Curtain-along progress

I have finally started progress back up on my curtain-along project. I had originally intended to make this caraco:

...but I did some bad drafting and ended up with a caraco that didn't fit over my panniers! It felt like such a stupid mistake that I couldn't bring myself to work on the project again, so I shoved it in a corner and pretended it didn't exist for a while. Beside that, I had already purchased two curtain panels, and really didn't want to purchase another.

Well, a moment of chance showed me the solution to my problem. I was cleaning up after another project when a scrap of blue taffeta fell onto the chintz fabric, and they were perfect together. So, I decided to sacrifice the chintz petticoat so I could remake the caraco, and to create a new one in the blue taffeta. Yeah, cotton and taffeta together isn't really typical, but it looks fabulous, and it doesn't cost me anything extra!

I spent some time repatterning the front of the caraco, since that was where I'd gone wrong the first time, before cutting it out of the petticoat fabric. I then pinned it all together am tried it on my dress form. 

It was a lot better, but there were still problems. I didn't like how taut the fabric was over the panniers, and how that caused it to pucker and fold at the waist. So, I added in a side seam and cut a slit up the side of the caraco's skirt, which was slightly terrifying because I didn't have enough fabric to make a new front if it went badly. Thankfully, it turned out right! I added another skirt panel to the new seam and pleated it to the waist, which creates a lovely cascade effect.

I should be finishing up the ensemble soon and moving on to another unfinished project, or, if I have my way, getting started on the duvet polonaise, a dress I'm planning to make from an old Ikea duvet cover. More on that in a future post!

BTW, I'm using the panniers that I made in my tutorial under this ensemble. I've replaced the soaker hose with steel hoop boning to give it a longer life. I really like the shape they give the skirts, and the size is perfect for something less formal, like this ensemble! :)