Dyes, dyed, will dye

I am working on Elizabeth’s first outfit from Bioshock Infinite – my post about the shirt is here.

To make Elizabeth’s skirt I modified Simplicity 2442 which has a six-gore skirt with a high waistline. I must have got something mixed up in the mock up stages because nothing that was meant to be symmetrical really is and pattern gores that were meant to be the same size aren’t and I’ve got no idea what’s going on with it anymore except that it fits and hangs really nicely. So I didn’t try to fix it.

I decided to use pintucks instead of large pleats because free pleats made of fabric just don’t look like the controlled pixels of the garment in the game. I added the pleats to the pattern by inserting lots of folded strips and then opening them out.

The fabric I’m using was labelled as gabardine and sold as denim. I’m not sure which it is or if it’s something else entirely. It has a lovely texture, both tactiley and visually. I didn’t find a darker fabric that matched so I decided to paint the dark border. I also thought painting would make the whole process easier and neater as it meant not having to line up all those seams. The fabric paint I usually use either doesn’t come in dark blue or no-one feels the need to stock it – so, based on the advice of the sales assistant at the craft store, I bought screen printing ink. That sales assistant will have my eternal gratitude – the ink is exactly the right colour, easy to use and easy to fix mistakes.

I had a minor disaster when I decided to give a second coat to part of the border that had come out a bit patchy. When it dried it was a lot darker than the panel next to it (and had started looking more purple), had some shiny splodges and had a very distinct line where the second coat had stopped. Luckily, before the dye has been heat set, it sponges off well and I was able to repaint the problematic portion. There is still a little shadowing at the edges but it’s not something you would notice if not looking for it. Phew.

The hem has a white ruffle, sewn in with twin needling along the border line.  The skirt closes with clips. I dyed some more fabric for the tabs over the pleats.

Bioshock Infinite belongs to Take-Two Interactive Software