Here There Be Pirates!

This is the pirate costume from Simplicity 5446, the adult size, medium. I had nobody to model the children's pattern for me, so it will go unphotographed until I get pics back from my family. It is a tad big on Ed, but we were able to pin the pants so they fit. The vest is supposed to be the correct size for him though, had we made this for Ed instead of my brother for whom it is intended.

You can see our little picture pal Lily in the background of the second photo. She just wanted to get in on that attention!

Anyways, the pants are made of some cotton/poly blend that really could stand a few more washes to make it a little softer. I have no idea what it's original purpose was since I found it in the thrift store, but the pattern sure makes good pirate pants (or prison pants if you were going for that look!). The floofy pirate shirt is made of a recycled queen sized bed sheet and the vest is some faux suede fabric, again found at a thrift store.

The vest material was actually a huge pain to work with because the minute you touched the fabric your hands turned brown! It practically oozed dye. I gave it a soak 3 times in the bathtub with some Woolite before I judged it had released enough dye that it could stand a turn through the washing machine.

After it came out there were white spots (probably from the fabric softener that was in the detergent) that I had to scrub out with a brush before I was satisfied of it's appearance. Definitely something I do not want to work with again if I have to, which is a pity since the fabric itself is so pretty and suede soft.

All in all, the pattern was pretty easy to work with. I had some trouble with the vest lining, and I do blame that on the vague instructions. If I had lined more things I probably wouldn't have been so confused I think. But, other than that one mishap, the pattern was very fun and quick to work with. I would recommend this pattern if you are looking for something piratey, or even to use as a Ren Faire costume since the pants and shirt could easily be from that time period. They are pretty versatile!