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Introducing Drive-In Ariel

The Disney Princesses that I identify with the most are Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine. I have made 3 of Belle's movie costumes by now, plus another 3 or 4 AU (Alternate Universe) costumes. So I think it's time to move on to another Princess for now. And having seen a fellow white woman cosplay Jasmine, I have decided it is not for me. It just looked so odd. So, it's time for some Ariel cosplays! I made my first version of Ariel’s pink dinner gown this past summer and debuted it at the costume contest at GalaxyCon 2025. No prize, but I had fun anyway. And now I know what to change the next time I use that pattern. That's another blog for another day.

This skirt was a fun little weekend project. My roommate and I went to a theatre garage sale in the summer of 2023. They were selling tons of props, tech equipment, and costumes galore. We bought tons of pieces for our theatrical group. Hidden Gem Entertainment (our group) was doing Dracula that fall, and we found some good items for it. I took a liking to a simple little felt skirt.



The first thing I did was take off the waistband. It was made originally for a young teen, it seems. Very small. It was easy to cut off the waistband and cut the opening a bit larger. I had to replace the zipper, but that wasn’t a big issue. I just added a new band of some semi-matching cotton from my stash. Then, the skirt needed a good wash and press. The water and the heat really smoothed the felt and made it look nice and fresh.


The “pièce de résistance” is the silhouette of Ariel. This style of skirt, the Poodle skirt, is named for one of the more popular designs. A dog wasn’t the only choice of motif available though. I’ve seen various other animals and even random objects like kitchen appliances adorning these skirts.

I had bought this pattern a while back. I can never resist a Princess pattern. This scrap of dark blue felt was from my stash. The detailed figure was definitely fussy to cut and applique down with the sewing machine. But I think it was absolutely worth the effort. Ariel is simply beautiful.



This white shirt is my Village Belle blouse. We love a good multi-purpose costume piece around
here. Sadly, I don’t have the traditional saddle shoes to complete the ensemble. But I love my vintage shoes from Memery shoes. These are the “Emily” style. Despite the heel, they’re comfortable enough to wear for several hours. To finish off the look, I added a belt from my closet and a ribbon from my stash for my hair.



Felt is easy to sew because it doesn’t frey. Imagine my delight when I realized I didn’t have to hem the skirt! It saved me so much time. Clean seam finishes are always a must on any project of mine. A sewing teacher once told me that the interior of a project should be as neat as the exterior.

Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of Pixie Dust

Sarah
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