Throwing My Hat Back In

After taking two whole years off from the Historical Sew Monthly/Fortnightly, I'm jumping in again!  I think the January challenge is particularly appropriate for me: 

January - Procrastination - finish a garment you have been putting off finishing (a UFO or PHD) or make something you have been avoiding starting.

For the first challenge, my entry will definitely be my unfinished 18th Century stays!  I haven't worked on them in... nearly two years.  (Remember my sad attempt at running my own sew-along? Yeah...) 

This is as far as I got on my stays, and here they have languished since March 2014.

February - Tucks & Pleating - make a garment that features tucks and pleating for the shape or decoration

Although I'm a bit terrified of the prospect, I really want to make a robe a la francaise! 

It would definitely involve pleats!  And I have some beautiful gold silk shantung curtains...  Hmmm...

March - Protection - make something to protect yourself (from weather or injury) or your clothes (from soiling etc.)

Not sure on this one yet.  Maybe some sort of cloak or wrap?  It depends on which era(s) I decide to concentrate on over the next year.  I've been pretty heavily ensconced in Regency ever since I moved to Virginia, but I do want to start working my way into other time periods, as well.  Colonial has always been a love of mine: 

And I'd also like to get into Victorian: 

Or Civil War:

April - Gender-Bender - make an item for the opposite gender, or make an item with elements inspired by the fashions of the opposite gender

I could, of course, make something for Brian the Engineer, or I could get really ambitious and make a military-inspired riding habit! 

May - Holes - sometimes the spaces between stuff are what makes a garment special. Make a garment that is about holes, whether it is lace, slashing, eyelets, etc.

Well, I do love lace.  And this could give me a good excuse to break out my little-used crochet or tatting skills. 

June - Travel - make a garment for travelling, or inspired by travel.

I would love to make a Brunswick jacket like the one Dido wears in Belle: 

Well that's six months of planning done!  I'll worry about the rest of the year later.  Should be fun, though: 

July - Monochrome - make a garment in black, white, or any shade of grey in between.

August - Pattern - make something in pattern, the bolder and wilder the better.

September - Historicism - Make a historical garment that was itself inspired by the fashions of another historical period.

October - Heroes - Make a garment inspired by your historical hero, or your historical costuming hero.

November - Red - Make something in any shade of red.

December - Special Occasion:  make something for a special event or a specific occasion, or that would have been worn to a special event of specific occasion historically.

Wish me luck!  I'll be needing it.  :p