The Singing Costumer

Me, make another set of underthings from bedsheets? More likely than you might think. If you want cheap fabric, buy a sheet from a thrift store. My princess costume collection grows day by day. My latest addition is this set for my Cinderella cosplay. I started with a pair of bloomers. My mom gave me a bag of trim and I found this pretty baby blue lace. I found a baby blue king-size sheet at the thrift store. It has a very slight sheen on the wrong side, which I used as the right side. That added nicely to the overall magical effect. The bloomers were made with Simplicity 3677, which I’ve used several times before. This is a very cute pirate costume pattern for ladies. The lace trim at the pants hem is just adorable. It’s so delicate and dainty, and perfect for Cinderella. As is my habit, I serged around each pattern piece to finish the edges before sewing it all together. There’s not much more to say about the bloomers. It was an easy project. If not for the lace, I would’ve been done...

Repost with new photos Finally, the time had arrived. It was time to begin work on my Snow White costume in earnest. I think it took a work or two to finish all the underthings. I spent as little money as possible on those so I could spend a bit more on the clothes that will be seen. I used Simplicity 8489, an out of print Snow White pattern. Unfortunately, I had only bought the smaller size envelope. I needed size 16 which was in the larger size envelope. I had to resort to Amazon to buy it. At a premium price, I might add. So annoying. I didn’t like the gathered skirt as shown on the pattern. So I instead made a full circle skirt, with a hem length of 35 inches. It was tedious, but straightforward. Because the fabric wasn’t wide enough, I had to cut 1 half circle and two quarter circles. I cut those pieces of the satin and the lace. For each piece, I placed the lace on top of the satin, then serged them together all around. I could then treat them as one piece. The finished skirt has...

When I came across a Facebook post about needing entertainment for a The Greatest Showman-themed birthday party, I was all over it. I believe I’ve talked about my love of that movie here before. I have done multiple Princess parties before, and loved it so much. And I am so excited that this is my first party under my new company Favorite Fables Entertainment, LLC. https://favoritefablesententertainment.com/ . I didn’t have long before the party was to happen, so I quickly started on a costume. I was lucky enough to find generous yardage of (what I assume to be) gray polyester wool at a thrift store. The skirt was the first project I started for this costume. It is the largest circle I could cut from the fabric. I made it a high-low by cutting the waist circle closer to one edge. Don’t ask me how I installed the zipper; It’s different every time. I did a waistband in the usual way. First, I attached the skirt to one side of the waistband. Second, I folded the waistband in half to co...

Repost with new photos Princess Gowns are my jam. Disney cosplays are my favorite. So I thought it was high time I created a gown for Walt Disney’s original Princess, Snow White. But of course, me being me, I decided that I need a whole new set of underthings. In many clips of Disney park princesses, they seem to be wearing bloomers and petticoats with layers of ruffles. So, I decided to begin there. My usual sewing method recently has been to serge around all the edges of all pattern pieces, and then assemble them. It makes for a tidy interior, which I adore. A sewing teacher of mine once said that a nice, neat interior is a sign of a good sewist. And I have taken that to heart. I spent $16 on serger and heavy duty threads. (Plus trim for the skirt, which will be discussed in a future blog.) I’m sure I didn’t even use 2 dollars’ worth of the thread. I And I was able to cut out this whole set from a yellow sheet I found for $4 at a thrift store. So let’s say this whole set only cost me...

In mid 2025, I was thinking about all my Disney cosplays. I just started listing them. The list just kept going and going. I’ve been cosplaying for over 10, and I’ve amassed quite a collection. Including full cosplays as well as vintage-inspired Disneybounds, I’ve got at least 30 projects to show. Welcome to the year of Disney! I’ll be posting blogs and on my Instagram most every week with a Disney project. I have quite the collection of ballgowns already. I’ve done multiple looks for Belle and Ariel (and I have plans for more Ariel looks this year). There’s a few that I plan to remake or refurbish. My Elsa corset needs some TLC for sure. And my Minnie Mouse dress needs a collar to really finish it properly. I still have so many cosplays on my to-do list. There’s so many princesses I’ve yet to do. And Queens! I fell in love with the design of Queen Elinor from Brave at first sight. Some heroines are on my list too. Jane is my big build for the summer con season. I really want to combin...

I’ve started a new job as a preschool teacher. It’s a lot to handle. And I’ve had no energy after work. Now, I’m on Christmas break and needing a creative outlet. My sewing machine has been so lonely. Let’s change that! Simplicity S9846 is a 1960’s reprint, and still available. I’ve made 2 vintage-inspired specifically Christmas ensembles. One is a burgundy plaid 1960’s dress and coat from last week, and the other is a true red 1950’s dress. So I decided it was time to use green. The fabric is from Fabric Wholesale Direct. I’ve always had good experiences with them. https://fabricwholesaledirect.com/products/lino-italiano-polyester-viscose-linen-fabric?variant=39878267699315 This 70% polyester and 30% Viscose fiber “linen” in the color forest green was very nice. Essentially, it’s a poly rayon made to look like linen. The price isn’t bad at all. I would love to use true linen, but this is so much cheaper. Once I perfect some patterns and I know that they fit, I might splurge. This mate...