Hello Sewing Friends! Happy October from Tamar Hope Designs! Are you sewing Halloween costumes this year!? It’s so magical to have the chance to transform your kids into the characters of their dreams! This year my kids wanted to be pirates! I had so much fun creating these costumes. And they were thrilled with the results!
If you have a little one in your life who wants to be a pirate, I have some inspiration for you! I found three different ways to create fun pirate costumes with Sunflower Seams Patterns.
First up, the pirate princess 
The dress for this costume is Strawflower. I used a stretch velvet for the dress. (Bonus, this dress will double as an adorable Christmas dress!!!) The underskirt is Rosewood. I attached ruffles to the front panel of the skirt before I sewed it together. The jacket is Spruce. I made the jacket unlined since it is a costume and finished the raw edges with trim. The belt is just a strip of black fabric and a gold ring.
Next up, the pirate crew chief. 
The skirt for this costume is Rosewood. I cut three skirts of different lengths, gathered them together, and attached them to the waistband. The shirt is Laurel, and the vest is Ginger. I sized down to create a fitted vest. I cut two of each front and back piece of the vest, and sewed them together as you would a lined bodice of a dress. Then I added grommets and leather lacing.
Last up, the pirate maid. 
This costume is created using Florentina. I used the back pieces as the front and the front pieces as the back. I added several inches to the bottom of the bodice to create a drop waist look. I also added grommets and leather lacing in the front. The sleeves are the bell sleeves from the pattern. Since I used woven fabric, I sized up and scooped out the armscye a little bit.
For the skirt, I sewed strips of fabric together vertically to create the skirt. After gathering and attaching the skirt, I pinched pieces of fabric about a third of the way down the skirt and tacked them up near the waistline. My daughter wore a white RTW white top under the dress. The belt again is simply a strip of black fabric and a belt buckle. 
My favorite part about these costumes was that I didn’t have to hem anything!!! I did hem the strawflower dress, since I want to use it for a Christmas dress. But I left all the other skirts with raw edges. It makes the costumes look a little rough around the edges, and it saved tons of time! Win-win!
I’d love to see the costumes that you come up with!!! Don’t forget to share in the Facebook group, so we can all gush over your hard work!
Happy Costume Sewing!!
-Tamar
