So, in the latest part of Inheritance, Carson gets a good look at Mackenna’s “cheating” costume for the antique car run. That lead me to want to talk about my own undertaking to make said costume.

I have more than enough outfits to wear a different one every day and change several times a day when I’m doing the car runs, but I couldn’t resist making this one. It was way too awesome.

We’re bargain hunters in my family, so we picked up the pattern during one of JoAnn’s five for five sales on Simplicity patterns.

Before I show off the pattern, a quick look at my display and work table, which is very cool in of itself. A retro style table with chairs and Coca-cola on it, it is made of win, even if I don’t drink much pop after a kidney infection and my family’s attempts to eat more natural. It’s still win.

Okay, now for the pattern and the fabric:

I picked up the fabric a few weeks back, also through a sale, but I wasn’t organized enough to start on the project until more recently. Since the picture is not great (I live in the basement, and getting me out of it is not easy, so it’s a bit dark) I’ll link to the pattern on their site as well. It’s Simplicity 2172.

So when you open up the pattern, for those of you who have never seen these sorts of things before and perhaps to annoy those that have, you get instructions and pattern pieces. Like this:

After you take them out, the fun of cutting apart the pattern pieces begins. I mean fun in a mostly mocking sense. It can be a pain to cut close without getting too close, and I did end up tearing three pieces (minor tears, but still) as I did it. That paper is very, very thin, and easy to rip, sadly.

When the cutting is done, you get a couple messes.

Let me tell you what we learned in previous projects: the plastic bag is your friend. A quart size bag will fit the pattern nicely. Don’t believe me? I’ve got proof.

Here is where I had to take a temporary break. Yeah, I know, not much of any kind of progress, you’re thinking, but not only was I doing this after a full work day, but I’ve got carpal tunnel. Cutting that much out made my hands hurt so much that I had to stop.

Next post I will talk about the joy that is pinning and cutting the fabric, show off some of that kind of work, and possibly about the actual sewing. We shall see. This is my first attempt to share a project like this, so I’m not sure how much to put at once, plus it’s still a work in progress.

I will share more when I have it, though.