TARDIS Tuesday – Cropped Jacket

I’ve determined that Tuesdays are going to be TARDIS themed here in my little corner of the internet.

You see, I decided the week before Halloween that I wanted to wear my Tardis costume, if I finished it in time. But at that point I had completed less than half of it.

It’s time to share my trials in completing these four pieces of my costume, and maybe by then I’ll have worked a bit on the skirt!

The first part of the total costumeĀ  I made was a bolero jacket. I had just completed my Sorbetto and figured that would be a good pattern to build off of for this jacket. It was actually almost a month before Halloween, but my momentum stalled after I finished it… that does seem to happen a bit.

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I knew it was going to end up over a button up shirt, so it couldn’t be skintight, and it had to be comfortable as well. Remember me telling you about this weird shirting fabric that I used to line my graduation dress? It made another appearance as a muslin and subsequent underlining here! It provides a good amount of weight to the jacket which really makes it lay beautifully.

For the pattern, I just folded the pattern at the pleat and traced the shape off. I rounded the front up to the center and added some darts at the back. Then I realized that in order to use the button that I’ve been saving for over a year I would either need to overlap the front or create a button tab. My buttonhole ended up a bit screwy, and I don’t have matching thread, so I’ll probably redo it, but it worked in a pinch.

Some bars were added on in order to attach the cape, and some beads… the beads. I wanted to incorporate these lovely pendants that I repurposed from vintage earrings, and when I saw Journey to the Center of the Tardis I thought they would be perfect in that context, but I still wanted to use gold fake pearls… until I ran out of them. So I added some silver ones. And then a strand of them fell off during Halloween night. So I need to do some fixing.

closerThe strand that fell off is discreetly on the other side of the jacket in these pictures. Because I was feeling a bit shameful.

But there’s my jacket!

(When I can get pictures of me actually wearing it, I’ll update the post!)

Getting Back on Track

If nothing else, December so far has been busy.

Busy busy busy.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted a thing since Thanksgiving…

You may not have. That’s good too.

(I’m going to whine for a bit, just to let you know.)

Being a college senior is tough. Can I mention real life is on the horizon?

I’m trying at all costs to avoid such a thing. I’m applying for graduate schools, and hopefully it’ll work out for me.

Please cross your fingers for me.

But my applications are pretty much in, and that makes me terribly happy.

(I’m now done whining, I think.)

I’m back at home, so I’ve brought a number of projects to do while I’m here, to supplement the ones I’ve already got here.

Here’s all the beads I’ve got, since I’ve tasked myself to make my Belle and Claudia beadwork while I’m home. I also brought home other beading projects, but there’s less of a push for those.

supplies

I’ve also got a jacket in the works. Years ago, I got this pattern, along with some dark purple bottomweight from Joann’s, and I think it’s high time to make it up. I’m planning on view F, the vaguely military view. I’ve got this really neat quilting fabric that I’m going to make a lining from, as well as using it for the contrasts. The fabric is pastel – rainbow with gold crackle running around.

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There were a number of ready to wear items that I’m still planning on fixing up, I just didn’t get to them this summer while I was home. Here’s one, a shirt that is just a little too tight around the arms, so I’m thinking of removing the fabric loop and adding an elastic one.

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I had a little war with myself, a few weeks ago, on whether or not to buy the Archer pattern. I told myself that I didn’t need a button up shirt pattern, because I never wear them, especially a long sleeve one. But then I thought, maybe I don’t wear them because I’ve never gotten one that fit. So the second voice one, and I’ve got the pattern cut out. Just need to cut this awesome (and free) fabric, and to sew it all up!

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I keep telling myself to finish up my crochet sweater, so that’s on the roster, as well as a sundress out of lovely pink fabric from my mom, and a ballroom dress, and a corset, and maybe a t-shirt, etc. So lots of stuff. We’ll see how far I get!

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Hope you all have wonderful holidays, if I don’t talk to you before then! It’s quick approaching the new year!

(real life!)

Ever sail in a Firefly

front

So I’ve been hard at work on my Halloween costume.

I’ve told you that I was planning on making a version of Kaylee’s dress from Out of Gas, one of my favorite episodes in Firefly. It also shows up in the The Message.

And I have! I promise! However, I haven’t exactly taken pictures in it yet. The post is upcoming, I promise!

I had decided while I was working on the dress that I should be Kaylee for Halloween! length

Halloween where I live, though, is quite cold, so I always build in temperature ready ideas into my costume.

So I decided that my next project was going to be Kaylee’s blue oriental jacket.

Because I could.

I ordered my brocade from ebay, and it turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for. (I’ve had mixed results with finding fabric on ebay).

sleeve

I made a muslin, which I had to hack up and maneuver to get it to fit. I had started with my bodice block, since I knew it was rather fitting, but I took out a bunch of the shaping on the bottom. The jacket in the show is oversized and shapeless, so I didn’t feel bad about taking some liberties.

I cut out the fabric, and had just enough to do so. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pattern match as much as I wanted, but I at least had everything set up in the right direction.

front

Starting out, I wanted to have a double breasted front for warmth. In the end it didn’t work out. The front closes about evenly matched with each other, and I can’t button the top button, because I have a thing about close fitting necks.

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Looking back at past projects, I’ve never quite drafted sleeves correctly. One of these days I’ll figure it out, but that day wasn’t my cutting day. I ended up easing the remaining sleeve head fabric into pleats in the back, which gave a very cute tailored look.

The back is a bit tight, which at leastĀ  keeps me in better posture, having to stand up straight instead of my usual slumping. I don’t have the best movement range because of this and the kinda tight sleeve caps.

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But I love my new jacket! And I’m going to wear it forever and ever.

I will leave you with a picture of my subtle cosplay for the day. Kaylee’s hairbuns and jacket!

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