Hokuto Sumeragi - Mad Hatter #61

taffeta for the bloomers + a scrap from the original taffeta 

Last Friday, I finally left the house to do more than grocery shopping or visiting my parents. Last week I took a small break from studying, didn't even sew for cosplay, and lockdown is slowly being lifted, so Friday I went shopping. This is relative, as my budget is very low at the moment, but I went for a long walk, met a friend at Intendente Square, and, from there, we hit a few shops. I bought blue fake leather and velvet paper, for a tablet cover, and 1 meter taffeta to add to the bloomers. I also bought two new thread bobbins, the cherry red and burgundy were running out. Fortunately all "my" shops survived the second lockdown, it was a relief to make sure they're all still there, and I even thanked them. Everybody was in good spirits, happy to sort of be in business again.

When I bought the taffeta, back in 2019 in Oporto, I was aiming to buy 5m, but they only had 4,75m. And boy, those 0,25m were all I needed! Barely enough to cut the bloomers. Knowing I wouldn't find the same fabric in Lisbon, I decided to cut the bloomers right below my bottom, and add a different (white) fabric to the top part. Anything would fit, it won't be seen under the skirt and petticoat, but I went for simple, and cheap, lining taffeta, at Casa Tavares & Tavares, one of my favourite fabric stores. 

The next few days, I still won't be sewing for Hokuto, as I need my tablet cover, to be able to safely take it out of the house. I will hopefully make it in about one week, but I need to buy contact glue. I'm also starting field work soon, so, I'll be less inside of the house.

+ It was great to be out of the house, finally buying the last needed material for this costume, and buying it in my favourite fabric shop for a very good price.

- My original taffeta is not pure white, but the cheaper taffeta is pure white, the colour doesn't match perfectly. I will add a tuck to the upper fabric, to make the piecing less noticeable.

THE CUNNING PLAN 

Cut the bloomers in both fabrics, and start sewing them. I still need a white thread bobbin, but I prefer bigger ones for basic colours, and those are very expensive. Next time, I'll buy one.