Midori #2

most materials: the basket, the polka dot cotton + yellow poplin
and yellow fabric dye; the red patent mary-janes, the midnight blue satin,
the white poplin and eyelet lace, and the fabrics for the origami cammelias.

Ever since I decided to make Midori, I gathered most materials needed, except for a few bits & bobs.

First I found a white cotton with decently large red polka dots at Ouro Têxteis, and even though I bought the remaining fabric, and  maybe half a metre short of a workable length, it wasn't very expensive, so I decided to go for it. As the polka dot fabric is a bit transparent, I also bought some yellow poplin, tu use as backing, lining and pockets. Besides the usual inset side pockets, I'll be adding an inner pocket to the bib part of the skirt, for the phone, bus pass, and so on.

On the same trip to Baixa, I bought a midnight blue silk satin, at Feira dos Tecidos, for the bow tie. I'll use some dark blue grosgrain ribbon for the strap, like I did for Ame Warashi. Just need to go buy the clasp, also at Ouro Têxteis. At Drogaria Central, I bought the last two packs of Sunflower Yellow Dylon Hand Dye, let's hope they're enough (I don't think so).

the (wonky) basket

A few weeks later, I ordered the basket from Vinted, (it's a tad too big, but cheaper and much better than the tiny ones I was finding elsewhere), 16 yards of eyelet lace (for several projects, this one included) and the red mary-janes from AliExpress. I usually buy more than one item per order from AliExpress, that time I ordered four or six items, a few days later everything was shipped but the shoes, and, because those were my second choice, I cancelled that order, when the ones I really wanted became available again.

the pretty (snug) patent mary-janes

On two other trips to Baixa, I got white poplin, to make short bloomers, and an inner blouse (mostly for Candy, to cover my colourful modern bras), red, light yellow and green cambric, for the fabric origami tsubaki, all from Ouro Têxteis, and red cotton twill, from Feira dos Tecidos (it was sold out at Ouro Têxteis) for a kinchaku, to attach to the basket. I also got green and red paper to make the origami cammelias. Unfortunately Papelaria Fernandes doesn't sell papel de lustro in large individual sheets anymore, all the origami paper at AliExpress is sold in multicolour packs and has the same colour on both sides, so I ended up buying two sheets (green and red) of much darker kraft paper, for the Cammelias. I will keep searching for papel de lustro in large sheets.

I also got a white paper parasol at my local Chinese bazar. I wanted it to be fabric, but they only had paper ones in white.

Missing were the wig, which I only ordered recently from Coscraft, about three weeks ago, the longer white socks (can't find any at the usual shops and don't want to order those), yellow thread (I already got), a yellow zipper, some kind of ink to paint the parasol, and the belt, which I'll have custom made at Domingos & Nogueira.

Because the pretty patent mary-janes are a bit snug (it was their larger size, or I would have sized up), although comfortable, but not for many hours, I decided to order a back-up velvet pair of Chinese style mary-janes (I used to wear them a lot in the 1980's, until I couldn't find them for sale any more - I had them in many jewel colours), but unfortunately, besides being much more expensive, what arrived, although has a nice quality, doesn't match the photos and description. They are a faux suede, instead of velvet, the toes are less square and more oval, not even the buckle matches (the Chinese style m-js have a hook buckle, this one is classical) and although I sized up, the shoes that arrived are very snug...

+ I gathered most materials and can start working right away.

- It's a pity what happened with the shoes, but both are quite wearable, and I'll keep breaking them at home.

THE CUNNING PLAN

Dye the fabric once I have my washing machine sorted (it needs to be connected to the water supply), and start working on the other parts of the costume.