World Book Character Day
This is the first year I participated to this event. My girl isn't quite old enough to have a favourite character, so I picked her cuddly toy instead. I could have picked Peppa Pig, but I have to admit, I like to be original and it felt like Peppa was just too mainstream for the occasion.
The idea
As I looked at her sheep, I realised that I had a white fleecy cardigan that would just look perfect for the body. Considering the freezing temperatures we've had lately, it seemed like a good option to make her en extra warm outfit. Then I thought about the rest.
And Oh my God! I had this lightening moment as I remembered I had a piece of purple fleece in a drawer from when I made a laptop cover for a friend. It wasn't a colour I particularly liked, so I never used it. At the same time, I didn't want to get rid of it because it could come handy. So there it was! The moment I compared both tones of purple I knew I had the perfect idea. It was exactly the same!
The hat
So I started thinking really fast. It was the evening before the special day and I had about 2 hours before going to bed. So I quickly decided to use my hat pattern and make a few tweaks to include ears, appliqué eyes and the knotted legs instead of the ribbon. From my pattern I removed the pointy top and elongated the front to allow for the slit I used to insert the ears. I think it would have looked even better without the central hem but I didn't have the time to draw a new pattern.
The ears are like a long half oval which is then folded lengthwise. I stitched them on the outer fabric before finishing with the lining.
I'd never done appliqué before and didn't have much time to learn how to do it, so I just cut the shapes in white fleece and stitched them on using a zig-zag stitch.
The trousers
For the trouser, I picked the faster option by having one piece for the front and one for the back. I used a pair of trousers she's currently wearing and roughly traced the shape on paper. I added a curve inside the leg, about 3cm for the bottom hem and 7cm for the waist casing. I made the back wider at the top to include the nappy
I also decided to add knee patches. I don't know why, I just liked the idea. I did the same appliqué zig-zag stitch.
Because fleece is quite bulky but doesn't fray, I cheated by doing the bottom hem before stitching the legs. Then I created the waist casing. I folded it in then hemmed at 1cm then folded in again at 3cm. I hemmed all around as close as possible to the open end, leaving just a 3cm gap to insert the elastic band. I measured the waist of her existing trousers and cut my elastic, inserted it before stitching the ends together. Then I finally closed the casing.
I had to wait the next morning to try it on her, but she laughed when she saw the face on the hat. So I think that was a success. The day after I made it the snow started falling again and she's been wearing the outfit outside for the past three days. I dare say this fleece was a great investment!
Have you ever made a character outfit for your child? I love handmade costumes because you're free to add all the details that you want. It's not about being perfect, but actually up-cycling old clothes and materials that makes it so interesting.