Fruits Basket...Tohru Honda

Ok, my one anime costume per year rule is officially out the window. I've ended up making one for every Animecon we've gone to....which is 3 so far and 2 more on the horizon.
This time I made Tohru Honda from the manga Fruits Basket. She's wearing a basic Japanese winter school uniform...not to difficult, right. WRONG! The hardest thing about this costume was the lack of patterns! Think I could find a pleated skirt pattern? Nope. How about a sailor shirt pattern? Again, no. Of course, I could've bought most or all the pieces online, but I'm a cheapskate. The whole costume only cost $31.50. Walmart had the shoes($13), and navy socks($2). The skirt came from a yard sale($1). It was a size too small and too long, so I took off the waistband, shortened it up a bit and made a new waistband to fit. The skirt and shirt are just a shade different, but its hard to tell unless your in direct sunlight. The blue shirt is a bottomweight($6)for body, and the white part is an old sheet($0)I had. The only other expenses were the pattern($1 on sale), iron on interfacing($3), thread($1.50), and grosgrain ribbon for the trim and hair bows($4).

I used a Simplicity jacket pattern #2728 for the shirt. I had to modify the collar to make it a sailor collar, lengthen the sleeves and create a cuff, and modify the front to get the inverted v and make it one piece. I used the same sheet to make a bias tape for the trim on the bottom. The sailor collar is lined, and has double interfacing to make it stiff enough. The cuffs also have interfacing. I didn't line the shirt, but will if I make another one....or get the itch to go back and line this one. If you're entering a cosplay contest, it could detract a little from your score if it isn't lined.

So, here's the manga picture of Tohru...
And, here's the "real" Tohru...
And, here's the Fruits Basket crew at Animecon.