Queen Elizabeth Costume, A Finished Bodice And Skirt

By the end of the day yesterday, I was feeling completely exhausted and a bit overwhelmed with the complexities of this costume.  I woke up this morning with a clear picture of what needed to be done and things went pretty well.  I think it helped that I had dealt with all the sewing machine problems yesterday so today I was able to dive right in.  First job of the day was to finish the alterations I'd had to make to the bodice to fit my daughter.  Those went well and although attaching the bodice to the lining and inserting those very puffy sleeves was not easy, it all went smoothly.  The pattern had called for an 18inch zipper for the bodice but when I went to put it in, it was way too long so I had to pop out and get a 16inch one!  

In this pattern, the bodice and the skirt are made separately.  This has worked really well for me because it has allowed me to tailor the patterns to my daughter so that the fit is really good.  There was a little bit of hand finishing on the inside of the bodice. 

You can see how the shape of the bodice combined with the placement of the boning makes a beautiful silhouette.  You can also see the darts I added to make the top part fit my daughter.  You don't really see these most of the time.  Tomorrow I have to hem the skirt and make the stand up collar.  The collar attaches to those squares of velcro that you see around the back neckline.  I made good progress today and we are both happy with the results.  I also cleaned the house and decorated my mantlepiece with some mini pumpkins we bought at the weekend.  They look very cheery.  A good day!