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Homemade No-Sew Grecian Goddess Costume: Megara from Disney’s Hercules

This Grecian heroine was at the top of my list for costume ideas, but I had no idea how to sew a purple dress from scratch and the replica ones for sale are way over my budget! SO, I headed to Goodwill with a few different costume character ideas in mind, hoping to find some clothing articles/accessories that would provide inspiration for something I wouldn’t have to create out of mere fabric (aka SEW). Lo and behold though, in looking through the dresses, I came across this light lavender gown and thought, “Whoa. Purple. Grecian. Long. I can be Meg!” Buoyed by the news that the dress would be an additional 50% off due to stains on the front and skirt, I bought it and decided I could whip up some sort of ensemble with items I had at home.

So, armed with my Goodwill gown, I set about the solving the issue of her big buttons. This was just an amazing coincidence. I had gone through a diy phase where I was cutting T-shirts into T-shirt yarn. Then, I was further inspired via Pinterest to make the yarn into flower rosettes. But alas, the rosettes just sat since they were gray, yellow, and lime green. So, when I saw them sitting in my closet, I just knew that they were meant to become Megara’s big, Grecian buttons. (So, just do a Pinterest search for fabric rosettes, make them however large you want, and then spray paint with gold, I used Rust-oleum metallic finish from Walmart). I then sewed the buttons to the straps of the dress (using pictures of the cartoon Meg to help with placement).

The next bridge to cross was her purple sashes. While folks gifted with sewing skills would measure out exact yardages and cut nice straight lines, I went a much less technical route:) I had an old purple fringy shawl and decided to just eyeball it and cut it into three pieces (one thin strip for the waist sash, one big thick piece for the hip sash, and one little patch to add to the back to make it more modest by making the back less low cut).

The back patch was tacked to the sides of the dress for added coverage using pitiful home eg. sewing skills. (Literally, I sewed through the back and front of the dress the first time). The waist sash was also tacked to dress in back on both sides, but I had it pulled pretty taut so I didn’t feel a need to affix it all the way across the front. The hip sash piece was literally just tied in a knot that I kept placed over my hip.

I slipped on my go-to sandal of choice from my own closet (a comfortable, Grecian inspired Target find!), my big gold hoop earrings, and a gold bangle bracelet. The upper arm bracelet is just a gold painted belt that was cut and had Velcro attached on each end (leftover from a community theater production).

That is pretty much it. I then began the process of trying to make my hair as big as Meg’s. [Impossible]. I just used a simple hair roller to create a giant poof for the front of my hair. I then pulled the rest of it all up in back with clips at varying heights/levels, curling the long strands that fell out. I also curled two long pieces to stay at the side of my face. Then, lots of hairspray.

Most importantly, I also recommend arming yourself with some of her fantastic and witty quotes. For example, when people ask who you are (and they will, I went to a gathering where several people probably were not even born when Hercules came out) you can say, “Megara, my friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends”. Also, you can find a way to throw in my personal favorite: “I’m a damsel. I’m in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day!”

Worst case scenario: People won’t know who you are supposed to be specifically. But that’s okay! They will at least think that you are a colorful Grecian Goddess, so you are over 50% of the way there.

Homemade No-Sew Grecian Goddess Costume: Megara from Disney's Hercules

Homemade No-Sew Grecian Goddess Costume: Megara from Disney's Hercules

Homemade No-Sew Grecian Goddess Costume: Megara from Disney's Hercules



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