Isn’t my little Elsa just adorable??? I have been meaning to make Georgiana a new Elsa dress forever! And I don’t know why I waited. This dress uses a T-shirt which makes it quick and easy. I made it in less than an hour. It was her birthday this week and and we are really trying to stick to our budget. With school starting and activities happening I was so glad I could make this simple dress from under $4. I already had the material leftover when Georgiana was Elsa last year for Halloween. Family Halloween Costumes are my favorite! I snapped a couple of pictures to share this tutorial with guys. It’s so easy! And she LOVED it! She wore it the whole next day and insisted I wear my Anna cape as well.
Our friends got her an Elsa Barbie and she was so excited!!! She already had the Anna Barbie from last year from my brother and his girlfriend. We play with them quite a bit. And Georgiana always is Elsa. I am so glad Elsa is her favorite because Anna is mine. My kids thought I should have been Elsa last year for Halloween because I am older, but her hair was going to be blonde. Looks like I made the right call. I love watching her sing “Let it Go” all over the house. I made her take it off her dinner and she was very upset. I love it when they love their homemade gifts!
Elsa Dress Tutorial
White long sleeve t-shirt ($3.88 at Walmart!)
Aqua material ( I used a satin but a knit or cotton would work fine too)
Aqua tulle or sheer material
Cutting mat and ruler
Pins
Cutting board (Optional but really helpful)
Sewing Machine
It’s always a little tricky sewing a surprise when you are figuring out measurements. Measure across the bust of your shirt and multiply that number times 2 and add a half inch for your seam allowance. Then figure out your length remembering to leave extra for hems. Cut out your rectangle. If you are using satin or any material that frays when you cut it I recommend doing a zig zag stitch on each piece. It just makes life easier and cleaner. Fold over the top of your material and stitch it like it’s a hem. Sew your sides together. You now have a circle tube piece.
Pin your material to your shirt being careful not to pin the front and back parts of the shirt together. Start sewing along the same stitch already stitched to finish off the top. Continue all around the top. When I got to the back (and almost beginning) I had some left over aqua material that didn’t fit perfectly. I just fold it to create a pleat. (See image below) It gave my dress more room to walk in.
Now your aqua material is attached to your shirt. I then cut by tulle to be the length of the back of my shirt. I folded the tulle so I was sewing the middle of my tulle to the back to create two layers of material coming down the back.
Pin and sew to the back of the shirt, keeping your stitching along the same line. Then I figured out how high I wanted my slit and unpicked by one side seam 7 inches high. Tie off your remaining thread to keep from fraying. Now it’s time to hem the bottom. Because your material is already zig zagged I folded it twice then sew along the fold to create a hem. Fold over the sides of your slit and do the same thing. Ideally iron should happen when doing hemlines but I had a party to get ready for so I just made it work.
There you have it. And adorable Elsa Dress she will want to play with again and again. I love it when “Elsa” helps pick up her brothers from school or goes to the library in her dress up clothes. Is there anything cuter?
I love using tulle because I didn’t have to finish off the sides of my train. And my tulle has glitter in it so we have glitter all over the place and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love having glitter in my house. Glitter and little girls go hand in hand. She was so excited to wear her dress! And we even tried to do a grown up Elsa hairstyle.
Starting with her hair wet I sectioned off her fringe area. Then I began French Braiding her baby blonde hair at an angle. I didn’t even try to get those side hairs up and over but just brushed them aside toward the back. I used KMS styling Gel to help her short hairs stay in place. I then applied KMS Volume Foam to her fringe. Using a large round brush I blow dried her bangs for volume. You want to point your nozzle at the base of the scalp, but put it on a warm setting. Hot is to well hot for a little baby scalp. Leave your brush there as you let your hair cool down. Keeping your hair in that shape when cooling helps your hair to stay in that shape. I teased her bangs a little and finished them off with a little KMS medium hold hairspray. She loved her “Elsa hair” and I had a blast doing costume hair on her. Every hairdresser needs a daughter. Her hair is growing and we are going to have so much fun!!! (I only suggest buying KMS from professional sources for best results)
Isn’t she just the cutest!!! I am super excited Halloween is coming up soon! Our Halloween Costumes are going to have some fun hairstyles this year. Her braid looks pretty great for 2 year old baby fine blonde hair. She was so great during hair and costuming I thought it only fair to give her a special snack.
What does your child like to dress up as? I made her a Cinderella dress months ago that she will not touch. I love seeing children dress up. Maybe because I love dressing up myself! Check out our Family Costume last year for more Frozen tutorials. Look at how little she was!
Happy Sewing!
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