The "Langtree Project" Part One: Patterns & Fabrics

A few weeks ago my daughter mentioned that she'd love to cosplay her favorite character, "Ms. Langtree", from the animated series "Over the Garden Wall".

A few short Google searches later I was certain this was a project that even my "novice-y" sewing skills could undertake.

Here are a couple of the images I chose to work with:
(Isn't she adorable?!)

I wasn't really sure what era this was supposed to be from but Ms. Langtree's hair has a very "Gibson Girl" feel to it, so I started looking at Edwardian era costumes and got an idea of what her clothes should look like.

So, for the blouse: 

I'm using Butterick Pattern 4049 (view "B") from the "Making History" collection. The neckband and lace trim are a perfect match.(I'll add the loopy bow necktie and some faux buttons later.)

For the skirt:

I went with McCalls Costumes pattern 4090 (view "A"). While this isn't exactly true to the Gibson Girl model, it works well for two reasons. 1. I already own it. 2. I really like the fuller skirt for this project.(I'll add the hemline stripes later.)

After choosing the pattern pieces, I needed just the right fabric.

For the Skirt:

Fabric for the skirt was tricky. Scene to scene Ms. Langtree's skirt changes color from a milky dark grey to a dusty brown. We scoured the local fabric store and came up empty handed. Either the grey's were too grey or the browns were just too brown. A few nights later I was at Walmart walking past the fabric section and I found the perfect fabric. While it's not *exactly* the right color, it's close enough to pass muster. And it only set me back $2.97 per yard (It photographs in the really red, but in normal light it's a dusty, brownish, red.

For the Blouse:

The blouse fabric was easy enough to come by. I found some nice, light off white/creamy cotton at Walmart for $1.97 a yard. For the contrast fabric (that will make up the loopy bow, cream "suspenders" and stripy trim for the skirt bottom) I found some coordinating cotton in just a few shades darker than the blouse fabric.

Here is the final fabric palette:

Part 1 is done!

Thanks for reading and check back for Part 2 where I'll start construction on the skirt!