Fairy Tale Magic - Little Red Riding Hood
Costumes and photography: Rachael Alcon
Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf
This time of year, makers get creative planning and sewing one-of-a-kind costumes, driven by our children’s favorite characters.
Rachael Alcon filled her cutting table with satin, fur, trims, and other embellishments in order to help her children relish the wonderful experience of make-believe that costuming provides.
Today’s edition of Fairy Tale Magic is inspired by a European fairy tale about a young girl and a big bad wolf. This well-established story has themes that go far beyond the warning: Do not to speak to strangers.
Little Red is a story that tells children that they are caring and powerful and that they can solve real world problems. Beyond the simple storyline, Little Red teaches us the importance of caring for those we love and standing up to injustice.
Like many parents, Rachael’s personal goals for her children are to help them to speak their minds and learn to be bold and unafraid. She aims to teach them good morals and how to stand their ground while also being caring and polite.
Rachael reveals the patterns she used to make these looks more compelling. For little red, she made the Roanoke dress with a simple bodice, long sleeves, and a pintuck skirt with extra length. She made an Astoria Ruffled Pinafore with a slightly shorter skirt to layer over Roanoke and she sewed the Rivendell Cape with a pointed hood and welt openings for the famed accessory.
Big Bad’s wolf costume was fashioned using the Madison pattern with a few modifications. The hood was made from fur and Rachael added small bunny ears. Rachael added 1” in length to the sleeves and omitted the lining. To create the button placket she increased the center front pattern piece by 1” in width, then folded the fabric by ¼” and again by ¾”. Rachael paired Madison with Anderson pants, Suspenders, and last but not least, paws and a tail made from fur. All this has created a costume which brings alive the tale and helps kids put themselves in the place of Red.
Rachael is an avid seamstress who readily uses sewing to create a bridge into the fictional world. Not only are the costumes on point, but also the themes and meanings of Little Red Riding Hood resonate with children in today’s world.
