Or why I rediscovered the joys of sewing
Back in the spring, the Mister and I were planning to attend Vancouver Fan Expo, a celebration of all things geek. Having been a fan of steampunk style since I first heard the term about three years ago, I decided that I wanted to attend in costume.
Thus inspired, I headed out to my local Fabricland and started scouring pattern catalogs. There, I found this lovely three-piece outfit (Simplicity 2207) and some suitable fabric (creamy-beige shantung and blue-green slub suiting) in the discount bin.
I had to alter the jacket to fit (notably a full-bust adjustment to add another 5"), but the only adjustment I made to the skirt was to eliminate the frill at the top of the flounce and take the excess fabric up in a hem. I actually think this allowed the whole thing to hang better.
The bustle/apron piece is a lovely bit of patchwork. Because I was working with leftover fabric from the other pieces, I eliminated the centre back seam and backed the shantung with a layer of pieced-together scraps from the skirt. This actually made the fabric too bulky to gather as per the pattern instructions, so I made some soft pleats instead as I eased the doubled fabric to the correct length to attach the centre-back ruffle, and to attack the tie waistband.
When I make the jacket again, I believe that I will adjust the armscye and add maybe a half-inch of extra width to the sleeves. Both are a smidge on the tight side. 
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