The Fairy Tailor

I promise the purples match, the camera just doesn’t like them.

Astute readers may notice something different about this fabric selection. After looking at my pile of fabrics all week I started thinking that the grey was really bringing the purples down so I replaced it with a spring green. I discovered the purple satin I had was too much not enough, even to piece, so I bought a nearly identical replacement. Being untextured, it's not quite as nice but it drapes well and I have enough for all the binding too. The bobbly ombre fabric is for the underdress bodice.

On to Patternmaking

Underdress
The underdress pattern turned out pretty much right on the first try. I added width to the skirt pieces to allow for pleats and raised the waist. For the bodice I used the pattern’s armscyes on some rectangles. I still made multiple mock-up bodices, but that was to figure out the order in which to do things. There were so many elements to consider - the bodice is partially lined and partially gathered, has raglan off-shoulder sleeves, an unbroken elastic channel and a side zip, and is (mostly) constructed using French seams.  Even so, I got partway through sewing the real one only to find my plan wasn't going to work and had to go back a few steps.

The final sewing order is:

1. Darts
2. Gathers
3. Side seams
4. Sleeves
5. Lining attached at the neck
6. Bind the neckline
7. Elastic channel
8. Waist seam
9. Sleeve elastic

The finishing at the zip-side underarm is not ideal, but I couldn’t figure out anything better. I found myself comfortably wearing the mock-up around the house while sewing so have earmarked this pattern to make more of in the future, but the zip will be in the back.

Jacket
The jacket is little more than one sleeve and a side front and back. I lengthened the sleeve from McCalls M4378 and extended the centre pieces to join a waistband, with a pleat in the front. This worked fine on the mock-up but was rather more fiddly with the light, maybe crepe, fabric I actually used.

Overdress
My plan for the overdress was to start with a corset which would flare out into a full skirt. It has to flare because I consider waist seams an abomination. I started by cutting down my already heavily modified corset pattern to underbust and spread it out a bit to go over the hips. Then I cut out those pieces with lots of fabric on the bottom, sewing up the corset part and cut down the excess until it made the skirt shape I wanted.

How it started

How it's going. The bulk of the skirt is in the side.

I have a pretty significant hip/waist ratio so getting the dress to fall smoothly there was the hardest part of the whole pattern making experience. No matter what I did I kept getting a little fold at the narrowest point. I'm sure a proper couturier would know how to get rid of it, but I didn't want to try to fit in a lesson, it being Christmas. Given the drape of my fashion fabric, I don't think this will be apparent in the final garment.

Other than the waist issue, this was one of the smoothest pattern-making experiences I've had which was a great relief since I had 10 weeks to go from Idea to Display. The mock-up looks pretty good itself.

Primavera

Has anyone else got an artist whose work you love so much it results in Bad Decisions? For me it's Kinuko Y. Craft. The first bad decision was finishing a book that was really not very good because of her gorgeous cover art; the second was starting to read the sequel. Third, I paid an exorbitant amount of postage to have an expensive-in-its-own-right book of her art shipped to Australia. And lastly, or rather, most recently, I decided I had to make one of the dresses I saw in said artbook. While I am supposed to be finishing up writing an album. 

By coincidence, the theme for the Canberra Show craft competition this year is Myths and Legends, giving me some justification and a two-month deadline.

I have taken a break from looking through the book because it was making me crazy. Got to finish this dress first.

Google informs me that this dress is from the cover art of In the Forests of Serre by Patricia A. McKillip which I have not read or heard of in any other context. I have no idea if this character is actually a fairy, but that's what I thought of when looking at it, so I am making a fairy dress. I am also working in a very different colour pallet that feels more me.

Maybe this could be another bad decision. Or. Perchance. A good one.

I have divided the outfit into three garments: the Overdress, the Jacket and the Underdress. The underdress could have been a blouse and skirt, but I decided I liked the idea it being a functional dress on its own and then the other layers could be added when leaving the house/castle/bower. My other executive decision was that fairies have invented elastic – or at least have ensorcelled cords to have stretch. (Having a ribbon in the underdress neckline was very uncomfortable.)

Patterns I am drawing from:

• Kwik Sew 2102
• Simplicity 6746
• McCalls M4861 as adapted for my Tia Dalma costume
• McCalls M4378 from which I previously made the cape for a Barbie party
• My self-drafted cuff pattern from my ice goth outfit 

The overdress will be made from this lovely brocade I found in Spotlight. If I hadn't happened upon it the whole dress would probably have stayed a mental design exercise. I got 4 metres. Part of me is sure this is plenty but another part of me is deeply worried.

After picking out the brocade I was pretty sure I had some perfect stash fabrics to go with it. For the jacket I am using a heavy silver satin I'm pretty sure I got from a curtain shop. While it doesn't match the rose gold threads in the brocade, it shares a reddish undertone so they coordinate well. I was slightly concerned I had misremembered after pulling out 2 dark purple satins that didn't match at all but then I found the one I was looking for. I think it came from a warehouse in Redcliffe. I have 3m, so this one's going to be tight. I might end up having to piece some of it. The brown and beige are for linings. The sheer fabric will need to be purchased (wish me luck!) I'm thinking pale pink.

2024 Review

I didn't do a lot of sewing this year, at least, not until December. During the year I did a handful of practical things – developing a T-shirt pattern for remaking purchased shirts I didn't like the fit of; and updating purchased cargo pants to take up the hems, take in the waist and put zips on the pockets – but nothing notable.

I'm trying to make a standard skirt base (including this, and this) but haven't quite got the fit consistent, so while I did make a plain skirt this year, it's currently in the mending pile.

In 2023 I had a couple of lessons with Rockstars and Royalty to develop a custom-fitted corset pattern, based on Truly Victorian TV110. Having now got a pattern that fits (like, really nicely) I've made a few this year refining the design using whatever fabric I had roughly half a metre of. 

Then in December I got completely obsessed with recreating an outfit from a Kinuko Y. Craft illustration. I spent 2 weeks developing the pattern and making mockups (everything went astoundingly smoothly) and am a good way through a couple of the pieces. More details to follow…