A couple of weeks ago I decided to make a dress for a friend’s cartoon themed birthday party - in less than a week. Seeing as both my mum and I are working a lot and my sewing experience has thus far been hemming my jeans and hand-sewing little doodads, it turned out to be a bit of an ambitious project. Still, it didn’t turn out too bad! If you can’t tell, I’m supposed to be Alice from Alice in Wonderland…

Because my mum decided a pattern wouldn’t be necessary there was much cutting out of newspaper and theorizing, which led to the dress being big enough to probably fit another of me in there (okay, maybe a slightly skinnier me). In the end I sort of sewed myself into it, hiding the bunches under the apron (I’m so glad there was an apron!). I also seem to have issues sewing in a straight line… and a curved line… well at all really. But even though I’m not exactly up to making my own clothes or anything, at least I now have a vague idea of how to use a sewing machine. New skill!

I didn’t really have the right lens for the occassion (or maybe I just don’t know how to use it properly) - there never seemed to be enough space or enough light. But here’s a few of the other costumes people came up with: