Modesty's Costume Closet

 This year for the Dance Party I want to go as a Sailor Scout. Currently, I'm not sure which character I'll go as or if I'll design my own or do some kind of crossover. (Sailor Mitsuri maybe. 😜) I have such a soft spot for the original characters as I grew up in the 90s with the original release of the manga in English and the wonky 90s anime. However, I do like some of the new designs of the reboot.  Thankfully, the characters all have the same BASE to the costume that is a leotard, with a sailor collar and short skirt. In essence, I'm going to work off my growing knowledge of how to sew swimsuits and leotard-based dancesport costumes to make this. And I did cheat and get a pattern just to get some ideas about how to put things together. But I think I'll make my own way.  As far as the variations between characters go, the differences are typically found in the sleeves, the colors, and the gemstone broach designs. (When looking exclusively at the Sailor Fuku/Unifo...

 I've been quiet because I am laser focused on making this dress on time. At this point I've finished the major sewing. I'm "tweaking" and getting ready to add the decoration.  Here were the pain points for this project:  Tailoring the pattern Inserting Godets Adding horsehair braid hem Inserting the neckline elastic It needs a zipper But I did learn a great deal. So, here's how these were addressed:  Adjusting a Pattern I do this more often than making my own pattern. However, I understand now the benefit of drafting my own based on a pattern block. Making or getting a leotard pattern block makes tailoring other patterns much easier. Since I'm narrow up top and wide below the belt, I tend to have two very different sizes. In this project, I was able to adjust the top using my dress form and pinning to take in the side seams. I didn't realize until later that I also needed to reduce the width of the front and back neckline. I was able to address this b...