Sewing Projects 33: The "A Study in Grey" Outfit

Originally written for, and posted at, The Sew Weekly. Theme: Books
The Facts
Fabric: Grey suiting $12, lining from stash $0
Pattern: “Frankenpattern”, Butterick 5032 and free deerstalker pattern
Year: Contemporary mix and 1952 reissue
Notions: 16″ zipper $1, covered buttons from stash $0
Time to complete: 15 hours (2 seasons of Sherlock and 6 eps of the 80s BBC series Sherlock Holmes)
First worn: For pictures
Wear again? Right, ho!
Total price: ~$13
Since we had so much fun on this photo shoot I added a few more pics at the end that weren’t in the post for SW. Enjoy!

It had to be done. It HAD TO! I had this cape pattern, and I had been waiting and waiting to make a grey dress. All I needed to do was Google a pattern for a Deerstalker and I was set. It had to be done. So I did.

Admittedly my mom is a bigger Sir-Arthur-Conan-Doyle-canon Sherlock Holmes fanatic than I am. She’s very particular about who Holmes is and is not. I am just a fan of the character in general, so I appreciate modern interpretations of all sorts. She came to visit me the first time I studied abroad in London, and I made sure to take her to the museum at 221B Baker Street. And then when hubs and I went to London for our honeymoon, we stayed just up the road from The Sherlock Holmes Pub on Northumberland Street, and made a special trip to the Baker Street tube station just so I could get a good picture of the tiles (after years of failing).

Anyway, the cape with the dress is meant to echo the Inverness cape/coat that Sherlock Holmes is commonly depicted wearing. But I’ve added the red buttonhole detail that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is known for.

Can you believe I don’t have a basic A-line dress pattern with a basic bodice and sleeves? I could’t believe it either. Everyone seems to have Simplicity 2444 except me. I’ve been trying not to buy a whole lot of patterns so I “Frankenpatterned” my way through it with the skirt from Simplicity 2209, the bodice from McCall’s 5972, and the sleeves from Simplicity 2211.

I knew the bodice and skirt would be easy-ish to put together, but I wasn’t sure how well the sleeves would work with the bodice. So first compared the bodice for the dress, and the blouse the sleeves usually belong to. Then I made one muslin sleeve and basted it in and made some minor adjustments and it was fine. Since I was doing sleeves I moved the zipper from the side, to the back. I’ve always wanted to do that! This whole outfit was just full of success!

Also, yes, we had a ton of fun on this photo shoot.

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