Needleworkmonday | My Crochet Project: Moana Dress

I have been working on my daughter's halloween costume for almost three weeks now and I am super glad that finally, it is complete! I originally planned it to be a crochet top and tutu skirt type of costume but it's really difficult to chance that light brown hard tulle fabric in the market. So momma's got to improvise. And I'm glad I did! The end product was much better than what I had in mind.

On my previous post which I am shamelessly dropping here, I have just finished the top.

Then later that week, I headed for the fabric store to check if the hard tulle I needed has arrived. Only to be disappointed and be directed to another store which is miles away. If you live here in the Philippines, you can surely predict the unpredictability of the weather. It'll be sunny when you go out of the house, but then just as you are on your way to your destination, it will start pouring as if there's a storm. So I decided not to go to that other store. I just roamed around the mall, trying to figure out how I can make a skirt for my daughter's costume.

Then I went to the department store. I knew they have another fabric shop in there but it's just too pricey. One of the reaaons why I wanted to make a DIY costume is to save some bucks. But still I went ahead to see if there's something I can find in there. And oh yeah, I found fabric heaven!

They sell fabric scraps (I think that's what you can call it). Those pieces of fabrics that were not sold to the last customer because it's either too little or too big to give away. And what's more is I found the colors I wanted for my daughter's dress! At a much cheaper price! HEAVEN!

I was so excited with the fabrics I bought, I immediately started off with sewing the skirt. I made three layers for the skirt.

The first layer is the one that would touch my daughter's skin. The fabric is soft so I know she won't get irritated or feel uneasy while we're trick or treating. Oh no, you do not want to be within my daughter's reach when she's uncomfortable. She is inexplicably grumpy. Cute but really really grumpy. I let my husband deal with her tantrums because well, that's what those muscles are for. Carrying a rogue baby.

Then I attached the second layer. This is what I'd like to call the fluffy layer. To be honest, I was already contented with the two layers. But when my husband saw the partially finished product, he said he wanted another layer with all those crisscross design. I defended my two-layer skirt. But then he said it looks more like a gown than Moana's skirt. I let him win. Yes, I did let him win this round.

So I drew triangles on a fabric folded four times. Then I cut the insides. I ran a zigzaggy stitch in the sewing machine for the edges. And I'm glad I let my husband win our argument.

I redid the belt. The original was 250 stitches long with three layers of HDC. I made a 150st long belt with 5 layers of HDC and 1 layer of SC. I then went ahead and attached it to the top most layer of the skirt.