Indian Princess Costume
Create an Indian Princess Costume Pocahuntas Would Envy
Have fun creating a colorful Indian princess costume for Thanksgiving, Halloween or the school play in minutes using basic materials. Your costume can be as simple or as ornate as you wish and offers an excellent opportunity for children to participate. If you don't have leftover fabric on hand, you might find suitable remnants on the sale table at your fabric store. Look for a loose weave material in a neutral color such as beige or tan. Burlap works well but is expensive and a bit scratchy. If you want to make certain your cloth doesn't shrink or fade, soak in cool water, then hang to dry and iron before cutting. If you're unsure of the size, use newspaper to make a pattern, allowing for seams at shoulders and sides.
Now, you're ready to begin. Fold your material at the shoulders with right sides together and cut along the sides. Remember to leave room for an active princess! Using a small saucer, cut a half circle for the head, gauging depth according to the size of the wearer. Now, make a short slit in the back to allow for the head, and stitch the side seams, leaving room for arm holes. If desired, turn under rough edges at neck and sleeves and stitch in place.
For the next step, turn your garment rightside out and have your princess try it on to establish the correct length, then stitch all the way around five inches from the bottom to prevent fraying.
Here comes the fun part! Using a large needle or other sharp instrument, unravel horizontal threads from the bottom to within an inch of the stitching to create a fringe. To make colorful batik designs along the border, color directly on the fabric with crayons, cover with wax paper and a scrap of cloth, then iron until color has melted into the cloth. Or, if you prefer, apply waterproof paint for a similar effect. Now you are ready to decorate around the neck and sleeves with scraps of braid or trim and brightly colored beads. To make a matching headband, fold a narrow scrap of fabric and embellish with bright colors.
Eat your heart out, Pocahuntas!