Steampunk Traveler

Usually when planning a project I upcycle with thrift shops, consignments, second-hand stores or donated materials given to me by family and friends.

During the Thanksgiving Cyber Black Friday Deals I found a costume called Steampunk Vickie Complete Costume and thought it was perfect for an upcoming project I was working on. The price was reasonable and the shipping was free.

When the costume came in I noticed the jacket and white shirt underneath both were fastened by Velcro. I removed the Velcro and replaced them with hook and eye closures for secure closer and longer wear.
The back of the jacket has a thin stretchy material and does not allow for a custom fit without making bigger changes. I decided to take a black sash given to me and cut it in half to sew on each side of the jacket at the side waist. Now the jacket can be tied into a bow in the back to give the jacket a better fit and give the costume a more Victorian look. Originally, I was going to do a lace up back but I would have had to change out the material on the back of the jacket completely. Sometimes and depending on the project- it’s better to work with what you have instead of against.
On the arm sleeves of the jacket are holes for lacing. The laces are cheap and the holes will not last. I added the brass grommets on both sleeves and laced it up with black suede cord.
The jacket has some character with the ruffles in front but it was still a bit plain. To add more interest I cut strips of black grosgrain ribbon and on one end I folded down the sides to form points. I sewed 2 strips on each side of the jacket front and one longer strip on each sleeve cuff with point at both ends. I then added 8 antique brass buttons giving the jacket a more military chic fashion.
I have a top with what I thought was too many ruffles for its design so I removed a layer and on the inside of each jacket sleeve I added the white ruffles. Now it has a bit more length and interest. I would have preferred a bright white material to match the shirt and made ruffles from that but did not have anything on hand at the time.
The corset belt that comes with the costume is cheap and ill-fitting and bulky. At first I tried to make it look better but it just did not have the feel I wanted so I opted on a real steel bone black/grey stripe waist cincher corset. This corset can be used with other outfits including a nice shirt and pant combo so was not too concerned with paying the sale price.
The skirt is cute and the attached black hoop skirt underneath is in great shape. I wanted a skirt that really stood out so I went searching for belts and antique buckles but finding a belt that was thin enough and a lot of personality was harder than I expected. While searching, I found a purse with a unique handle.
I removed the stitching on the purse side tabs for the handle then cut the handle in half. (See photo) I placed a dot of E600 industrial strength adhesive on the back side of each handle tab. I placed the tabs 3.5 inches from the side seams of the skirt top giving 7 inches of space in the front between the tabs. I let the adhesive dry then hand stitched the tabs on the skirt. Using a needle to go through the existing stitches made this process much easier.
The strip of leather between the handle I cut in half was folded around two brass rings. I needed that part to go under the skirt but did not have enough to meet on the top back side. I noticed you could unbuckle each handle piece to remove it from the tab's brass rings and decided to add a strip of black grosgrain ribbon to that then sew another piece of black grossgrain ribbon to each side underneath the skirt. This way the handle halves could be untied and unbuckled to be cleaned.
Normally I make my own bloomers as they are fast and easy to make. Because of project schedule, I found some I really cute bloomers liked that would get here in time for my project so I could just work on the steampunk costume. If you want to save even more money- there is a video below showing you how to make your own bloomers. Save money where you can! You can also get a really cute PDF pattern for bloomers here: https://www.colettepatterns.com/catalog/madeleine

Items used to create the new look:

Steampunk Vickie Complete Costume (Reg. $60.00) $34.19

25 mm Big Antique Brass Tone Military Crest Style Buttons (10 pieces) $7.20
Black Grosgrain Ribbon for (9ft. roll) 15mm $1.38
Thrift Store Purse (For the handle) $2.50
Stripe Full Steel Boned Underbust Cincher (Reg. $38.00) $25.00
Women's White Cotton Lace Bloomers (Reg. $22.00) $12.99
3MM Hole 200PCS TINY ANTIQUE Brass Grommet EYELET $4.25
1 yard. Black faux suede Cord (free) donated.
White ruffle trim (free) Taken from an old outfit donated.
5 Dritz 14 Nickel Plated Hooks & Eyes - Size 2(free)Black satin scarf/sash(free) donated.