Thimble Raven

Patterns used: Scroop Patterns Kilbirnie Skirt, Folkwear Armistice Blouse

Blouse Materials: Dobby cotton fabric, cotton thread, antique mother of pearl buttons

Skirt materials: Silk (drapery weight shantung/taffeta), silk thread, fabric covered button blanks, ribbon, metal snaps

Changes made to blouse pattern: I omitted the back gathers and waist band ties. I also omitted snaps/buttons from the side of the center blouse panel, because it was loose enough to comfortably go on over my head, and I didn’t want the extra work of more buttons. 😉

Changes made to Kilbirnie skirt: The pattern instructions call for a structured internal belt, but given that I am recovering from abdominal surgery and my waist size fluctuates depending on the time of day – and I wasn’t yet sure if I would be up to wearing a corset yet – I omitted the inner belt waistband, and simply made a drawstring channel along the same place you do the cord gathering. I had an excess of narrow black silk ribbon, so I used that for an adjustable drawstring.

With the caveat that I omitted the structured inner belt waistband from the skirt, assembly was quite easy and the skirt is really lovely! I had some leftover bright green shot silk that I got for a steal in the LA fabric district which I used for the fashion fabric.

The armistice blouse is super cute, but admittedly I don’t really like how it fit and drapes on my figure. I sort of cinched the top panel together with a brooch, because the large collar and the center panel were laying a bit weird on me. It could have had something to do with my fabric choice not being crisp enough, I’m not sure. A fellow costumer was wearing a blouse from the same pattern, and it looked lovely – so I might try it again in the future with some adjustments.

Accessories: The hat I made from a black straw bergere blank from Burnley and Trowbridge, some strips I cut from a scrap of silk in my fabric stash, some cotton/vintage/and paper flowers from Timely Tresses, and a handy hot glue gun. I carried a little antique velvet clasp top purse, wore an antique brooch, vintage glass pearl necklace, earrings made by my sister (Jordan Winter Studios), and a suffragette sash from a shop on Etsy. I also wore my adorable Bernadette shoes from American Duchess.