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Official DISNEY FROZEN for grown-ups - Simplicity #1210 and #1215

11/12/2014

16 Comments

 
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You may wonder WHY did Simplicity publish these patterns AFTER Halloween??

And you would be justified in wondering this. All I can say, is that's as fast as they (or should I say "I" or actually "we") could get them finished!  
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But, also, no one in almost any industry that makes Disney stuff had a clue how popular this film was going to be. And so Simplicity rushed out the little girl sized pattern and the Barbie pattern (I made). These were done in spring and hit the stores mid-summer.

The dilemma was how to approach the adult size. Our competitor (not to be named!) was on the ball and did an EZ version of two of the dresses early on. And after some investigation Simplicity found out Disney wasn't going to do anything about these unauthorized versions. So we needed to do something better. After Betsy and I attended Costume Con in Toronto and saw several fabulous renditions of Elsa's and Anna's costumes it was decided I would make "Cosplay worthy" versions of these dresses.

So, Anna's coronation dress has 10 box pleats with weights at the bottom to help them re-pleat after opening up. Elsa's snowflake dress has a complete snowflake and zig zag design for the cape, not just random purchased snowflake appliqués or printed fabric. Also, the skirt for this costume is a slim skirt with a front walking slit and train (like in the movie).  AND the bodices for this costume and Elsa's coronations dress are separate boned bustiers that have separating zippers in the back.

Needless to say ... these 4 dresses took the entire month of July for me to make and pattern.
They might have taken longer, except I had booked my vacation to Scandinavia and I HAD to get them done. And, actually, Simplicity HAD to get them into their offices, because I only begin the journey of a pattern. After I finish my job, they have to digitize my pattern, check it, grade all the sizes, write the instruction, translate the instructions, draw the sewing illustrations, set up the guide sheet, arrange the pattern pieces to fit on the tissue paper, find models, take photographs, edit the photographs, put them on the envelopes and in the catalog ... THEN print everything ... THEN get the patterns on the website and into the stores so you can buy them.

That is why these patterns came out now.


I will be following up with blogs showing my work on all 4 of these dresses in the coming week or two.
16 Comments
dinagideon link
11/12/2014 01:46:29 am

These are STUNNING! Love all of them so much, definitely worth all your hard work. My daughter will likely try to convince me to try to make one of them for me, shame I don't have the time to actually make them in my life. Maybe when she learns to sew we can make them together. :)

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June link
11/12/2014 03:04:22 am

I'm quite surprised to hear that the popularity of Frozen took people by surprise. Having 3 young daughters myself, I was amazed at how cleverly Disney has been marketing the movie/music/accessories (it was like they peered into my girls' brains and figured out exactly what they wanted...). Which is a pain from a parenting POV, lol.

I'm looking forward to seeing your follow-up posts!

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Tarisa
11/12/2014 04:00:09 am

They look fantastic!! I'm not a Frozen fan, but the designs are very sleek and will work for a lot of different costume applications!

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Jen in Oz
11/12/2014 04:24:00 am

Looking forward to seeing how you've done these patterns. Also how they may differ from the dresses that appear in Once Upon A Time.

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Wanda Schew
11/12/2014 10:29:20 am

Gorgeous, fantastic!

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AJ link
11/12/2014 11:15:28 am

These look amazing! Cosplayer here and seriously impressed how nice these look!

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Andrea
11/12/2014 10:57:09 pm

Many Thanks

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Mi link
11/13/2014 04:22:48 am

These look amazing!
They look so sleek and full of all the details. I can't wait to hear about your process on these.

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Laila
11/13/2014 08:39:45 am

I love that you did the box pleats in Anna's coronation gown! That was my favorite feature of all the dresses in the movie. I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and saw that you designed the Brave costume. I bought that pattern last year for my daughter and was so impressed with it. So I was hoping you would be doing the Frozen costumes because I had a feeling you would do them "right" and not just "looks ok from far away". I'm excited to buy this pattern now!

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Carina Saraco
11/17/2014 02:06:51 am

I saw these gowns "In person" and have to say they are stunning! And Anna's green coronation gown should be in a museum- those box pleats are a work of art. And I'm not just saying this because I work for Simplicity- Andrea, your work is impeccable! I am going to attempt the little girl Anna dress for my grand-niece- at least I have some green velveteen in my stash to start with!

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Andrea
11/17/2014 03:15:47 am

You are a great cheerleader Carina, thanks.
Green velveteen might be tricky to work with, what part of the dress is it for?

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Carina Saraco
11/17/2014 11:22:51 am

It's for the bodice of Anna's coronation dress- the little girl's version.

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Andrea
5/13/2015 05:36:58 am

Hi Andrea, Im Andrea and I would like to say a big thank you for your wonderful patterns. Im currently making the Anna 1210 costume its great fun.

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Andrea
7/19/2015 03:05:42 am

I have made my daughter and I matching elsa coronation dresses to wear at Disney for Halloween. I have just started on the adult cape but am stumped as to what to use for a child version ( needs to match mine) as the pattern doesn't include one. Do you vie any suggestions please. X
Ps there were hard work but worth it

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Stephanie
12/11/2015 01:49:02 am

These look fantastic. I was a bit curious how the sheer fabric for Snow Queen Elsa's top stays down if it isn't attached to the bodice though. Is it attached to the skirt?

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Andrea
12/14/2015 10:09:41 am

The sheer spandex top that goes under the bustier fits very tightly and tucks into the waist of the skirt, which helps it stay down. And since it stretches it shouldn't hike up on the sides like a regular blouse does.

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    From Andrea 

    I am a commercial pattern maker who is now "sewing over 50"!
    I love to sew and hope to encourage others to come back to sewing.
    The water is fine!!

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