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How to Make a Queen Costume

From Cleopatra to Elizabeth II, the powerful majestic royal women of history have inspired us. In their royal finery and stunning jewels, queens have wielded power with the kind of grace and beauty few men could achieve. Quite a few of us would love to be a queen for just one day. With a trip to the thrift store and the fabric department of your local super store that day could be Halloween or your friend’s fancy dress party.

Things You'll Need

  • Long prom dress
  • Long full skirt in a matching or complementary color.
  • Two yards of 1/2-inch matching trim or ribbon
  • Long gold sash or belt
  • Pair of old pumps
  • Gold spray paint
  • Gold glitter
  • Sewing machine
  • 4 yards of white fur trim.
  • 4 yards of purple or red velveteen
  • Fabric marker
  • Piece of twine
  • Pair of curtain tie-backs with tassels
  • Costume crown from costume shop
  • Several large glass jewels
  • 8 slightly small glass jewels
  • Glue gun
  • Long white gloves
  • Costume jewelry--necklace, earrings and bracelet
  • Large diamond ring
  • Softball-size plastic ball
  • Baseball-size plastic ball
  • Small plastic cross about 2 inches high
  • Thick, 12-inch long dowel
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Instructions

  1. Dress and Accessories

    • 1

      Spray paint the shoes gold. While the paint is still wet sprinkle with glitter. Let dry.

    • 2

      Cut front of the skirt up the middle to the waist band. Do not cut the waist band. Hem and sew 1/2-inch trim on either side of the cut. Wear with the dress as opened over-skirt.

    • 3

      Tie long sash loosely around your waist in front and let ends hang down.

    • 4

      Wear with necklace, earrings, bracket and ring.

    Robe

    • 5

      Decide how long you want your robe to be. Measure and cut your velveteen to this length and twice this width. You will have a rectangle half as long as it is wide.

      Fold material in half into a square.

    • 6

      Attach your fabric marker to a piece of twine. Run the twine from one end of the folded edge to the other end where your marker is. Holding the end of the twine firmly in its corner, draw an arc from this corner to opposite corner. Cut along this line and you will now have a triangular shape with one rounded side. Unfold into a large half-circle.

    • 7

      Sew fur trim along straight edge of half-circle.

    • 8

      Sew your curtain tie-backs to middle of the straight edge of the half circle about 12 inches apart. Use these to tie your robe around your shoulders.

    Scepter, orb and crown

    • 9

      Remove the plastic jewels from the cheap crown and glue the glass jewels in their place.

    • 10

      Glue the plastic baseball to the end of the dowel. Spray paint gold. Let dry. Glue four jewels around the ball.

    • 11

      Glue the cross to the top of the softball. Spray paint gold. Let dry. Glue four jewels around the ball.

Theater Costumes

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