A kokoleo kind of cupcake

 A few weeks ago my friend Stephanie mentioned that her 2-year-old daughter wanted to be a cupcake for Halloween and asked if I had any idea how to make one. Immediately my brain began swirling with ideas. They were the kind of ideas, though, that you can't explain to someone else, especially to someone who doesn't sew, so I offered to make it for her. Before I knew it I cupcake commission on my hands.

I spent a week brainstorming and gathering materials... the gorgeous tan velvet my friend Jessie gave me from her grandmother's stash (blogged here) would be perfect for the base... a big wooden embroidery hoop I've been meaning to embroider something in would be just what I need to hold it round in the middle... a toddler tanktop cut up the sides and expanded could allow it to hang perfectly from the shoulders. Luckily I already had all of these in my studio. Sometimes it pays to be an art/craft supply hoarder.

This hung on my clothing rack for a week while I brainstormed how to construct the top and gathered more supplies. Add to it a half a yard of white felt, elastic around the waist and neckline, lace around the neckline, puffballs attached with fabric glue, polyfil to stuff it, and you get this: 

Side view...

Back...

 Top...

 

I got the lace at a yard sale for 25 cents the week before. When I held it up and found it was the perfect length around, I had to use it.

 

I stitched the felt to the tank top around the armhole. It had  a wee strip of  lace around it which made for a nice fancy finish.

Since Steph's daughter is nearly McKenna's size, I had her try it out...

She didn't really understand why her mom was working on a cupcake costume that was her size but not for her, but she danced around in it anyway.

It was probably her messy hair that made me think there was one more thing it needed...

 

A cherry on top! (Composed of shiny red vinyl cut in a circle, gathered with elastic, and topped with  a naugahyde stem riggged with a wire - all materials I thankfully had on hand.)

* pause to pet the kitty...

 pout...

 pose...

perfect...

And now it's neatly stuffed into a box and in the hands of the USPS on it's way to the east coast and addressed to a sweet little girl named Esme.