The fabric has been in my stash for a while. Don't ask me what made me purchase it but I liked it. Originally I was going to make a bathrobe but that never happened. Enter Halloween. I'm currently working as a court reporter and wearing a costume in court is not an option...enter "The Slappy Dress." If you didn't know, Slappy the Dummy is a fictional character and antagonist in the Goosebumps children's series by R. L. Stine. He is one of the series' most popular villains and the main antagonist of the Night of the Living Dummy saga and a major villain in later series.
I "frankenpatterned" this design using two of my favorite patterns--Simplicity 2684 bodice and McCalls 6953 skirt. I've altered the 2684 bodice to fit me perfectly but the 6953 skirt presented more of a problem because the fabric was only 45" wide and I didn't have enough. Not to be deterred, I pinched out a pleat between each of the pattern pleats to narrow each of the skirt pieces and voila!
I didn't even cut the dress out until 9 pm on Halloween Eve...me and my procrastinating. All seemed to be going well until I decided it needed pockets. I couldn't find my favorite Mimi G pocket pattern from her maxi skirt download. I had to spend about 30 minutes looking for that. When I finally got the pockets cut and sewn it was nearing 1 am. I have to start getting ready for work at 6:30 am. I've got to get some sleep! I'm was going to line the bodice with the "burrito" method so the zipper still has to be installed. As I was tacking the top of the pocket to the bodice seam the sewing machine jammed. I cleared that jam about three times to no avail. At this point I'm exhausted but not deterred. I called it a night at 1:45 am.
I slept fit-fully until 5:30 am. I got up swapped out the jammed machine for a backup and finished the dress by 7 am. Thus the invisible zipper is "nearly invisible" as I'd never installed a zipper on "said backup" machine. I also didn't have time to be fooling around with a curved hem. I serged around the dress bottom. While I thought I was going to pair it with a fine-knit cardigan...it looked too "Mrs. Doubtfire" so I added a chunky necklace, cropped denim jacket and black suede over-the-knee boots. I absolutely loved my look. Of course when I got home from work I was too exhausted for pictures and while I thought this would be a "one of" wearing, it's so comfortable and fun I'm sure it will get lots more wear. It'll be a great conversation piece!
I "frankenpatterned" this design using two of my favorite patterns--Simplicity 2684 bodice and McCalls 6953 skirt. I've altered the 2684 bodice to fit me perfectly but the 6953 skirt presented more of a problem because the fabric was only 45" wide and I didn't have enough. Not to be deterred, I pinched out a pleat between each of the pattern pleats to narrow each of the skirt pieces and voila!
I didn't even cut the dress out until 9 pm on Halloween Eve...me and my procrastinating. All seemed to be going well until I decided it needed pockets. I couldn't find my favorite Mimi G pocket pattern from her maxi skirt download. I had to spend about 30 minutes looking for that. When I finally got the pockets cut and sewn it was nearing 1 am. I have to start getting ready for work at 6:30 am. I've got to get some sleep! I'm was going to line the bodice with the "burrito" method so the zipper still has to be installed. As I was tacking the top of the pocket to the bodice seam the sewing machine jammed. I cleared that jam about three times to no avail. At this point I'm exhausted but not deterred. I called it a night at 1:45 am.
I slept fit-fully until 5:30 am. I got up swapped out the jammed machine for a backup and finished the dress by 7 am. Thus the invisible zipper is "nearly invisible" as I'd never installed a zipper on "said backup" machine. I also didn't have time to be fooling around with a curved hem. I serged around the dress bottom. While I thought I was going to pair it with a fine-knit cardigan...it looked too "Mrs. Doubtfire" so I added a chunky necklace, cropped denim jacket and black suede over-the-knee boots. I absolutely loved my look. Of course when I got home from work I was too exhausted for pictures and while I thought this would be a "one of" wearing, it's so comfortable and fun I'm sure it will get lots more wear. It'll be a great conversation piece!
I love how you styled the dress in the Slappy fabric. It looks like a normal black and tan print dress until you get up close and "surprise!".
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Audrey and I like your interpretation of the fabric. I'm currently looking for something to do a Christmas dress!
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