Princess Anna Costume

I mentioned back in April in my post about the Queen Elsa costume that I made that I was also working on a Princess Anna costume and had been for awhile. Well I finished it...in October.

I had started it in March/April of 2014. So, yes...it took me a year and a half to finish a costume. Not to make excuses, but I wasn't working on it non-stop for that whole year and a half. I stopped and started as I had other projects to work on (Brew Fest, Legally Blonde, Graveyard Cabaret, Queen Elsa, another Brew Fest, Addams Family, etc.).


I also had some technical difficulties.


Way back in March of 2014 when I started on this journey I picked Anna thinking her costume would be easier. Boy was I wrong. I can work with sequins, but embroidery!? Apparently not.


My original plan was to applique all of Anna's "embroidered" embellishments. That worked for the skirt. For the cape I did a combo of applique and machine embroidery from my multi-stitch sewing machine. I did machine borders for the shirt as well. But for the bodice - oh that bodice - applique didn't look right and I didn't have a fancy enough machine for those decorations. So I had to hand embroider the bodice.


HAND embroider! As in by hand. With an embroidery hoop and all.


I am not an embroiderer. It's definitely not my thing. And the fabric I chose - this gorgeous vintage, black velvet was like the worst fabric for embroidery.


By last December I had the skirt, the shirt, and the cape finished.

I also had the bodice cut out and sewn together enough to start embroidery. Then it took me until October to finish the embroidery.

I'll admit there were times I was lazy and just ignored the project because I didn't want to embroider anymore. Fortunately there was no great need for Anna like there was for Elsa - until October. Which is all the motivation I need to get things done.


I did the back first and you can tell.

By the time I got to the front I had figured out a better way to outline the designs to embroider. On the back I was hand drawing it on with chalk and then basting out the center of the design. For the front I printed out the designed and traced it with the sewing machine. It came out so much better.

My boyfriend told me I should just buy an embroidery machine, but honestly, aside from this one project I never embroider. Especially to this degree. Usually for theater you can't even see this kind of detail.

So, here's to those who embroider - I applaud you for your work. Please don't ever make me do it again.