I decided to start this costume on the way home one night as I was browsing Facebook. I came accross my friend Maggie's site, Costumer's Guide. She had posted this great blog by Austin Brown called "The Ruby Slipper Project ". Afterreading and digesting his blog about the exact recreation of those famous red shoes, I was hooked. I knew I needed to make my own pair... this of course meant I needed a matching costume too ;-)
I had always wanted a Dorothy costume ever since I was a little girl, now I'm finally fulfilling my dream :-)
I searched eBay for 2 hours looking for a good shoe. I managed to find a pair that was brand new and had the french style heel for only $20. The bnous is that they are super comfy Aerosoles!
I spent about another 3-4 hours searching online for the correct transparent Ruby colored 5mm flat sequin. Doesn't sound too hard to find, right? Most sequins you find are cup shaped and iridescent or metallic or opaque. I'm too frugal to spend $35 on only 5000 sequins from Schrum Studios . I knew they had to be out there cheaper, I used to work in the trimmings industry after all. I finally hit paydirt - over 14,000 sequins for under $13 (from CCartwright)! Sometimes saving money takes a little research, but it is so worth it in the end.
The fabrics were the easiest part and came from Fabric.com and my personal stash.
Materials:
5yds - Blue 1/4" Gingham Check Cotton (Fabric.com)
4 - Fashion Button 3/4" Waterbury White (Fabric.com)
2yds - Light Blue Ric Rac 5/8" (from M&J Trimming)
2yds - Soft White Cotton shirt fabric (in stash)
Light Blue Invisible Zipper
100 gram pack of Ruby 5mm Flat Sequins (item #I5f64N from CCartwright)
Red Fabric (in stash)
**UPDATES**
October 30th - I had to rush to make the bows as I could not find the correct sized/shaped ruby gems for the shoe anywhere in NYC's trimming shops (go figure). I'm sorry I didn't really take making-of pics, it really was a rush job, and they will be remade in the future. I will most likely be casting my own gems from resin, but that is for another day next year.
October 29th - I popped in Wizard of Oz and managed to completely draft a mock up and finish the dress and blouse in about 11 hours!
October 12th - I got one shoe completely finished and the other one is started.
October 6th - I managed to finish one half of the first shoe
October 5th - The sequinning madness begins! I covered the shoes in a beautiful red fabric prior to sequinning.
October 1st - All the materials have been ordered and received. I got the fabrics and trims from Fabric.com and the sequins from Cartwright's Sequins online. I found the shoes on eBay with the french shaped heel - they are super comfy too!
