FO Schoolgirl Set

I love the Naughty Needles Burlesque “costumes” that will actually be able to make it into my normal wardrobe afterwards. Here’s one. It’s for the schoolgirl act, but it turned out awfully cute!

Here’s a closeup of the button placket, which I really love:

Plus the buttons are awfully cute. I know I’ll wear the cardigan plenty. I’m less sure of whether I’ll wear the skirt, as it’s a bit short. it’s got three little inset “pleats,” one in the center & one on either side, and the back is flat and closes with button. Originally, I thought it would have two wide panels at the sides, two narrow panels at the front and back center, and four pleats. But somehow the math of the fabric and how it stretches in real life never quite jibe, so I had to ditch a whole large panel to keep it from being gargantuan.

So instead of a side button closure, I steeked the back with a crocheted steek. The I knit on a little placket and some button loops. The girl wearing it in the show is tiny, so I can make it close nice and tight for her, then move the buttons for myself afterwards.

Here’s the crocheted steek, which I learned here. I’ve seen instructions that look more like a slip stitch, but this is a single crochet. And you just work the sc through half of the stitch you’ll be cutting and half it’s adjacent neighbor. I started at the top and looped down, then back up to the edge again.

Then you just cut right down the middle, along the ladders you’d be using if you were doing a mattress stitch.

Here’s a shot that shows the wrong side, too:

Very tidy! I have to admit, I was shocked it worked. I was skeptical enough to try it on a swatch first. When that worked, I tried it on kind of a crappy sweater experiment. The knitting was too loose, and it didn’t work well and threatened to pull loose and fray, so I abandoned it. I think this is best for a snug gauge. But I also I think if you had some kind of application without any pressure (or if you were felting), you could even just leave this as your finished edge. But when you pick up, you do it on the next row down from the steek, so you’re knot tugging at the edging holding your cut stitches together. I’ll get a shot of the button closure when I sew on the buttons to fit Taylor next Wednesday.

I also finally sewed the buttons (pearl buttons with metal shanks–too reflective to see in the sunlight) onto the nun sweater for the show. It turned out too tight, but I figure it only has to stay on for a few minutes. I think it will be a good unbuttoned sweater (with the collar folded down) for me to wear after the show. It’s way too scratchy to wear without a shirt, so it’s fine that I can’t button it without looking like a sausage that’s been grilled til the skin bursts.