Spell, Stitch & Splinter

I love the show Once Upon a Time, although that love has waned these past couple of seasons (ever since the Frozen hype money grab). I've always wanted to make the costumes from that show, especially something from Regina King's wardrobe. I mean, she has got to be the most glamorous one in the show! Now having many years of costume making under my belt, I was able to put together a Regina-esque outfit from pieces I already had on hand. The skirt I already owned. It's mermaid shape was perfect for the character, nd it has a shiny stink set at the back. It was a hand me down from an older coworker who wore it to an event in Washington DC, so for ages I was stumped trying to figure out where I could wear it. I wonder what she'd think if she knew I was wearing it for Halloween.  The corset I wore is an old, crappy one I bought from a costume shop years ago. I decided to open it up and replace all the thin plastic boning with duct ties. Th...

I feel like this pattern and this fabric were made for each other! I plucked this polka dotted mesh out of a bargain bin the very first time I visited Fine Fabrics here in Atlanta (seriously, if you live here you NEED to shop there). For the longest time I didn't know what to do with it; it's slightly sheer and drapes very well. But it's not lightweight so a blouse was out. Then I saw Butterick 5920 and it was perfect: A vintage dress pattern meant for sheers! This was a reissue pattern from 1951. For the first time I used my sloper to help me make pattern adjustments.  It definitely jump started the process but I still made a muslin and fine tuned the fit, particularly around the armholes. But using the sloper i was able to start out with enough room for my bust and no excess fabric in the back. Design wise the pattern is pretty good. I decided to move the pockets from the bodice to the skirt. My bustline is pretty voluminous already, it doesn't need a...