Inspiration- Costumer Orry-Kelly

I adore old movies and one of my absolute favorites is Some Like it Hot starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. In addition to the zany story line, the costumes are divine! Designer Orry-Kelly was able to transform Tony and Jack into Josephine and Daphne!

Orry-Kelly started off as a tailor’s apprentice in Australia then journeyed to New York to become an actor. It was there that he stated designing costumes for Broadway then eventually on to Hollywood where he designed for some of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars.

His dreamy designs appeared in some of the greatest movies like Auntie Mame (I adore!), An American in Paris, Gypsy and the deliciously dark The Maltese Falcon. He died in 1964 due to his love of booze. But he will always be remembered as one of Hollywood’s most inspiring and prolific Costume Designers.

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Sequin Fabric Sewing Inspiration and Tips

I am just smitten with this felt gingerbread house bag. This would make such a sweet special Christmas accessory for a kid. It’s a free pattern at Benzie Design, designed by Gracie from Hello Gracie Makes. It’s packed with adorable gingerbread house details, like swirls and stripes and scallops adoring the doors and windows.

And while all those details might seem like this would be a complicated pattern, it’s actually not. The bag itself is made from felt, which makes finishes edges unnecessary. (All of those scalloped edges are just cut from felt, no edge finishing required.) The strap is super simple, made from rope with knotted ends. And all those details are made with some basic hand embroidery stitches. Sparkle felt makes it extra cute.

The striped scallop roof is actually the top flap of the bag. A magnetic snap makes it a secure closure. The rope straps are attached through felt loops at the side of the bag.

They rate this project as an intermediate level, and it should take about 6 hours to make start to finish. That’s doable for a Saturday project or a couple of evenings. Full color photos step you through the entire process.

The project includes a shopping list for all of your supplies. They’ve got a shop so you can order all of them from Benzie if you like and get exactly the supplies used in the project. I noticed it includes a pair of scallop shears, which makes cutting all the scalloped edges for the roof and around the door a breeze.

Finished dimensions of the little felt gingerbread bag are approximately 6 ½” wide x 7 ½” tall. That’s the perfect size to hold a small book, a small toy, or a notepad and some cute pens.

Go to Benzie Design to get the tutorial and free pattern for the felt gingerbread house bag.

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