Butterick 5662 with Simplicity 3677 For a Pirate

What you see above is a few of the tools of winemaking.  Yep!  It’s that time of year.  I get to make believe that I am a genius chemist while brewing up my wine (Einstein would roll his eyes!).  Tonight the first  batch of grape juice gets inoculated and fermentation begins.  For the next few weeks, my son Jared and I will be spending time taking temperature readings, punching down the popping up grapes, doing lots of taste tests and drinking a bit of wine and beer in the process!  Certainly a good reason to love the fall season, but not the only reason!  Besides the winemaking harvesting mash-up that occurs, there is also the cherished evening where everyone dresses up in all sorts of sorts, Halloween!

Yes… it is creeping up fast and I have got to stay on task and do what I said I was going to do.  So… this week’s featured costume is my interpretation of a sassy fancy Victorian pirate!  It’s made up of 3 different patterns and a few accessory purchases.  I think we will start with the Butterick 5662 pattern.

Corsets are a always a good topic for discussion among women.  It’s quite entertaining to listen to!  Some women absolutely hate the whole idea of them and have a bazillion reasons for why.  Then there are those of us, myself included, who have a fascination with them.  Why?  Well… they are feminine, pretty, and just too cool to not like!

Before we go any further, I should clear up any confusion you may have.  In brief, a corset is designed to cinch in or narrow the waist and the bustier, a more modern style,  is intended to boost the bust! For me, I really have no interest in the squeezing or boosting part because I just want to feel comfortable.  This is certainly do-able with this pattern.

I should also mention that the true traditional corset would use spiral steel boning and either strong cord for lacing or a busk.  With regards to the boning, I have used the plastic featherlight boning and it just doesn’t have what it takes like the spiral steel does.  As for corset closures, I have tried metal grommets, metal eyelets, creating eyelets by using an attachment for my sewing machine or using a busk such as this one from  Corsetmakingsupplies.com.

Photo: Corsetmakingsupplies.com

All of these work but if you apply grommets or metal eyelets and don’t install them properly with the required pliers, they can snag your lacings.  (Yes, I have learned this first hand 🙁 )  Corsetmakingsupplies.com does offer grommets that install quite nicely and they do also carry spiral steel boning, cording and lots of other goodies too!

I will buy strong cording by the yard from a fabric store and then cover the tips with shrinkable corset lace tipping which is nothing more than skinny plastic tubing that you melt onto the ends of the cord (another tidbit at Corsetmakingsupplies).

Last but not least, a traditional corset would be made of or at least under-faced between the outside fabric and lining with Coutil.  My source for this is Tutu.com.

The Butterick 5662 pattern can be made as a traditional corset using any of the things I just mentioned but you can certainly make it out of whatever you choose.   Be prepared however when doing this pattern because if you follow the instructions exactly, you will be making your own boning casings which you sew on the outside!  My advice if you want it – get yourself a Clover Bias Tape Maker (range in sizes 1/4 to 2 inches) and will make things easier, especially when pressing your biased cut strips for the casing.

Photo: Clover USA Bias Tape Makers

This is my corset with a view of the inside of the front so you can see how the extension or flap is sewn so that it lies under the cording.  I should say that there is a proper way to lace the cording and when you look at my picture… it is NOT done properly!

It ties in both the front and back which is nifty so there is an extension or flap for the back lacing as well.

I made the casings from the same outer fabric of the corset, a brocade.

The front of the corset.

Then there is the Simplicity 3677 coat and pants that we have to talk about!

The coat in the top left corner grabbed my attention and  I knew immediately what fabric I was going to use.. a bargain special from the Red Tag section at JoAnn fabric store that I purchased and stuffed away several years ago!   It’s sort of a brocade but sort of not.  Likely it is a drapery material that has gold metallic embroidery.  Being that I am “Queen of Lining”, I lined it in Ambiance or Bamberg though I kind of complicated it more than necessary when working around the godet in the back.  It all worked out though.

The sleeves are way to cool!  I love the big cuffs.  I would so like to just wear this coat with everyday wear.  The pattern gives instructions for adding a flap as shown in the picture but I went one step further and also installed pockets.  Hey!  I needed a place to stash candy!

I saw the pants in my mind so clearly under the coat, in gold… I always have such big visions that sometimes send me landing on my butt!  Once again I ended up with none other than drapery fabric I think!  The cardboard bolt label had silk printed on it… what kind of silk I know not!

There is the matter of a “doilie shirt”, a name my son Dylan has dubbed them because of his dislike of the ruffles they have.  Making mine was sort of a process.  I started with making the top from the Simplicity 8855 pattern.  Unfortunately it’s  no longer available, even in the out of print section of the Simplicity web site though I have seen it offered at various on-line web shops.

It was simple looking and went with the skirt and vest that I also made.  However… I needed a pirate shirt so I liberated it from the rest of the outfit and converted it to a “doilie shirt”.  I went a bit nuts sewing ruffles all around the neck!  Then I decided that it needed color so I dug through my craft drawers and found cording and baubles!

Keeping in mind that my costume is a sassy fancy Victorian pirate, I decided I needed some additional panache so  I created a fascinator.

And of course a tricorne for good measure though I did not make this but ordered it from the internets!

There is the stockings and gloves that I just had to have!  Compliments of Icing and Claire’s respectively though I do not see them on either on-line web site.  I purchased them last year so that is probably why.

So here the sassy fancy Victorian pirate in all her shiz!

The coat has a godet in the center back.

I guess that wraps up this post.  For next week I think we will roll the clock back even a little further and try out some renaissance wear!  Until then… Adieu!  It’s now time to get back to work on our wine!!

Salute!  Jessica