Good Morning! I'm excited to be participating in my Mom's annual blog hop for a steampunk themed Halloween! This year for the annual 4-H Fashion Show I decided to create a refashion project that also is my Halloween Costume! I love steampunk and I love refashion! I have been very fortunate to find some amazing clothes at garage sales and in hand me downs from friends and family.
I started with 7 shirts and a skirt to create my outfit. The top is a refashioned man's shirt that I bought at Good Will. I cut the sleeves off and shortened them. I changed over the buttons to sparkly buttons and then I folded down the collar and sewed it in the hem to create a Mandarin looking collar!
The skirt was made from 5 shirts. Shirts were cut so that I didn't have to re-hem them. The bottom shirt already had a drawstring mid-shirt and I cut above the drawstring to use that to size my skirt. I will be able to wear it for a while as I grow up as there is room to let out the draw string! I then gathered the tops of the pieces so that it was easier to attach it to the bottom skirt. The pieces were cut with the top layer being the shortest and then longer and longer so that they all met at the top to cause the layers. The very top layer of the skirt is lace from a shirt. I sewed with a zigzag so that there was a little bit of "give" in the waistline. I then decided I needed a ruffle around the bottom. I cut 3" strips, folded them in half and hand gathered and pinned around the bottom of the skirt to sew.
The brown "coat" is made from a shirt and a skirt. I began by cutting the sleeves and turning the cut side in and sewing along the hem of the arm holes. I then turned the collar down and sewed the collar in the hem like I did on my shirt. The skirt was shortened and then gathered along my waistline to create a "tail". To mark where to put the skirt I put on my belt and marked with chalk the line. I then gathered the skirt...adding more gathers in the back to make it puffier. The skirt was sewn to the shirt and the extra shirt was trimmed. When the coat is on I can use the shirt button to close or leave it open.
I got the belt at the GoodWill store and the boots at the flea market! I attended the Erath County Fashion Show on Monday where I took 1st place for Junior Refashion Construction. I will be travelling to the District 8 Fashion Show in November. I will be making and adding some more accessories for Halloween.
