My husband wanted a pirate costume for his work Halloween competition. I’ve only ever made a pair of pajama pants, a simple knit dress, and two simple tops, so this project challenged me in many ways – especially since it was going to be on display at my husband’s workplace.

I generally followed the instructions as written (in some cases, improvising where it was unclear). I did need to add triangular gussets to the pants to accommodate the needed size – I’d never worked with gussets before, so this was a learning experience. I also did not use braid on the coat – I opted to make buttonholes, though I did not open them since my husband wasn’t going to button it. I used some metallic Madeira embroidery thread I was given; I’d never used it before because it is so delicate, but it worked out well once I worked out the right tension settings. I also raised the slit on the shirt a bit.

This was a great personal sewing challenge – it really expanded my horizons. It was the first time I worked with a slick fabric (the vest lining), fabric with nap (the vest and the coat), gussets, set in sleeves, and literally dozens of buttonholes.

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View of the full costume, with a pirate pose!

Close up of the coat and cuff details.

Full view of the vest, shirt and pants, without the coat.

Closeup of the vest and coat buttons.

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