Oh, the effectiveness of big, blue eyes. In ten years time, there won’t be a teenage boy left standing for three counties. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Happily, I’m glad to report that sewing this dress wasn’t nearly as dreadful as my imagination made out.<\/p>\n The blue sequin fabric is a turquoise knit that I found at Ann’s<\/a>. They told me they sell at least five dresses worth of this fabric everyday and have reordered it at least twice since January. I got 1.75m, because I wasn’t sure how much I would need, or even what pattern I’d be using, but after cutting the pattern out, I realize that 1.4m would have been plenty (and if you were making a smaller size, and were careful with your layout, you could probably get away with even less). \u00a0Unfortunately, they didn’t have any sheer knits in the right shade of blue for the sleeves or neckline. \u00a0 But a quick trip across the border to Joann’s solved that problem admirably and I was able to get both the sheer knit and the sparkly synthetic organza that I needed for the cape, plus the zipper, for under $10US.<\/p>\n The next question was what I was going to use for my pattern. \u00a0A google search turned up a lot of no-sew or low-sew options but very few suggestions for actual patterns that would work well with the sequined fabrics or had big, poofy gathered skirts, when Elsa’s silhouette was much more streamlined. \u00a0When I make a costume, I want it to be durable and comfortable, but I also want it to look convincing.<\/p>\n Lo and behold, I had the answer in my stash. \u00a0Simplicity 5827 might not look princess worthy at first glance but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect. It’s a simple, long sleeved dress with a smooth, circle skirt that zipped closed in the back. \u00a0 That sounds like Elsa’s dress to me, which meant alterations would be minimal.<\/p>\n Of course, ease was going to be an issue, since the Big 4 always run big. \u00a0Add in the fact that the pattern was designed for wovens and I was using a knit, \u00a0I knew that the pattern would be much too big if I sewed it as is. \u00a0But it was an easy fix – all I did was cut off the 5\/8″ seam allowances and used 1\/4″ allowances instead. \u00a0That created the close fit I was looking for without requiring any redrafting on my part.<\/p>\n I made four other changes to the pattern before I cut it out: 1. adding to the skirt length (from knee length to ankle) 2. lowering the waist 2″ and creating the slight basque shape 3. redrawing the neckline into the shallow scoop shape and 4. dividing the bodice front and back into an upper yoke and a lower bodice.<\/p>\n Then it was time to cut out. \u00a0 The sequins were slippery and did a number on my sheers. \u00a0I knew they would and used a pair that needed to be sharpened anyways. \u00a0Just a warning, if you’re cutting these, don’t use your best pair. \u00a0They’ll be ruined in no time flat. \u00a0 The sleeves and the upper yoke were a piece of cake by comparison. \u00a0I just had to be careful pinning them, because the sheer knit did have a tendency to run.<\/p>\n The cape was simultaneously the easiest part and the trickiest part. \u00a0No pattern. \u00a0Just 1 yard of 54″ wide synthetic organza. \u00a0I cut it across the grain, because I wanted the long train effect. \u00a0I eyeballed the curved lower edge and cut it out without even marking it. \u00a0It’s a costume – who’s going to check?? \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0The problems arose with the pressing. \u00a0This stuff melted if you looked at it funny, which meant pressing in the narrow rolled hem was out of the question. \u00a0 And it refused to play nicely with my rolled hem foot. \u00a0 I ended up foregoing the pressing between stages and did the narrow hem by hand. \u00a0It looks good enough. \u00a0Again, it’s a costume. \u00a0Who’s going to check??<\/p>\n![\"Elsa](\"https:\/\/www.clairemeldrum.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/Elsa-Frozen-dress-front.jpg\")
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