Beau is Prince Charming

Beau is Prince Charming!

Part 1

Beau has always been a prince charming so I was really looking forward to create an outfit that would see him look the part!

 

I also wanted to branch out and do something a bit different and trickier than all the other costumes.

 

I'm not sure who originally put this picture together, (so if it's yours let me know and I will credit it to you) but I love how well it shows both outfits.

 

The key things for me that say Prince Charming is the maroon pants with gold striping, pale blue jacket, gold belt and epaulettes.

 

Thats alot to squish on one little furry human! Especially since he doesn't wear pants.

 

What I decided to do is make it look like there is a jacket over a lower maroon layer.

This involved a new pattern and LOTS of bits and pieces!!!

Bottom left is the main outline, the finished size of the outfit.

The upside-down 'u' shape is a decorative bit for the collar.  The piece above that is the back side of the coat tails which makes it appear a seperate outfit.  Above that is the belt.  To the right is the maroon section, it is the only piece that is the same for both the upper and lower parts.

Top left is the upper side of the pale blue and top right is the lower.

 

When I cut the pieces out I always pin the pattern down so it can't move.  It is especially important in this outfit that care is taken when cutting and sewing the pieces because the upper and lower sides need to match up.

In all previous outfits they have been cut out at the same time from one bit of material folded in two, making them identical from the start. This pattern involves patching lots of different bits together and trying to line them all up.

Trickier than it sounds.

 

This is the lower layer all pinned up ready to be put together.  I started with the underside as it was the easier of the two since it only has two pieced to connect. 

An added element of difficulty is that I am connecting two different types of materials.  The lower maroon half is cotton, while the upper section is satin. 

I thought the cotton would be a better material for pants if it were really a pants jacket combo and it also prevented the outfit from being too shiny and over the top.

To avoid the cotton slipping off the satin and making the outfit uneven, I put LOTS of pins in. My rule of thumb was at least one pin every two finger widths.

 

 

This is what it looks like right side out, all stitched up and ironed flat.  When I ironed the seams I folded them out so each colour was sitting back on itself and pressed them down with the iron so they will sit flat inside the outfit. 

The ironing isn't just important for making it look nice.  It makes sure the outfit doesn't have any folds or creases so it will stretch out to its full size and match the corresponding piece.  If it had a crease it may warp the shape or not be big enough to connect comfortably with a seam allowance.

As I learned with the fairy outfit you just have to be really careful that you don't have the iron set to steam or too hot if you're working with delicate fabrics like chiffon.  Most irons have their temperature settings in material type these days.  Always set it to the least robust fabric you're using.

Because I connected satin to cotton, I set the iron to satin.