Saturday, June 07, 2008

King Me: Birthday Crown

11/2008: Update Play crown tutorial now available.

A young friend is soon turning two, so I got out the sewing machine and whipped up a little birthday accoutrement.

Fortunately, I have friends who don't get too concerned when I call and ask for their child's head circumference with no real explanation.

The little thane loves dress-up, so I suspect this crown will see plenty of use long after his birthday has passed.

I drafted my own pattern (using Ranger's head for height reference). The awesome gold fabric had been given to me by the recipient's mom last year.

The crown reverses to corduroy and is adjustable (thanks to the miracle of Velcro) from 18 to 23.5 inches.

It has a fusible fleece interfacing by Pellon inside to give it rigidity.

If all goes well, I hope to post a full tutorial for this design (added 11/2008) in the next week and start working on a more feminine version. Ambitious plans in these lazy days of summer.

What ages do you think would appreciate a birthday crown?

What would you think if your child received something like this as a gift?
We're trying to think of simple gifts that are fun but enriching these days.

Happy birthday, sweet prince!

15 comments:

Jeremiah McNichols said...

Great idea, gorgeous execution, super-funny photo setup. What would we think? Beats Z's plastic tiaras hands-down.

Anonymous said...

i think it is awesome my 3.5 yr old daughter would love it in girly colors. i wish i could sew

Superdumb Supervillain said...

I love it. A crown to play with all year 'round is way better than the flimsy party hats with elastic that never stay on kids' heads for longer than a few minutes. Eco-friendly and also very cute!

Jasper's first birthday is July 19, just FYI…

Mimi-n-Moe's Mom said...

We love the crown! You are so talented!

Liz Remus said...

I don't have any kids yet but I love the creativity from this blog so I can't wait to see new stuff all the time.

As for the crown, I would have totally rocked one on my birthday on Thursday and I turned 23!

What a terrific idea and I bet he loved it!

Christy said...

I LOVE IT. How's that for an opinion?

Seriously though, if my 2.5 yr old was given one, I don't know who would be wearing it more. I know that she would love it, but you may have to take it away from me!

Cute. And I love that it's adjustable. If they aren't too hard to make, they would be great favors too.

Anonymous said...

Great present, I would probably pair it with a cape for a boy or a quick princess skirt for a girl. My boys love dress up as well.

Nutmeg said...

I'll say that I think any kid under 7 would probably think it was awesome (any kid would think it was awesome for the day of the birthday, but I think serious dress up sort of stops after 5-6).

I would love if little E got one of those for his birthday. Indeed, he will be, as will many other of his little friends this year. And maybe even the daycare class he's in for each special kid on their day.

Keri Jackson said...

awesome idea. My kids would both love this - daughter = 5 and son who just turned 3.

Amy said...

Now that is a GREAT birthday gift. I can't wait to see your tutorial on how to make it. I read Soule Mama and her book had a really cute crown in it too. I so need to do this!

Great job!

AJ said...

My daughter's fourth birthday is this week. This would be an awesome birthday crown and good for dress-up play. It would also be great for her preschool assuming the teacher washed it between uses.

When do kids outgrow a Burger King crown? Methinks this one has a good long life ahead of it.

So where's your Etsy shop, and how much are you asking?

Chief Family Officer said...

Goodness, Adrienne, you're so brilliant and talented! What an awesome birthday gift! I love it, and I think any child would. I'm with AJ, where and when can I buy one (or two or three ...)???

Anonymous said...

Hey Adrienne, just saw the news. Are you ok? I know it's silly to ask here but I don't have your phone number! Here's sending you safe, dry thoughts.

Happy Birthday to your prince btw! The crown is gorgeous!

Michele P. said...

I think ages, 3-8 would be good for a birthday crown. I know my daughter never gets enough of the paper ones they give away at Burger King, and it'd also be good for role playing as a king or princess. Cute idea!

Francie said...

What a lovely gift! Our little birthday princess wore her crown on the day of her party (a few days before she turned 2), and out & about whilst running errands with Mommy on her actual b-day, and has sported it at home & on the town multiple times since. At what age would someone no longer enjoy this gift? I don't know an age that would be immune to the pleasure of getting to wear such a lovely crown! I love the crown that you made for us which is not shiny at all. The butterflies on one side of the crown are so darling that it immediately evokes fairies a la Midnight Summer's Dream for me!