So even though it turns out our school only let kids 2nd grade and under dress up for it, we still had a lot of fun putting together a costume for Read Across America Day for my 3rd grader. We even did a photoshoot and put together a fun little film which you can check out over on my Instagram account.
I used the Building Block Dress book to draft an empire waist bodice with buttons in the back, a Peter Pan collar, a gathered ankle-length skirt, and simple long sleeves with elastic cuffs. To make the elastic cuffs, I measured the wrist end of the original long sleeve pattern and cut out a rectangle of fabric which was the same width and 2 3/4" long. Rather than stitching together the sides of the bodice and then inserting the sleeves, I inserted the open sleeves while the bodice sides were still undone. I attached the cuff piece to the wrist of the sleeve, then folded it up and over and top stitched it in place, so that I had a rectangular tube attached to the bottom of each sleeve. Then I measured the circumference of my little Anne-girl's wrist and cut a piece of 1" elastic to that length, inserted it into the cuff, and stitched down both ends. I gathered the front and back skirt pieces separately and attached them to the front and back bodice pieces, then sewed up the side seams last, doing the sleeve, bodice, and skirt side seam all in one go. This is not how the book instructs you to assemble the dress, but it worked best for how I wanted to create this.
For the pinafore, I created another empire waist bodice, but this time I lined the bodice and gave it a square neck. The pinafore is slightly shorter than the dress, and the back gathered skirt is two separate pieces so that it stays separate in the back, with pearl snaps on the back of the bodice portion only.
I bought a green queen size flat sheet and a white full size flat sheet at the thrift store to upcycle for this project. I love using bedsheets for these historical-inspired costumes, like when I made our Hobbit outfits for last year's Renaissance Festival. Working with thrifted bedsheets gives you a lot of fabric for pretty cheap, and I love being able to "cheat" by using the already finished edges for my seams and hems- the large hem at the top of a flat sheet looks fantastic as the hem of a long dress like this.
I definitely made some mistakes with this costume. First things first, my girl is between sizes. I assumed that, since the empire waist is not form-fitting, I could use the smaller size (the one that corresponds better to her waist measurement) since it's free-flowing in the hips, but I would have done better to just size up. I sized up for the pinafore and it fits much better in the shoulders than the dress. (I was planning to size up for the pinafore either way, however, because it was going to be worn on top of the dress.) You can tell most obviously in the sleeve- even with the added cuff, the sleeve is much too short (although I wanted her to be able to push them up away from her wrists and have them stay put either way, because she doesn't like sleeves that touch her hands- but these sleeves became 3/4 rather than long sleeves). I think my biggest mistake was in drafting the empire waist bodice, however. I did not give myself enough room beneath the armscye- I believe I gave 1/2" exactly, which is the seam allowance, so the waist line lies even with the bottom of the arm hole, making the shoulder fit much too tight. I should have lowered the waist by about an inch to give us more wiggle room there. Finally, I chose the wrong fabric for making the pinafore. The only white sheet I could find at the thrift store was this knit, t-shirt-like material. I interfaced the "button" placket but it simply would not cooperate for sewing on buttonholes. If I were better at making buttonholes I'm sure I could have conquered it, but instead I admitted defeat and installed snaps for a closure. Of course I did this while a rambunctious toddler was pestering me and I was angry about the failed buttonholes, so one of the snaps is installed backwards! You can't tell when the other two are closed, however.
We found the boots at The Children's Place and the hat at Target- it's intended for an adult so the brim is much too wide, but I think that and the too-short sleeves are perfect for Anne Shirley when we first meet her in the book, as she would be wearing imperfect clothes that don't quite fit.
All in all, I'm really proud of this costume. It was a learning experience, and my girl is so happy wearing it.
Who is your favorite book character?
Much love,
The Geeks
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