Just back home after Christmas in the uk. I have been inspired to make some dressing up clothes for my niece who will be 5 at the beginning of Feb, she was given a box of Disney princess clothes for Christmas which were a great hit but somewhat disappointing in content, in my opinion. Having googled the previous discussions on this a cloak is "de rigeur" it seems, I was considering making it two different colours to ring the changes. Also my mum gave me a lovely bit of bridal satin so I thought a white dress would be good and perhaps a veil out of an old net curtain. I have had a scout through the stash and found a small bit of white fake fur so a muff would be good for that I think. I was trying to veer away from one specific outfit and go more for mix and match items to extend the princesses into something else by using her imagination. She has plenty of fake jewels tiaras etc to glam up with. Any other suggestions would be welcome. Claire in Montréal France
When our first DGD was about that age, I gave her several one- to three-yard lengths of 'fancy' fabrics...I remember one was sheer and floaty, one was sort of a drapey lurex, one was panne velvet...bought from the bargain table, with the raw ends simply pinked or overcast...also most of my patterned scarves, all sizes and shapes, and a couple of boas. Her imagination let her use the pieces in many ways, and they certainly were less labor intensive for me than making specific garments.
I think your niece would love the items you mention.
Does she like to dance? You could do a tu-tu for her. I did one for my DD when she was about that age. I got a leotard and dyed it purple (her favorite color at the time.) Made the layered skirt out of purple netting (tulle is pretty delicate and 5 yo girls can be hard on delicate things lol.) You could do the same sort of thing and just attach it to wide elastic. Then she could pull it on over whatever she is wearing.
Wrap skirts (if she can tie her shoes she can tie a wrap belt) would be another good one. Lots of different colors. Those will get used as skirts, capes, hats, etc. once she gets them. ;)
Hats!!! If you can find some straw hats for cheap (thrift store??) Then you could fancy them up with maribou, or flowers and ribbons.
Here's some other ideas from one of my favorite catalogs:
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If that doesn't work go to
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Then click onPretend Play and then Dress Up. :)Have fun with it, Auntie Claire!!!! Sharon
My neighbours DD has some pretty dressing up "skirts" that were made by her Gran. I've carefully filed the idea for future for my DD!!
They are made apron style for ease of putting on, growth room and the ability to wear as a cloak. The skirt consists of a couple of rectangular layers of net, gathered up at the top. This is then finished on the top with a long piece of wide ribbon, the net skirt is centred on the ribbon leaving long tails either side, and the ribbon folded in half over the gathered edge, and then sewn. Very simple, very easy and very versatile.
I think a double sided cloak in two different colours is an excellent idea.
I'll start my admitting that I don't have DD or DGDs, but I was a 5 year old girl once, so that gives me some expertise. Keep in mind the dress up clothing don't all have to be girly - I hate that word. A long white button up coat can turn her into a doctor, a vet, or a scientist. A briefcase, play glasses, and a "suit" fabric coat has endless possibilities. Firepeople and policepeople outfits and accessories. A red flannel shirt would turn her into a carpenter or a lumber jack. Add tools, a toolbelt, and other like accessories with the tiara's and boas. Girl's only grow up to think those are men's roles because it is continually reinforced, from a young impressionable age.
Joy - my job as a mechanical eng>> Just back home after Christmas in the uk. I have been inspired to make
I think this is a really good point -- lots of various options for play. I grew up before girls were encouraged in anything but dolls and playing house - but for me it never did work. Maybe not for you, Joy, either?
And my sister and I had so much fun with a pair of discarded curtains that I was about to suggest sarongs. The drapes weren't just capes and robes and the like; they were tents and picnic blankets and . . .
And vice-versa! Back in the 1970s (when we were in grade school) my younger brother was just as interested in cooking and sewing I was (and still am). BUT his dad (my stepdad) mocked him and made fun of his early efforts and he quickly gave up. Now I am a textile artist but my brother didn't develop his talents in that area. Play is more important than than many people realize! That is when kids try out different roles and see what they like/dislike. I think it is a shame when doofus adults quelch children's budding interests.
Sorry, folks, I'll jump off my soapbox now before I go into full-rant mode! :-)
My job as an electrical engineer pays for my sewing addiction!
As a child I know I had cars & meccano to play with. With my Dad an engineer, it never had any negative associations for me, and I'm certainly a chip of the paternal block in terms of mindset. Being an engineer is in my genes!
As a newish Mum, I'm determined DD will have "boys" toys, and if I ever have a son, he will get "girls" toys. I hope I can encourage any child of mine to be what they want to be without me forcing any of my preconceived notions of what I'd like them to be on them.
which is why my sons have a kitchen set complete with apron and a baby doll to play with (not used much but it serves it's purpose) they both know that sewing machines are boys toys too as do my nephews who would "kill" for a night spent here so they get to sew a bit more on the quilts they are making for themselves. mind you my ex is a chef so all the kids know that a chef is a good job for a man and certainly not girly. mind you when my kids leave my house they will be able to cook, sew and do the housekeeping (and that includes washing and ironing hehe)
I am very like my father in skills and personallity, who was a machinist. He would have made a great mechanical engineer if he had been able to finish school, I know because I am so much like him. But he couldn't finish school after getting out of the service while working full time. I spent my childhood helping him fix cars and rental property. I could sweat a pipe and hang sheetrock by the time I was 7. As did my brother. But I wasn't suppose to like it. I grew up loving it and my brother couldn't be bothered. At the same time I can't say how many thing I was discouraged from being interested in by being told "girls don't do that". Or him realizing I had been helping him on something all day and then saying, "shouldn't you be helping your mother with dinner or something". But actions speak louder than words, and eventually I got to the rebellous age where being told not to was the best form of encouragement.
I was more interested in the doll house - that my brother and I built - and the cars that came with it than the dolls. Altough the clothes were interesting, but I never did sew doll clothes. I love sewing now, and was determined to learn after my awful home ec introduction, but hate to cook and clean, just don't see the point, no reward and it just needs to be done again soon anyway. I played with my brother's toys for alot of reasons: interest, they were the hand-me-downs I got, and my brother older was more likely to let me join in his activities than him joining in anything I might be doing. When my brother was a cub scout and my mother the den mother, I hung around the meetings by necessity. By the time I joined blue-birds a few years later is was a big disappointment. No woodcarving or knot tieing, just cooking and macaroni art.
I spent alot of time in Ireland growning up, and they were/are (but getting better) at equality than the US. I'm in my late thirties and I have cousins my age overthere that are amazed I was "allowed" to be come and engineer.
So even if you don't ecourage someone to ignore stereotypes, and in someways reinforce them, it just might happen anyway. I got mixed signals and had a strong enough personallity to do what I wanted anyway. But I know too many people that got pushed into things they hated, and any contrary interest was squashed if it didn't fit the parents idea of acceptable, for what ever reason.
I wrote something once, not really sure it it's a poem or a story... one line in particular always sticks in my mind:
As soon as you put a label on someone, you are trying to cram them into a small, round stereo-type hole.
They might be square, oval, or any other shape because of the infinite details that make up their personality. Most people, after being stuffed in the hole will try to rearrange themselves to fit.
All you can do is offer. We had a boy first, then a girl, so I was determined we needed no more toys, we were already well stocked with toy cars, trucks, hardwood blocks etc. Before she could even talk, she made it clear she wanted dollies, dollies and more dollies, also doll beds, doll buggies etc. etc. In the church nursery on Sunday mornings she quickly learned to crawl towards anything to do with dolls. Oh well. I tried. We bought her dolly stuff.
Yes I agree with all the comments, but this is a very girly girl . Everything is pink, purple, glitter and butterflies!!! heaven help us.
I should just say I gave my 2 yr old twin nephews Auntie Claire made aprons with cooking/baking sets and a bag of cookie mix each for christmas and they played with nothing else. Unfortunatly the cooking/ baking sets were in pink boxes but once unpacked no one took any more notice of that and they had a great time.
As far as the dressing up clothes go I have decided to do a black and blue double sided cape, a fake fur muff, and several skirts in good plain primary colours. I will do a couple of pull on tops with shirring elastic across the back to make it quicker to change. If I can work it out of the scraps there should be enough for some headscarfs fixed with velcro and a couple of aprons. Prahaps I should go look if I have a couple of my boys old check shirts to throw in the mix just to see what happens !!!
Thank you for the sugesstions I will let you know how this goes.
I like the idea of wings, I might have to forgo the coat hanger wire idea tho' as everything has to be posted from France to the UK, and I can imagine the wire being squished out of shape by the post very easily.
I remember seeing some soft fabric wings that were quite simple once. They seemed to be a length of fabric gathered in the centre with elastic loops for fingers or wrists at the top edge of either end. I'll see whats in the stash.
If I can't do it from the stash for this project it just isn't going to happen!!
Since I still can't sew, I went shopping today with DH to find a birthday gift today for DGD. I wanted a pretend box for her and since I still get tired and sore shopping I was limited to one store. Of course I found nothing I wanted. It was either very pink and princess type or guns and knives which I'm not about to give to any child. I decided I wanted to by her a tool kit. DH didn't think it would go over very well with mom. I said I really didn't care, it was not for mom. We compromised on a fire engine she could build and paint with dad. My favorite image of this particular child is her out playing soccer with her poppa, she has bare feet, a tiara and tutu on and is diving to get the ball. Oh how I wish I had a camera with me that day. I know she'll love the fire engine. Juno
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