Sewing for Halloween: Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion featuring patterns from Little Lizard King and Filles A Maman
/Hi there! Crystal here, from Stitched by Crystal. Do you guys get as excited about Halloween sewing as I do? I look forward to sewing costumes for my kids every year! My daughter is really girly who loves to dress up and accessorize. She planned her costume around a pair of shoes she simply HAD to have...sparkly red high heels! So...I sewed up a blue checkered Dorothy dress to go with the new shoes and my son got a coordinating lion costume to fit a Wizard of Oz theme!
Little Lizard King recently released the Roanoke Dress Pattern that I knew would make a perfect Dorothy dress! It has a pieced bodice, perfect for making the jumper look of Dorothy’s Wizard of Oz dress, and the puffy sleeves I was wanting.
I altered the pattern just a bit. I added 1.5” of length to the bottom of the bodice and added a little sash strip cut on the bias to the bottom and I added 1” of length to the cap sleeves and added some ric rac in the binding.
I wanted the dress to look very similar to the dress Judy Garland wore in the movie, so I altered the top bodice piece a bit so I could add the gathered detail at the top. To do this, I cut slits in my pattern straight down from the neckline, then smoothed out the curve. I cut my piece and gathered the neck to match the lining and then finished it off with double fold bias tape and ric rac like the sleeves.
I also added a little bias cut trim along the bodice seam and on the skirt.
After sewing up the dress, I added some jumper strap. I measured the distance from the waist, up and over the shoulder and made my straps to size. Then I stitched them down at the shoulders and attached them to the waist with buttons.
The lion was really simple. For the body, I used the One Romper pattern by Filles a Maman. This pattern is such a great base for a lot of costume options but also makes a really great everyday romper! The pattern has short sleeves, but has a long sleeve add on that I used. Since my little guy is so young, I switched the snap from the sleeve to the inseam. And I made a lion tail with a bit of fur on the end and hand stitched it to my lions backside.
For the mane, I used another new Little Lizard King release, the Madison Vest and I mashed it with the furry yoke of Little Lizard King’s Dakota Dress pattern. The Madison vest was perfect for this with a furry hood and animal ear options. I chose the mouse ears for my lion. While the vest as is would make for a really great lion costume, I really like it with the yoke instead!
To mash the two, I simply printed the yoke from the dress and the neckline of the vest pattern. I adjusted the yoke neckline down a little in the front and up a little in the back to match the neckline of the vest. Then I sewed the hood to the yoke. I used a big hook and eye to secure the mane in the front.
Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion are ready for some trick or treat fun!
Happy Halloween sewing!
Use your Cricut Maker 3 to craft a personalized Halloween welcome sign.