Tag Archives: lace

February 17, 2025 · 5:05 pm

Grey gowns and grey skies

Merry meet all,

Recently I sewed myself a lovely grey dress. I intended the dress to be worn with the black overdress from Holy Clothing. Today’s post will focus on the sewing of the dress. I love how my dress looks! Tres beau I wanted a dress that was similar in style to the chemises from Holy Clothing but I knew I could make it much cheaper myself. Shown below is a photo of the chemises from Holy Clothing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made one big mistake- well, okay a few mistakes but that happens with sewing. I didn’t initially have enough fabric to cut out the pattern pieces. I wanted this dress to be ankle-length. As a result, I had to make new calculations. I had to add more fabric onto the hem of the dress to extend the length of the dress. But more on that later. 

The dress – a work in progress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pattern of the chemise in the photo above is very different but I think I achieved it with my grey dress. 

The grey dress shown with the black overdress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I finally had enough fabric and had all the cotton pieces cut out and marked, I proceeded with the sewing. I used the pattern Simplicity pattern 5189. The pattern is simple and uncomplicated. I wanted an easy pattern. I am still suffering burnout from sewing the Arwen dress. However, I did make a few changes from how the pattern is meant to be completed. I made some modifications. I added the short sleeves and added elastic to the hems of the sleeves. I didn’t have a wide enough neckline to add in elastic. Next time, the dress will have a wider neckline so it can be worn off the shoulder. I added a ribbon and grey lace trim to the neckline and the cap sleeves.

I could not believe how easy the sleeves were to set in. I added the grey embroidered fabric lace to the front of the dress. I love it. It is a dark silver romantic 3D floral lace with beads. The trim is just beautiful. I also added a grey drawstring ribbon in the neckline and sleeves. 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/766918166/dark-silver-romantic-lace-3d-flower?ref=yr_purchases

The hyperlink leads to Etsy and which exact seller I purchased the lace from, in case you are interested in buying it for yourself! I sewed the extension of the hem. That was a lot for me to figure out. Ugh it could have been better but I didn’t have all the fabric pieces together when I cut out the patterns. It still looks good though, thanks to careful sewing and pressing the seam allowance after. I had to sew sections together and I had to fix the sewing machine. Thankfully, the sewing machine was not hard to fix. I eased in the hem extension sections to the existing dress hem. I want to add ribbon to the seam to conceal the section where I had to ease it in. 

 

Almost Done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to remove a few puckers from the seams, and do a fitting to make sure the dress fit me. I am very happy with it. I believe in taking my time and sewing my best. I wish I had a larger table to work on instead of my ironing board. That would make a huge difference for me. Also I don’t have the best lighting to do sewing in either. I hope that changes soon. My other option is to sew at the library. Then I can have access to a large table and better bright lighting. That really improves the quality of sewing if I am not straining my eyes. I can’t wait for the warmer weather to return, because that means everything is brighter. I cannot wait for spring. 

I ordered a pattern for another long simple dress to sew. The pattern is Simplicity N6775. I want to sew a nightgown dress to lounge around in at home. Something I can relax in and feel comfortable in. I hope I have enough fabric for it – the blue knit tricot fabric I used to make the Arwen gown. The pattern is simple. I just want a pullover dress that is relaxing and casual. Fabricville did not carry the pattern to my dismay so I had to order it online. The link below connects to the website that has the pattern if anyone wants to get the same pattern. If not, I will buy more fabric. 

https://simplicity.com/new-look/n6775

The grey dress looks ultra feminine and a little sassy – which is the embodiment of feminine, right? Right I love the dress. It can be worn on its own or with the black overdress. Sewing the dress myself saved me a ton of money rather than paying for shipping and handling and ordering it from Holy Clothing. Now I plan to order about 3-5 meters of the organic cotton cambric fabric and making another simple dress with it. I want to dye the fabric green though. But I hope to have enough of the blue cotton knit for the dress I want to lounge around in. Sweatpants are not feminine. I am enjoying sewing my own clothing because I don’t like the clothing in the malls. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune though. I want to share an image of the finished grey dress with Holy Clothing. I hope they see what I did and see how they inspire me! The cotton cambric is the fabric that they use at Holy Clothing. 

My book launch for my published novel The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1 is fast approaching. I am so nervous. I also hope the launch is successful. 

Don’t get me wrong. Sweatpants are great but I love my feminine witchy style. Bring it on! I hope this inspires you to sew your own clothing. 

Blessed Be Spiderwitch

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November 17, 2024 · 7:19 pm

Witch Gown in Progress )O(

 

Greetings darklings:

The wind grows colder. Golden leaves are strewn over the streets and clog the gutters. Yes my darklings the dark half of the year is back. I love this time of year.

I have been busy sewing the blue Arwen gown I posted about earlier. I am so close to finished and yet so far from finished. I have finished the sleeves. I sewed in a casing for the cords on both sleeves.  I worked in the cords through the casing on both sleeves. The cords average about thirty centimetres.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seam ripped the grey sari trim from Etsy and I made a facing the second time. This time, I got it right. I sewed in the facing only instead of sewing the facing the way it says to in the instructions, I just sewed it in next to the collar seam. I had to seam rip the entire centre back seam because it was uneven. I have basted the centre back seam. I want to sew the zipper in tomorrow at the library. I love how the dress looks. It is very fairy like. I sewed a second collar with the navy blue knit fabric and the embroidered blue lace. I plan to sew that on or slip stitch it onto the first collar. I want to arrange the second collar over the first collar to look like there is 2 dresses like in the photo below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a break from the dress and began working on the bodice. I cut out the pattern pieces and I had left them aside for some time. I ironed them all. I was on my own. That means no room for error. 

I’m using this beautiful midnight blue velvet/ velveteen. It is the most beautiful colour. I did a gathering stitch on the front of the bodice and the double darts in the back of the bodice- which I did perfectly for once in my life. It is doing the eyelets lacing strips on the front of the bodice that has taken the most time. The seam allowance on the bodice front was hard because it did not want to stay down.
I sewed three blue lace sections onto the front of the bodice, one on the right and the left and one in the centre. Then I added interfacing to the wrong side to stabilize the lace up section. I stitched down the eyelet strips by hand and then I realized I could not get the laces through the eyelet holes. So I seam ripped the eyelet strip and wove the ribbon through. Tip: I burnt the edges of the ribbons first with a lighter just a little to make it easier. A safety pin refused to go through the eyelets. I stitched the strips down again. Now it is done. Argh. Now I have to sew the shoulder seams and sides of the bodice and then sew on the bias tape and a zipper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I photocopied the pattern piece & printed it out. I adhered interfacing to the pattern piece and cut out the dart section I needed. I was using a dark coloured fabric so tailor tacks or chalk was not letting me be as precise as I had to be. I marked with pins where the dots were. I laid down the fabric under the whole pattern piece and lined it all up and marked with chalk where the darts had to be on the fabric. It was easy! It is probably why I made great darts because that step allowed me to easily see where it had to be. I am so proud to have sewn such perfect darts. The darts are shown in the photo above but they may be hard to see. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I sewed the shoulder seams and the side seams of the bodice together. I trimmed the hem of the bodice a little to make the edges of the fabric meet evenly.  I also sewed the bias tape to the hem of the bodice, the upper part of the bodice and the armholes. I am so tired and sore now. This project has been a lot of work and a bit more cost than I had planned. I had to order a pattern for the dress because it was initially missing or so I thought. I had to buy the fabric which cost more than I thought. I still have lots of fabric left over. I bought a dress form. It has cost a lot but I believe it is worth it. I stapled the receipts together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is too dark and cold to wear the dress now. I put in a lot of hard work and time to make the dress. If I don’t do it now, it will eat at me all winter. I only have a little to do now. I have other projects to concentrate on so that is why I am glad I devoted the time I had to it now. I still have to sew in the zipper into the back of the bodice and a zipper into the back of the dress. I have decided that tomorrow I will sew the blue lace trim onto the hem of the dress. I’m sewing the trim onto the right part of the fabric- the top side. I trimmed the raw edges and excess of the hem earlier so there will be no issues with it later. I can’t wait to see how this all looks and to get to do the Grand Reveal!

The bodice is beautiful. I have to touch up 1 or 2 spots where the lace and the trim  is loose on the fabric but that is easy to fix with a slipstitch. I can’t decide what I should use for the braided trim to go on the bodice – the hem, the upper part of the bodice and the armhole seam.  I love how the bodice turned out and I am sure it will still fit despite the fabric taken in because of the darts, the gathering stitch and the seam allowance. 

Today I finished the bodice. I can’t believe how beautiful it all is. I learned how a zipper is set in. I learned a lot! I know now which presser foot – the zipper foot to use. I know how to line up the fabric with the zipper foot. I know how to sew a machine baste and how to hand baste the zipper in. I know which stitch width and stitch length to use for sewing a zipper in. I know how to sew it in, line up the presser zipper foot and seam rip a zipper out. I am so proud of myself. I did way better with that than I ever expected. I just need way more confidence in myself. I always relied on someone else and now I can do it on my own. I seam ripped the machine basting after I sewed. I am so much more confident in myself now. 

I am not lining the body of the dress, only the sleeves. I don’t need to fully line the dress which would be a total pain in the ass. Instead, I own a chemise from Holy Clothing. I can wear that with the dress. I still have to seam rip the zipper out of the dress that goes with the bodice and redo the sleeve upper cap area. I am doing all that at the library. That saves me a ton of frustration and tidying up. I need the extra help. I have taken so much care with the garments this far. I just can’t have the upper cap of the sleeve sewn in wrong and the zipper done wrong. I just can’t have it. Then I am done! I want to sew grey lace trim on the inside hem of both sleeves and sew a white trim in under the neckline. I want to check it all over for holes in the seams. I can’t believe I have gotten to this point. 

Update!: The sleeves and the zipper are done! I repaired and sewed the second collar to the bodice. I finished sewing the grey lace trim to the lining of the sleeves. Now all the hard work is done! I want to put the finishing touches on the dress and then it is time for the Grand Reveal! 

 I can’t wait to do the Grand Reveal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I await what the dark half of the year has to offer. I will  finish the dress tomorrow night. I have many other projects to focus on. I can’t wait as it all sounds exciting! 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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October 25, 2023 · 11:53 am

A Dark Inspiration

Merry meet all,

This post will focus on Samhain and my dyeing fabric project using acorns. Are you all excited? I am.

I foraged for a very big mullein stalk yesterday morning. The stalk was about six feet in length. I plan to use the mullein stalk to make hag tapers or torches with. I hope and hope the weather on October 31st will cooperate. I want to have the traditional bonfire. I always have my traditional bonfire. I will  prepare the mullein pieces, cut to size in a double boiler pot with melted beeswax. I will add herbs and oils. I want the beeswax to look black so I will add charcoal. An additive to make beeswax black can affect the way it burns. The charcoal is purely for aesthetic purposes. The popular herbs for Samhain can be used to enhance the beeswax and hag tapers. I would use aromatic herbs like sage, rosemary, wormwood, mugwort and rose. I can’t wait to make the hag tapers.

I’m making the dye bath with the acorns I foraged for earlier. I have treated the muslin cloth in a pot of water with the powdered album. I use the album to make the fabric take to the dye. I used a very large stainless steel pot and added the acorns. I have to ensure the water covers the acorns. I will continue to simmer the acorns for till late tonight and let the acorns soak in the water all night until about midday tomorrow. The longer that the acorns steep, hopefully the darker the color will be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I will strain the acorns and pour the dye bath back into the pot. The acorn dye bath has steeped overnight and I’m boiling it on the stove again. The dye has become a lovely dark brown colour. I know the dye will be three times lighter when rinsed and dried. That’s why I am steeping the acorns for so long, to achieve the darkest color possible. I will attempt to dye the fabric tonight and I may do a test patch too. I am excited to see how this turns out. The tannins in the acorns are what make the dye possible. Acorns are rich in tannins. It makes me feel so witchy, stirring a pot of acorns! The scent from the acorns is musky and earthy. 

Now I have to prepare for Samhain! I am sure I am not the only one. I pureed the pumpkin to brew pumpkin bread, perhaps some barmbrack bread and pumpkin soup. I may even try making powdered pumpkin and use my dehydrator. I want to harvest dandelion roots and dry them in my dehydrator. 

Fall is the season of abundance! I am sure the book I am binding will be beautiful. Last night, I worked on it some more. I watched a few videos about people who know how to bind books professionally. They sure knew their stuff. Some of it was a little over the top. I am binding the book to create a book for my horror poetry. I want to write another poetry book. I have a pdf of the Writing in the dark poetry workbook. I am not writing my rough drafts of the poems in that book. Of course the first poem I will put in the book will be the one I wrote and had published, about the cemetery, Encounter with Death. I want to stain the pages with coffee or tea and maybe other herbal infusions. Or dilute essential oils and add that to the pages. I want herbs to have a big role in the creation of this book. The acorns are already adding that energy. I did make three pages of paper. I added a few herbs to the pages too. I will tea stain those pages and add them to the front and back of the book. The covers and spine are cut to size. I cut a small rectangle on the back book cover so I can emboss that section. 

I also plan to include a photo of the headstone where I gathered the acorns by accident. I want to include a small note that I appreciate and respect the spirit for letting me gather the acorns. I’m putting the note in an envelope and storing at the front of the book. I thought of buying a taper logy set ( the decorative paper for making a junk journal) and dyeing the paper and adding it to the book. 

The fabric I’m binding the book with is muslin. I hope the colour will be a deep enough colour of brown for this to work. I want to attach a black velveteen strip to go over the front edges of the book. I also want to add 4 corner protectors. Most of the supplies are available at Michaels. I love that store. I want to also add an adhesive to the muslin once dyed to make the fabric stiffer and more durable. 

I considered making the paper for the book by hand. But I don’t have the fine art of making paper with a mold and deckle down enough. I plan to buy a pack of coloured paper at Staples and then tea staining it and trimming the outer front edges of the paper to add texture. I have a lot of plans with this project. Maybe this will finally make me write that book already! 

Golds, brown and black tones and shades will obviously work here. I originally wanted to use the davy board up. I had some remaining from my other project. I want to decorate the pages with crows, spiders and bats. This is supposed to be about horror after all. I will post more when the book is complete. I can’t wait and I can’t wait for Samhain. 

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

 

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September 21, 2023 · 7:19 pm

Mabon Fashion Magick )O(

Merry meet all,

Mabon is almost here. The leaves are turning. Last night I roasted pumpkin seeds and spotted more pumpkins at the grocery store. A chill hovers in the air, and those are the sure signs of fall. My favourite time of year is here and I am under its spell. I froze the rest of the pumpkin and gave half of it to my Mom who stored some in her freezer. I can’t possibly use it all and sharing is good. 

That is the gift of the fall season. The abundance that we receive in the fall.  The month of October is already scheduled for me. The much anticipated Paranormal Symposium occurs on October 7th and my demonology course begins on October 16th. Also October means Samhain. I have my herbal courses and preparing for Samhain. I will be busy! I just successfully completed Unit 4 of the Advanced Herbalism course. I am so relieved to have gotten this far. Unit 4 was very difficult. Now on to other news…

I am obsessing right now on what I want to wear at the Paranormal Symposium. The hotel where the Symposium is taking place is very prestigious. My witch boots are at the repair shop waiting for when I am finally rich enough to pay for them. I mended the maxi black lace skirt. I want to look amazing. I mean the hotel was swanky and classy. I felt like a hoodlum when I came in asking if that was the correct location for the hotel. It was. OK I need to get dressed!

I spent hours studying witchy outfits on Google and Pinterest. I can waste hours doing that. I have no desire to buy something new to wear. Instead I took my inspiration from Mori Goth and such. The outfits look so complicated, inspired from nature and so effortless. Right. I have cool black clothes from Killstar. I am sure I can put an outfit together for the big day! I shall dive deep into my closet! 

I want to wear an outfit inspired by what I saw on Pinterest. I love Pinterest, it’s one of my guilty pleasures. I have a few options: I mean, black goes with everything. 

#1 My black blouse with drapes sleeves paired with the black lace maxi skirt, a black corset I wore with a black cardigan and wear the blouse and black cardigan under the bodice. I want to show the long lovely drapes sleeves but have the cardigan sleeves pushed up to help with the reveal of the sleeves. I sewed the bodice myself so I will feel comfortable in it. I have a short sleeve black tie front top I can wear with the dress. I think I am liking option #2 more:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#2 I wear the black lace dress over the black lace maxi skirt and a cardigan. I want to look alluring, haunting, bewitching. I would still wear the bodice and belt with it. I want to look like I can handle prestigious while being true to myself. I have chosen a few accessories for these outfit options: a witch hat (of course), the black lace up boots, my spider choker, pentacle belt, a shawl, the skull ring and spider tattoo. Oh yeah I can’t wait. I want to paint my nails both silver and black. I have waited months for this so I want to make it all worth the wait. I can get some perfume from the drugstore and I want makeup that doesn’t wear off fast. The black lace dress has pentagrams on it. I love it, so meant for me. I may even add the black lace gloves. Or it may be too much, I will know soon. Or I could wear the gloves there then remove them when I arrive. I have a lovely silver crescent moon necklace to wear too.

#3 I wear the black lace maxi skirt and the black blouse with the lovely drapey sleeves and the short sleeve tie front top. I think I like this option too. I can bring in all the above elements. I think that lace is so bewitching, and best in black. I would still include all the accessories. 

Then I will put my intention into the outfit and empower it with my energy. I have to feel comfortable but alluring at the same time. I have never attended a symposium before but I am sure I will have fun. The photo above depicts my backyard. It conveys the image, like the mood I am in. I have seen videos of women who traded in their signature goth dreads, tattoos and goth clothing look and sacrificed their individuality to look all princess. I know in my heart that is a decision I could never make. I can’t even feel comfortable in a business suit. I need my bohemian witchy look or nothing. It is how I feel my best. October is not a warm month but I will be indoors most of the day. I have to consider that factor too.

I have no issue with telling someone flat out what I think of them. I am sure it won’t come to that. But I have fought long and hard for Witches to be accepted. We are not the monsters depicted in Hollywood movies or deserving to be burned at the stake. We are the healers, the midwives, the lovers, the tarot readers, the herbalists, and the moon worshipping badasses. 

I’ll polish my boots, mend the fishnet tights, and I sprayed a preserving oil on the black purse I am bringing.  It only costs cents to repair something yet it can take you so far. Clear nail polish repairs tights and it is good to have a sewing needle and thread at hand. I may even make a new black slip to accompany the shirts and dresses. Yes I plan to forgo the backpack for a purse. This hotel is ritzy so I want to look as pulled together as I possibly can. This is going to be amazing! I can’t wait. 

Here is a blog link with more helpful tips for you and your costume! https://livinglesh.com/stylish-witch-halloween-costume/

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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August 26, 2020 · 5:50 pm

Cosplay Nightfell Herbalist

Merry meet all,

I’ve been busy sewing myself a beautiful cosplay costume, Nightfell Herbalist. Here is the photo of the costume: 

It has been so much work. I’ve returned to the project for two reasons. I want to finish it before October 31st. I also want to wear it this fall. The pattern consists of a long knee-length coat and a mock corset with a very gathered skirt that has a gathered ruffle. I have the veil, choker, and black lace gloves. My kick ass black lace up boots will look great with the outfit. 

I have a large beautiful blue button to sew onto the bodice. I can’t wait to add the trim. Here are a few tips to make a cosplay costume of your own- in time for Samhain! Do own a measuring tape and seam ripper. Remember: the seam work goes on the inside so the polished seams show outside. Measure twice cut once! That can save you lots of heartache. It’s better to have too much fabric than too little. 

I made the skirt for the costume. After three tries to gather the threads, I ended up sewing in an elastic waistband. The skirt is a deep blue color to complement the beautiful mock blue corset. I’ve included a photo of the costume so far:

The skirt was hard. It is a good idea to measure EVERYTHING! Measure the skirt before you gather the material to know how much you have. Measure how small or ‘gathered’ the skirt will be when you are all done and see if it matches your original estimation of fabric. You will then know if you are on the right track. I did it that way and my guess for how much fabric I had after it was gathered was the same as before. I ended up making an elastic waistband instead of a zipper. It was too hard to do the gathers by pulling the threads. But when I sew the ruffle ( which looks ten feet long), I have to gather. I gather it in sections, then match the ruffle to the center, side and back sections then pull the threads. I had to hem the skirt ruffles and that was a lot of effort. I didn’t do a narrow hem because it would hardly be noticed and it was serious effort. Then I sew on the waistband. 

The ruffle was a little nightmare. I had to make sure the wrong side was facing up on all the five sections-which is now 4 sections. They were all stitched together. One side was right side up so I corrected that with my seam ripper. They are so handy. Then I hemmed it section by section. I set the extra fabric over my ironing board or over a chair to hem it. My ironing board is my work space. Since all the sections were stitched together, it was trying. But slow and steady wins the race.

The ruffle sections were hard. One side of the five ruffle sections were notched. I knew then how to sew each section together. I cut tiny triangles in the seam allowance to know which side was which- and matched the edges together that way. I had to sew 5 sections together so the tiny notches were a great guide. 

I have sewn the gathers into the ruffle. The ruffle is so long. I can’t quite yet grasp how so much fabric is pinned and eased into the skirt hem. The skirt and ruffle are both dark blue. I stitched the gathers in, using 2 different lighter colors of thread. The stitches were a wide length and I left long thread tails for each section. See the photo below:

Gathers2

Here is a closeup of the gathers on the ruffle:

gathers1

Today I shall adjust the gathered fabric into the smaller skirt hem. After that, when I am satisfied with how it fits and the gathers are evenly spaced, I will sew on the dark blue wide scalloped lace over the seamline. 

The costume is supposed to have a petticoat. However, I am ever resourceful and thrifty. I have a knee-length black tulle skirt already. I cut it from a Baroness costume I wore once ( but paid $60 for). Sheesh. I donated the costume but kept the tulle skirt. I will stitch it in when I have to add the waistband. It will work just as well. See how I saved money and time- and tears that way? Yups. 

I have to finish the sleeves. The sleeves are in 2 sections. One is the sleeve with the armhole. It joins to a lacy ruffled section. I plan to finish that this weekend. The back of the jacket is a problem. I plan to stitch on a section of black fabric to the back and finish the raw edges. A zipper would normally be added but that is physically impossible for me to zip up. My arms don’t work that way. I will add a snap to the back and with the extra fabric concealing raw edges, it should look nice. When the fabric edges join where I would add the zipper, it seriously pulls on me and feels tight. I like to believe there is always another way to finish something. 

Sewing is tedious and repetitive. It does demand a certain level of dedication but I believe the results are worth it!

I have completely redone the sleeves from scratch. This time, they are sewn properly. I sewed the beautiful sleeves with black cotton and lining. The ruffle was the hard part. The ruffle has four layers to it. The ruffle is dark blue on the wrong side and black on the right side. The ruffle is very gathered. The four layers are edged with ribbon trim on all layers. But the bigger ribbon trim really does the ruffle justice. Here it is in the photo:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can tell that the ruffle is very gathered. The original size of the ruffle is about twenty-three inches in total to gather into fourteen inches. That is a lot of gathering. After I adjusted the gathers and was sure, and that my arms fit comfortably in the sleeves when I fitted it, I stitched on the bow and the small black button to the center of the bow. It looks so beautiful and feminine. 

I basted the back of the jacket and am now ready for the zipper. Once that is done, I shall sew on the sleeves. I have one or two spots to touch up then voila! Done!

Once that is all done, I can finally sew the button on the bodice. I shall add the veil, my lace gloves and witchy boots. I can’t wait to be done and wearing it in time for Samhain!

Update:

Well it turns out the cosplay costume is not ready in time for October 31st. I have sewn the sleeves onto the dress jacket. I also sewed lacy ribbon trim to the entire dress jacket opening edges. I shall sew a nice wide ribbon to the center back seam and stitch the zipper onto the ribbon. That will give me more room to fit in the dress jacket. I also need to adjust the mock corset to the rest of the jacket. I shall top stitch it to the dress jacket black fabric. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What they don’t tell you about sewing this costume!

The skirt has five sections but you can only match four sections of the ruffle to the four sections of the skirt. You can sew in the five sections of the ruffle. That gives you way more gathers. I went with four sections and it still looks great. The sewing quality has to be amazing. No room for error here. The stitches show whether they are perfect or not. It all counts! I had to redo the entire sleeves and ruffles because I realized early on the initial fabric was too heavy to take to being gathered. Oh- and do try multiple fittings as you work on this project t make sure it fits you perfectly.

The fabric didn’t want to gather as much as I would have preferred. The fabric on the back of the jacket near waistline. I still made every effort to gather the fabric and stitch it into the back waistline. 

The sleeve ruffle is very gathered but again, no room for error. Sewing the sleeves into the dress jacket took an entire afternoon. I basted and eased the sleeve into the armhole, I pinned LOTS, and I stitched the sleeves in twice into the armhole. The gathers show and whatever you do, take your time with this. It will turn out much better. Match up the ‘points’, for example, make sure that the top of the sleeve matches the top of the armhole point where it should meet. The same goes for the bottom armhole point then pin- a lot! Be sure before you begin sewing the right sides of the fabric are together. If you can turn your sleeve out and it is correct, then you sew. Then press/ iron it and try to tease out the fullness of the sleeve cap. Also, make sure that there are no holes or obvious puckers. 

Stay tuned for the next update!!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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