I might be a bit macabre, but I do love the look of sugar skulls.
Fabric: Affordable Fabrics and More (retail is closed right now, as pre-ordered fabric arrives)
Sugar skulls, called calaveras, are made to honor dead relatives on Dia de Muertos, or All Soul’s Day. This tradition can be traced back to the Aztecs. The calaveras are usually made with cane sugar and are decorated with items such as colored foil, icing, beads, and feathers.
I am sure this will still fit her on November 1 next year, as I could not wait to use this fabric. As such…I made the leggings extra long.
First, I needed a HTV skull for my vision of this top. I found a sugar skull coloring page online, and traced it off in the Silhouette software. I pulled out different pieces to cut in different colors. The trace worked pretty well, and there was only one part I had to change when weeding it. I’m not well versed in the software, so I generally wing it and get lucky.
After layering and ironing it all on, it was time to sew!
I drafted this pattern with a lot of curves. The arms have a big dip in the middle, and the seams are the same depth as the side seam. It looks like a gradual curve across the arms, from side to side.
After putting these all together and ironing them, I noticed the front bodice was messed up. I cut it totally wrong. After ripping out the serged seam, I used what smidgen of fabric I had left to cut out a new top. The front top is not necessarily on grain, but it works.
The skirt on this is a full circle.
The leggings are the 5 out of 4 Shenanigans skort leggings, only I used a different waistband that is shaped to fit her better. This was a french terry fabric with some stretch to it.
I made this last night and could not wait to have her wear it. She really liked it when I showed it to her this morning. This is after a day of wearing it, so the leggings are a little bit baggy.
Now…what to make next??
I love the sugar skulls. Made a dress out of almost the same fabric but it also had Frieda Kahlo (?) on it
Thanks, Carolyn! Sugar skulls are fun prints. There was a lot of options when I was looking for something to trace for the vinyl. That is funny that the print had Frieda Kahlo on it. I don’t usually associate her with sugar skulls other than she is Mexican. Her art really didn’t have that in it.
Your daughter is going to have a lot of fun wearing that outfit. So creative!