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Pirate Belle, Part 1

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We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast. But I had an idea for an interesting twist on that story. Imagine that instead of staying with the Beast in his castle, she decides to leave. She “wants adventures in the great wide somewhere”, after all. She runs away and makes her fortune on the open sea and ends up as a Pirate Queen. Because, let's face it. If Belle can deal with an enchanted castle and a Beast, she can handle almost anything.

In April of 2019, I attended the Medieval Fair of Norman, Oklahoma. This is my home fair and I have been attending and performing for many years. Unfortunately, the weather that year was not ideal. In fact, it was terrible. It rained quite a bit on Saturday and there was mud everywhere. But I had shopping to do! So I braved the mud. I wanted a corset for this costume and also a pink fairy costume. I never quite found the perfect corset for either one, but I found something else. Maybe even better? Something every pirate needs... A Great coat! I mean Great with a capital G, as in this specific type of coat.


My new pirate coat is absolutely stunning and exactly what I needed. It has pockets, of course, and a nice little skirt, with brass buttons. It elevates the costume from simple Pirate to Pirate Queen. This brown coat is great quality and should last me for many years. I don't know if it's made of canvas or a heavy broadcloth or what, but it's really nice. It was a little expensive, but I am willing to pay to save myself a headache. I knew if I sewed it myself, it would take me at least a month. And I still would pay almost as much for materials. Now, I have one less project on my sewing list (which is 5 miles long), so that's a good thing.

This corset is pretty standard, made of a cheap shiny satin, but it will serve for now. I ordered it from Amazon. It's just a temporary stand-in until I lose enough weight to fit into the corset I made. 


The story behind this corset is a tale full of woe. I was given a piece of gorgeous gold polyester brocade by a friend, and I hoarded it for the perfect project. Next, I found a trim that complemented it wonderfully. I finally started it several years ago, when I was smaller, and also made some mistakes in sewing it that made it even smaller. When I finally got around to finishing it last year, it was way, way too small for me to wear. I then made a stomacher to go under the lacing to extend the size, and that still didn't make it fit. I had spent so much time hand sewing on that fabulous trim. I'm pretty sure I cried when it didn't fit me.



Do you have a sewing or a craft project fail story? Tell me and let's commiserate together!


Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of pixie dust,

Sarah



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