Hello, my lovelies! It’s day two of 13 for our annual Halloween Extravaganza and we have more pattern hack ideas for you!

For this spooky dress, I was inspired by the stunning black and white gown worn by Katrina Crane (née Van Tassel) in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. The costume designer for the movie (and many of Burton’s movies) is Colleen Atwood, an amazingly prolific and talented designer who has created many of the gowns and looks I am obsessed with.

The Katrina Dress is a variation of Charm’s Carousel Dress, with an added sleeve and bustle. We’ve layered a modified Waspie Corset Belt on top. Keep reading to see how we achieved this look…

Resources

• Carousel Dress pattern (available to Patreon members)
• Katrina Sleeve pattern (available to Patreon members)
• Katrina Waspie Belt pattern (available to Patreon members)
• Waspie Corset Belt instructions (available to Patreon members)
• blank and white striped silk fabric
• black ribbon trim
• black bias binding or fabric to trim the Katrina Waspie Belt

Corset Dress Pattern Alterations and Instructions

Cut the Carousel Dress Side Front and Dress Side Back pattern pieces on the bias, adding a seamline at the waist. Add the Katrina Sleeve, following the sleeve instructions. Trim the neckline and sleeve hems by topstitching black ruffled ribbon.

Make the faux bustle by cutting a length of fabric 80 inches (in) (2 m) long, then fold in half right sides (RS) together to create a 40-in (1-m) long piece. Stitch the sides, turn RS out, and pleat one raw edge to match the width of your back princess seams at the waistline. Cover the pleated edge with grosgrain ribbon and attach the hook side of the hook-and-eye tape. Attach the eye side of the tape to the dress waistline between the back princess seams. Try on the dress and safety pin the bustle into rumpled layers, creating a poof at the bum. Trim the neckline and sleeve hems with black ribbon trim.

Katrina Waspie Belt Instructions

Make the striped Katrina Waspie Belt, pattern matching stripes where possible (not an easy task!), following the original Waspie Corset Belt instructions. Trim as desired using the black bias binding and/or ribbon. We applied layered black trim along the upper edge of the belt to match the neckline and sleeve hems, and added black trim along the bottom edge from the inside of the belt so it just peeks out.