Pirates, AARRRR

Oh, wait, it's not Talk Like a Pirate Day anymore.

So, I wore my brand new "Rum Island Shift" from Pirates of the Caribbean at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party this year.  Last year, riding Space Mountain in Star Trek costumes was awesome. This year it was riding on Pirates of the Caribbean in a PotC costume. Achievement unlocked!

Our whole group had pirate costumes. Of a sort. I didn't have anything for Doug, so he wore shirt.woot's Arrrgyle shirt. And a parrot.

This last photo is us on the scariest ride at Disney - It's a Small World.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Since today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, I thought it would be a good day to post about some pirate costume pieces!

First up is the Pirates of the Caribbean "rum island shift." I made mine almost 10 years ago and I was never super happy with it.  It ended up too low-cut and the fabric wasn't even close to accurate.  I had more accurate linen in the stash, but I never got around to redoing it. Mainly because of all the eyelets. The first time I made this, I had a machine that would do eyelets. My current one does not. 

So I did 90 something eyelets by hand in one weekend. Ouch!

I'm much happier with this version, though I used my old pattern and should really have shifted the shoulder seam to the front, in a more 18th century placement. Also, the first time out, I didn't put a center seam down the front (though I had one down the back).  This time I goofed and should have cut on the fold but I didn't.  It's really hard to see in the few pics of the real one whether there are seams. The front sits more nicely with a seam there. But my guess is there isn't one.  So an improvement over the last version, but not 100% accurate. Oh, and mine probably needs some aging and dirtying. :-)

http://costumersguide.com/pirates_plum.shtml

My friends and I are planning on pirate costumes for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party at Disney coming up in October. Last year we did Star Trek. Riding Space Mountain in a Trek costume? Achievement unlocked!  So this year, it will be riding Pirates of the Caribbean in a PotC costume.

But since the shift doesn't have pockets, I bought some accessories on Etsy that I'm really happy with.  But first, pictures of the shift.

 

So... accessories!

I need something to hold a wallet, phone, etc.  So I bought this bag on Etsy - how cute is this? Here's the seller: https://www.etsy.com/transaction/148757548?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Then I decided I needed something smaller to go inside the bag.  So then I bought this.  It's seriously adorable.  Here's the listing: https://www.etsy.com/transaction/149600793?ref=fb2_tnx_title

Both bags are really well-made and I love the pirate map theme.  Hope ye will all have a hearty Talk Like a Pirate Day, maties!

Pirates of the Caribbean - Elizabeth Swann gowns

I love this gown, but I don't know when I will get around to making it.  Many years ago M&J Trims had the screen accurate trim on sale, and I bought some (hopefully enough, since it wasn't cheap!).  So this is a placeholder to remind myself that I have it!

I also found screen accurate fabric for the "peach" gown worn at the end of the movie. It might be a slightly different colorway, but it's extremely close. I really need to get my act together on this one, I've wanted to make it for ages!

Pirates art

Here's a sketch and a painting my mom did, inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean costume I did a number of years ago.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Plum Pirate Gown & Rum Island Shift

I made this costume for DragonCon 2004.  I think I could do a way better job on it if I made it today.  I love the fabric, but it's really really heavy. It's not accurate either, I didn't put the seam in the front of the bodice (though oddly, it's more historically accurate the way I ended up doing it, I think!) and I didn't do the cartridge pleats.  It's one of those things that I'd love to do again someday, but I don't see it every happening.

I actually have more accurate fabric for the shift, but I'm also not sure I will ever get around to redoing it either!

Here is the web page for my costume with my research and more photos:
http://costumersguide.com/maggie_costumes/my_plum.html