As someone with an almost-four year old niece, it was inevitable that Aunty Claire was going to get the call at some point. I was half-expecting a request for a Princess Elsa dress for her birthday, but it turned out to be a slightly last-minute Anna cloak to wear to a Frozen-themed party. So, I leapt into action, dashed down to the fabric shop, managed to grab the very last of the purple pom-pom trim, and set to work!
The finished cloak was a bit on the big side, but thankfully very well received, despite not being quite as screen-accurate as I normally like my costumes to be! The silver clasp at the neck worried me a little bit – I was concerned that Milly wouldn’t be able to fasten it easily, or might be hurt if another child pulled on the cloak or stepped on it. So Paul cut off the hook and loop, filed them down smooth, and I sewed on the two pieces as decoration only. The cloak fastens with a piece of velcro, so it will come apart quickly if necessary, and Milly can easily dress herself.
This one is Milly’s somewhat delayed Christmas Dress. She’d finally grown out of the pattern I’d been using since her first birthday, so this is a new one – Butterick 5876. I have to say that I don’t really recommend the pattern. It does make a lovely dress, but the finishing techniques, for a garment that’s going to be outgrown in a matter of minutes, were frankly bonkers. Lots of mucking about with facings and hand stitching around the arms, that could have been accomplished so much more quickly and easily with a bit of bias binding! Next time…
The only alteration I made to the pattern on this occasion was to significantly enlarge the pocket. Honestly, what’s the point of a silly little pocket that even a three year old can’t get her hand into? As you can see from this picture, the pocket was full of jelly beans. And Milly had her face painted like a cat, to match the dress – how cute is that?!
And here is a tiny piece of evidence that my niece is very much a child after my own heart. Fancy dress costume, pretty party dress, giant stompy boots underneath. Excellent!