Extending the use time for children’s costumes
Has anyone got tricks to extend the life of children’s play costumes? I’ve just cut pieces for a Cinderella-type dress for my 3 year-old granddaughter. Really cool satiny material; really cute pattern. I spent a bit more on the fabric than I intended (nothing unusual there!) and would like to make the dress rather flexible in size so she can enjoy it as long as possible. The last play dress I made was a size 4 – too big everywhere for her. So I went with a size 3 this time. I’m thinking of using grosgrain ribbons in place of the zipper. That would allow the dress to be tied snuggly for a good fit now and then tied more loosely as she grows. Wondering if anyone has done this before. Would appreciate any and all input. Thanks in advance for your response.
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extending the use time for children't costumes
It may not be much of a problem because I found that, although my daughter's legs got longer, she didn't grow much in width and was able to wear her clothes for a long time from the age of 3-7. I did creative things with the skirts. Letting the hem down usually leaves ugly marks. I hid those with coordinating lace, , etc. that I'd used elsewhere on the dress, or added tucks, if I let them out. Or, you can split the skirt in a couple of places horizontally and insert lace/eyelet/beading with ribbon/? that coordinate with the costume. In my opinion, if you work too hard to make something fit many sizes, it ends up not fitting any one size well. I would concentrate on making her a pretty dress for now. Just be sure to save any left-over fabric and trim for future revisions.
Extending Costume Sizes
Thanks very much for your comments. I've been mulling this over during the weekend and was leaning in the same direction. I will definitely save extra material for extending skirt in the future.
In your quest to extend the life of the costume, don't lose sight of the benefits and pleasures of making new costumes. Costumes that have no waist and elastic in the neck are usually wearable longer than more fitted costumes. And don't forget the benefits of several pieces--tops, skirts, aprons, etc.
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