Karen's Skunk Costume - Kwik Sew 2722

Two years ago, in 2009, I made Karen this lion jumpsuit and fur boots.  This year, she wanted to be a skunk, and she had some great ideas for the design.  I love working with creative people!

I used Kwik Sew 2722 as the basis for the jumpsuit.  I filled in the hole in the back, sewed in a zipper, and added some length to the legs and the torso.

 For the long sleeves, I traced the armscye and used the sleeve pattern from New Look 6160.

 Here's where it gets fun.  Karen wanted some kind of a white stripe on her back so she would look like a skunk.  I googled pictures of skunks, and started designing.

This is what I came up with.  I love how it turned out!  This was surprisingly easy.  I basically traced the curved lines onto the back pattern piece, and I added 1/4" seam allowances on each side of each line.  I simply traced out each piece, and they sewed together very easily.  I added 2 or 3 notches to each line, and I sewed them together on my serger.

 I sewed the center back seam to prepare for zipper insertion, and I was very careful to line up the peak at the bottom.  

 I sewed up the body of the jumpsuit, and then I tried it on to check the fit.  Karen is 5'9", but she has a longer torso than me.  I'm also approximately 4" bigger than she is.  Still, I could tell that it would be too big on her, so I took it in by about 2 1/2" at the bust, 4" at the waist, and 2 1/2" at the hips, taking it in all the way down the legs, since they were a bit loose.  This stretch velvet has a lot more give than the stuff we used for the lion jumpsuit, plus Karen has lost weight since then.  When she came for her fitting, I was pleased that it fit her perfectly.  I pinned the sleeves on to check them.  Lookin' good so far!

 I finished off the jumpsuit, and made the fur boots with a white stripe down the back.  They look so good!  I think they look like skunks just by themselves!

 Here's a close-up of the texture of the fur.  The black is fairly short, but it still works.  The white is quite long, which is great, since it is the focal point anyways.  I had my vacuum cleaner out when I was cutting the fur.  There was hair everywhere!  I even vacuumed the edges of each piece after they were cut, to reduce shedding.  Worked like a charm.  The fur was really easy to sew.

 After the boots, I designed and made the tail.  I forgot to take a picture, but you'll see it soon anyways.  I made a similar design to the back of the jumpsuit, and I lined the underside with black fur.


Final fitting time!  This is awesome.  I love how it's totally black on the front.

Then she turns around, and bam!  So cool!!!  To reinforce the tail, I sewed a triangle of denim underneath, attaching it to the bottom of the zipper for stability.

 I love it!  Have I mentioned how much I love making costumes?

 Karen is so much fun to sew for.  She's creative, easy-going, and flexible.  I wish all my clients were like her!  My last 2 days of Halloween sewing were such a breeze!