Trick or Treat! Today I’m revealing my DIY Halloween outfit made from Butterick 6621 and the free skirt pattern from Megan Nielsen, the Veronika.
Ok, let’s save the best for last and talk about the Veronika skirt first. I actually made this a couple of years ago. The Veronika is a free sewing pattern from Megan Nielsen patterns. You can download it for free by signing up for her newsletter. She describes it as a basic full circle skirt for woven or stretch fabrics. Pattern features optional roomy scalloped pockets and two waistband choices.
Version 1 is for woven fabrics and includes scalloped pockets and wide waistband, Version 2 is for woven fabrics and includes a narrow waistband, and Version 3 is for stretch fabrics. It’s rated a Skill level of 1 out of 5 and comes in sizes XS-XL.
The fabric I used is a pleather I got from one of my earlier trips to the NYC Garment District. The pattern is perfect for tricky fabrics like this because there are so few seams, no darts, pleats or gathers, and BONUS! you can skip the hem on leather!
OK, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about this adorable top.
The pattern is Butterick 6621. It’s described as a Close-fitting knit dress with front, neckline and sleeve variations and double-stitched hems. B, C ties are single thickness and the wrong side of the fabric may show.
I made view A with the twist front, shortened it into a top, lined the bodice, skipped the sleeve hems, and then tucked it into the high-waist skirt for a messy tucked in look.
The pattern is deceptively simple to sew. The knot is really just a twist and the instructions are super clear. To line it, I used the same bodice pattern pieces, skipped the twist, sewed the hem, turned it wrong sides together matching up the neckline and armcye raw edges, then attached the neckband and sleeves to enclose those edges.
The fabric is a little itchy. Not really on the wrong side, but where the seam allowances are, the raw edges are scratchy. You can’t easily serge the raw edges of the front twist, unless you did them in a single layer. I didn’t want to stretch the fabric any so I didn’t want to serge the individual raw edges. That meant I had unfinished seam allowances that were scratchy. Not to mention, the fabric is slightly sheer. The sleeves are unlined so you might be able to see just how opaque the fabric is. But, lining it just ensured it would be comfortable and not too showy.
The fabric is from Joann. It’s described as the perfect special occasion fabric for dance wear, skirts, gowns, and fashion accessories like scarves and belts. Measuring 43 inches wide, this dotted apparel fabric has a blend of 83% nylon and 17% metallic. Available in a wide range of sleek metallic colors, it's an ideal choice to create stylish apparel for fun occasions that need some extra shine and glamor.
I talked about this fabric in my How To Sew With Halloween Fabrics video explaining how I set up my machine and ironing station to work with this fabric as well as 4 others.
You’ll have to take my word for it, that the top is cute untucked….for now! I’ll be using this top for another video very soon where I’ll show you how to style it for all the winter holidays including Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day!
For Halloween, I styled it with a super cute Day of the Dead inspired headband, a bouquet of glitter-tipped black roses, fish net stockings, and sparkly heels.
I’m very careful to not call this a costume, because I’m not really dressed up as anything…just dressed according to a theme. I love to have themed outfits for special occasions like sporting events, festivals, and parties. Halloween is really no different. So, even if you aren’t really into costumes like me, you can still have fun with the holiday!
I hope you like my outfit as much as I do and are inspired to do something for Halloween this year!
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