Indian Princess Costume DIY: Create A OOAK Pattern

Sometimes, you just need an Indian Princess Costume DIY.

I mean, which little girl doesn’t dream of being Pocahontas or Sacajawea?  Of tiptoeing through the forest and finding a meadow of wildflowers, creating a real daisy chain headband and communing with the birds and wild animals?

And sometimes, you’re the gramma who wants to make those dreams come true.

At least the Indian Princess Costume part.  I can’t supply the forest or the meadow of wildflowers.  I can’t conjure genuine daisy chains or birds that talk to you.  Ask Walt Disney for that.

But I can help you imagine making your own little princess a Pocahontas costume, the easiest way possible.

First we need…

Some Indian Princess Costume Ideas

Here’s some inspiration to get the creative juices going.

Our pattern hack is mostly based on the left front little outfit.

First we have to make a pattern.

Indian Princess Costume Pattern: First Step

Do you have a regular dress pattern for your little princess?  If you do, that’s a free 10 points to start the game.

If you don’t have a pattern, find an old dress or t-shirt that still fits her and you don’t mind cutting up.  Turn the garment inside out and carefully cut the seams off: the sides, shoulder and sleeves seams.  Keep only the front and back blouse part of the garment.  Iron it smooth, but don’t stretch it.

Now, from your regular dress pattern or your old garment, you’ll now have two pieces that look something like this (If it’s a pattern, it will be cut in half because you lay the center front and center back on a fold):

If you’re using an old garment, the next step is to make a pattern from it.

1. Fold the front and back pieces in half the long way, matching side seams and shoulder seams.
2. Pin it flat.
3. Lay the pieces on a straight edge of pattern making paper or newspaper or wrapping paper.
4. Weight or pin them in place on the paper and lightly mark all the edges.
5. Remove the garment from your pattern paper.
6. Draw 3/8″ seams OUTSIDE of all drawn lines on the neck, shoulder, armscye (that’s a fancy-schmancy seamstress word for armhole) and side seam.  Don’t mark the bottom, because we’re going to add a skirt.
7. This is what it looks like now:

If you’re using a purchased pattern, lay it on the pattern making paper and trace around the outsides just as shown above.  If the pattern has 5/8″ seams, mark them down to 3/8″ seams.

Now we’re ready to add the skirt.

Indian Princess Costume Pattern Step 2

Here’s how to add a skirt to the blouse pattern:

1. Measure your child from the back neck all the way down the back to where you want the bottom of the skirt, including the fringes, to be.
2. Place the tape measure at the back neck on your pattern at the seam line and measure that length along the center back.  Mark the bottom.
3. This picture shows the steps for making the back pattern:

Indian Princess Costume Pattern Step 3

Cut a Front Pattern Piece:

You now have a Front Yoke, Back Yoke, Front Dress Pattern, Back Dress Pattern.

Now we’ll change the Yokes to add a Cap Sleeve.

Wow!  Now you have an Indian Princess Costume Pattern. 

Sometime before next week, you will need to purchase your supplies:

1. Polyester suede in your color choice, I’m guessing you’ll need 1.5 yards.
2. Any trim you want to use.  We used a wide turquoise rick-rack.
3. Matching threads.

The shopping links are affiliates. They are items we love and use, and we do not get paid to promote them. We do get a tiny commission if you purchase. Using the link will not affect the price.

Give yourself a huge round of applause.

and put your tools away until you Sew the Indian Princess Costume Part 2.

More Sewing Tutorials on the blog:

How to Design a Quarter Circle Skirt Pattern: Sewing Tutorial

Ruffled Diaper Cover DIY: Baby Sewing Tutorial

The Madeline Dress My Way: Sewing for G’Littles

Pattern Binder DIY to Organize Sewing Patterns

How to Make a Bow-Edge Fleece Baby Blanket