_________The Paper Bag Princess
_________Costume Stats
Character Name: Princess Elizabeth
_________Reference
Series: The Paper Bag Princess
Specifics: paper bag dress
Cost: $6
Time: 7 hours
Started: June 2009
Completed: June 2009
Debuted: Toronto Cosplay Picnic 2009
_________Information
Robert Munsch's beloved kids book, "The Paper Bag Princess", has always been one of my favorites. Besides the forests and kingdoms that get burned to a crisp, the story is pretty awesome. After her kingdom is destroyed, Princess Elizabeth has nothing to wear but a paper bag. Yet she still manages to defeat the dragon and rescue the kidnapped prince. When the prince tells her she should be dressed more like a princess, she tells him he's a bum and dumps him.
_________In Progress
I was toying with the idea of making this costume for years. During the summer of 2009, I didn't want to spent too much money on costumes so I gave myself a challenge: Could I make a costume for under $10? After a quick search around the house, I found most of what I needed to make a giant paper bag and started making this costume.
The paper bag took a lot longer than I originally expected to. I mean, I could've gone out and gotten a giant brown paper bag and cut some holes into it. (Which would have been fine!) Instead, I decided to pattern a paper bag to fit me perfectly but still looked like I just grabbed a paper bag and cut holes into it. All four sides of the bag taper but still keep this illusion.
I made this costume out of brown paper which I lined on the inside with packing tape. The packing tape made it stronger and less likely to rip. Moreover, it allowed me to treat the paper more like fabric. Since I didn't want any visible tape lines, I sewed the four main pieces of brown paper together and then reinforced the stitches with more packing tape on the inside. All the edges were hemmed with more packing tape on the reverse side.
Since I already owned the brown paper, the only thing I had to pay for in this costume was the packing tape!
I used a used up roll of packing tape as the base for the crown. I wanted the crown to have a kid-like warped look. I made the points on the crown by attaching triangles of pipe cleaners to the top of the used up roll of packing tape, and then played with them until I got them to sit the way I wanted. I secured the warped triangles with more packing tape and glued beads to the ends of the points. I paper-matched the crown and then painted it with gold paint I had for a previous costume.
I re-used one of my old wigs. To attach the crown to the wig, I first glued bands of elastic (the stuff used in waistbands) to the inside of the base of the crown. Then I safety pinned these elastic bands to the top of my wig so that my wig wouldn't be permanently altered.
I wear a pair of shorts and a tank top under this costume, and the giant bag covers them completely.
_________Misc
Although this costume is simple, it was a blast to wear. It was surprisingly recognizable, and I had my photo taken with a lot of kids. On the way to the Cosplay Picnic where I debuted the costume, I was sitting on a ferry wearing only the wig and the crown. A mother sitting next to me told me her daughter thought my crown looked like the one from the Paper Bag Princess. Delighted, I showed the mother and daughter the giant paper bag I had with me.
_________Images
Sadly, because it's paper, this costume is fragile and probably won't last more than a few wears.
Cosplay Picnic 2009
