How to Make Thumbelina's Dress

Little girls love dressing up as their fairy tale heroines, including Thumbelina.

Thumbelina, the tiny character from the classic fairy tale created by Hans Christian Andersen, has made a recent comeback with the release of the Barbie Thumbelina doll, movie and games. Little girls will love dressing up like Thumbelina for Halloween or play time. Replicate Barbie's Thumbelina dress with a few simple pieces of fabric and sewing skills. Your final product will be a pink dress with accessories any little girl will adore as she lives out one of her favorite fairy tales.

Things You'll Need

• Pink spaghetti strap sundress
• Pink nylon or lycra fabric
• Glitter spray paint
• Purple false flower
• 1 yard of ruffled trim or ribbon
• Spool of thread and needle
• Toy fairy wings
• Pink slip-on shoes

Instructions

1. Purchase a pink spaghetti strap sundress for the girl who will be wearing the Thumbelina dress. Cut it off at the waist, so only the top remains. Measure out the darker pink lycra or nylon fabric so you have enough to wrap completely around the waist of the dress, and it's long enough to reach below the knees of your little girl.

2. Sew the dark fabric to the top of the sundress so it forms a bunchy empire waist. You can do this by making a stitch, and then pushing the fabric across a bit, and then making another stitch so you will get a bunched-up border across the empire waist region. Sew another bunched-up hem across the bottom of the dark pink fabric, tucking it under and leaving 2 inches of fabric below. If bunched and stitched correctly, it should come to just above the knees when worn.

3. Spray the entire dress with silver or gold glitter fabric paint. You can also toss loose glitter onto the fabric immediately after spraying it with hairspray, and then spraying it over again afterward. Allow to dry.

4. Sew some ruffled lace or ribbon along the top of the dress, so it borders the chest and armpits. Add some fun ribbon over the straps if you'd like. Barbie Thumbelina has bright green ribbons. Sew or glue a faux flower head to the left side of the empire waist.

5. Purchase purple fairy wings and pink shoes to complete your little girl's Thumbelina look. Spray these with the glitter paint as well.

References

• Totally COstumes: Thumbelina Barbie Child Costume

Resources

• Party City: Thumbelina Costume