children's costumes

[monkey]

we're going to a fancy dress party, and I need to make a costume (fish??) for my 3 yr old dd. Help!!!! The people I'm (she's) going with are all really arty & creative. I'm not. Ohmygod!!!
So, panic is setting in. Does anyone know a web site that can talk me through it step by step, or have any other help advice to save my stress levels & me & my dd's shame?!

Monkey, I got my Kids Stuff catalogue yesterday and it has a mermaid costume in it...???

M&S do a mermaid costume, too.

I saw a brilliant mermaid outfit in a magazine made out of that plastic bubble wrap sprayed silver and just wound round the kid, with slits at the bottom to look like fins. And triangles of the same to make a bikini

Bubble wrap fish scales - what a fantastic idea, and the box on braces thing, as well.

Monkey, I have come up against this problem. My small local library usually had a book or two on children's fancy dress ideas.

hopscotch.co.uk - catalogue full of fancy dress costumes for kids

Sorry that should be hopscotchmailorder.co.uk

Help! I need some ideas from you creative bunch for an outfit for a "multi-cultural" day at dd's school...very stuck for ideas and don't want to go buying anything if I can get away with it...any ideas???? It's next Thursday btw!

A sari is easy to make: long skirt, small top underneath and a length of pretty fabric. You could do a bindi or chandlo (sp?) on her forehead too. Heres how to put a sari on, it's NOT as complicated as they make it sound I promise, but it'll give you an idea. Basically, wrap the fabric once around the waist, pleat the remainder of the material and throw it over the shoulder, maybe secure with a safety pin.

We've just had that! We did Spanish lady (party dress and mum's fringed scarf) for the oldest, and the youngest war a tiny salwar chemise that we bought for £1.50 in a charity shop.

What about a red indian squaw? Make a fringe at the bottom of a straight dress or old shirt. A wig of woollen black plaits and a headband with a couple of feathers.

Or a Hula girl bikini top, sarong (large scarf tied round waist) or grass skirt (those cheap beach mats unravel very nicely to make one - take the binding off 2 short side and one long then use it to tie around the waist and unravel 3/4 of the way up the mat to make the grass). Also a flower garland around her neck and flowers in her hair.

a japanese lady...i'm not sure where you live, but you might be able to find a kimono at a charity shop and then chopsticks in the hair, white face makeup and black eyes, eyebrows...red lips.

Thanx so much for all your great ideas, I knew I oculd count on you! Might need to scour the op shops by the sound of it! They are all good ideas, not sure about the hula girl tho as it's winter here at the moment - bit cold for bikinis!

Help needed! My daughter's school is opening its school museum next Wednesday, and she's got to dress up as an historical character. How vague is that?! Has anyone got any (easy and quick to make) ideas. My daughter really wants to be Queen Victoria for some reason, but I don't even know where to start.
I'm really not arty or crafty or handy in any way. This is my idea of hell!

Queen Victoria is easy - ankle length black dress, lace collar and cuffs, little lace mob cap - but maybe not so great if it is a warm day

OK - here comes a gripe!! I hate the way schools just tell us we have to dress our children up in costumes - whether its book day, World War 2 day, your new museum etc. They don't seem to realise the stress it causes people who have no creative talent (like me), no time in a busy working week (like me) and little money to go out and buy bits of lace, felt, black cloaks and all the rest of it (again, like me). Give us a break, please! Do you think I am being a killjoy? (my children aren't even that bothered about dressing up)

Hear, hear, Bee! My heart always sinks when I hear those words 'Mum, I've got to dress up as a ........'!

Just to update - had a brilliant brainwave after my last post to dress dd in the embriodered red silk pyjamas that dsil bought for her in Singapore when on holiday last year. They fit her perfectly, though they were a bit cold (it was about 4C that morning!)...don't know why they insist on having these things in the middle of winter! The whole school was involved in a parade, which was fantastic, and even the teachers were dressed up (including the principal, who looked a little like a cross between Carmen Miranda - fruit on his head - and Barry Manilow at the Copacabana). There were alot of mums who were moaning about it beforehand (me included), but I must admit I felt sorry for the kids who were just in school uniform on the day. There were so many who had gone to a huge effort, but even those who just wore a sombrero or something at least tried! I'm not the slightest bit creatively minded, nor can I sew at all, but it was pretty good for dd to take part. At least they gave us a bit of notice - I agree finding out the night before that your child needs a lion costume or something the next day is a bit overwhelming!

OK, so I think I've managed to "persuade" (ie told her it's the only thing I could do) dd to be Florence Nightingale. I plan on adapting the Queen Victoria idea (by "adapt", I mean add an apron!), but I wondered if anyone had any ideas on making a lamp? Maybe with a jar?
I do completely agree that it's a real pain to do these things, but sometimes I surprose myself with my ingenuity, and for someone who's spent all of her life believing herself to be an "unarty" person, it's nice to find that I do have some skills in that area.

For Florence Nightingale's lamp - either one of those dirt-cheap garden lanterns from somewhere like cargo homestore or any shop that does ethnic stuff (good for in the garden afterwards or a candle in a candlestick (obviously not lit). All the pix of Florence have her with a candle anyway. Or even put a nighlight in a jam jar. Indian clothes shop are a great source of 'costumes' with beautiful but incredibly cheap little Shalwar Kameez etc. Nice for parties as well as fancy dress and adapatable (Mrs Ghandi???).

Just to update, the day has been & gone, and it went really well. There were 3 other Florence Nightingales in dd's class, so either great minds think alike, or fools seldom differ. I ended up making dd's skirt, which really pleased me - I used that stuff that you iron on and "glues" the fabric together. I also sewed the main seam, but for the hem and waistband, the iron-on stuff on its own was great! As suggested, I put lace collar and cuffs on a long-sleeved black T-shirt, and added an apron and a lacy chair-back sewed onto the hat of her nurses dressing up outfit. Made the candle-holder out of a small round (Yorkshire pudding sized) baking tin.
If I say so myself, it looked rather good. Thanks for all the input on here.

anyone seen a jessie cowgirl (toy story 2) play suit in the shops. I searched the disney store website it doesnt exist but ive seen one in the disney girl magisine.

Don't know if you had any success finding a Jessie costume. I have just bought one from the Disney store in Bath. In the sale so it may be a line they are discontinuing.