I chose Simplicity pattern #1819, the steampunk bolero outfit.
It's a solid wraparound piece that laces up the back, so there is no busk.
My first step was to trace the pattern pieces according to her measurements. I used my trusty French curve from the dollar store.
Then the cutting happens. My niece purchased some very nice black coutil, which cuts like a dream...
...and I marked the pieces with chalk to keep myself from going crazy.
For the fashion fabric, she bought this heavy vinyl pleather-type stuff with a felt backing. It's gorgeous but it had some challenges for the pins and the scissors. I ended up tracing on the wrong side with chalk and cutting, instead of trying to jam a pin through the pattern paper.
Getting it through the sewing machine also required some adjustments. I used my trusty office supplies to clip the vinyl pieces together instead of trying to get a pin into it.
A great trick I learned from a Carol Wood corset workshop, I used a cardboard form tube from the hardware store that is usually used as a mold for cement pillars. It approximates the curve of a human body, so I draped the vinyl over the black coutil lining.
I had some fiddling to do with making the 2 different textures mesh together. When I stitched-in-the-ditch to stabilize the seams, the one on the end did not quite synch up. But it only shows on the inside!
There it is laid out before I put in the grommets and the boning channels. I can't wait to visit her and try it on! We'll talk about the embellishments.
Oh, and I made a little top hat to match.
