a puzzle.  Decoupage- is the art or technique of cutting out pictures or designs from paper or other material (like fabric) & applying them to a surface (like wood, glass, metal & ceramic).  Covering up all of those little spaces you will be overlapping pictures but that is alright..it looks good that way.

Step #3:  There are very few steps to decoupage & this is the finishing touch.  The glue I used I got from Hobby Lobby.  It is a fast finish decoupage glue, clear, low odor, dries fast, acid free & it is not sticky or tacky.  After gluing all of the pictures, let it dry & when it is dry, spray a clear acrylic coating all over & let it dry.

This is a pic of the finished work of art..It took me quite a few days to complete & I am very happy with the outcome.  I want to thank Soulflower, Game Informer & Natural Awakenings catalog & magazines for most of the pictures I used to do this project.

How to insert magnetic snaps

Tools & Supplies:

-needle nose pliers

-seam ripper

-small piece of sew-on interfacing

-small piece of denim(or heavy type fabric)

-magnetic snap

Using the circle that will hold the magnet in place..mark it where it will go on the sewing project.

-Then you cut the 2 line marks through all the thickness using a seam ripper (I folded the piece in half then cut using very sharp scissors).

-Also, mark & cut the lines on the piece of interfacing & denim(or heavy type fabric).

-Put the legs of the magnetic snap through the small piece of interfacing. The purpose of the interfacing is to keep the fabric from becoming damaged by the edges of the snap over time.

-Now, insert the legs of the magnetic snap through the slits on the right side of the fabric.

-This is how it looks after inserting the magnetic snap through the right side of the fabric.

-Turn the fabric over to the wrong side of fabric & you will see the legs of the magnetic snap.

-Next, insert the legs of the magnetic snap through the denim or heavy piece of fabric(Remember: the denim or heavy piece of fabric has to be longer than the snap).

-Add the setting circle to the magnetic snap.

-With a pair of needle nose pliers,bend the legs of the magnetic snap. Hold the fabric tight so your snap will not be loose.

-Once you have tightened the legs of the snap, you are finished. You can now apply the same steps on the other side of the sewing project where the second half of the snap will go.