FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
“A girl is not a rabbit”
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
I was inspired by Erin Morgenstern's brilliant second novel, "The Starless Sea". There are so many wonderful characters in this book, but I was particularly drawn to Eleanor, the girl in the rabbit mask, the explorer, who finds her way to the shores of the Starless Sea by accident as a child, when she is exploring in a forest and falls through the memory of a door. She grows up wandering through rooms full of stories, writing down her nightmares, folding them into paper stars and throwing them away. Later, as a woman, she sails a ship, exploring the hidden corners of the Starless Sea.
Though there are parts of the story which take place in modern settings, once you are through a door and by the shores of the Starless Sea time ceases to have any meaning, and for Eleanor especially, who has spent all her life since early childhood there, I felt her clothes should not belong to any time period in particular. Her clothes early on are described as being a mix of whatever was handed down to her, but by the end her clothes have become her own, just as her story has...I wanted them to feel like an extension of her personality. As she captains a ship, I thought she ought to have a pirate coat. Also, she wears rabbit ears.
The symbols of bees, keys, swords, hearts, crowns, and feathers are used throughout the story...and each found their way into the outfit.
Outline the construction…
The fabric is 100% linen from Linengraphy on Etsy: medium-weight for the skirt and heavy-weight for the jacket. The waistband of the skirt is cotton jacquard ribbon from Penelope Textiles. I used organic cotton thread throughout, except a few spots where I used a vintage silk. Construction seams were done on my vintage 1910 Frister and Rossmann machine, but all the details and visible stitching I did by hand.
The basic skirt design was similar to one I have made before, the only real difference being the shorter hem in front, because I wanted the burgundy lining to show. That was my comfort zone and I didn't use a pattern. I wish I had lined up the seams of the lining with the seams of the top layer better, but I was pressed for time so I didn't attempt to take it out and start over.
I hadn't made a jacket before, and couldn't find a pattern that was what I wanted, so this also became my first attempt at drafting my own pattern. I looked at two different jackets for the basic shape and made a mock-up. There was definitely some trial and error involved...scary!
Many thanks to Bernadette Banner for her video on hand-sewing buttonholes!
The rabbit ears are made of recycled paper bags, attached to a headband with staples and styled with the wig.
As the final touch, I embroidered a story (an original from my upcoming collection) around the hem of the skirt lining.
Beautiful!
Thank you!
Great details. I love that jacket!
Thank you! It was so scary but satisfying.
I love your whole ensemble, from the asymmetrical hem and embroidered writing (such a nice touch!) to your selection of linen fabrics and the bee detail. I wish I had a jacket so suited to a new spring season and explorations!
Thank you so much!
I am in love with the aesthetic of this ensemble!! The fabrics, the stitching, the details, the colors, the drape….all so beautiful. I feel inspired to try something like this for myself! Well done!
Thank you for these kind words! This has been such a positive and encouraging experience.
This looks so comfortable and adventurous at the same time.
Also, I should maybe look up this book now. . .
Thank you! The book is fabulous.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED that book and this costume just so perfectly fits in.
Thank you! Isn’t the book wonderful? I wanted to just fall into it and stay there.
Delightful. While the jacket may have been terrifying, just think how much you’ve stretched and grown your sewing skills.
The satisfaction of having done it definitely outweighed the terror.
The symbol decorations are so reminiscent of the subtle ways they appear throughout the book. Also, I love this skirt and now need to figure out how to make it.
Thank you! I had so much fun thinking of ways to work in all the symbols. The skirt design is fairly simple and so comfortable. Feel free to DM me on Instagram if you like. I’d be happy to share more details.
I’d love to know how you made it as well…can I also DM you? ☺️
Of course!
the sweet details make this ensemble so special! i love the homespun feel of the linens and the colors you chose. and now i’m thinking i really should read this book! good luck from icarus!
Thank you!
The skirt(s) and the jacket are very flattering on you and I’m just drooling over the outfit as a whole. I would love a jacket like that, haha! And while I haven’t read or even heard of this book (now I’m thinking I might have to read it!) the attention to detail is perfect. Although I do not know what each symbol means in the book I think it makes a costume so much more authentic to include those minute details. I’m wondering if there would be anyway to share the pattern/details of the skirt with me. If not that is completely fine. Anyways well done! ☺️
Thank you so much! I didn’t use a pattern for the skirt but have used the basic design several times and wouldn’t mind sharing some more construction details. Feel free to DM me on Instagram…or you could message me through the contact form on my website. (It’s my author site but I see no reason not to use it to share fun sewing information!)
Fantastic work, and what an excellent interpretation of Eleanor! So happy to see another Starless Sea lover, I did Mirabel for my entry. Good luck!!
Thank you! Your Mirabel is lovely!
The fabric for this is is beautiful and the little detail of the embroidered text is so sweet too! Love it!
Thank you!
You have captured my heart from rabbit hat to inspiring hem. Bravo!
Thank you so much!
I love the layered look and the little details to echo the story.
Thank you!
This is so pretty- I love the story and all your details!
Thank you! The details were so much fun…trying to sneak them in all over the place.
Absolutely inspiring story behind the making .. design and patterns are beautiful 🧡
Thank you! I had so much fun creating it.
Great job! It’s an awesome book and a perfect choice for this contest. I love how you have worked the story into the details. You really bring her character to life.
Thank you so much!
I love the inclusion of all these little details, like the embroidered words on the hem, that make your outfit so special! This makes me want to read the book!
Thank you! The book is so lovely!
This is absolutely wonderful! I am so glad to see others creating designs based on The Starless Sea ( I created the Owl King). The details that you wove throughout this design are brilliant. I really enjoy the buttons, and the embroidery is such a good idea!!
Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed following the progress of your Owl King on Instagram. I love that several of us chose The Starless Sea for our inspiration but all of us chose different characters.
You did a wonderful job, I love all the small details you’ve worked into the outfit! You make me want to read the book 😀 Is it part of a series or a standalone book?
Thank you! It is a standalone.