Elf Costume

(Yes I wrote this post in March of 2011 but I loved it so much I wanted to keep it in it's original text, Sorry for the confusion)Woah! Hold it right there reader! I can see where this is going and I don't appreciate the smirk on your face. Yes, I do know how to read a calendar and yes, I realize that I missed the boat for "last minute Christmas posts" by about 3 months however I finally finished putting the finishing touches on my costume (it took me long enough) and I simply could not wait until next Christmas to post about this! So judge me if you will, I'm a proud leprechaun elf.

Back around November 26th I decided that I wanted to make a size adjustable elf costume with matching cape for this years elf season. Only one problem, Elf season begins December 1st! Yikes! After 4 trips back and forth to JoAnn's Mom Tobler and I finally found something that was the right shade of green, cost efficient, and the right fabric. I'm telling you elf green is hard to come by! And to top things off... we had to piece several patterns together to get all of the elements that I wanted. Yes I know, I'm picky, but if I was going to take the limited time to do this, then I had better do it right!

Short on time, energy, and patience we set to work and aside from all of the trips back and forth to JoAnn's I'd say we did a pretty good job! I loved the fabric and I was excited to have something that I could wear layers under without being afraid I'd burst the seam. (It can get cold in Vegas believe it or not.)

Things went together quite smoothly, for my second dress, I was quite impressed. For the record, inverted curves (I know that's not the right term aka the boob) are a bummer to sew. And working in a full skirt around the bottom with piping wasn't my cup of tea either, but...

... when things got hard Mom Tobler was right there to step in and guide me with words of encouragement or in this case, simply take over. With 20 minutes until my first elf party of the year, I was getting ready (transforming into an elf is no easy task) and Mom Tobler was hemming my dress. Talk about down to the wire! Everything came together perfectly and I was so thrilled!

I wanted it to be mostly red with a jewel neckline. I always wear my cheer jumper underneath so a jewel neckline was a must. I love how full the skirt was (after it was sewn) and the gold detail gave it that extra Christmas sparkle.

The greatest feature of this dress it's size adjustable! The other dress I had, I could never wear layers when I was outside because it was simply too tight. Putting lacing up both sides solved that problem. This made it quick and easy to adjust and I could do it on my own! Wonderful!

I knew I wanted a cape with a hood to keep me warm as well. I had it done the same day as my dress but it didn't have any detail on it. Last week I ripped it apart and added the gold trim around the outside edge. I wanted it to tie in with the trim on the bottom edge of my dress and to be honest... the gold trim makes the cape. I also added a gold clasp. I love my cape, and so did my boss. I stopped by her place to pick up my supplies for my first elf party when she spotted me, not that I didn't want her to see, I am pretty proud of my costume, but I didn't want to make a spectacle of it. She ordered 8 more capes to be done A.S.A.P. A.K.A before elf season was in full swing. I was pretty sick of red and green by the end of it, Mom Tobler and I could probably make capes in our sleep. We had a lot of fun in the process however. Working as a team is always makes for a good time.

I love my costume! Just putting it on yesterday made me miss elf season. Even though it's crazy busy and tiring, it's my favorite time of year, filled with joy, laughter and the spirit of Christmas. Only 9 months left ;)