Let’s go back to the Before Times. Summer 2019, I saw that anyone could send in an audition to sing at the State Fair of Oklahoma. No pay, sadly, but I thought it could be good practice for me. I sent in a clip of my singing, and they asked me to sing. It was very exciting. I used a costume I had worn before and had a great time at the fair. Then a few months later, March 2020 happened. Ugh. Obviously, there was no state fair that year. But this year, they asked me to sing on the big grandstand! Naturally, I had to make a new costume. This ensemble is in 3 pieces; the dress, the over skirt, and the cummerbund.
I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on supplies and fabric, since I wasn’t being paid. Luckily, my local thrift stores provided some cool gold curtains and a tablecloth. The curtains are a very shiny, very light, smooth satin. And the table has a bit of a slub texture to it, and is a bit heavier. I think my total cost for this costume was less than $20. Everything except the curtains and the applique came from my stash.
I used Butterick 5880 for the base gown. This is the 3rd dress I’ve sewn with this pattern. I used it for the tiki room dress, and the bodice for a dress I haven’t shown here yet. I used a tablecloth. There is a good amount of hand-sewing to finish this dress, which I don’t really appreciate. But I love the beautiful finish the lining provides. I just used the same fabric for the lining. The applique on the bodice came from Etsy, and I think it sets it off nicely.
I used two pieces from McCall's 7897 for the rest of the ensemble. The over skirt is a separate piece made from a set of curtains. It was very satisfying to swish around the stage and flip the skirt. There’s not much to say about the construction. It’s just 4 big rectangles sewn together with french seams, hemmed on sides and the bottom, then gathered and attached to a waistband. Easy-peasy.
The cummerbund was much more challenging. I only have a copy of the smaller size pattern. I added a few more inches to make sure it fit, but didn’t quite add enough, so it is a bit tight. It has heavy-duty zip ties for boning on the sides, front, and the back, to keep it from falling and bunching. I used a separating zipper to close up the back. The zipper shows too much, but I had to sew right on the edge to give myself as much room as possible. But it’s ok. It’s fine.
I had so much fun wearing this outfit and singing this past September at the fair. I don’t think I have anything I would change if I made this again. I usually do, but not this time. I’m pretty happy with it.
Thanks for reading!
Yours in hard work, creativity, and a dash of pixie dust,
Sarah
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