FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Captain’s Glamourweave
(click images to to enlarge)
Outline the story …
A bard turned pirate, Dom uses their changeling abilities to charm and deceive their way to power.
Once captain of their own ship, Dom sets aim on a more prestigious title, "King of the Pirates".
And Dom never misses.
My Dungeons and Dragons character, Dom, has a set of glamourweave clothes that can change form and style when they change their body. Unfortunately, magic doesn't quite work the same in the real world as it does in D&D, so I made something with both masculine and feminine elements from the fashion, and fantasy, of the great pirate era. I sketched out a laced bodice with multiple wide collars and military trim details. I have only been sewing for a year and this is the first close-fitting bodice I have made.
I’ve presented a feminine styling here, but it could easily be paired with breeches and tall boots when a more masculine look is desired. The look I've created makes me feel like a late Victorian lady going to a fancy-dress party in a pirate costume.
Outline the construction…
I used the Butterick pattern B4669 as the base for this garment. Having only ever made rectangular construction tops, I spent some time fitting a muslin before making a wearable mockup to practice the construction.
I picked a black cotton duck canvas for the inner/lining material to give the garment strength. This layer has boning at the front edges and grommets for lacing. The outer fabric is a rayon challis. This is my first time working with this kind of fabric and I fought with it the whole way. Lots of starch and patience were needed to get the pattern to match up nicely. Flatlining the outer to some cotton organdy made it easier to handle while sewing everything together. The collars were patterned by playing with scraps along the neckline of my wearable mockup. These are black linen with some ribbon trim.
I sewed the princess seams first on both the outer and inner layers and felled them down so they stayed flat. Then the fronts were attached to the back at the shoulder seams. Next, I sandwiched the collars in between the inner and outer layers and sewed along the neckline. Everything was turned right-side out and all the edges except the center front were stitched together before I turned and felled the outer fabric to the inside. There is a detachable lace panel that hides the lacing. Buttons and some looped braid pieces were added to hold the outer layer in place.
This most certainly looks like a dashing swashbuckler. I really love the bodice, it so so pretty. Normally I am not a huge fan of teal and red but this got me convinced otherwise. It all came out so clean and crisp.
That bodice vest is so pretty and versatile! It looks so clean and couture, Absolutely lovely.
I think you’ve succeeded in making a lovely, versatile piece that like Dom’s clothes can become a variety of outfits.
This is beautifully made, and the design is gorgeous!
I love how you’ve carefully chosen how the pattern on the fabric lays on the finished piece and how the ribbon so perfectly compliments the fashion fabric! I also love how fluid this piece is in terms of what you can style it with. Great job!