Heather was worried that her costume would not be ready for Halloween day so that she could wear it to school and reminded me to finish it. She was nearly in tears a few days ago, before I went to work.
I'm sure she is proud of the fact that she helped in selecting the fabrics, thread and zipper when we were at Yardage Town. She could not wait until I finished sewing it so that she can actually start wearing it! Just before being able to add the zipper and Dora ribbon, I found her costume next to her while she was napping.
I did two "nearly" all-nighters to finish her costume. Her unforgettable response and excitement are priceless and more than worth the time and work I put into it!
Fairy Wishes Dora inspiration
Months before Halloween, Heather wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Then she changed her mind after finding this pattern I bought probably last year when she was deciding between being a fairy and the Little Mermaid.
Pattern Description
CHILDREN'S AND GIRLS' FAIRY COSTUMES: Costumes A, B and C have darted, self-lined bodices, back zipper closure; costumes A and B are ankle length with long, gathered contrast sleeves; costume C is sleeveless with above knee contrast skirt; costume A has marabou head band and trim at neck and sleeve edges; costumes B and C have shaped peplums; pants D are below mid-knee with flounce; wings E are two-piece and have wired edges and VELCRO® fastener.
I sewed the view D fairy costume with flounced pants.
This costume's pieces consist of the front of bodice (cut 2), back of bodice (cut 4), front and back skirt (cut one of each), front peplum (cut 4), back peplum, top wing (cut 2), bottom wing (cut 2).
SUGGESTED FABRICS: Costume A, B, C, Pants D, Contrast 1A, 1B, 1C - Satin, Sateen, Jacquard; Wings E, Contrast 1A, 1B, 1C - also Organza, Novelty Mesh, Lame, Foil Dot; Contrast 2B - Felt. Additional Fabric may be needed to match stripes, plaids or one-way design fabric.
Size
Girl's 2-3-4-5.
I modified the pattern to approximate a "6". After completing the costume, I realized that the size 5 would have fit Heather better, but I did not want to worry about her having difficulty getting in and out of it.
Fabric Used
Satin polyester for bodice and peplum. Organza for skirt and for the wings. The wings were specked with tiny sparkly stones.
Favorite Features
*Petal-like peplum
*Vertical-darted bodice
*Self-lined
*Flounced pants
* Fairly easy to construct
Not-so-favorite features
* The method of zipper attachment specified (traditional) by the pattern directions
* The fact that the shoulder seams are sewn after sewing the self-lining pieces onto the front and back bodice pieces
* The opening of the pants flounce was much smaller compared to the circumference of the bottom of the pants.
Directions
*Clear and easy to follow, with helpful illustrations.
*I double checked that I marked the dots in the bodice to signify the starts and stops in stitching (i.e. armscye seams, the end of zipper)
* I sewed all of the vertical darts of the bodice pieces and their respective self-lining pieces. Then I each back bodice piece to the sides of the front bodice. The self-lining is constructed the same way.
* After adding the self-lining to the front and back bodice (right sides together) and turning the entire entity right side out, I stitched the shoulder seams where the lining was opened out. Instead of slip-stitching the closure below the shoulder seams at the back, I pressed and topstitched the entire armscye section approximately 1/16" from the edge of the seam.
*The front and back peplum pieces are sewn right sides together to their corresponding self-lining pieces, paying attention to sewing the seam to and away from the dot (above the split). I had to avoid my habitual backstitching or reinforcement stitching to prevent the bunching up at the corners.
*After sewing the front and side seams of the skirt together, I basted and stitched the peplum pieces, ensuring that the ends of the peplum align with the skirt seams.
Modifications
*Redrafted the pattern to approximate a size "6"
*Used a 9" zipper instead of a 12" as recommended. I trimmed 1" from the bottom so that the zipper stops at the seam of the bodice and skirt. I did not like the zipper to encounter the sheer fabric of the skirt. I used a lapped application method so that the stitching would not show on the outside.
*Due to a shortage of fabric, I decreased the radius of each pants flounce by 3/4"
*Added a satin Fairy Dora ribbon at the waist. Heather found this and asked that this be included in her costume.
*For convenience, omitted the wiring in the wings. Instead of velcro, tacked the wings at the shoulder seams. I cut sewing time by combining the top and bottom wings as one piece.
*I gathered the bottom of the edge of the pants so that I would able to sew the flounce onto it.
Conclusion
I recommend this pattern if you want a fairly easy costume to sew without the frills. I would not mind sewing the angel costume if the situation arises!
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