Mortem's Tricks or Treats: The Franken-Pattern Dress.

It was on a dreary night of June that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. 

With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of fabulousness into the pile of fabric that lay at my feet...

Clearly, I've been spending a lot of time with the tales and films of Frankenstein and his monster.

Forever my favorite story and "monster"-- the one I so closely identify with and obsesses over.

My latest, though not the only project finished, is my favorite creation to date. It has been an idea that has rattled in the back of my head for years, and it was Mary's contribution (from Autumn Moon Enchantement --how awesome that her name ties well with the theme of this post) that pounded the last nail in that coffin. She traded me this Pumpkinheads fabric from Michael Miller; I didn't know such amazing material existed, and it was all too perfect for this dress, I begged her for her scraps and she kindly obliged me haha!

Initially the plan was to make a full dress with some kind of pumpkin material, and the amount that Mary sent me wouldn't have been enough... but as it turned out, it was destiny that brought my creation together.

So, in the beginning of June a sewing with lace contest was announced for Sewing Pattern Review Online Sewing Community. I love lace, but ironically it's a material I am rather short on at any given time. Good lace is tough to stash... but I really wanted to enter and give it a shot, and all I really have is novelty laces-- this spiderweb lace meeting the criteria as best as my muse could muster. It needed to be a project I could quickly finish, given that I would be losing two weeks on account of my in-laws coming for a visit, rendering my room unreachable for the time being: one week to make the room "livable" and one week for them to reside in.

Funny enough, I wasn't even sure what I was going to do or what fabric I was going to use. After a day of pulling fabrics and patterns, it hit me like a bolt of lightning-- I should make the dress I have been wanting to make! It took a little franken-patterning to reach the design that I so dreamed about: the skirt from Simplicity 1194 and the bodice and midriff of New Look 6146 (ironically one of those 'mix & match' patterns).
 One aspect that I had to figure out on my own was the bat wing collar.

I am no stranger to the bat wing collar (throwback to my bat dress), but I must admit that I wasn't entirely sure how this would turn out in faux leather; it's considerably more bulky.

I opted to do one side in the faux leather and the other in cotton, to alleviate the amount of bulk. It worked beautifully.

The skirt used up 4 yards of my spiderweb lace; it's double layered. It was a touch too long, and from the ensuing fabric I made the sash, which looks to be part of the dress.

But it isn't. 

I did this purposely, since I love using waist belts... and some of my own design will be starting to see the light of day soon enough.

I am still not sure this would meet the criteria for the lace contest, though it says the garment must be 75% lace and this uses 4 yards of "lace" including an accessory against a quarter yard of cotton and a bit of faux leather... seems to me like it should, but we shall see. In any case, I do know it meets it for another contest, a little IG contest for a Halloween box. A Halloween spirit contest hosted by Order of the Thinned Veil-- I really dig this particular contest. Even if I don't win it, I shall endeavor to purchase their All Hallows level. Seems kick-ass.

Lastly, I have to say that I am completely obsessed right now with hemming my skirts with ribbon. I can't stop doing it, haha! I did it as an afterthought though, as you can tell from these subsequent shots of me wearing this dress without that hem.

Hmm, I don't know... should I keep or remove the ribbon hem?

Till next time, fiends. Spook you later!

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Bat knit hood knit by yours truly.

Ribcage necklace handmade by yours truly.

Skeleton Closet: Attack of the Killer Copy 'Bat' + Pattern Review

And by 'killer' I mean awesome... hahah!
I should make a sectional of my blog for my copy cat dealings-- hmm.

So in one of my previous posts, I wrote that my mother sent me some money for a little retail therapy during my health issues. In it, I expressed the desire for a couple Hell Bunny dresses, but one seems discontinued while the other is not viable financially.
For the price of both of these dresses, I was able to purchase everything I needed for all the dresses I planned for in that post-- a total a 4, including the one I didn't mention much.

Last post, I revealed a sneak peek of the dress I was working on, but did not mention which one...
Well, dear readers...

Voilà!

Sporting my broken spare glasses...

This is the New Look pattern 6457 in view A.

From afar the pattern of the fabric merely looks like multi colored polka-dots... but when you come up close, it reveals itself to be eyeballs on a faint spiderweb background. This dress is meant to somewhat mimic the simplistic but outrageously awesome Hell Bunny eyeball dress.

As some of you know, I currently have a "thing" for eyeball things... this dress was an inevitable contribution to my wardrobe.

Knock-off dress with my knock-off hair bows

The dress itself needed some fit adjustments around the curvature of the bodice side front pieces, since I am not as well endowed as your average woman-- I still have the body of a teen that just barely hit puberty. And believe it or not, it can sometimes work in as an advantage.

Another adjustment to be done was the length of the skirt. It wasn't a huge deal since the pattern inadvertently lays it out for you.

The line which you're supposed to sew your ribbon trim also works in shortening the skirt overall. I chose to cut on the highest line-- on me, it creates the perfect length just a bit above my knees since I am merely 5 feet tall.

It goes without saying that the straps needed adjustment also. I have excruciatingly narrow and short shoulders, disproportional to my torso-- meaning nothing off-the-rack with straps ever fits properly.
The instructions mention only overlapping the front of the straps, while keeping the back untucked.
I didn't think that looked clean enough for me, so I simply did the same at the back as in the front.

Once the band is stitched on, the inside looks super clean and tailored. It would be even better if this dress was lined, but I didn't buy any fabric be able to do that.

The only disappointing factor was the difficulty I had matching the pattern of the fabric with seams; it's an absurdly random pattern, and I just couldn't find the magic formula to prevent cut offs-- I did my best, but it wasn't enough! Ugh. Guess that is my penance for mismatching my husband's shorts, heh!

Pattern overview:

• View A is a simple silhouette, there was little to no road blocks in dealing with adjustment issues; basic level knowledge. Great for the beginner.
• Optional extras: tailor's ham to press around curves for better sewing results.
• I would sew this dress again; it's fun, cute, and works really well with busy prints.

I'm pretty stoked that I now own an eyeball dress-- huzzah!

Also, you must check out my awesome tights, as I'm equally stoked about them, too! I found them at Dollar General... isn't that crazy?!

What I'm wearing:

• Dress: New Look pattern 6457
• Anatomical heart necklace: self -made
• Eyball hairbows: self-made knock off
• Tights: Dollar General
• Belt: Fairweather Co.
• Boots: K-mart

Spooky Basket: Thrifted Retro-nista

For many of us, shopping thrift is a complete addiction. The heady smell of thrift shops entices the thrill of the hunt, and the ecstasy that consumes us when we find those really great pieces at dollars and cents is exhilarating to say the least...

Ah thrifting... an inexpensive, but fun way to spend the day shopping.

A couple of days ago I spent the day with my neighbor for dollar tacos and then following up with thrift stores. In my town, I didn't expect there to be a whole lot going on in the way of clothing in the thrift stores-- I have found several really great books that are now happily restored and sit in their places on my shelves.

Boy was I glad to be wrong.

That day I picked up some truly great pieces for a whooping total of $9.15. The highlight of my small but lucrative purchase equals the sum of $3.75!

The Polka Dot Dress

At a whopping $3.00, this little slice of retro awesome could not be overlooked-- the minute I walked into the shop it was staring me down from a wall display. I had to have it-- it gives me a huge reason to wear beyond my monochromatic wardrobe habits.
The label is from "Rare Editions"... a quick google yielded the website: www.rareeditions.com
It's apparently made for little girls, but it fit like a glove-- so I guess that means I have the figure of a young girl-- I guess having little breasts can be somewhat of a good thing *rimshot*

Anyway, it is flocked polka dot organza, and the trims and bow are also velvet. A cute studded buckle sits in the center, and none of the gems are missing. It is in such immaculate condition; I just adore it.


The Shoes

Probably the best, and most inexpensive of this haul are the shoes.

I have been coveting a pair like these for what feels like years... but in fact may have only been a couple of months, hehe. The brand is New Port News, and I was completely shocked at the pristine condition, but mostly for the fact that these beauties came in relatively my size. The company's sizes must run small, because they fit superb for a 6 1/2 when I normally wear a 5 to 6 narrow.

You ready to know how much these were?! ...

.75 cents!

omghowawesomeisthatiamsohappy

I have one other piece I was proud to haul in but not showing because when I bought it I had a plan to reconstruct it; that'll have to wait till a Creepy Craft Crusade!


P.S. the necklace is self-made, of course, not that it's really all that impressive! Just strung beads =P