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Chess Pargeter (but make it feminine)
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
I originally cosplayed Chess in 2013, before I knew how to sew. When I saw the theme of this year's FR contest, I thought it would be a fun challenge to redo the outfit by hand.
Chess (male in the book, female for this outfit) is the main character of Gemma Files' Hexslingers series. He's a Civil War veteran and magic user. He's described in the book as favouring purple, hence the colour theme of the skirt and vest. The shirt is based on the Garibaldi blouse popular in the 1860s, roughly around the time the books are set. It's a loose blouse that buttons up in front, with a high collar and bishop's sleeves.
Chess is associated with "red weed," which grows uncontrollably around him when his magic manifests. This was the inspiration for the red embroidery on the back of the vest. The design is from Urban Threads, "Baroque Quilting Border."
Outline the construction…
With the exception of the vest lining (which was satin fabric I had left over from a previous project) all of this outfit was made from thrifted bedsheets. This became a bit of a challenge when I made the shirt, because it turned out the fabric was prone to fraying uncontrollably. I think it might have been polyester.
The skirt is made from three gathered rectangles and fastened in the back with hook and eye closures. I adapted the hook and eye method from the one I used to make a Victorian walking skirt (from a Folkwear pattern). Gathering is always a challenge for me, because I can never seem to space the gathers evenly, but I eventually pulled it off.
The vest was also a challenge, because fitting vests to my bust is always difficult with my body shape. I got around it by narrowing the back panel but making the front ones broader to accommodate my bust. It's still an area I need to improve in, but it's definitely the best-fitted vest I've made so far. I also added button plackets to make sure the vest wasn't too tight when I buttoned it up.
The embroidery on the vest adds a nice touch to the costume.
The color, the embroidery, and the buttons are such great little details!
Love the embroidery! Plus this piece really suits you, well done♡
Wonderful pieces and I love all the research that went into it.
Lovely color combo for the vest/embroidery, well done. I also love the button choice for the vest, it makes the look really pop!