Frilly, Feminine, Little Bo Peep Costume for Tween Girl

I was thrilled when my daughter asked if she could be Little Bo Peep this year…There is nothing cuter than a little girl in a frilly, feminine costume!

The absolute best part of making this costume was sitting down with my 11-year old daughter and coming up with an original design together. There are elements in this costume that meet both of our creative needs, mine being an 18^th century inspired corset, hoop skirt and bustle, and my daughter being the ruffled skirt, pantaloons, and fabric choices. (I never would have thought to pair green gingham with the pink floral, but I love how it turned out!)

Throughout the construction process I noticed how close my daughter and I were becoming. I also watched my daughter’s face light up and her self-confidence grow as we watched our design begin to take shape.

It would be nearly impossible to provide ‘how-to’ instructions for each piece of this costume, as it includes shoes, pantaloons, hoop skirt, peasant shirt, Regency-era inspired bonnet, corset, ruffled skirt with bustles, and a shepherd’s crook. I will, however, say that there are many ‘how-to’ instructions on- line detailing how many of the things that my daughter and I were able to create were made. I am happy to provide the following links:

www.elizabethancostume.net/custompat/

www.ikatbag.com/2008/12/dress-up-box-tippytoes.html

The hoop skirt was made by adapting a store bought pattern. I based the outer skirt on the same pattern and added long lengths of fabric that were gathered and sewn onto the skirt, in layers, to create the ruffles.

The bustles are basic wide “U” shaped pieces of contrasting fabric that are gathered along the curve, not the straight edge and sewn onto the skirt at the waist. The waistband can be finished off with a casing for elastic, or you can add a zipper and button/button hole like I did.

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