The Singing Costumer

  Blue and pink is a common color combination you will find in Medieval manuscripts. It's not so common today, unless one is Disney-bounding Princess Aurora at Disneyland. Which is something I would do. Probably while singing “I Wonder” and “Once Upon A Dream”. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  This outfit is partially new, and partially new-to-me. The over dress and hood were made by a dear friend, and later passed to me. The Queen of my Medieval Fair made these two pieces so many years ago. They fit me pretty well, only a little bit big, so I have worn this ensemble to a few medieval and renaissance fairs. I had to wear a dress under it, of course. The only option I had in my costume wardrobe that worked was a cream dress. I made it for this costume, but I was never a fan of the look. So I decided I needed a new under dress. I searched my fabric stash for a good option. Eventually, I found a good length of plain blue cotton. (I am happy to say that I have used most of the ...

  Today, it is my distinct pleasure to debut not one but two Belle costumes. Her blue so-called Village Dress is a project I’ve been wanting to do forever. And her casual outfit from Wreck-it Ralph 2 is pretty cute. I decided pretty early in the Halloween season that I would do both. These two projects bring my Belle costume count to 5 (3 canonical outfits from the movies and 2 alternate universe concepts.) I can’t decide whether I want to continue with Belle looks or if I should move on to Ariel costumes. For Belle outfits, I still need to do her pink dress with the long cape and the green library dress. I do want to do Ariel’s pInk dinner dress at some point. All of these projects were made from fabrics from my stash. First, I’ll talk about the casual outfit. It’s a pretty simple look, with a sports bra, a shirt, and a pair of leggings. I bought the BFF (Beast Friends Forever) shirt on shopDisney a couple of years ago. It comes down super low in the arms. So I decided to make a s...

  Today, I thought I would show an oldie-but-a-goodie. I made it years ago, perhaps in 2012 or 2013. I have no idea of the circumstances, but I somehow acquired this bright blue fabric. Did I buy it at Joanns? Did I find it on the sidewalk? A thrift store? Did I get it from a rag lady? There is no telling.  All I know is that it is blue and has a bit of a seersucker texture to it. I love this blue. It’s just the perfect shade of turquoise. I have no idea what pattern I used. It may have been a McCalls pattern. I did a big purge of my patterns within the last couple years and this pattern was probably one that I let go. I know this is the second version of this dress I made. The first one was a fail, so I took off the bodice and cut a new skirt. The bodice is lined, and the skirt has a separate lining that acts as an underskirt. I even added a bit of tulle for some volume in the skirt. I wish I could give more details, but sadly I’ve forgotten almost everything about this make....

     On to a few construction details. The skirt of my gown has a base layer of light blue satin. Next is a light tulle. Third is another tulle, with little sparkly sequins on it. Last is a shiny organza. Each layer is 5 yards long. It was quite a chore to get that hemmed and gathered together on a waistband. But the effect is so stunning that I can’t be mad at it. This skirt was somewhat inspired by the 2015 live action version of Cinderella.  The skirt of her ball gown is made of layers upon layers of lightweight fabrics. I didn’t have the budget for the 10,000 swarovski crystals that decorated the movie gown, sadly. But maybe I can add some crystals in the future.      Her little waist poofs (I still don't know what to call them?) were circles, about a yard across. Folded in half, then stitched all the way around. Then I cut a little hole in the straight edge and turned it inside out. Lastly, I gathered it to a waistband. The only reason that these ...

        The design for my gown was inspired by both the 1950 original animated film and the 2015 live action film. But mostly, the original gown. Plus a little dash of my own style, especially in the sleeves. I rarely like how her sleeves are done in the Disney Parks. Especially her previous look. Please see below. I'm sorry, but no thanks. This is not a look. (Photo found on Google for reference) The actress and the wig are gorgeous, don't get me wrong.      I have always loved Cinderella's strawberry blonde hair in the original movie. I liked that her hair color is unique among the Princesses. But in the Parks and on all the merchandise, she has very light yellow-blonde hair. Not the same at all. Now, for this shoot, I didn't have time or the money to buy a brand new wig. I styled a light blonde wig I already owned. I followed a tutorial online for a general idea of how to do an updo. I am not a stylist, and I am not happy with it by any m...

YouTube video associated with this blog We had a major ice storm here recently. What a perfect time to sew a summer playsuit! I really, REALLY hate winter with a passion. It helped my seasonal depression a little bit to sew this and remember that summer will come again. For the 1960's, I was really stumped! For the longest time, I could NOT find a project I was excited to sew. I didn't want to make just another panty and bra set. I thought about sewing a girdle, but decided against it. Didn't sound like fun and it would be lots of work for something I would wear once. Then I remembered Vogue 9255, a reprint of a pattern originally published in 1960. It includes little shortie shorts, a bikini top, and a loose coverup blouse. I just made the shorts and the top this time. Maybe I'll have time to make a coverup for next summer. I have had this lovely fabric for quite a while. It's a denim fabric I think, with a lace pattern woven in it on one side. It's one of my f...

YouTube video associated with this blog “ You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!” How old were you when you first heard those words? I don't remember my first viewing of the classic Disney film. Peter Pan has never been my favorite Disney movie. (And don't even get me started on the terrible stage musical.) But I do remember my first time going on Disneyland's Peter Pan's Flight attraction and seeing Peter Pan himself wandering around outside the attraction. It was, if you'll forgive the overused cliché, a truly magical moment. It has since become somewhat of a tradition for me to begin every trip this way. In a thrift store, I found what I assume was a costume for perhaps a Jane Austin play. It was clearly handmade with care and precision. The condition was almost perfect (except for the age-yellowed lace on the collar, yuck). It was a very lucky find. It has a high collar. The sleeves have poofy upper sleeves, with tight long sleeves attached. And it fit me perfe...

YouTube video associated with this blog post This dress has been long in the making. Originally, I bought it from Hot Topic, I think, years ago. We all know my obsession with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. So it was just perfect for me. A few years later, I found another of the same dress on eBay. And a few years after that, I found (what I thought was) a matching fabric on Aliexpress. (Which I don't really recommend). So using all of these items, I was able to make an adorable ensemble of a dress and a shrug. I was never completely pleased with the fit of the original dress. There were 3 issues. Number 1: My waist is longer then the average, I guess. Many times, the waist seam of dresses are 1 or 2 inches higher then my natural waist. It isn't flattering for me. This dress is no exception. Number 2: The skirt is slightly too short for my taste. And Number 3: I always hate sleeveless dresses on myself. It isn't flattering to my body. And I'm always cold, so...

I am slowly but surely making myself a cold-weather Disney Parks wardrobe. That is, items that are just a bit too character-focused or too “young” for me to wear all the time here at home, but are entirely appropriate at the Parks. For everyday wear, I tend to pick Disney tee-shirts that are more subtle. Things that “whisper” Disney rather then “shout” Disney, if you get what I mean. I've blogged about my XL sweatshirt-to-accessories project here. Also, a fleece Elsa cape is almost complete (which I might pair with this set? But it might be too much Frozen for one outfit.) Then, I bought a white fluffy Mickey Mouse jacket from Target last year. I think that should be enough. Maybe a long sleeve tee-shirt or two. Everyone thinks about Southern California and Florida being hot or at least warm all the time, but that's not quite true. There are some cooler days here and there. On my very first trip to California by myself, I got cold waiting for the fireworks. It was in...

Holiday season 2016, I got the opportunity to walk in a Christmas parade with some princesses and it was lots of fun. But before the parade, I knew that the Princesses would be cold. I know that Queen Elsa wouldn't mind it, since the cold doesn't bother her anyway, but I didn't want to leave her out of the fun. Of course, a princess can't wear just any old coat. Oh, no. Not on my watch. Now, I only had time to make two, so our Alice of Wonderland fame had to make due with a borrowed cloak. But she was warm enough, so I didn't worry about her. I was shopping at Ross Dress for Less in early December and found some super soft blankets in a few beautiful colors. Yes, the princesses were literally wearing blankets :-) This fact still makes me laugh a few years later. I love it. Else wore a smart bolero in cream with embossed lines, cut as to not obscure her beautiful sequined bodice. Original pattern (Very Cute) And Queen Elsa's version (S...

Thrift stores are a wealth of treasures, waiting to be found. True, you have to dig deep sometimes, but these gems do exist. Take for example, this wonderful Walt Disney World sweatshirt. The bold, gorgeous blue! The adorable embroidery of Minnie Mouse! And in brand new condition, too! Love it. I would've worn it proudly, but it was an XL. Which I am not. It never was worn and eventually, I just put it away. It sadly languished in my fabric stash for way too long. Recently, I was reorganizing my fabric stash and I really wanted to do a quick project to get my creative juices flowing. And then I recalled seeing free patterns for fleece warm winter accessories on recent favorite patterns websites; Patterns for Pirates and Made for Mermaids. The two are sister companies, both literally and figuratively :-) One sister owns one, and another owns the other. I love it. I made a neck warmer. https://www.madeformermaids.com/product/neckwarmer/ Some sweet littl...