Cover Designs! #29: The Other Side of Midnight

 

Cover Designs is a feature in which I try to match up the outfit on a book cover with a dress pattern and sometimes even potential fabric matches as well. Today's pick is a suitable spooky read for the fall season -- and one by a favourite author of mine -- The Other Side of Midnight, by Simone St. James.

Summary from the publisher: 

London, 1925. Glamorous medium Gloria Sutter made her fortune helping the bereaved contact loved ones killed during the Great War. Now she's been murdered at one of her own séances, after leaving a message requesting the help of her former friend and sole rival, Ellie Winter.
 
Ellie doesn't contact the dead—at least, not anymore. She specializes in miraculously finding lost items. Still, she can't refuse the final request of the only other true psychic she has known. Now Ellie must delve into Gloria's secrets and plunge back into the world of hucksters, lowlifes, and fakes. Worse, she cannot shake the attentions of handsome James Hawley, a damaged war veteran who has dedicated himself to debunking psychics.
 
As Ellie and James uncover the sinister mysteries of Gloria's life and death, Ellie is tormented by nightmarish visions that herald the grisly murders of those in Gloria's circle. And as Ellie’s uneasy partnership with James turns dangerously intimate, an insidious evil force begins to undermine their quest for clues, a force determined to bury the truth, and whoever seeks to expose it...

This outfit can be replicated, and modernized, by using some quick and easy patterns! First off, to get that skirt, the Everyday Skirt by Liesl & Co would be a quick copy. Just add a bit of length so that it's below the knee, and this simple skirt with elastic back waistband and pockets is a match.

Liesl & Co Everyday Skirt

Then add a top to copy the lines of the cover image -- the Drop Sleeve Top by the Avid Seamstress is a great match, and it's free! Just sign up to her newsletter and you can download this quick woven top to make this outfit a close copy of the cover.

Avid Seamstress Drop Sleeve Top

And of course, to top off the look you'll need a lovely 20s style hat -- you can find a few at Elsewhen Millinery on Etsy, or try this multiple view pattern by VintagePatternGirl to give yourself some choices. 

VintagePatternGirl's 1920's Cloche with Ribbon Trim

You can enjoy a spooky seasonal read and dress like the woman on the cover while you do it! 

Drop-Sleeve Top in Bright Summery Floral

I made one last free pattern in June (the Drop Sleeve Top -- a free offering from The Avid Seamstress when you sign up for her newsletter) and have been waiting to share it with you...but I haven't been able to wear it yet as it has been SO HOT here. Like, 40 Celsius hot. I've been wearing my very lightest summer frocks and staying inside most of the days instead of wearing my lovely new drop shoulder top. It's fairly light, but not quite enough for this sultry weather.

But I braved the hot outdoors to take a quick pick or two to share with you. Please excuse the humidity frizz and shine, haha!

This pattern was so easy to make. The pattern is simple, it all goes together beautifully, and is a quick project. I moved from cutting out the pattern before dinner to trying it on and giving it a final press before bedtime.

I had a length of very pretty quilting cotton in my stash that was too short for a dress, but I thought it needed a pattern with a bit of structure -- it doesn't have any drape, really. This one was perfect, even if I did make a few little changes to it.

I omitted the back slit, as it fit easily over my head (a good way to test this is to pin together the facing patter pieces and see if you have any problem getting it over your head -- even with my huge noggin I had no difficulty). So I cut the back on a fold as well, making sure to omit the seam allowance from the centre back. Because of this I also omitted the facings, choosing to use a vintage pink bias binding in my stash for a bias facing instead. It matched perfectly, and I find the vintage bias packages have a much lighter weight to them than the modern polycotton ones.

I graded out from one size at the neck to the next size at the hip (my usual size alterations) and also gave myself a 3"slit on each side seam. This was mostly because when I basted & tried it on, the cotton stuck to my backside more than I wished -- it is cotton after all. So I left a little 'swing' room with some side slits. It was all that I needed.

I was planning to only add a cuff to each sleeve to make more summery, but when I pinned on the lower sleeve portion it looked much better the way it had been drafted than with a cuff. I did shorten the lower sleeve piece by 2 or 3 inches originally, though; I have short arms.

It just went together like a charm and I love the look of it. Now if it will only cool down enough for me to wear it for more than five minutes at a time!