Princess Leia costume for babies and toddlers

For today’s costume party tutorial, we’re making Princess Leia costumes for babies and toddlers!

The components of this costume are:

The Hat:

For the hat, I first made the Sweet Pea Pilot Cap in brown, with matching brown ribbing. The free tutorial can be downloaded HERE thanks to Meg at Sew Liberated. Make sure you buy enough of the brown jersey to make buns that will match the hat.
Once your cap is completed, cut two long and skinny rectangles of fabric. I believe mine measured 3.5 inches wide by 20 inches. Fold each rectangle in half (good sides together) so it becomes 1 3/4 inches wide by 20 inches. Press flat. Taper one of the short ends so it looks like this:
Sew from the tapered end down the long edge.
Turn the tube inside out and stuff not too tightly with Poly-fil (stuffing).
You can either machine or hand sew the short end closed. It will be covered by the coiled bun.
Coil you bun in such a way that you cover the short end and you tuck the tapered end behind the bun. One side of the bun will look pretty, the other side will be “ugly,” showing the tucked in tapered end of the tub as well as the short hand/machine sewn shut end.
Whip stitch the bun from the “ugly” side so that it is a free standing, permanently coiled unit.
Sew the bun to the side of your pilot cat by hand using your best blind stitch.

For the dress I actually used the sleep sack pattern from the book Growing Up Sew Liberated. It was a very easy pattern to follow and if you don’t put the elastic in the bottom to make it a “sack,” it makes a very comfortable and forgiving dress for babies 6 – 12 months. It has an envelope / onesie type top that makes it very easy to slip onto toddlers and does not necessitate snaps or zippers.
Although I HIGHLY recommend the sew liberated book if you have any interest in making clothes for children, another option would be to use a long-sleeved white t-shirt or onesie and to make a simple elastic waisted white skirt maybe by using THIS tutorial.

From a white fabric I cut a rectangle 4 inches by 22 inches. Fold the rectangle in half (good sides together) and sew all sides together except for a small gap.
Turn the rectangle right-side out through the gap. Tuck the seam allowances into the gap and press the entire belt flat. Top-stitch around the rectangle, closing the gap.
To add a silver detail I used a slippery acetate fabric I bought on the super-cheap. Cut two 2 x 8 inch rectangles from the silver fabric. Place them good sides together and sew all around the edges**. Trim down the seam allowances to a very tight 1/8of an inch. Pinch one layer of the fabric from the rectangle and snip a one inch hole so you can turn the entire unit inside-out. Press your perfect rectangle flat.
**You could also do the method where you sew around all of the edges, except for a small gap where you turn the unit inside-out and then either hand-sew or machine top-stitch the gap closed. I find the acetate a little difficult to work with, so I opted for the method described above.
Hand sew the silver rectangle to the white belt. You could machine sew the rectangle to the belt, but I find the acetate a little difficult to work with in my machine.
Attach velcro to the appropriate ends of the belt. I used fusible velcro.
You’re done! Marvel at your adorable Leia, sure to make any Han Solo swoon.