Cimorene

Can I just say how much it thrills me that my child is a Reader? Note the capital letter. Most people can read, but that only makes them readers. Being a Reader is all about loving books and reading for it's own sake. I love the fact that reading is voluntary, and that books are well-loved in our home.

So this year, when I asked what we might use for a costume idea, I should have expected that inspiration would come from a book. Last year I introduced Chiquita to one of my favorite series when I was younger: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Particia Wrede. We made a costume of Cimorene, the main character of the first book in the series. A bit of sewing later, Princess Cimorene arrived.

Any other book recommendations for fantasy-loving little girls out there? Besides this series, we have also loved the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke, the Avalon series by Rachel Roberts, and the Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce.

Pattern: McCall's M5499
Size: Girls' 7-8
Farbic: 7 yards of stash cotton, 10 yards of metallic trim

Modifications: We skipped the keyhole neckline and the laced back in favor of a simplier gown. (Chiquita points out that this makes for a more practical gown, which Cimorene would prefer.) I also made a small, but fortuitous error in cutting the curve of the armhole. The good news is that this change allowed us to make a gown that could be pulled over the head. The original arm hole would have been too small, since it was designed to be laced closed.

This is the biggest sewing project that I have ever worked on other than my house robes. It was also a first for my daughter who did all the pattern piece cutting and helped with the tracing. We used this as a chance to work on a sewing Girl Scout badge, which called for the scout to learn to read a sewing pattern. Now we will be more ready than ever to work on a costume for next year.