Peony Patterns Costume Party 2022 - Books! - Day 5

Welcome back to the Peony Patterns' Costume Party! If you're just joining us, I'm Nat from Auschick Sews blog and I can't believe it's our final day already! We have another beautiful collection of Halloween, Book Week, Dress Up and Cosplay costumes for you today - this time featuring some of your very favourite storybook characters!

If you missed yesterday's projects, check out our DIY Disney inspired costumes over here! 

The Cat in the Hat

No roundup of book characters could be complete without The Cat in the Hat! Annie Arana (@lunasnurseryperth) used Hyacinth with short sleeves, and added some width and length to the ties. If she made it again, she'd try adding in some wire to the bow so that it can be shaped and stay in place, but I think you can agree, it looks fabulous as it is! 

Fabric: cotton drill (Spotlight)

And how delightful is Amanda Flor (@AMF28)'s Thing 1 and Thing 2! She used the Camellia dress with Myrtle sleeves, and used her Cricut to cut the front bodice decals. Such an easy and effective costume!

Fabric: cotton woven, sequined mesh 

Ada Twist, Scientist

Kat Rivera (@katfrivera)'s girls are really big readers and have recently fallen madly in love with STEM. They used to read this book A LOT when they were much smaller. It's now a TV show and they enjoy watching it together. Kat used the Lily pattern and only made one very little modification, widening the shoulders just a bit and omitting the ruffles.

Fabric: cotton woven (JoAnn)

Pinocchio

Laura Hilton (@littlebonniebelle) initially planned to make a doll costume, which became a marionette, and finally, Pinocchio! Laura used Hyacinth with Jasmine sleeves. She left the elastic off the sleeve and added the faux suspenders. She moulded the nose with Scar Wax, smoothing it with a makeup sponge to blend it.

Fabric: featherwale corduroy, Swiss wool challis, vintage ribbons and bows (Farmhouse Fabrics)

Lola Dutch

...because we love her so much! Andrea Rasmusson (@shes_sew_southern) used the Daffodil tee with a slightly modified Posie collar in knit. She then sewed up a double layer Powderpuff skirt. We love how it came together! She suggests laying the Posie collar piece on top of the Daffodil front piece and lengthening the collar piece so it can be sewn into the shoulder seams.

Fabric: red interlock, white knit

Harry Potter

Stephanie Wegner (@stephiwegs) created a gorgeous Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter as part of her family costume this year! She used the Lantana pattern and found that interfacing the collar was especially important for a nice sharp finish, especially when working with blousy/polyester material. Adding details with things like an iron on patch or other accessories really helped sell this look!

Fabric: polyester; linen (Mily Mae Fabrics); iron on patch (Amazon) 

Madeline

Hannah Pilgrim (@ally_artie_handmade)'s daughter Ally is teeny tiny in size (she has a growth delay) but she is fierce, brave and clever. She reminds Hannah so much of Madeline, and after reading and watching it a few times she was excited to dress as her for her Book Week in Australia.

Hannah used the Hyacinth pattern and just adapted the collar to change in colour at the point where it ties.

Fabric: Homespun Cotton (Spotlight)

Alice in Wonderland

Angie Chia (@pocketful_of_rainbows88) loves the character of Alice: her sense of justice and responsibility, as well as her other good qualities always impressed upon her as she and her daughter read the book. Angie also loves that she's wildly curious and yet so very kind and has just the right amount of scepticism against authority!

Angie used a combination of the Dandelion Dress, the Ivy tulle tutorial, and a detachable collar using the Camellia dress. Alice's headband was made with the FREE Maple Bow (medium size) and tied to a store-bought headband.

Angie recommends steam pressing all your pieces during and after each seam to ensure accuracy, especially with a split bodice. Piping always adds a bespoke touch to any handmade garments when attached neatly (learn piping tips here!). 

Fabric: Kona cotton (2Quilters); soft tulle (Teng Joo)

Alice in Wonderland is one of Angel Espaldon (@handcraftedbyrinaangela)'s childhood favorite cartoon characters and making this outfit brought back old memories!

She used Honeysuckle with custom made collars, added a front top skirt and added powderpuff skirt underneath.

Fabric: cotton woven

Julie Mitchell (@msgrl) has always wanted to make an Alice costume, so this was the perfect opportunity! She used Camellia with Jasmine short sleeves & Verbena hacked to an apron (she shortened the straps connected them to ties added to the front waistband). Check out our Facebook group for some close-up shots of the hand embroidery on the front!

Fabric: Organic cotton (JoAnn); white cotton (local quilt shop).

 

Amanda Perala's teenager picked Alice too! She used Camellia for the dress and Verbena for the apron. We love this on her daughter!

Fabric: cotton woven (JoAnn)

Amanda Xu (@Runway_poodle) created the Queen of Hearts for her daughter to wear when they visit an Alice themed puzzle event with their family.

She used Camellia with Verbena sweetheart neckline and Lantana sleeves. If you're making this one for a toddler, she recommends a hoop skirt underneath so they don’t get caught up in the pouf of the tulle!

Fabric: cotton and tulle (World Class Textiles in Sacramento CA).

Bec Smith - (@twice_loved_creations) also created a Queen of Hearts for her rep! She used the Marigold bodice with Honeysuckle (mini length) skirt. Bec lengthened the bodice to fit on the waist and used the Honeysuckle bodice as a guide. She did an overlay to create the heart shape bodice, adding sequinned ribbon over the top. The gold hearts were affixed by iron on double sided interfacing. Such a stunning make!

Fabric: Sequinned netting, cotton, sequinned ribbon, jersey, broderie.

Peter Pan

Noel Tierney (@noeltierney24 and @arabellaspearls) has an upcoming Disneyland trip and wanted her daughter to be Wendy, to match with her son's hand-me-down Peter Pan costume!

The bodice is Gardenia with a boatneck and sash in the front. The sleeves are shortened Jasmine sleeves and the skirt is the simple maxi version of Juniper.

Such a stunning make! It's sure to be a hit with the Cast Members!

Fabric: cotton sheen sateen, 100% silk Charmeuse (Farmhouse Fabrics)

  

Joy Shrode (@sewforsije) wanted to make some magical fairies for her daughters, so created Tinkerbell and Silvermist costumes for them! She used the Ivy dress pattern, slightly modifying the neckline into a v-neck, and cut leaf-like pieces for the skirt piece.

Fabric: Kona Sheen (Fabric, Lace and Trims); tulle

Well, that's the end of our party! Thanks for reading along - we hope you've been inspired to come up with your own amazing creations!

We'd love to see whatever DIY creations you come up with using our patterns, so please share them in our Facebook group or Instagram! It's always so wonderful seeing everyone's creativity - whether you're a total beginner or a pro! And don't forget to take advantage of our SALE! Get 30% OFF all patterns until September 11, 2022.