pumpkin party dress!

Halloween is coming and the goose is getting fat! (you can judge for yourselves in the following pictures! lol)

Well, someone is getting fat, because when i tried to put my prized pumpkin halloween party dress onto my dress-form Sam, i couldn't get her well-round hip ensemble past the waistband!! (Note, i wasn't even attempting to get it over her chest and shoulders...the girl would be the envy of Dynasty, she has no need for shoulder pads, that's all i'm saying!) The shocking thing was I think i actually made this dress to fit her a couple of years ago...she's obviously been munching on the sweets i keep in the sewing room!!! Anyway I gave up at the peril of splitting the stitching...but then gave a frantic last ditch attempt to wedge her in, seams straining and material puckering, when i realised that if it wasn't going on her...i was going to have to wear it myself!!! (i HATE pics of myself to be on the internet - a personal weirdness)

Anyway...here is my favourite party dress that i only get to wear once a year at halloween parties! I had intended to make a new one every year, but i love this one so much i never want to change!! I made up the pattern (it's a pretty simple one) and built it around a bargain corset that i got for a couple of £'s (NB i hate when people put apostraphies in terms like this, but i'll admit that in this case it looked a little odd without it) I trimmed it up-top with black PVC (fun material - nightmare to sew, because it sticks to the presser foot, i sewed through baking paper and then tore it away!!!) and added a few metal rings for hanging halloween stuff, if i felt like it.


I made a simple petticoat out of orange and black net to give it a bit of shape. (it has a straight hemline, no matter how it looks in the pic below...a bit of material is caught-up in the waistband...ooops! the trials of trying to take pictures of yourself...but at least you can see the petticoat a bit better!) It's also laced up the back corset-style with a black ribbonI bought the material ages ago, so imagine my delight when i saw in a £-shop last year a full range of pumpkin party dress accessories!!! Pumpkin-patterned fairy wings, a wand, hair clips and a handbag. I was pretty excited!!!