Belle is one of my favorite Disney characters, but I never thought of doing one of her costumes until I decided, on a whim, to dye my hair brown in 2009. Suddenly it was like a whole new world of costuming possibilities were open to me! My friend Mary was holding a photoshoot at Oglethorpe University focusing on Disney characters and I thought I'd really like to make Belle's blue dress for the occasion.

The dress went together fairly quickly. I used a blouse and petticoat I already owned, so all I needed to do was make the jumper and apron. I had some bright blue cotton in my stash for the jumper, and lined the bodice with scraps of beige lining material I had laying around. The jumper zips up under one arm with an invisible zipper and is fairly comfortable to wear. The apron is made out of some white cotton I also already had in my stash and simply ties around the waist. Overall, this is one of the least expensive costumes I've made, but it's one of my favorites.