My sister Abby is super-creative. We used to have craft days together, and she would complete an entire project while I spent most of the day talking. (That made me so mad!!) Yesterday was her birthday, and for the occasion, she has a gift for YOU! She wrote up a great tutorial for her daughter Ellie's "Jessie from Toy Story" costume. She made what looks like a complicated costume from simple supplies and steps, so I know you'll love it. Enjoy! --Anna
When Ellie was 2 she was crazy about Toy Story. She received a Jessie doll for her birthday that year and had to be Jessie for Halloween. The costume couldn’t have been easier to make!
You’ll
need a pair of jeans that you don’t mind altering, a white button-down
shirt (we thrifted ours), ¼ yd of cow-print fabric, red cording and
about ¼ yd yellow fabric (mine was flannel because I had that on hand),
black leather (or suede, fleece or felt) scraps, and two over-sized
buttons. For the hair you need 1 skein of red yarn, a yellow ribbon and
a stretchy headband. We were lucky and were able to borrow a hat just
like Jessie’s. :-)
To
make the braid, follow the same instructions for the rapunzel braid.
You just want to make it thicker and shorter. Jessie’s braid is pretty
thick so make it according to the size of your little one’s head.
To make the shirt start by cutting two pieces of yellow in a
shape. This will go on the shoulders of your shirt. You can cut both
pieces at the same time - you’ll just need to flip the second one over.
The size of this piece depends on the size of your shirt. My shirt is a
3-4 and my yellow pieces are about 4.5” at the widest point and about 6”
from the top to the point. Pin these onto your shirt - you can fold the
edges under if you don’t want to see the raw edges. I didn’t want to
take the time to do this - it’s just a costume! I zig-zagged around the
edges in red thread.
Next cut a shape from the yellow fabric. This is for the top of the backside of the shirt. Zig-Zag around the edge.
Take the red cording and loop it down then up and then down again, pinning as you go to the top left shoulder. Repeat on the right shoulder. Set your zig-zag setting to the about the width of your cording zig-zag along the cording, carefully removing pins as you go, to secure it.
Sew on the two over-sized buttons. I sewed mine between the original buttons. Have your little Jessie try on the shirt for the best placement.
For the cuffs of the sleeves, cut two rectangles from your yellow fabric long enough to go around the cuff or your shirt plus ½” and wide enough to cover the cuff plus ½” if you want to finish the edges. Cut 2 squares from your black leather (or whatever material you’re using) the same width as your cuff. Line up the edge of the square with the edge of the yellow. Fold the yellow rectangle in half with right sides together and pin along the edge, securing the black square between the layers. Repeat with the second cuff. Sew along the edge of the cuff. Flip the cuff right-side out. Cut ¼” slits in the black squares to create fringe. Attach the cuffs to the cuffs of your shirt by top-stitching or zig-zagging along the edge.
To make the chaps, fold the cow-print fabric right side out and trace one leg of your pants (starting below the pocket) onto it adding ½” to the outer edge. Cut out.
Fold all the edges under ¼” and sew to hem. The chaps are sewn across the top of the jeans under the pocket and ⅔ of the way down the inseam. The outer edge is left loose. To do this, begin by pinning the top edge of the chaps, right sides together, to the front of the jeans below the pocket. Sew. Next, pin the the inner edge of the chaps, right side down, to the inseam of the pants.
This will need to be hand sewn. I used about ¼” stitches and it worked great. Repeat this process on the other leg. Lastly, cut 2 rectangles, about 2.5” x 2” from your black leather and sew about 2.5” from the bottom of the outer edge of the chaps. Cut ¼” slits to make fringe.
Oh my gosh! Isn't Ellie the cutest thing?! Thanks, Abby for showing us how you made this costume. It looks so much like the real thing. For those of you who are a little nervous around the sewing machine, most of the sewing could be replaced by careful glue-gunning. We were also just out shopping at a costume shop, and saw that they had the perfect Jessie hat, so it's good to know that they are out there.
So, are you finished with your costumes for this year? If so, you are WAY ahead of me. I've gathered supplies, but I have yet to sew or glue a single thing! Come back soon, because I have yet another guest post lined up, as well as my own family costumes.
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