Magpie outfits part 2

This is the final post about the magpie photo shoot I did recently. 

Outfit two

This outfit was inspired by a sitting magpie. If you look at their folded wings they make a rather neat chevron and I wanted to capture that in this outfit.  The front of the bodice is made from three pieces. The top black section, made from the same poly satin as the other outfits, has shoulder darts. The top seam of the white chevron, also poly satin, is topstitched in place. The green layer, made from a scarf I found in a local charity shop, is also topstitched in place. The back is black with two darts. The bodice closes at the side with a zip. 

The model would have short hair and I needed a high neckline. The original plan was to add a green trim around the neck but I couldn't find anything that matched well enough and I also worried about how the bodice would go over the models head! I raised the neckline substantially and put a zip into one of the shoulder seams. The sleeves are cute capped ones. 

I wanted a skirt to match the bodice. I found a good quality pair of size 18 trousers in the charity shop and refashioned it into a skirt. I unpicked the inside seams and stitched them at the back after taking in about 3 inches. I decided to make a curved hem at the front to break up the solid colours and also to illustrate the magpie's tail. After a lot of pressing the curve did eventually lie flat. 

This outfit was finished with a couple of necklaces and a pair of black heels. 

Outfit three

In many ways this outfit was the simplest. The model for this outfit was blonde and it was important that the colours amplified the hair style rather than took away from it. She also had short hair which meant I need to create a higher neckline. 

The top is essentially a shirt pattern without the button holes. This wasn't the original idea which was a top with a turtle neck but that quickly became unachievable as I was using a woven fabric rather than a knit. I decided I needed a stand up collar instead and settled on a variation of the Mandarin collar. This changed the design of the top from a fitted bodice to a slightly looser shirt with a wide placket at the front. The collar, interfaced with a thick cotton to add stability, joins midway through the placket and overlaps slightly. The shirt closes with poppers. I'll admit that I completely improvised this pattern but somehow it worked out. 

The sleeves are from the same pattern as the blue dress and again represent the wings of a magpie. They are more successful in this top as they are set into a full armscye.  The flash of purple comes a tassel made from medium thickness cord with white electrical tape wrapped around the ends. It was held into place with a large brooch. 

I'm really pleased with how they all turned out. Would I do it again? Quite possibly. It was a lot of work but it was a chance to nudge my pattern drafting skills along. This is something I definitely need to find more time for.