So I tackled my niece’s Halloween costume again this year, with the same naive sense of confidence as last time. This year Emery wanted to be a purple mermaid and while I wasn’t as enthused about her choice as she was, I wanted her to be thrilled with her costume so mermaid it is. The problem was that I had a specific vision for what I wanted the costume to look like and none of the patterns available to me fit the bill. I made the top work using Simplicity 2384 as a rough guide, but I had to change the shape, fit, and construction method. The skirt was entirely my creation and it’s also lined like the top. I used Simplicity 4043 for the bag pattern, changing nothing.

This was really hard for me and took way longer than I thought it would. The sheer iridescent fabric, while absolutely gorgeous, was difficult to sew. I never did figure out how to keep it from snagging but it didn’t look bad by the time I was done. Then the sequins. So many sequins, all hand stitched on. Yes, it’s the pre-strung sequin trim, but I still had to anchor it after each sequin on the strand. The iridescent bead trim on the bag was also entirely hand stitched. It was worth the effort, though, to see how it all glittered when she walked around trick-or-treating.

Putting this costume together has really boosted my confidence in drafting my own patterns so I’m glad it worked out the way it did. I’m really looking forward to knowing what she’ll want to be next year. Maybe I’ll even dress up with her.

Posted on Monday, October 31st, 2011 at 11:21 pm in the category: Sewing.