Since the 23rd April 1995, schools and nurseries across the country have been celebrating World Book Day to appreciate authors, books, illustrators and reading. Children and teachers dress up as their favourite storybook character and traditionally take the book that their costume was inspired by into school. World book day takes place today this year so it is a little late to Buy Fabrics Online to make a costume however it is never too early to prepare for next year's celebration! Many of the supermarkets sell costumes for World Book Day and this year I spotted a Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland and Where's Wally costumes in Asda, just to name a few. It is however, much nicer to try and make your own so that your child can get involved in the making process and they can feel unique on the day (they don't want to be in a classroom full of Where's Wallys!) Calico Laine is the perfect place to Buy Fabrics Online for costume making as we have a wide range of fabrics that will fit different budgets. Some of best selling Fabrics Online for fancy dress outfits are our economy satin and regular bi-stretch. At just £2.99 per metre they won't break the bank and they are comfortable for children (and adults) to wear. A popular inspiration for older children's costumes is Harry Potter and since the books were released in 1997 they have been one of the most favoured costumes for world book day. Many parents are happy when their children pick to be a student from Hogwarts as the costume is pretty simple to put together. All they need is a school uniform and a tie but if you are feeling a little more adventurous you might like to sew a Hogwarts cape. Once again, you can Buy Fabrics Online from Calico Laine for this and a satin fabric is probably best to give the cape a shiny finish. The cape is black on the outside and has a red lining. This could be created using black economy satin and a red, anti-static dress lining, both of which are cost effective materials meaning it won't cost too much at all. Alternatively, if you wanted a matt finish you could use bi stretch or a gaberchino fabric. Many years ago, my sister, who is a teaching assistant for key stage 1 asked me to help her create a costume for world book day. After throwing some ideas around we settled on a 'Funnybones' costume as the kids in her class loved the story. To create the outfit, I took a plain black tracksuit that my sister used to wear for PE days and bought some felt fabric. After drawing out the bone shapes, I simply cut the shapes out and placed them on the chest of the top and along the legs and arms. To make it easier for myself, I used a impex fabric glue to stick down the shapes to the tracksuit. It went down a storm with the kids and 9 years later, it is still intact and has been used several times as a world book day costume and a Halloween outfit! If you have created any outfits this year for world book day why not share them on our Facebook page as we love to see your creations!