The Runner Up Dress

You guys loved my date night outfit from last week but some of you were rooting for a different outfit. I too liked the runner up outfit so I chose to wear it another day.

It was a bit chilly so I paired my dress with tights and a cardigan.

I think this dress looked super cute with my pixie! (It helps that I'm far enough removed from sewing this dress up that I mostly forgot how annoying the fabric was to work with.)

Here's my new purse! I bought it from a darling etsy shop. For some reason, I just can't get into sewing purses for myself. When I spied this one in a cute teal fabric, I just had to have it!

I'm so loving the short hair!

Happy Friday!

Updated Disney Wardrobe

Because what else do I have to think about. My original one is here.

I've got two Wearing History patterns in my "suitcase". I made the sailor playsuit last summer and have adjusted it for fit so it's ready to go. The chic ahoy! pattern is still in progress. The jacket is done and the shorts just need closures. I haven't even started on the blouse but I'm going to get cracking.

Colette Patterns are also coming along. I made a macaroon that I've had the fabric for forever. I also finished a long standing beignet UFO with pirate fabric. I had some crazy issues with bad snaps, half of which fell off and the other half wouldn't come off. Thanks to my weight loss, I just cut them off and reworked the front of the skirt from there.

I'm bringing along my polka dotted back button blouse. I'm also working on this cute 60s playsuit that the lovely Brittany of Va Voom Vintage sent me. Super cute and it's a stash busting project. Just have to get some buttons for it.

And I also have a refashion project coming along. This 30s dress from Past Patterns was just the ticket to help a 70s does 30s dress go a bit more 30s. It had some damage at the zipper because it was a jersey dress sewn with regular stitches so I needed some repairs anyways. I left the top mostly the same but changed the skirt to this one and added the belt.

Last but not least is a circle skirt because I can't not bring one of those.

Yesterday, I decided that I'd better get looking for a swimsuit if I wanted one. Now, I'm not usually a swimming kind of a gal. I don't even remember the last time I was in a pool. So my swim suits, while in good condition, are from high school. And even though I've just lost gobs of weight, I do not have that body anymore. So I did some serious etsy scouring and had no luck with vintage suits. I couldn't have one made because they wouldn't be done in time but then I stumbled upon this one:

It's from Fables by Barrie and modeled by the lovely Bernie Dexter. Super cute, retro, multi-sized and on sale. And it will be rounding out my wardrobe. Not sure why I could get by in Florida for a week without a swimsuit but now I have one.

Dressing Downton: Modern Mary

We all want a bit of Downton Abbey in our wardrobes so after posting some inspiration for adding some Downton flavor to your wardrobe, I took up the challenge of working my latest Dressing Downton piece into a modern look.

Tada! I made a rather more reproduction type piece but opted to style it modern.

You can find this costume's Dressing Downton post here.

I paired this skirt with a modern white t-shirt.

It has an almost lace like print (I guess you could call it) that is translucent and a black lace pattern printed on the front. I really wanted to capture the romantic feel of the original outfit.

I ended up making this skirt using a self drafted half circle skirt pattern. There's only one seam which I placed in the back. It closes with snaps and hooks and eyes. I made self fabric covered buttons that are purely decorative.

The back doesn't hang quite as nicely as I'd like but I'm sure Mary has on a slip and petticoat under hers.

Oh and this is so fun to wear! I do need more of these long half circle skirts!

I also envision this with a period blouse or styled as a 40s evening look! They too had long swooshy skirts. And the color is just so yummy!

Dressing Downton Modern

Downton Abbey is full to the brim with lovely costume inspiration! I've been focusing on more reproduction type projects but what if you're looking more for everyday type looks? Let's look at some ways you can bring that inspiration into a more modern wardrobe.

Long skirts were very in during this period, though the length came up towards the end of season 2. Love a great skirt from the show? Shorten the hem to more modern length for an instantly wearable look. Keep the interesting details like the buttons on the back of Mary's skirt or the matching belt on Isobel's. For a more flowy skirt, try a half circle skirt. For a slimmer look, go with an a-line.



Sometimes you'll get lucky and find a modern pattern with similar lines.

Vogue 8648 would be a great starting point for Mary's garden party dress! I'd start with the yellow version and add details. Cut the pieces so the stripes line up with Mary's (or somehow interesting), cut the waist pieces in a darker solid for a belt look and add cuffs to the sleeves. Lace trim around the neck for that finishing touch.



Fallen in love with a great jacket? There are a couple of options here. A lot of jackets from the show would look great with jeans! For a more modern look focus in one one detail-pockets, a unique closure, or a great color and apply it to a modern cut jacket.

Vogue 8333 is a great place to start. It has classic lines but the little side detail makes it special. Change the collar, closures or color.

Vouge 8621 is a much more modern pattern but still captures that spirit of specialness all of the Edwardian jackets from this show have. This is a great option to capture a color that's been calling your name.

Don't forget to think outside of the box. Wouldn't Mary's riding jacket make a great coat dress?

McCall's 6279 would fit the bill.

I feel like a lot of the blouses would be very wearable with jeans or a modern skirt.

I've got many more ideas, but this is getting long so I'm thinking of doing a series of posts on this topic. So please post questions, requests and ideas!