Spooky Ghosts

Another October has arrived, which can only mean another novelty print dress for Halloween.  I am beginning to amass quite a collection!

For this particular project, it began with the fabric.  I found this textile at JoAnn Fabrics a few years back (probably after Halloween and during a sale).

I almost immediately knew that it was destined to be some type of shirtwaist dress.  The only question was, which pattern to choose.  I remember looking through a few options last year, but went in another direction with a knit fabric and a contemporary pattern that I had been meaning to try.  In the end, I decided on Simplicity 9105 for the bodice, and Simplicity 8458 for the skirt to make the best use of the linear print.

My next challenge was finding appropriate buttons from the stash.  Covered buttons are always a possibility, but I really wanted to go for something different with this dress.

I didn't find exactly what I was looking for in the proper size, but in the end, a slightly smaller button seemed like a better choice than making covered buttons.

And, of course, I went for bound buttonholes.

The other issue was the collar facing pieces.  I was running low on yardage after cutting the skirt pieces out and matching the front and back chevrons, and I really didn't want to use a contrasting fabric for the collar.

After thinking things over, I cut the facing in two pieces which gave me a lot more freedom with cutting them out.

I wanted to make sure that the collar mirrored the skirt chevron, and I didn't end up with both sides of the collar pointing in a single direction.

And because I placed the join below the collar fold, no one will ever see the pieced facing.

For the side zipper, I used a hand picked, lapped application.  This is my preferred way to insert a zip.  There are garments where this isn't always the best choice, but for a side zipper, it's perfect.

And I think I definitely made the right choice with those buttons!

All of my raw edges were bound in a festive orange.  The colors on the print read as yellow, but there is this exact orange tone in there as well, and Halloween seemed like the perfect opportunity to use some orange seam binding (especially since I don't have many fabrics that would match back to the color).

Thankfully, I noticed that the button placement on the pattern tissue seemed rather close to the waist edge before I actually placed my buttonholes.  The design includes a belt, but no room for a belt buckle to sit below that lower button so I re-spaced the two upper buttonholes and moved the lower one up to accommodate the buckle.

I used a vintage covered buckle kit.  The double sided sticky template had been cut, along with the cardboard it was attached to.  Instead of looking for a replacement, I just wrapped the buckle with a length of bias.  This actually gets more of the print onto the buckle instead of just seeing a very narrow slice of the scene along the available edges.

I also scrounged up some 1" belting that I have been hoarding since Dritz doesn't seem to produce the item any more.  But a self-fabric belt seemed like the perfect option for this dress.

And with that last detail finished, I had a bit of hand sewing for the sleeve and skirt hemlines.

I do love a classic fit and flare dress with an oversized collar, and this frock is no exception.

I lament the loss of JoAnn Fabrics for holiday themed novelty quilting cottons, but I am very glad to have this print as a wearable garment instead of sitting folded in my stash of fabric.  And it's always fun to see people realize just what the print is on a rather classic silhouette - I have had quite a few strangers comment on the dress and then realize it's a spooky print!