A Monday Update

I promised you all more sewing updates regarding Secret Halloween Costumes, so here goes: The costume that Erica hired me to construct is finally “done.” I use the quotes because I don’t think it’s true. You see, the costume has only one point of entry: at the neck. During the initial fitting, Erica and I discussed the shimmy-room, and she was able to get it on and off at that point, and as I was only going to make the neck opening bigger, we figured it would be fine.

We may have figured wrong.

I did indeed make the opening a little larger when I sewed in the yoke inset. BUT… (tell me about your big “but,” Simone) the knit fabric for the inset isn’t as stretchy as the fabric used for the remainder. So, um, it isn’t as forgiving in regards to, well, pulling up over one’s butt. I haven’t had the “final” fitting with Erica, so I’m not tearing back into the costume yet, but my hopes aren’t high. I have planned, mentally, how to handle the Just In Case procedure. So there’s that.

My own costume is still only in the mental vision stages. I have the required fabric and notions, and scored from Hancock a Butterick pattern that I can use (and of course, modify) for the bodice. It’s a wedding dress pattern, and my mom raised an eyebrow when she stopped by and saw it on my kitchen counter. “Is there something I should know?” No, Mom. Other than, were I to be getting married, it would NOT be in that particular dress. You should probably know that. In a mother-daughter fashion, though, we both said, in unison, “View B would be cute as a top in a cotton print.” So yeah, we have known each other for a while. 🙂

Total expenditures for my costume so far:
– fabric A: $1.50 thrift store remnant
– fabric B: $5 for one yd at Big Lots (!?!?)
– fabric C: from my stash
– Butterick pattern: $2 (sale!) from Hancock
– zipper: $4 from Hancock
– boning: from my stash
– trim: $6 from Dollar Tree
– hat: from my stash
– KILLED vintage motorcycle helmet: $5 at thrift store
– KILLED satin bustier: $7.50 at thrift store

Even with the good-idea-at-the-time items that I have since dropped, this is buckets of money less than I’ve spent in years past. I still need to find just the right shoes, though, and that is (as usual) proving to be the most difficult task.

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BONUS UNRELATED ITEMS: I am pleased to announce that some of the patterns in my shop have been chosen for today’s Mad Men Monday feature over at Budget Retro. Also gasp-worthy is the mention that my shop received last week from Dress A Day. Gasp! Gasp, I tell you!