Sunday 22 March 2015

Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle

I was asked by my good friend Julie Newell, who teaches Vaulting (acrobatics on horseback) to make a Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle costume based on the movie version. I had watched it once, so dug it out to watch over and over until I had a really good idea of what too do. The costumes have to be really tough to withstand the treatment they get and constant washing. I knew I wouldn't be able to use net and sequin fabric, so made them out of different types of lycra, especially metallic. I made the base of Peter Pan with dark green plain lycra and appliqued lots of leaves in different colours and stitched on with zigzag stitch in different colours and lots of metallic thread. I cut out different leaf shapes and also appliqued leaves out of my artificial flower collection which were left over from making the headdress of the Hungarian National Costume, a picture of which can be found on my page.


 
 
I made the legs and arms out of flesh coloured power net and cut some patches out of the trousers and inserted power net in these. When I was happy with the overall look, I added some strips of brown stretch fabric over the costume to represent the straps over his body and around his arm. Here is a picture of the finished costume
 
 
Peter Pan Costume
 
With Tinkerbelle, I decided to make big leaf shapes and make the veins in the leaves using zigzag stitch and lilac metallic thread. I then glued on Swarovski crystals. the skirt part was made with double layered lycra to make it tough and stand out and I edged the leaves with the lilac stitching. She has metallic green pants and power net legs and the top of the body and arms are made out of power net too. I trimmed it with some beautiful dark green sequin trim made up of tiny flowers that I bought a while ago, hoping for a chance to use it. I sewed some ready-made white sequin wings on the back, as it would have been impossible for her to do acrobatics in big wired fairy wings.
 
 
Tinkerbelle costume
 

 
 



 
Here is a photo of the two of them with Julie and some of the other vaulters. There is a lovely video clip of them in action on my page.