I believe I would consider this costume my first legitimate cosplay! I’ve re-created and added to this cosplay many times, just trying to make it as perfect as I could. Like many others, I fell in love with Frozen, particularly Princess Anna. She is the first princess that I have connected so deeply with since Ariel! For me, that’s saying a lot, Ariel is mah gurrrll.
My very first go-around with this costume was back in the spring of 2014, my plan was to be Anna for Halloween. I unknowingly plunged into an extremely detailed and tedious project that would take a very long time to complete. Although, this first attempt was not very accurate, I was extremely satisfied with it at the time. Other than using it for Halloween events of the year, I started doing Frozen birthday parties with my sister and my friends, Sarah and Linda! It was a very neat and fulfilling experience that I wish I still had time for. I’ll never forget all the happy little faces that lit up when they saw Elsa and Anna walk through their doors.
I used various different patterns for this first attempt at the travel dress. For the bodice, I used
Butterick B5935. I believe would be a great choice for anyone to use, IF they were to alter the pattern to have a sweetheart neckline, a solid shoulder strap and a more prevalent point at the bottom. Sadly, I did not think of doing this! TIP: Do not use ribbon for the lace in the back, use a shoe lace!
For the skirt, I used a full circle skirt pattern like
this. I used two layers of felt in two different blues. I thought this would be a great idea since I needed a scalloped edge and felt doesn’t fray! Some issues I ended up having with this skirt was that it was really really hot due to two layers of felt, FAIL! The thickness of the felt also added bulk, which gave the illusion that my bottom half was a lot bigger than it actually is… I SWEAR IT WAS THE FELT! Another issue was that it did not have the pleats that Anna’s skirt does.
Hat- This was just a mess, I used my own measurements to make my own pattern. It was ok, but the ear flaps wouldn’t lay down to my face, nor would it stay on my head very well.
Mittens? Nah, didn’t make them this round.
Blue undershirt-I just bought a light blue button up shirt from Wal-Mart. Again, this was ok, it fit and functioned well, but did not have the accurate, decorative detailing, nor did it have a mandarin collar.
Boots- I simply searched on E-bay for some black boots that were the similar style as Anna’s, something like
these. I then used yellow puffy paint to paint on the details on the front and back of the boots. I also used pink acrylic paint for the soles.
Cape- I used the only
Frozen pattern that was available for adults at the time. I think the pattern for the cape is great! I would not change this, and I didn’t! For the first time around I used a fuchsia flannel fabric for the exterior and a much darker fuchsia lining fabric for the lining. It felt solid and authentic, I loved it! For the decorative pom poms that Anna has around the mini cape, I used the same color as the main fabric, which was a mistake. Anna’s pom poms are a dark purple, the purple really makes the cape pop with depth. I also left out the dark purple edging design that is found on Anna’s cape, which was also a mistake. The closure that holds the cape at the neck was not accurate to Anna’s, I simply found a closure at Joann’s, and picked the only one that had a heart.
Embroidery- At the time, I didn’t have a machine that would embroider designs that were larger than 4 inches. My only option was to hand embroider each design onto the bodice and skirt. This took FOREVER, just as you would think. I drew on the designs by hand, and then embroidered over the design. My designs were a bit inconsistent, and too small. I realized this halfway through and just didn’t have the patience to start over.
Overall, this project really helped me learn a lot! The mistakes that I made, made me realize to do my best the first time rather than glazing over things, or leaving details out. Details are SO IMPORTANT! Research, and gather as many reference photos as possible, so you don’t miss something.
The finished product of the first attempt:
