Pattern used: Butterick B5970 for the skirt, simplicity 8250 for bolero
Fabric used: Brocade and black polyester lining, 5m each. approx 2m of black satin for the ruffles.
Notions: snaps, hooks and and bars
The skirt is the same Butterick pattern as I’ve always used so it was fairly easy. Making the ruffles and then sewing them on we’re a bit more challenging due to the sheer size of the skirt. The skirt is closed with snaps and a very large hook and bar. I think hooks and eyes would have been slightly easier because there are nearly 10 pairs of snaps to keep it closed.
On the other hand, the bolero is…very poorly made as you can see from this photo. It is unlined as I had no idea how to line a top at the time (this was made fairly early on in my sewing journey [May] and I was really flying by the seat of my pants then). I also had the wise idea to trim down the darts but because of the weave of brocade and my ineptitude at cutting, the darts started gaping. Quells horreur. Recently, I decided to bias bind and resew the darts so it’s actually wearable now.
It’s still not perfect but at least it’s better now.
The belt was inspired by a similar item Edith Cushing wore in the movie Crimson Peak. I adored the creepy little hands and wanted one for myself. I vaguely traced a similar belt I had and cut interfacing from that pattern, then sewed the satin over it. It’s a tie belt, so no other notions required. I forgot to let the e6000 glue set for a few days so the hands were falling off the first time I wore it. But I reapplied the glue and paint, so all’s good.
Steffi Heloise 