I guess last night’s teaser for my Princess Half Marathon costume wasn’t much of teaser because everyone guessed correctly. I’m going to be Belle! 🙂
Or, you know, try to be Belle.
Fun fact: when I was in first grade (and Beauty and the Beast had just hit theaters) I asked my mom to change my name to Belle for school. She said no. 🙁
I actually prefer Belle in her blue and white dress (I was never a fan of the glitz and glamour look as a kid), but a quick trip to JoAnns made me realize that the yellow ‘princess-y’ look would be easier to recreate. Go figure.
I actually went in not sure what I was getting myself into. I thought I would find some fabrics that matched the color I was after, wrap the fabric around my body, and be done with it. Unrealistic much? But then this mannequin’s tutu caught my attention.
Once I saw it and examined it, I knew the look could be recreated it at home.
So I bought a yard and a half of yellow tulle, a yard and a half of yellow fabric with sparkles, and hoped for the best.
The rest of my supplies included: a tiara, puffy paint, fabric tape, fabric glue, elastic cord, a white tank top, a yellow tank top, and a red flower.
First, I started with the elastic. I measured it freely around my waist and used the back of a chair as an impromptu mannequin for the assembly of the tutu.
I secured the elastic cord with a safety pin, but ended up having to make it an inch or two smaller when I was finished. If you’re going to the less adjustable approach (like permanently securing the elastic cord together) then I would suggest measuring one to two inches tighter than you think you’ll need because it will stretch out a bit.
Then I cut the tulle into strips.
The strips were about 1.5 inches thick and I ended up using all of 1.5 yards of fabric for the tutu.
To assemble the tutu, I folded the strips in half and draped the folded end over the elastic.
Then I pulled the two ends through the loop of the folded end
and pulled tight
until it was secure on the elastic and there weren’t any gaps in the looped knot.
I just repeated the process until I ran out of tulle
The full tutu – from start to finish – took about an hour to complete.
Or one episode of Pretty Little Liars. 😉
The tutu skirt is nothing fancy, but it was easy to create and I got the look I was going for.
I’m still not sure what to do for the top part. I wrapped the yellow sparkle fabric around my mid-section and pinned it in place. I figured that if all else fails, this method could technically get the job done on race day. I’m not looking to break any records here, just have fun and play dress-up at Disney with my running buddies.
Kinda? Sorta? Maybe?
We’ll see. I still have time to work on it. At least I have a yellow tutu – that’s a start. 😉
Any running costume tips you want to share? Please do!
I had a meeting at Whole Foods this afternoon that ended up going well past my normal dinner time. Lucky for me, a meeting at Whole Foods meant an easy dinner at home.
Soup to go!
I reheated the Sweet Potato and Kale soup on the stove top when I got home.
The soup was rather bland. I tried to spice it up with salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic, but I couldn’t get it right.
I also had a corn and cashew cake that was also ‘just ok.’ I wasn’t very impressed with my Whole Foods quick-grab dinner this evening.
Peach + almond for an afternoon snack.
Valentine’s Day Godiva chocolate for dessert.
I think Scooby is starting to feel at home here.
What do you think? 😉
Good Night!
I love it! That’s so exciting you get to run at Disney. My only suggestion if I had to make one would be to add more tulle to the skirt to fill it out a little more. But the outfit does look great just like that!
Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie recently posted..What I Love Wednesday
I wish I had more tulle! I used all i had to make the skirt I have and don’t want to purchase anymore because the outfit is already a little more pricer that I originally planned for. Oops.
Get a yellow tank.
What about possible chafing with the “wrap around” over the shoulders?
Cristina @ Girl Meets Pink recently posted..Too Little, Too Late.
That’s why I would make the ‘wrap around’ part easy to remove. If I had to toss it – no biggie. 🙂
That looks so great!!!!! Really!!!! I can’t wait to see all the costumes! I’ve never run in a costume and I really, really want to!
Carissa recently posted..Let’s Get Physical
Cute costume! Are you planning on running with a flower?
Lindsay @ Running the Windy City recently posted..WIAW {02-22-2012}
No, I was hoping the red flower attachment on the outfit would be my flower. 🙂
I don’t have any costume tips, but I think it looks great so far! So fun! Wish I were going!
Caroline recently posted..Nutella Overnight Oats – Best. Breakfast. Ever.
Love the costume! I ran as Belle several times and it was magical! 🙂
Malinda recently posted..Half Marathon Pacing
Cute costume. Ahh…I was wondering how Scooby Dooo was doing.
I’m in love with Scooby, he too cute!!
What about using the yellow sparkly fabric on the skirt too?
I would imagine it wrapped around you might get uncomfortable and not be as flexible as you might want for a race? At least that’s how I think I would be.
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More recently posted..Foodie for a Day
I’m going to try and add the sparkly stuff to the skirt. I’m not too concern about the wrap around part. If it bothers me, then I’ll toss it. No big deal.
I’m always disappointed by whole foods pre-made stuff. It seems like it will be so good, but it’s always kind of mediocre. I love their salad bar…and mine has a little taco bar that had decent tacos, but everything needs more flavor.
I love the idea of more tulle on the skirt – make it really poof like a princess skirt. 🙂 It’s looking SUPER cute so far!!!
Emily @ The Swallow Flies recently posted..Self-Esteem Blues
Sooo cute!!! Now you and Callie can brainstorm together on outfits! 🙂
MrsSwan recently posted..Drugs are bad MMKKK?
I think you did a pretty good job! People will totally recognize that you are belle!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats recently posted..What I Ate Tuesday–Errand Day!
I’ve done the whole ‘run in a tutu’ thing and my only advice is if it’s really windy on race day, ditch the tutu – the fabric wraps around your legs in a most inconvenient way!
Mary recently posted..Branching Out
I ran in a tutu last year and had the same experience with the fabric wrapping around my legs. I agree, if it gets too annoying – I plan to ditch it.
You look really cute, but I’m wondering how well it would stand up to running?
If all else fails, there’s always ebay inspiration. 😀
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disney-Stores-Belle-Beauty-Beast-Dress-Play-Princess-Costume-Sz-10-12-/160741776701?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256cf4dd3d
haha I totally went to the little girl’s department at Target to see if they had any Belle Costumes I could squeeze myself into.
I’m excited that you’re doing the princess half. This will be my 4th running it. I’ll be dressed as Rapunzel this year.
Megan in Womderland recently posted..Wildlife Wednesday – Showoff
Super cute! I agree that a second layer of poufy-ness would be a good call.
Kristen recently posted..1st American Ski/Snowboard Trip
I do really love the yellow skirt..Thanks for sharing this post you did a great job here!!!
I think the costume turned out fun. Just make sure those shoulder things will be ok when running!
I think you did a great job! 🙂
Hope @ With A Side Of Hope recently posted..My End Of February Favorites…
See you in a few hours! Imngoing as belle too. My tutu is on today’s blog post! I think Callie is too!
haha – I have to say, I’m pretty darn impressed with that outfit!!
The skirt doesn’t look that bad but i’m afraid that fabric might chaff your thighs. Maybe you can get a gold colored bathing suit and look online for a cotton gold skirt?
diana@mymarblerye recently posted..Cacao Blog World…For Now
I’ve ran with a tutu of the same material before and it was fine. And I wish I had time to look for something a little nicer, but the race is in two days. 😉
Looks cute!! Way to go – I could never be that crafty 😛
Scooby <3
Joss recently posted..Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Just because a bunch of people mentioned using more tulle… I have made many tutus and if you want it to be really full, you need to use 8-10 yards. I know you didn’t say that’s what you want, just thought I’d throw that out there, since I am a tutu making expert!
Oh… one more thing: since you are using safety pins, you may want to consider pinching them shut with pliers so they don’t open up and stab you when you run. You wont be able to open them afterwards, but since it’s elastic it shouldn’t cause any issues.
Thanks for the tip.
haha thanks. I figured more would be needed, but that would also turn this into a $30 tutu and I’m ok with my low-budget not-as-poofy look. 😉
Oh I know exactly what you mean! 30 dollar tutu to wear once = overkill! I hope I didn’t come off as saying it looks bad, because that’s not what I meant. I only put it out there because people were talking about it and maybe someone might want to know how much tulle it takes to make a ridiculous poofy tutu. I think yours looks great, especially with the top. I think running in a big poofy tutu would feel weird anyway, haha.
It definitely needs more tulle. Maybe you can use some of the glittery material to fill it out some! If you want it to look a little more polished, even up the bottom of the skirt so there are not random long pieces. And maybe cut the strips so that the edges are straight instead of jagged. Good start, though!
I kinda like the jagged look of the fabric and did that on purpose – it looked more whimsical to me. 🙂 I am going to try and cut the glittery material to see if it will fill the skirt out more. I’ve pretty much reached my budget limit for the outfit (who knew fabric was so $$), so I’m going to work with what I have without purchasing anymore materials.
Your costume is flipping adorable. Great work!
Poptartyogini recently posted..recipe: italian lentils
Looks great so far, Meghann!
Krissy @ Shiawase Life recently posted..wordless wednesday.
No way!! I LOVE it!!!
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio recently posted..My Nike FuelBand
Love it! especially the rose on the front!
Belle is definitely my favorite Disney princess! You did a great job on the costume!
Jessica @ Sushi and Sit-Ups recently posted..Signs of life and love
Oh how cute! I love the shaw too! 🙂 Ha ha great costume choice. You are going to be the ‘belle’ of the ball (or run) lol!
Jana @ Newly Wife Healthy Life recently posted..Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Quinoa Granola Bars
I love the tutu and the Belle idea. She is my favorite Disney princess. You gave me some ideas on what to do with my daughter this year at the Gasparilla 5k! Maybe there is some sort of pirate tutu costume we can create. 🙂
I have an old pirate costume I found in my closet that I’m planning on wearing for Gasparilla! woo hoo!
One thing I’ve noticed about the Disney princesses (and the Enchanted movie from a few years ago), is whole they hold their arms. Sort of ballerina-esque. Without going into too much detail (from personal dress-up experiences), I recommend to hold your arms out more when posing for pictures 🙂 It will really help you “look like a princess” 🙂 Have fun! My sister and I have added running a Disney half-marathon to our race list because of how much fun you make it sound!
Add more fabric/tule to the skirt and you’ll be rocking it! Oh yes and how about a nice yellow hair band or ribbon? Imagine that with glitter…. lovely!
I used to make tutus for dress-up tournaments and costumes when I was in high school — what REALLY worked was using tons of tools and almost layering them to get some volume. A tutu always looks better with volume 🙂 BUT I already love your belle costume – very original
Casey @ OatsAndNanners recently posted..Medano Beach and Mole Mio
You definitely look like Belle, no doubt about it. The only thing I could think of would be to wear the yellow tank top instead of the white, but otherwise it’s pretty awesome!
I think it looks great! I’m not wearing a costume this year, but maybe Snow White next year!
Andrea @ Run, Eat, Date, Sleep recently posted..Dog Days
I would recommend more tulle (as previous commenters have) for volume, and also shortening it up a little. I’ve run in a tutu my last two races, and if the tulle is too long, it gets *ahem* stuck … in between your legs as you run. And you don’t want your race photo to be of you pulling tulle from there. Promise.
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