[Little Teds]

Hi, I’m hoping to benefit from your superior creativity on this one. My older daughter will be 3 in October and loves dressing up. I’d like to make her some more items for her dressing up box (she adores her red riding hood cape). She is (so far) oblivious to princesses so I was thinking a doctor outfit, animals, other fairy tale characters. Please inspire me and if anyone has good suggestions for patterns I could modify please do share! Thank you!

[Deb]

Using the Secret Agent Trench I made a doctors lab coat. https://oliverands.com/blog/2014/01/playtime-secret-agent-trench-coat-as-a-lab-coat.html

~Deb~

[Mama_Knowles]

I made a Little Bo peep costume out of the Fairy tale dress pattern (both dress and corset was made using this pattern) and a little lamb using the Little Things to Sew hat, sleep over pants for the bottoms and the sail boat for the top.

I have used the Tea party for a frost fairy costume as well

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mama_knowles03/8106475051/in/set-72157631814339631

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mama_knowles03/8117017982/in/set-72157631814339631

and a princess dress using the fairy tale pattern as well

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mama_knowles03/9249056735/in/set-72157633130101548

one of my favorites, which I have yet to try is using the puppet show as a snow white dress, you can find the tutorial on Oliver + S blog here http://oliverands.com/blog/2012/05/customizing-with-oliver-s-snow-white-puppet-show-dress.html

~Sharon~

[dubhels2003]

According to nursery my daughter lives dressing up, which she never does at home, so I’m hoping to start on something similar shortly, but i’m focussing more on the accessories. Turning the gloves into paws, using the animal hat and putting scales down the cape. Both the pj patterns have some potential if I find some more time, we’re going for surgeon and astronaut by sewing different bits on the front.

[Mama_Knowles]

Here is Liesl Pinterest board for costumes, there is a hole page on great inspiration! http://www.pinterest.com/liesl/halloween-sewing-with-oliver-%2B-s/

[Mama_Knowles]

Here is one more, sorry for all the responses but this is a top favorite of mine that Britt had made! I plan on “copying” these this year for my daughter too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/52761227@N04/10559915224/in/set-72157629912799930

[Sarvi]

Do your kids have favorite people or storybook characters? Maybe a doctor/dentist costume if she’s been for a visit recently and talked about it (trench coat as lab coat, as mentioned above). Maybe an astronaut costume if she has a book about planets that she often requests (Nature walk made to look a bit Star Trekky, perhaps? Or how about adding a turtleneck shirt to some corduroy trousers for a Carl Sagan costume?). I think kids get excited about stuff in their daily lives.

I made my daughter a Nurse Nancy costume from the Puppet Show — just made it in pinstriped fabric with white collar and cuffs. As it was a costume I marked the darts with a sharpie and didn’t finish any of the seams. It took no time at all and she was very happy with it, and as I didn’t pour in hours making it, it was fine for using while painting. Happy mom and kid.

I also made her a Paddington Bear coat and hat from the School Days and Bucket hat. Since I intended the coat to be her winter coat for a snow trip, I made a ‘real’ coat — followed the instructions and used proper wool. The hat was just a toy, so made from felt. Again, very quick and she can do as she likes with it, where the coat gets preserved and put away.

[Jane]

Kids have such great imaginations that the pieces don’t necessarily have to “be” something (doctor, astronaut). Rather, it might be fun to just make some bright colored pieces or use a fun fabric to make pieces that are easy for them to mix and match into what they think a doctor or astronaut might look like. Pieces should be easy to put on and quick to sew. You could do a lot with the art smock from LTTS, the sunny day shorts, and the pajama patterns, and those are all easy for kids to put on themselves.

Jane

[Little Teds]

Thank you so much – these ideas are great! You are such a talented group. I think this project could keep me going for several years!

[Little Teds]

I’ve had a more thorough browse and am feeling really inspired – thank you. The costume ideas are wonderful but Jesims I think you’re right, she’s still quite little and I think generic pieces might get a bit more use at this stage. Loving the doctor’s coat as well. I’m bookmarking everything else for when she’s a bit older though. We’re in the UK so Halloween isn’t as big a deal here but lots of kids dress up for world book day so I’ll have an opportunity to go crazy with that. I adore the paddington costume Sarvi. My daughter has visited the sculpture at paddington station so she’d love that. Mama Knowles – that lamb costume is the cutest thing I have ever seen! I’m wondering about adapting it into a mouse as she also loves the Maisy books. So many ideas! Thanks again!

[Little_Anj]

I just remembered one I did for my almost 3 year old at the start of the year…

It’s a Knight’s costume, which was really folding a larger tshirt in half lengthways, tracing around the out side and adding a bit more width for room.

I didn’t worry about sleeves and used green bias binding for the sleeve holes. For the neck I added a v-slit in the front to get over his head and bound the lot.

I just made it out of a navy light weight woven, and cut out a chunky + of felt and zig zagged it to the front (before I sewed the top together).

For the crown I measured around his head, and drew a long rectangle (about an 1″ longer), and the height I wanted for the peaks on paper then drew a zig zag pattern on the top. I cut it out and then cut out two bits of fabric with extra room for seams. I sewed it up, left the ends open, snipped all the points and valleys and turned it through, sewed it closed with an elastic added in the back.

I think the LBTTS apron would also suit the purpose for the top well as it could be taken off without too much assistance.

It was pretty quick to make for a princess & prince party. I made it on the basis that Princes can be knights, and it was 40c+ (104f) so a lightweight top & shorts would do well. That and I had just had my bub two weeks earlier and couldn’t be bothered!!

I loved how it turned out, and he wore it with the crown all day! It has made a few appearances since too 🙂

(I can snap a pic if you are interested)

[Mama_Knowles]

I would love to see a picture of this! Pretty please!

[Little_Anj]

Okay, although I seem to have forgotten what I actually did with the crown.

I didn’t turn it through (now that I pulled it out of the toy box), but sewn the top zig zag, joined the short ends, added a piece of elastic then bound the bottom edge!!

(I clearly went bias binding mad that day!!)

Here is the whole ensemble now getting a bit snug as he is heading into the next size, still plenty of room to put over two other tops this winter morning though

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sumchick/14655574644/

How I finished the back of the crown

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sumchick/14677727853/in/photostream/

My basic traced pattern for the top, although I think you would get more wear using the LBTTS apron

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sumchick/14471198579/in/photostream/

The whole thing would have taken about an hour including ironing the endless amounts of bias binding!

[Nicole]

What awesome ideas!

I made some Lazy Days skirt for the kindy in bright sequinned fabric and they went down a treat with all the children. Boys and girls!

Very easy to get on and off.

[Justine J]

I agree with Jane – simple = good. We have two large dress up baskets, with very few ‘actual’ whole costumes (and no Disney Princesses or Spidermen!). Instead, there are lots of ‘capes’ (rectangles of fabric with a drawstring casing) in various colours, simple elastic waisted tulle skirts, large pieces of faux fur with a head hole cut out etc. Also lots of wigs, hats and masks (IKEA did some fab hats and mask sets a few years ago).