No-sew Costume Challenge!

When I was a kid, my mother would always make my Halloween costume for me.  And being a kid, I didn't appreciate how awesome those costumes actually were.  I just wanted to get one of those really cool costumes that came in a package with all their bits and pieces put together for me, just like the other kids at school.  One year I actually convinced her to let me buy a costume - I picked this awesome Black Widow Queen costume with spiderweb details and a neat belt shaped like a bat (don't ask me what bats and spiders have in common).  It was AWFUL.  No one knew what I was (no, a Black Widow Queen is not a witch!), and it felt like I was wearing a nightgown.  Plus it practically disintegrated the moment I took it off.  That was the last time I ever bought a costume.

Before

After

I remembered this story recently when I saw a magazine article describing "no-sew" costume ideas, all of which involved a t-shirt, iron-on transfers, and/or silly prop to create a clever play on words - Iron Chef (hat & clothes iron), Fork in the Road (black shirt, white dotted lines, plastic fork), Pumpkin Pie (orange shirt, pi symbol... OK, the nerd in me likes that one).  It really got me thinking... If you don't sew, are your only costume choices a nylon pyjama set disguised as a costume, or a t-shirt with paper taped to it?  I set out to prove that the answer is no.  So I picked a costume idea, gathered up the materials I needed, and came up with a no-sew costume that beats the pants off of anything you could buy, for a fraction of the cost, and only took me 30 minutes to finish. 

Follow the jump to get a full tutorial on how to recreate this on your own, PLUS there will be details on how to enter a drawing to receive this very same dress for your own Halloween costume!

Tutorial: No-sew 1920s Flapper Dress

Project Time: 30-45 minutes, depending on skill level

Materials needed:

• Dress - either from your own closet, or a thrift store find

• Fringe - exact length detailed below
• Fabric glue or Fusible web tape
• Pins
• Marking pencil, #2 pencil, or ballpoint pen
• Beads, baubles, gloves, or headband to accessorize - can be purchased at a costume store

To start, you'll need a dress.  It can be an old dress sitting in the back of your closet, or you can find a cheap one at your local thrift store.  The best shape for this project is something that hangs straight down, with no extra fullness at the bottom and no defined waistline.  The 1990s gave us a lot of simple shift dresses that are in abundance at thrift stores now.  Also, in the 1980s and more recent years drop-waist dresses were in style, which is perfect for a 1920s look. 

I found this dress with a fun vine print -------------------------------> 

1.  The length of the dress doesn't matter, because we're going to cut it to the right length anyway. So once you have your dress, decide where you want the finished length to be, and mark that on the dress with a pin or marking pencil.  In this photo, you can see that I first measured the length on my own body, and then measured the dress.  You could also mark it while you're wearing the dress to eliminate an extra step. 

2.  Next, to make sure you have the length even all the way around, you'll need to measure the distance from your mark to the bottom hem.  Once you have this number, mark this distance all the way around the dress, measuring from the bottom hem.

3.  Now that you have the right length, it's time to add the fringe.  To find out how much fringe you need, measure across the dress where you want to attach the fringe.  I've decided to start the fringe at the bottom edge of the dress, so that's where I measured.  In this case, it's 18 inches.  Since my dress is stretchy, I'm going to add 2 inches for stretch, giving me 20 inches across. (I do not recommend using a stretchy fabric if you have no experience working with it).   To get the full measurement all the way around, multiply that number by 2:   20" x 2 = 40".  Add 2 inches for overlap, and this is how much fringe you'll need for one row (42").  Decide how many rows you want, and multiply that number by the length you calculated:  I'm doing 3 rows, so 42" x 3 = 126", or 3.5 yards (126/36 = 3.5). 

A note on buying fringe:  Fringe comes in many lengths and styles, the most common one for costumes being chainette fringe.  For this project, I recommend any length between 2"-6".  (I used 4" black chainette).  Your local fabric store will probably have something in stock, but for the best selection and price, hit the interwebs.  I found 10 yards of 4" fringe for the same amount my local big box chain would have charged me for just 4 yards of 2" fringe - and it was available in 40 colors.  Even though I didn't need that much for this project, I can always use it again for something else.   





5.  Now that we've done the tedious measuring and marking, we're ready to attach our fringe!  You can attach it two different ways:  with liquid fabric glue, or with fusible web tape.  Both can found at your local fabric store.  Personally, I like the fusible web, and it's what I used for this project.  I've had too many bad experiences with liquid glue not sticking and slipping around, or seeping through the fabric and making a mess.  But if you like the glue and know how to bend it to your will, go for it.  The fusible web I had was actually a 2-part process and took some extra time, but it worked really well and I plan on using it again when needed.  It came with a paper backing, and you first applied it to the trim you're going to attach, then you removed the paper and voila! Instant iron-on trim.  Another advantage with this type of fusible tape was that it made it very easy to trim into a narrower width to fit the edge of the trim.  Whatever way you decide to attach the trim, start with the bottom row first.  Follow the manufacturer's directions to adhere the top edge of the trim, following the line you marked in step 4.  When you get all the way around, overlap the end with the starting point.  You did your first row!  Continue the same way for all the other rows, working your way up from the bottom.  

You may have noticed that your fringe is joined together at the bottom, like you see in the photo above.  Some manufacturers do this to keep the fringe neat during shipping and when it's being handled and worked with.  This is done with a chain stitch - pull one end of the chain gently until it starts to unravel.  If that end doesn't work, try the other.  It should come out quickly, leaving your fringe free to swing around.  If you can't get it to unravel, you can always just work the fringe loose from the chain stitch and slip it off the bottom edge.

Now you're finished!  You have successfully made a high-quality, unique 1920s Flapper costume without sewing one stitch.  But don't feel like you have to stop here.  You could add different trims and decorations to jazz it up even more - sequins along the top edge of the trim, or along the top neckline; a large flower or brooch off to one side of the shoulder or hip; a pair of flowing scarves tied to the shoulder straps.  Your imagination is the limit, and whatever can be pinned, glued, or ironed on is fair game.  In the photo below, I took a long narrow scarf and used safety pins to attach it loosely along the top edge of the fringe.  I crossed the two ends over each other off to one side in the front, and held them in place with a decorative vintage pin.  You can see how adding a simple touch takes this dress to a whole new level.

      

Remember before when I said that this was a fraction of the cost of a store-bought costume?  For this project, I found the dress at a thrift store for $4.99, and 3.5 yards of fringe cost me $5.23 (although I did pay $14.95 for the bolt of 10 yards).  That's a whopping  $10.22 for a costume that looks like you rented it from a fancy shop, or had it custom-made!  Even with buying ready-made accessories, you could easily end up under $25 for your whole look.  I hope this will inspire anyone who thinks of making their own costume as an impossible task to think creatively and realize you don't have to spend a fortune or be an expert seamstress to make something nice, and most importantly, fun! 

  

Now that we're done, as promised, it's time for a giveaway!  I'm going to give one lucky reader this very same dress used as the example above - just in time for Halloween! (Sorry, scarf and pin not included)  There are 5 ways that you can enter the drawing; each one needs to be left in an individual comment to let me know that you've completed the requirements:

1. Leave a comment below and tell me what you would do to add your own special touch to this dress.
2. Follow this blog with Google Friends, or let me know that you already follow.  
3. Like my fan page on Facebook, and share my post with your Facebook friends.
4. Follow me on Twitter, and re-tweet my post.
5. Mention this giveaway on your own blog, with a link to my post - good for 2 entries!

Fine Print: Entries must be received no later than 5pm CST Sunday, 10/23/11.  The winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog, Facebook, and Twitter on Monday, 10/24/11.  I will mail it via USPS Priority Mail, so in order to have it by Halloween I need the winner to contact me no later than Wednesday, 10/26/11.  If I don't have the shipping address by then it will still be mailed, but I can't guarantee you'll have it in time for Halloween.  This is not a one-size-fits-all costume; this will best fit the following body measurements: Bust 34-38", Waist 28-30", Hips max 40".    

Good luck to everyone that enters!  And if anyone uses this to make their own dress, I'd love to see it!!!  Send me your photos of the finished product and I'll put them up here in a special post!