Stitching Outside the Lines: April 2017

Well, it's been almost a month since I actually finished these costumes and I'm only just now getting around to blogging ... in my defense, I've spent the past month deciding on my college, studying for AP exams and taking finals, so it's been a bit crazy around here.

Also, by the time I was done with these I didn't want to even think about them - all I wanted to do was sleep! :)

Last month our local elementary school performed The Emperor's New Clothes for their annual musical, and I was asked to make a couple of the costumes. Like most elementary schools, I'd imagine, ours has a stock of old prom dresses and other thrifted costumes that our frankensteined to fit whatever each year's show calls for (for example, this year featured lots of "townspeople" in old maxi skirts). I was asked to make costumes for the Minister of Style and the Minister of Fashion, who ought to look a little bit fancier than the average townspeople. The school already had two (very ... interesting) skirts that they wanted to use, so all I had to make were two shirts. Oh, and I had a budget of $80 (!!!!).

Sounds easy, right?

Since the skirts were pretty shapeless and had nasty elastic waistbands, I decided on a simple peplum top for the girls. I figured that the Minister of Style ought to be a bit more old-fashioned and formal, and the Minister of Fashion would be more avant-garde.

The best part of these costumes was definitely the material - have I mentioned how much I love love love having a budget?? It's so great to get to buy all the nice fabric and trims that I want and not worry about cutting corners. While I initially balked at the idea of $80 for two shirts (I'm a $30 dress sort of girl), I ended up spending every penny and I think it really payed off.

The white fabric that I used for the base of both shirts was an absolute dream to work with - easy to cut, easy to press, with a beautiful drape and feel. I'd never met a poly-blend that I liked, but this one was a-MA-zing.

I used Simplicity 1334 for the pattern - no complaints there, it was straightforward and came together nicely.

Source

This was my first ever try at using a print out pattern though, and I must say that I probably wouldn't do it again. Sure, it worked out fine in the end, but it took way too much time (and ink) to justify the "ease" of printing at home.

It also never helps to have a cat getting in the way.

I used the sparkly net as an overlay for the bodices, which worked really nicely.

I'm not sure what to make of this fabric - it's really very pretty, but definitely one of the stranger fabrics I've used. I'm not sure that I would want to work with it on its own, but after basting it to the white backing it was easy to work with.

The only real modifications I made to the pattern were in the collars and the sleeves, because I wanted them to have a unique look. All of these parts were self-drafted without much of a real plan. For the red one I added a sort of mock yoke which was edged with a fabulous beaded trim:

This is the sort of trim that I'd never buy for myself ($7.00 a yard for beads? beads???) but I think it adds just the right touch of extra frippery! (It was also a royal pain to sew ... I used my zipper foot because I couldn't think of anything better but even that wasn't ideal ...)

I had also hoped to add some pink sequins in swirling patterns, but seeing as I finished the shirts at 2 AM the morning of the dress rehearsal that wasn't really an option ... :)

For the Minister of Fashion I wanted to do something more artsy and edgy. I got some great gold studs to decorate with (these were surprisingly easy to work with - though I don't feel confident in their lasting ability to hold onto the fabric. It would be interesting to test with a garment that's going to get more wear and tear).

I didn't really know what I wanted for the collar, and I'm not all that happy with how it ended up ... I had hoped for something that would stand out more - maybe even literally - but the gold fabric was slippy and didn't have much body, so my options were limited. Also, the whole 2 AM thing.

For the gold sleeves I just added tubes of gold and trimmed them with studs:

The red sleeves were a little more complicated, and involved gathering long rectangles of fabric and hand sewing them into a cuff. All things considered they were pretty simple, but I think they have a great impact all the same:

Ugh! So much fraying! This fabric was pretty but a real pain to use.

The other exciting feature of this project was it was my first time making homemade bias tape!

It was a little scary, and I'm not sure that this fabric was really ideal (remember what I said about it being slippy? I chose it more for looks than functionality, and believe me, I was cursing myself come 1 AM when it just wasn't doing as it was told!)

All things considered, the bias tape actually worked really well, and I think it added just the right touch. (Also, how else are you supposed to finish a curved hem?? Seriously, I have no idea.)

The costumes only got worn three times - dress rehearsal and two 30 minute shows. Sometimes I wonder why I put so much effort in when something simple and easy would probably have exactly the same effect - but, you know, so is the life of a seamstress.

Top stitching on all the seams ... so pretty, so satisfying, so time consuming

I also have a weakness for French seams, especially
when inserting sleeves ... these details make me so
happy, but they take so much time ...

I actually really enjoyed working on these costumes, minus the whole time cramp thing; I really wish I'd had the time to do them justice - I think a few more little details (sequins?) would have just put them over the top.

This whole idea of detail work is becoming a bit of resolution I have for myself as a seamstress. I love details - they're what I notice right away when I'm analyzing a garment. I love all the little extras that go into a garment - things that aren't necessarily impressive on their own, but that taken altogether elevate the costume to something amazing. I also really enjoy doing detailed work - little fiddly hand sewing is just plain fun. Unfortunately, I always seem to find myself under a time crunch, so these little extras tend to get classified as "nice, but not necessary" and booted out in favor of things like zippers and, you know, sleeves.

Ah well. I'm still pleased with how these costumes turned out, and the kids did such a great job in the play. I've seen a lot of elementary school shows in my day, and this was one of the best. So to end, here's just a few adorable "in action" shots from the school website: