DIY Harlequin Jester Costume and Friday Favorites Week 575

Happy April Fool's Day!!!

As a professional jester in the Before Times, I consider April 1st to be My Day.  I don't play tricks or jokes on people, I just walk around extra happy and foolish. See?

This costume is my first and probably last quilting project because it took four months to build!

You can read how I made this diamond jester costume here

Time to link up your favorite projects, recipes, and posts! 

How to Sharpen Scissors and Rotary Cutting Blades at Home

There is nothing like cutting fabric with a pair of sharp scissors or better, yet a rotary cutter.

Unfortunately using them to cut fabric also dulls the blades on your scissors and rotary cutter. Have you tried to cut fabric with dull scissors? It’s more like chewing fabric than making nice, crisp, clean cuts.

As a kid, I vaguely remember fabric stores holding fabric scissor sharpening events to draw shoppers to the store. In all honesty, I’ve never heard of one now that I’m an adult with a drawer full of dull fabric cutting tools and blades that need a little sharpening love.

What to do?

Easy! You can sharpen scissors and rotary cutting tools yourself!

Save this sewing hack to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

How to Sharpen Fabric Scissors and Rotary Cutting Blades the Easy Way!

How to Make a Jester Costume

One of the things I love about sewing costumes is the challenge and I try to do that with every jester dress I make. Normally I cut each piece of my sewing pattern out of a different color fabric to create a color block jester costume, I load it up with jingle bells, and I’m good to go with a costume that’s close to jester’s motley.

I need a new jester costume for renaissance festival and historical performances and when I want to dress to empress on Halloween.

This time, I went for the Crazy Person Challenge of sewing a jester costume with a homemade diamond pattern quilted fabric. I made new everything from the skin out:bloomers, hoop skirt, skirt, bodice, and hat. This project took four months to complete.

Which just goes to show you I don’t just play a fool on weekends, it’s more of a 24/7 lifestyle. I’ve never quilted before and after this project I may never quilt again!

Pin this costume tutorial to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends! 

Photos by Jay Robinson and Checkmate Photography

How to Make a Female Renaissance Jester Costume

12 Small Space Fabric Storage Ideas You Need To Try Right Now!

Recently during some serious Girl Time with a fellow costumer and my BFF, our conversation turned to to talking about how our fabric storage is out of control and threatening to take over not only our sewing studios, but the house as well.

Or at least it seems that way when you live in a small condo.

Most of the time I sew with nontraditional fabrics such as upholstery fabric, velvet, tulle, and plush fleece and they are more difficult to store than traditional cotton quilting and apparel weight fabrics because, even their scraps  require much more space!

12 of the Best Ways to Store Non Traditional Fabric

After spit balling fabric organizing ideas with my costumer friend and coming up short, I turned to the Internet. I found a bunch of small space fabric ideas to add to my ever growing To Do List and thought I’d share.

Ready? Set. Organize!