Rhyl as Tinkerbell, Halloween 2009

There was no getting around it. Rhyl had to be Tinkerbell. So, after much brainstorming, research, sketching, and one fairly unsuccessful dry run with a yard of satin, I made her a costume. Head to toe, it all cost under $3. I used about half of the $3 green fleece throw that I bought from Hy-Vee, some random jingle bells (on the shoe covers, for the pixie sound), and some leftover white fleece scraps and notions from my stash. Here's what she wore:

*Headband with a couple of white flowers, to keep her ears warm

*Dress: fitted bodice, gathered skirt with leaf bottom, and ruffle sleeves

*Wings: white fleece with pipe cleaners sandwiched between them for structure; green and white fleece pompom in the middle, just for fun; pin backs to attach it to her dress/shirt/jacket

*Shoe covers: because she didn't have any green flats to attach a white pompom to, I made green fleece covers with green and white pompoms and little jingle bells. A drawstring around the bottom of the cover kept it over the shoe. She wore them over her red Mary Janes.

*Long sleeved shirt and tights and such, to keep warm.

My favorite thing about this outfit was working with the fleece--it doesn't unravel! I used my pinking shears for a zig-zag edge and didn't have to worry about finishing any edges. Made it that much more fun! The biggest challenge was making wings that Rhyl was okay with. Judging from the last pair I made, they would have to be something that attached to the outfit that she could forget that she was wearing. Mission accomplished. Cost: about 2 hrs, a portion of a $3 fleece blanket, and some leftover notions.