Saturday 18 October 2008

The Rainbow Fish



It must be the season for making costumes for randomly themed school days! There is a promise of it over here and Smallski had to dress up as a character from a watery themed book on Friday.
"Great" me thinks, "Pirate! Easy-peasy, bandana, scarf, maybe an eyeliner scar..."
"Actually, I want to go as the Rainbow fish"
"That's nice.." I say aloud, "But you'll probably go as a pirate, like everyone else" I quietly mutter, rather hopefully.
So, as is traditional in these parts, I wait until 7.30 on Thursday to make a start. Don't get me wrong I'd thought about it quite a lot and had formed a plan of action, in fact I thought about doing a documented tutorial, but it was getting late-you know how it is!
So, this would be the edited undocumented tutorial.....
Get old T-shirt, (but make sure it fits!) Slash up the sides/underarm so it lays flat, cut strips of cloth (I have an unofficial policy of using stuff I already have in the house in these situations, hence the umm, interesting, colour scheme...) and scallop one edge to make scale shapes - a handy baked bean tin turns out to be the perfect template. Stitch them on the T-shirt so they overlap in a scaly like fashion on the front, back and sleeves. Cut up a too too small tutu to make fins and pin them in at side seams , close side/underarm seams , chop up another old tutu that's too too small (alright I'll stop the bad puns now!) and hand stitch in place down the centre back to make the big fin at the back. Fill in any gaps around the neck with individual scales and voila! you have one happy tiddler!


" So what made you think of going as The Rainbow Fish?"
" Well. Me, Lauren and Alex are all dressing up as fish, you know, like a SCHOOL of Fish......!"
Well it made us laugh.......and that's what counts.

7 comments:

Jodie said...

Love it ! You are a craft cannibal like me, chopping up one thing to create another...Awesome fish!!!

CurlyPops said...

Now that is amazing...it must have been the best costume by far!

Cass said...

She makes a lovely fish, you did a great job

Griffin said...

Hmmm, make it bigger, say a size 14, use black lace, silk and the cotton tee shirt base and some beading and you'd have a 'dark romance' designer (ie you designed it) dress that is so 'on trend' for a/w 08... I really have got to stop looking at ELLE before posting anything!

Smallski looks fab in it. Wot Jodie said... awesome fish!

Anonymous said...

Chip off the old block that one! Great costume, clever idea Mrs M. Tiddler was rightly impressed! I've spent most of sunday interlining and blinging old school shirt and jersey bottoms but most importantly watching endless Elvis you tube videos and teaching little'un to say "Thankyou, thankyou very much" XX

edward and lilly said...

That is fabulous, well done!

Jacqueline said...

oh she looks gorgeous! what a great costume too. My friend's 3yr old decided to be a frog at her birthday and hopped everywhere.