Autumn Leaf Dress

Article from the Autumn Issue #40 – Subscribe or Buy Issue

TUTORIAL
How to Make the Fall Lady

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 wire dress form
4 artificial leaf bunches for the top bodice form
(get these and other materials from any craft store)
2 small bunches of artificial mums
2 larger bunches of artificial mums
20 artificial leaf bunches for the bottom portion of the dress
One flexible floral wire, 6 inches or so
1 wire ribbon

In the opening between the top and the bottom of the form, use the flex wire to make a sort of shelf with holes in it so that the fake flowers don’t fall through when you add the top flowers.

Once your shelf is made, start at the bottom, bending your flexible leaves at the top portion of the leaves. The bend portion that has no leaves on it fits nicely as the stem goes down into the form. Go all the  way around with the same method, bending and placing all the stems going down into the dress. No one will see these, as the leaves will hide everything.

Then, starting with the top, add four more branches to the top portion of the dress, laying them sideways and fitting them to the front of the dress, two on each side.

Add the small mum to the front of the top bodice, and add the bigger ones in the
back of the smaller ones.

Add two bendable pieces to the top neckline of the dress, intertwining them to the wire, one in front and one in back. (This one had orange beads and small orange pumpkins.) Use a green ribbon to match the leaves.

Find Pam at 4seasonspainting.com 

Download Autumn Lady DIY PDF

Halloween Lady
From Pam Yokoyama of 4 Seasons Painting and Landscaping

TUTORIAL
How to Make the Halloween Lady

WHAT YOU NEED:
4 black grasses
10 black grasses that were glittered
1 orange grass
2 decorative sprays of Halloween decorations
1 ribbon of your choice
2 orange spiders
1 orange and black spider
4 small black spiders

Cover the form bottom part with a black tank top so it matches. Take one  of the black grasses and bend it in where the longest piece is and insert it into the lady form. Continue to do this all the way around. This grass was good because it was very solid in form.

Do the same with the black leaves. The one I used had a long stem, so I bent it so
it went all the way around the skirt. Once done, I just flared it out.

Fill in bare spots with pieces of the black long grass.

Then add one of the orange grasses to the back of the top and fan it out so it fits the entire back of the top of the form.

Add 2 full bunches of Halloween decorations. This one had pumpkins, gourds, pink balls, and three green spiders attached to the bunch.

Then add the ribbon and tie a bow—this particular ribbon already has spiders on it.

After this, add spiders to the skirt area and above on the neckline. The orange spiders look nice against the black background of the dress.

Find Pam at 4seasonspainting.com 

Download Halloween Lady DIY PDF

Article from the Autumn Issue #40 – Subscribe or Buy Issue