Decay

The top half of the fully lined bodice is self drafted, but the lower half is a pre-existing corset pattern sliced in half. The ribcage was drawn on a mock up then cut out to make sure the angles would work out correctly - this is raw edged muslin sewn over bleach painted on to the canvas base layer. I did several material and texture tests and this produced the most impactful result as I didn't want the edges to be smooth and clean. The flowers are appliques from an embroidered lace chosen to match the tone of the corset fabric. I tried to pattern match on the corset were I could, but didn't realise how hard that is on curved seams until it was sewn together!
The skirt is made of three layers with an elasticated waist to reduce wastage and increase the surface area for the 'roots'. The top layer is tulle, with a cotton cord sewn on and unravelling as it goes down - this was overall far too light originally and threw the proportions and shape of the entire outfit off, so I sewed a channel around the bottom and threaded a chain through for weight. The second layer is chiffon with the design sewn with a zigzag stitch of varying width, and the base layer is cotton jersey with the pattern painted on in bleach.