Working on: Child's Sailor Outfit

Over the past couple weeks I've been lazily sewing a child's outfit for myself, cribbed from a couple different influences/patterns/ideas I've had floating around and some work from my FIT class Haute Couture Sewing Techniques. I had this really nice woven crepe that I bought from Fabscrap a little while ago and I wanted to use it for a pair of pants of some kind, initially a pair of cargo shorts since I thought blue crepe cargo shorts would be funny but then I changed my mind and wanted to do a boys' suit. Between my recent interest in 60s designers, my abiding love for Margiela's doll collection and my love for the joyful attire of my childhood (Hanna Andersson anyone?) and Victorian children's outfits this seemed like a fun project.

The shorts are loosely based on Simplicity 8799, a 1979 shirt and cargo pants pattern I've owned for a little while now. I cut them to knee-length and slightly widened them for the kind of "knobbly knee" kids look I think is cute though I might shorten them more to mid-thigh when I finish them. They have a fly-front closure which is poorly explained in the instructions but I was able to get it right after reading a couple different blogs like this one from Closet Core. I love how crisply this fabric presses but I've noticed that it also warps under heat very easily (see the area to the lower left of the zipper).

I also finished all the interior seams with seam binding for the first time just to try it out. It was an easy process and I think it looks nice. You can see it more in the second photo above.

Because one of my assignments for my FIT class was to make a double-welt (or bound, or besom or slash) pocket I did so on the back of these pants. The original pattern had no back pockets (just two side seam pockets and one patch pocket on the side) which I think is sort of lazy so I added two welt pockets to the back. It took me something like five hours across two days to finish them but that's couture for you. More warping along the back seamline of the pants... The pockets look nice.

I set these aside (we have an upcoming project for the class that will finish and line these, specifically the assignment is for a skirt but I could possibly get away with doing shorts instead), and started thinking about the jacket. Initially I ordered this fabric to recreate this Geoffrey Beene dress, which I considered doing as a shirt (and still am considering):

But I couldn't decide, didn't love the idea of that with the shorts as a set, felt a little cowed by even better Beene cutout dresses I found while researching the one above, and decided to do a little jacket instead thus completing the look. I based the collar of the jacket off Butterick 6489, a nutty 1972 tunic/shorts set I bought when I was considering different Halloween costume ideas. I patterned the jacket body loosely based on the pattern pieces and then made the lining based on my reworking of the body, keeping the original sleeves from the pattern. I'm still deciding how I'll finish the hem which is currently pointy at the front and back - inspiration from my 1860s bodice - but it came together pretty fast. Pattern pieces:

And the jacket currently:

That's all for now. (Should I just leave the hem as is? You know I won't but that kind of behavior is tempting.) See you later once I finish this project. Bye!

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Sewing My Fabergé Egg Inspired Easter Dress

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Sewing Rudi Gernreich's Kabuki Dress