But first, some inspiration! Vampira (played by Maila Nurmi) was a character in a tv show, The Vampira Show, that ran for one year (1954-1955) and was only broadcast to the Los Angeles area. It has become a cult classic and influenced many of the “spooky” shows and characters we love today. Here’s a few of my favorite looks:

While I’ll never achieve that hip-to-waist ratio (!), the lines of her gowns are so similar to the Lorelei Gown that I knew it would make the perfect pattern hack for Halloween.

Resources

• Lorelei Gown pattern
• Black knit leather-look fabric (I’m obsessed! It feels and sews like a ponte knit, but looks SO glam.)
• Power net, lining, thread, a long invisible zipper, and everything else in the Lorelei instructions
• 24-inch-long black fringe
• Rhinestones from our stash (there’s tons available on Etsy)
• Long black wig and as much black eyebrow pencil as you can handle

Vampira Gown Pattern Alterations

1. Draw the seam allowances on the Lorelei Gown Bodice Front Insert (2) pattern piece. Fold the Bodice Front Insert in half lengthwise, as you will be cutting the front bodice on the fold. Measure the neckline edge of the pattern piece (not including the seam allowances!) from the folded edge to the long raw edge. This measurement will be short, around an inch or so.
2. Tape tracing paper to the Bodice Front (1) pattern piece at the center front. Draw a line from the upper CF circle away from the pattern piece, roughly perpendicular to the grainline, equal in length as your measurement in Step One. Draw a line from the lower CF circle to the waistline, parallel to the grainline. Draw a line to connect the two points to create your new center line; connect the end of the first short line to the point where the second line crosses the waistline. This will be your new center front and will be cut on the fold. Draw the “cut on the fold” arrows and scribble out the original grainline.
3. Using a French curve, draw in a new neckline, in any shape you wish. My neckline comes to a deep V point just below the level of my apex, and curves up to the shoulder (about 2 inches or 5 cm away from the armscye edge). Sometimes, I like to pin the pattern piece to my dress form just to help me visualize everything. After you’re happy with the way your neckline looks, add 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) seam allowance, then cut out and label the pattern piece.
4. Measure the distance of the shoulder edge of your new bodice front, without seam allowance. On the Bodice Back (3) pattern piece, draw a line from the armscye edge along the shoulder equal to this distance (without seam allowances). This will make sure the front and back meets perfectly across the shoulder seam. Draw a long from this mark to the center back seam, to create the new back neckline. I drew a curved line using a large French curve, mimicking the original neckline. Once you’re happy with your back neckline, add 5/8 inch seam allowance, then cut out the pattern piece, truing the neckline dart as needed. Label the pattern piece.
5. It’s a bit hard to tell because of the shaggy cut fabric, but the bicep area of the sleeve remains the same as the Lorelei Gown, and ease is added from the elbow to the wrist to create a bell shape. For the sleeves, draw a line perpendicular to the grainline on the Sleeve (4) pattern piece, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the notches. Draw five lines, about 1 inch apart, parallel to the sleeve centerline from this line to the wrist edge. Slash and spread these five parallel lines to create a bell shape, then tape to a new piece of pattern paper and true the hem edge. You can go as dramatic as you’d like; my sleeve hem ended up being almost a half circle! Cut and label the new pattern piece.

Vampira Gown Sewing Instructions

Follow the Lorelei Gown sewing instructions to create the bodice, cutting the new Bodice Front on the fold in fabric, lining, and power net. Ignore all references to the Bodice Front Insert.

Before inserting the sleeves, try on the bodice and adjust the front waist and bust darts as needed. Some of the bust shaping of the original pattern was provided by the bodice front insert, so you may need to pinch out additional fabric to create a perfect fit. Adjust as needed.

For the sleeves, omit the lining. Sew as usual, then insert into the bodice.

Follow the rest of the instructions to complete the gown (with the panty).

After construction, sew the long fringe around the entire hem, all the way up to the tip of the thigh slit. Use scissors to cut ragged edges on the sleeve hem all the way up to the elbows. Hand sew rhinestones to the sleeves and bodice as desired. Then throw on a black wig and your bra with the most oomph, draw on some dramatic pointed eyebrows, and get ready to scare the neighborhood children!

Let’s start with some inspiration. Dolly wore so many jumpsuits with big bell bottoms back in the 1970s! More images and inspiration can be found here.

So amazing! This jumpsuit hack combines the Lorelei Gown bodice with the Dolly Bell Bottoms, with added trim and just a tiny bit of pattern hacking to eliminate the center front V panel on the bodice.

Resources

• Lorelei Gown pattern
• Dolly Bell Bottoms pattern
• Black ponte knit fabric
• Power net, lining, thread, and a long invisible zipper (as in the Lorelei instructions)
• Rhinestone trim (similar)
• Black fringe with shiny sequins
• Black cowboy hat, big hair, a large spider brooch, and lots of rhinestone jewelry

Dolly Jumpsuit Pattern Alterations

1. Draw the seam allowances on the Lorelei Gown Bodice Front Insert (2) pattern piece. Fold the Bodice Front Insert in half lengthwise, as you will be cutting the jumpsuit front bodice on the fold. Measure the neckline edge of the pattern piece (not including the seam allowances!) from the folded edge to the long raw edge. This measurement will be short, around an inch or so.
2. Tape tracing paper to the Bodice Front (1) pattern piece at the center front. Draw a line from the upper CF circle away from the pattern piece, roughly perpendicular to the grainline, equal in length to your measurement in Step One. Draw a line from the lower CF circle to the waistline, parallel to the grainline. Draw a line to connect the two points to create your new center line; connect the end of the first short line to the point where the second line crosses the waistline. This will be your new center front and will be cut on the fold. Draw the “cut on the fold” arrows and scribble out the original grainline. You may want to curve the corner of the new neckline so it isn’t so square. Cut out and label your new pattern piece.
3. I wanted to wear tall platform heels to make the bell bottoms really stand out, so I added about 6 inches to the inseam of the pants.

Dolly Jumpsuit Sewing Instructions

Follow the Lorelei Gown sewing instructions to create the bodice, cutting the new Bodice Front on the fold in fabric, lining, and power net. Ignore all references to the Bodice Front Insert.

Before inserting the sleeves, try on the bodice and adjust the front waist and bust darts as needed. Some of the bust shaping of the original pattern was provided by the bodice front insert, so you may need to pinch out additional fabric to create a perfect fit. Resew the darts and/or side seams, as needed.

Before sewing the sleeve seam, baste fringe to the vertical seam (outer fabric only), then sew the sleeves as usual. (All sleeves should have fringe! It’s so fun!)

Ignore the panty and skirt instructions. Instead, follow the Dolly Bell Bottoms instructions to create the pants (without the waistband), attach to the bodice, and insert the zipper.

After construction, try on the jumpsuit and use chalk to mark out the spiderweb lines. Hand stitch rhinestone trim to create the spiderweb decoration, and add a large spider brooch to complete the look.

Claudia lives far away, so we really had to wing it for this one. Here are a few tips we learned while creating her Alice costume:

Choose a Simple Pattern With Fewer Pattern Pieces Children aren’t shaped like small adults. They have different proportions, which means a fitted garment that uses an adult-sized pattern block won’t fit. Avoid patterns with significant shaping at the bust, or with details that emphasize a woman’s curves. For our Alice costume, we started with the Cinch-It Dress, a trapeze dress with a very loose fit, in the smallest size available (size 2, with an A-cup).

Get Out Your Calculator Sizing a pattern up or down requires a bit of math, and you’ll need a few extra measurements. Compare the body measurements to the size chart and the finished measurements listed in the instructions. The Cinch-It Dress has significant ease built into it, so we were most concerned with the fit at the shoulders. Compare the bust measurements between your model and the size chart. In our case, the pattern is 4 inches larger. To find the percentage difference, the math is as follows: (Model’s measurement x100)/ Desired measurement= percent difference. When we plugged in the Cinch-It Dress measurements and Claudia’s measurements, we got a percentage of about 87%, so we found we had to reduce the size 2A pattern pieces by 87%.

Print the Pattern Smaller and Correct the Seam Allowance Print out the pattern pieces using a printer with a custom scale setting set to 87% (or your desired percent difference). Check the test square: it should be .87 of an inch, or just a smidge smaller than 7/8 inch.

Measure your pattern pieces to make sure they will fit your model. The shoulder fit is especially important (for kids as well as adults!).

Before cutting out the pattern pieces, you’ll want to adjust the seam allowances. Our scaled down seam allowance measured just over 1/2 inch, so we added 1/8 inch to the cut line to get our usual 5/8 inch seam allowance. Of course, you could also just sew the garment using smaller seam allowances.

Test the Fit With a Muslin Don’t skip this step! Make a full muslin of the garment, including the collar, sleeves, cuffs, pockets, belt, or whatever other details are included in your pattern. Not only will this help you test the fit of the garment and determine the correct length, it’s also a great tool to make sure the placement and scale of the details are correct.

Complete the Costume The final Cinch-It Dress was sewn in blue cotton, with a white pinafore created by combining the Stanwyck ruffled bib (scaled down to Claudia’s size) with a simple gathered apron that tied at the back. White socks or tights, a pair of black patent shoes, and a black headband will complete the look— but I’ll let her mom worry about that!

This type of pattern hacking is one of my favorite ways to play! I love taking existing Charm patterns and turning them into something new, especially for our Halloween Extravaganza.

For full details and measurements of how to recreate this hack, look to pages 16-19 of Issue 7 of Vintage by Gertie Magazine, available to Patreon members in the Glamour Circle tier and higher, but the basics are as follows:

We started with the Las Vegas Halter Top (available on Patreon) and used ribbon to plan out the size and placement of our color-blocked heart. Once we transferred those lines onto the paper pattern pieces, we lowered the neckline to create more drama, and a more distinctive heart-shape. After a few mock-ups in fabric from our stash, we made a few more changes to the pattern pieces, and moved on to the black and red version you see here.

We paired the top with color-blocked Loretta Shorts (also available on Patreon), turning it into a chic romper and keeping the costume versatile for everyday wear (and for Disney-bounding).

Then, we crafted a separate Homecoming Skirt (another Patreon favorite), complete with a waist facing, to layer over top.

Finally, we crowned this creation with a fabric-wrapped wire headpiece, and the look was complete!

Because a white circle skirt is a wardrobe staple, I opted to create this look as separates, so for this pattern hack, Andrea and I began by altering the Bryant Gown pattern to create the top of Kim’s dress, which we then paired with a white chiffon circle skirt.

Read on to see how we achieved this look! For even more details, please see pages 33-36 in Issue 7 of Vintage by Gertie magazine, available on Patreon to members in the Glamour Circle tier and higher.

Resources

• Bryant Gown Pattern
• Free Charm Circle Skirt 
• White Stretch Cotton/ Poly Pique
• White Silk Duchess Satin
• White Silk Chiffon
• White Satin Covered Buttons
• 2-inch Buckle (similar)
• Long Blonde Wig
• Washable Fake Blood 

Bryant Gown Top Alterations and Instructions

We began by reshaping the neckline of the Bryant Gown, drawing a line from the dress center front shoulder edge, perpendicular to the center front. The same alteration was made on the back of the dress and the cap of the raglan sleeve, ensuring a seamless transition for the future neck band.

After taping the dress side front to the dress center front at the princess seam at the sew line, Andrea sketched a curved line for the dropped waist. Using a serrated tracing wheel, she then traced the same line onto the dress back, making sure the side seams had a smooth transition.

Andrea then created a a self-drafted cuff on the gown’s three-quarter raglan sleeve, and made a long rectangular band for the neckline. A 2 inch belt buckle from the Charm stash became the focal point of Kim’s iconic look.

The band itself is seamed at the shoulder and split at the back, requiring multiple pattern pieces: the Band Right Front, a long curved rectangle that flares at one end to tuck through the belt buckle, the Band Left Front, a short rectangle hidden under the buckle, and the Band Right Back and Band Left Back, two trapezoids that meet at a point over the lapped zipper opening.

We stitched the top in a sumptuous white cotton pique, with the neckband and cuffs sewn in silk duchess satin, added buttons down the front, and paired it with a white double-layer chiffon circle skirt, all lined in white poly satin (for the blouse) or white cotton (for the skirt).

The result? A costume as hauntingly romantic as the tale that inspired it.

Resources

• Turner Cardigan pattern (available to Patreon Glamour Circle+ members)
• White sweater knit fabric for the cardigan
• Black rhinestone buttons
• Bat appliqué file in SVG or PDF format
• Black felt
• Black thread
• Small rhinestones for the bat eyes
• Fabric glue

Turner Cardigan

Follow the steps to create the Turner Cardigan, using black rhinestone buttons.

Cut 8 bat appliqués from black felt, using the SVG file and your craft cutting machine (like a Cricut or Silhouette), or the PDF file and sharp scissors.

Pin the bats to the neckline of the cardigan, to your liking. Stitch only the body section of each bat, leaving the wings free. Using fabric glue, attach two small rhinestones to each bat for eyes.

Other Ideas for the Bat Appliqués

There are so many other ways to use these felt bats! Attach them to a length of ribbon for a decorative garland, decorate a wreath for your front door, or attach to a beret or other accessory for a subtle Halloween look.

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. 

Costume Resources

• Skipper Bodysuit pattern (available to Patreon members)
• Harlequin diamond print fabric (we used the modern jersey substrate)
• Harlequin Hat
• Chiffon pompoms
• Harlequin Neck Ruffle
• Fishnet tights
• Corset (or you can use the Waspie Corset Belt)

Harlequin Hat 

Follow the steps in our Witch Hat Tutorial, omitting the brim and adding an extra 2 inches of seam allowance to the length of the silk dupioni cone. We used pink silk dupioni and pink felt from our stash, plus nylon chiffon dyed black for the pompoms. Follow our step-by-step pompom tutorial here. You’ll also want a 12-inch piece of tubular elastic to help secure the hat to your head.

Harlequin Neck Ruffle 

• 2-inch-wide pink dupioni bias strip, approximately 48 inches long, for the ties
• Four black nylon chiffon strips measuring 4 1/2 inches by 36 inches
• Four pink nylon tulle strips measuring 4 1/2 inches by 36 inches

Note: We determined the length of our chiffon and tulle strips by multiplying the neck measurement by 3. You can vary your ruffle fullness by adding or removing length.

1. Layer your fabric so you have 2 chiffon, 2 tulle, 2 chiffon, 2 tulle. Pin along one long edge. Sew gathering stitches along the long edge, being sure to catch all 8 layers. Gather to your neck measurement minus 1 inch.
2. Attach the silk bias binding to the gathered ruffle edge, leaving equal amounts of binding on either side of the ruffle to become your ties. Trim the chiffon/tulle seam allowance and fold binding over ruffle. Pin into place, and pin ties to enclose seam allowances.
3. Edgestitch ties and stitch in the ditch to secure bias binding around ruffle. Try on the ruffle, using the ties to create a bow. Trim tie ends to the desired length.

And here’s an idea for styling your harlequin bodysuit all year round! I paired it with the Brooklyn Jacket (Patreon) and the free Charm Circle Skirt to make a cute everyday outfit.

We love taking our existing patterns and reusing them in fun new ways (like we did for our Wicked Witch of the West costume)! You might even have some of these elements already in your wardrobe…

Resources

• Patsy Blouse pattern
• Charm Circle Skirt pattern
• Stanwyck Skirt pattern (for the bib)
• White cotton batiste for the blouse 
• Blue and white gingham
• Blue ricrac trim
• Red glitter slippers (I got mine from this fabulous Etsy seller, but there are lots of options out there!) 
• Hattie as Toto!

Pattern Alterations

Shorten the balloon sleeve by 12 inches.

Create a band for the sleeve cuff by taking your bicep measurement and adding about 1/2 inch plus seam allowance. Cut 4 fabric and 2 interfacing.

Blouse Instructions

After the pattern alterations above, follow these step-by-step instructions:

• Follow the Patsy Blouse instructions, but do not assemble the balloon sleeves or band collar.
• Sew neckband and baste ricrac trim to the neckline seamline of the blouse so the top of the ricrac will peek out of the collar. Sew neckband to collar following pattern instructions.
• Sew sleeve bands into rings and fold lengthwise. Baste raw edges together. Gather the lower edge of the sleeve so that it is exactly the circumference of the sleeve band. Baste ricrac on top of the gathers, centering over the seamline so that ricrac will peek out of the sleeve band. Sew into sleeve band to sleeve, matching underarm seam to sleeve band seam.

Skirt Instructions

• Sew the Charm Circle Skirt as in the instructions, hemming the skirt to your desired length
• Sew the Stanwyck bib and straps as in the instructions.
• Create a bias band of fabric (ours was 1 1/2 inches plus seam allowances) and topstitch to skirt 5 inches above hem.
• Add buttons on the inside of the waistband to attach the Stanwyck bib and straps to make the bib removable.

Love learning from video? Here’s a short reel to show you how it’s done!

 

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A post shared by Gretchen “Gertie” Hirsch (@gertie18)

Using a few quick Halloween hacks to our Patsy Blouse, Lady Dandy Waistcoat, and Charm Circle Skirt patterns, now I can – and you can, too!

Resources

• Patsy Blouse pattern (balloon sleeve and band collar options)
• Charm Circle Skirt pattern
• Lady Dandy Waistcoat pattern (available to Patreon members)
• Free Janet Jabot pattern (available here). Print the pages at full size (without scaling to fit), and tape together along the indicated lines.
• Purple wool crepe (from our stash, but similar to this)
• Janet’s shirt fabric (from Spoonflower in poly crepe de chine). Buy what you need for the blouse, plus an additional half yard for the jabot and bow.

Blouse and Jabot Instructions

A jabot is a ruffled fabric embellishment along the neckline and front button placket of the blouse. Follow these instructions to add one to your Patsy Blouse:

• Cut 4 fabric pieces for the jabot, and pin right sides together to create the right and left jabot ruffles. Stitch along outer curved edge and straight edge with a 5/8-inch seam allowance. Trim and grade the seam allowance. Flip so the jabot is right side out and press. Baste along the curved edge and inner circle.
• After sewing the front darts on the Patsy Blouse, pin the short curved edge of the jabot around the neckline and pin the inner circle down the center front of the Patsy blouse, with the wrong side of the jabot to the right side of the blouse front. Baste into place.
• Attach the Patsy Blouse placket, and follow all remaining blouse instructions as written.
• Top it off with a bow at the neckline! We made a tie bow from a 30-inch long by 2-1/4 inch wide rectangle of blouse fabric. Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise and stitch around the open sides using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, leaving an opening in the center to turn right side out. Turn right side out, press, and stitch opening closed. Tie into a bow and hand-tack at the neckline of the blouse, just above the button hole on the right side of the band collar. (Alternatively, make the bow removable by attaching it to a brooch pin!)