Disneyland: Novelty Print & a Fleece Bolero

I didn’t get pictures of all three of my Disneyland outfits (thanks, weather) but I did get some snaps of my second outfit in the morning while the weather was still nice and dry.

I had intentionally picked a color for my last-minute fleece bolero that would go with a few things I was planning to wear, which was a good idea because it was rather brisk our second morning.

The pattern seems to think the collar can fasten with a thread loop, but between the fact that the pattern I have is a size too small (plus it’s a Junior’s pattern, which always assumes for a little less bust and a lighter frame) and the bulk of the fleece fabric, I wasn’t able to bring the collar all the way closed.

I also had to widen the sleeves a bit at the cuff to have a comfortable amount of wiggle room, and I think I may have added some width to the back by modifying it to be cut on the fold instead of on a seam, but otherwise I actually quite liked how the fit came out, even though the pattern wasn’t the right size for me.

Due to the bulk of the fabric, I ended up omitting the sleeve cuffs and just sewing a small folded hem at the edge of the sleeves instead. I also did a line of stitching all the way around the collar and hem edge of the bolero to fight some of the puff from the fleece. I was finishing the project in a bit of a rush before our trip, so I didn’t finish all of the hand stitching I ought to have done to hold the collar in place, and you can tell… but I was warm and I’ll fix it eventually!

On the whole, I’m really happy with how the bolero turned out. I think it presents really well and it’s quite cozy. I like the idea of sewing some 40s and 50s outerwear shapes in modern fabrics for easy-care vintage looks, and I might have to try making up another of these in a different color.

For the Disneyland look I centered the outfit around a pink and blue scenic novelty print skirt. It features either a small castle (which would be Disneyish) or a small farm with grain silos (more likely) and a brook and waterfall with a picturesque little bridge over it. Some day I’ll get my hands on the iconic castle-print skirt (or design my own reprint…) but this fits the bill for now.

Outfit Details

Pink hair flowers: Made by me
Polar fleece 50s bolero: Made by me, Simplicity 3773
Pink rhinestone B. David umbrella pin and earring set: Antiques shop in WI
Pink top: Amazon
Red leather belt: Thrifted
Pink and blue landscape novelty skirt: Cheshire Vintage
Opaque peach tights: Capezio
Red pointy flats: Rothys