Yay! So I am dragging N. to the Frozen Sing Along on Thursday which means a bump in the schedule 😉 Well I had sequinned fabric to get rid of so hey, quickie costume here we go!
Alcega? Alcega! Or patterning as if I was a 16thC Spanish tailor plonked here and now. Tailors had to make best use of as little fabric as possible. In part due to parsimonious clients but also as they could keep the offcuts. And you talk about actual cloth of gold or actual cloth of silver you can see how there could be a bit of a conflict!
1) Measure the dimensions for the front panel (waist from side front to side front, then hips and then full length and remember this is on the fold and is twice the width! Then cut with the hem at the end of the fabric so as to be able to top and tail the back pieces! Then work from the other end and make whatever you can for the back piece because there is eff all there… Remember there is scrap to be able to piece in to the back.
Front panel is upside down on the upper right, back panels right way to us on the lower left.
2) rotate back piece and lay against the scrap to work out how much there is to finish the back panels and see if you can squeak out a train.
3) success! a three panel skirt but made from five pieces thanks to not having all the fabric in the world.
4) lay test pattern on next test fabric. I had tried the orange on to adjust proportions (narrowing the skirt front) but yay for being super stingy on the first test as there is more fabric here to play with.
Note, knit sequinned fabric twists like mad. This lovely flat view was not so easy to achieve or maintain.
5) Pretty much follow the pattern but add where you can, I like to angle the the back seam up which makes for more flare at the hem less bulk at the waist.
Yes, the knit backing is very dark, the sequins aren’t but I will be doing something to tone them back. And hey as this is a test pattern the skirt will be looking for a home.. next week 😉
My cape is mine though. No touchy.