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Clever Costume Inspiration

Posted on by M&J Trimming

Halloween isn’t only the time to get creepy. It’s also the perfect occasion to get clever! Check out these pun-tastic costumes, and get inspired to make your own hilarious creation!

638fccc3319b42eef1fe1e42b1ce76fcThis social butterfly costume is #winning in our books!

nrm_1411491135-50-shadesGet literal and literary with this fun 50 Shades of Grey costume!

Deviled-EggsA clever costume for couples who have an appreciation for a classic food pun.

Spice-GirlsSpice up your life with actual spices! The best part about this group costume? There are more than five characters to go around, and no one has to fight over who gets to be Baby Spice.

8c6a26da0a1ce442aff308167f95f398With a Taco Belle costume, you can still dress up as a princess while also being hilarious! Everyone wins.

Dye in Style DIY Round Up

Posted on by M&J Trimming

Ok, so you’ve probably heard about dip dyeing. The technique has been around for ages, but it’s picked up a lot of steam in the past few years with the resurgence of the DIY movement. We actually LOVE to dip dye at M&J, and one of our upcoming Halloween DIYs features the method! But since we’re holding the Trick or Trims RIT Dye Giveaway, we thought you might need a few more dyeing options with all of that RIT Liquid Dye you might receive. Here are a few of our favorites.

Swell Mayde Tie Dye Pants

These tie-dye jeans by SwellMayde are awesome! She used a sponging technique to get that abstract pattern. We wonder what this would look like using greens and taupes. Tie-dye camo anyone?

Playful Learning All Natural Dye

Want to know how to get a yellow this bright? Look in your spice drawer! Turmeric, and other natural items, were used to dye these clothes. Just make sure to wash them thoroughly after dyeing. Your nose might not be able to handle it otherwise!
Sharpie Tie-Dye Rookie Mag
This is a quick tie-dyeing fix for hippies on the go! Marlena from Rookie Mag made this t-shirt with a couple of Sharpie markers. We call shenanigans because this looks way too cool to take only a few minutes and some Sharpie markers.
Shibori Dye Method Honestly WTF
Shibori, the dyeing technique used in Honestly WTF’s dyeing tutorial, is an oldie but a goodie. But it’s like a REAL oldie. This method dates back to 8th century Japan. Some things never go out of style.
Batik Dye Wreath Tapestry from Kelli Murray
Sometimes it isn’t the dye that makes something fantastic, it’s the LACK of dye. This awesome wall hanging uses the batik method to create the negative space image above. Kelli Murray gives some great tips for those foraying into batik!
Have you used any of these methods before? Let us know which ones and what the results were below! And if you haven’t entered our Trick or Trims RIT Dye Giveaway yet, what are you waiting for?!

Best Dressed: Super Hero Costume Round Up

Posted on by M&J Trimming

The wait is finally over. New York Comic Con is here! That’s right ladies and gentlemen. It’s time for pop culture costumes to make their way onto the streets of NYC! Out of every genre covered at the convention, we love the superhero look. Here are some of the most stylish crime-fighting costumes we’ve seen!

Batman The Dark Knight Christian Bale

There have been many incarnations of the outfit worn by the “Caped Crusader”. Some cool, and some kind of embarrassing. (Not even George Clooney could pull off the costume in Batman and Robin.) The best had to be the one worn by Christian Bale in the Dark Knight. It was tough, durable, and looked like something a crime fighter would wear.

Mystique X-men Costume

On the first X-Men film it took eight to nine hours to get Rebecca Romijn into her Mystique costume. Why? The whole look is created using prosthetics and makeup, not actual clothing.  Fortunately by the second film they got it down to JUST five to six hours. The wait was well worth it because her makeup turned out AMAZING.

The Amazing Spider Man

Not only does Peter Parker have Spidey Sense, he also has fashion sense in The Amazing Spiderman. The costume is true to the comic books, and looks totally sleek. If he swung through the streets, the most fashionable New Yorkers wouldn’t even bat an eyelash. If they were used to seeing superheroes swing through the streets, that is.

Captain America Costume

Many modern men wouldn’t feel comfortable in a pair of superhero tights. Luckily, Captain America got to wear an American staple instead. Blue jeans! The embroidered stars, full helmet and colorful shield keep the look bold and superhero-esque.

Batman Poison Ivy

Our favorite comic book hero costume is actually donned by a villain! Despite the tough break the good guys got in Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin, Poison Ivy’s outfits were amazing! This fiery redhead was no stranger to embellishments, and the look is easy to replicate with some of our floral appliques.

Looking for some more superhero inspiration before you head to New York Comic Con this weekend? Take a look at our Marvel Comic Book inspiration page! We can’t promise you’ll be able to fly or fight crime with our trim, but we guarantee you’ll be the most stylish superhero at the convention!

Halloween Costume Series: The Ultimate Flapper Dress

Posted on by mjtrimming

By Roseann

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Another popular Halloween and certainly one of my favorites is the Flapper.  I think all of us girls try this costume at least once.  And, why not, who doesn’t want to be a glamorous liberal minded woman breaking free from the shackles that were once placed on us.  This spirit is still alive in most of us and is a fun look for your Halloween shindig  or any other costume party through out the year.

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You will need:

  • Slip or cocktail dress, I used black but you can word with any color you like.  Remember that the flapper look put emphasis on the hips and not the waist, so you want a dress that is strait up and down and not contoured to the waist line.
  • 5 yards 3” poly chainette fringe style: 00217-bk The dress that I used I found at Salvation Army and already had fringe on it, so I added 3” fringe in white to bulk it up and give the dress more dimension.
  • 1¼ yard 6” poly chainette fringe style: 06006-bk
  • ¾ yard 5” bugle bead fringe style: 14290-bks all materials listed above can be ordered by calling 1-800-9-mjtrim
  • ¾ yard cut bugle / seed beaded trim style: 14622
  • Unique stitch glue
  • Sewing machine and thread

Directions:

    1. Before you purchase your supplies be sure to take measurements around your neckline and around the skirt portion of your garment to be sure you are ordering the correct amount of trims.  The amounts listed above are for the dress that I used which is about a size 4 or 6.
    2. Add your 6” fringe around the neckline, you can stitch or glue it is completely your preference.
    3. Then add your bugle bead fringe on top, then measurement given above will only be enough to add the front of the dress
    4. Complete the neckline by adding your seed beaded trim, again I added just to the front
    5. Measure 2” from the bottom of the skirt and mark all the way around.  Repeat until you have marked 5 rows 2” apart.
    6. Add your 3” chainette fringe along your markings.  You may repeat with a complimentary color for more flash.  I added white to every other row.
    7. Be sure to add the correct accessories such as; a feathered headband, strand of pearls, and boa.
    8. Now, go be the most glamorous one at the party!

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