Creating a costume, headdress or prop when you don't a lot of money is an art. Especially if your sewing skills are pretty basic, like mine. I'm a proud glue gun expert and while I would like to have the means, time and talent to create couture/fine art costumes for now I've had to rely on my sheer will power and some glue sticks...and some hand stitching. In these posts I'm going to explain how I crafted some of my favorite costumes on a dime.
THe FLIP: Turning a dress into a two piece costume
What I used: A vintage dress (that I had in my closet a while), a thrift store top, fringe, foam (for bow) and clasps.
How much it cost: I already had the dress and I know I didn't pay much so this costume cost me roughly $35-40.
The lowdown: This is my latest re-vamped costume. It has had several incarnations. This (80's) vintage dress was shin length with long sleeves, a collar and 4 buttons down the front. For the first incarnation I cut the dress in half and added elastic to the waist of the skirt. I then cut the sleeves off and made a vest like top with a clasp above my chest. I then went on to add fringe to the bottom of the top and changed the skirt by creating a slit up one side that has a clasp for easy removal. I sewed the skirt in a point in the front and back and added fringe to it. I took the fabric of the sleeves to create the bow which is a foam sheet folded and hot glued and then covered in fabric and attached to a headband. The waist of the skirt (which you can barely see in this photo) and the center of the bow were created with sparkly stretch fabric that I used from a top that I got at a thrift store. Now it is a complete outfit made from almost one item of clothing. The cheapest flip!
How much it cost: I already had the dress and I know I didn't pay much so this costume cost me roughly $35-40.
The lowdown: This is my latest re-vamped costume. It has had several incarnations. This (80's) vintage dress was shin length with long sleeves, a collar and 4 buttons down the front. For the first incarnation I cut the dress in half and added elastic to the waist of the skirt. I then cut the sleeves off and made a vest like top with a clasp above my chest. I then went on to add fringe to the bottom of the top and changed the skirt by creating a slit up one side that has a clasp for easy removal. I sewed the skirt in a point in the front and back and added fringe to it. I took the fabric of the sleeves to create the bow which is a foam sheet folded and hot glued and then covered in fabric and attached to a headband. The waist of the skirt (which you can barely see in this photo) and the center of the bow were created with sparkly stretch fabric that I used from a top that I got at a thrift store. Now it is a complete outfit made from almost one item of clothing. The cheapest flip!
Photo by John Leach www.johnleachphoto.com
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