Final Thoughts on 2013 - No New Fabric and Historical Sew Fortnightly Challenges

I've learned a lot in the past year about costuming, blogging, and deadlines.  I successfully abstained from purchasing fabric for a full twelve months! ...And I less-than-successfully followed the Historical Sew Fortnightly year-long challenge.

 

Looking ahead, I have a clearer idea of what types of costuming goals I should set for myself and how to go about achieving them.

I decided not to join the 2014 HSF, mainly because I think this type of sew-along is not really for me.  I loved it for the first half of the year, but then the challenges stopped fitting so nicely with my own schedule (haphazard as it may have been) of planned costumes and events.  And then I moved.  Twice.  Not surprisingly, it all went downhill from there.  Out of the total 26 challenges, I completed only 9.  So rather than once again set myself up for failure, I'm going to concentrate instead on the Accessorizing Head to Toe and the 18th c. Court Ensembles challenges that I had already signed up for, as well as running my own Year of Foundations sew-along.

  

This is not to say that the Historical Sew Fortnightly was a total disaster for me!

What I loved about it:

• The creative ways in which each challenge theme could be interpreted
• Seeing everyone's finished projects and getting inspired
• The collaborative community of costumers from around the world

What I would do differently next time:

• Get organized and plan out my year of costuming in advance
• Break up large projects into smaller pieces that can be achieved in two weeks
• Research my planned garments more thoroughly

As for the self-imposed No New Fabric challenge, I would call it a rousing success!  It worked well for me mainly because I already had such a large stash of fabric to begin with.  :p  I kept it up by avoiding fabric stores and by putting off any projects that called for fabric I did not own until this year.  Which brings me to this year's goals!

Year of Foundations

This will be my primary focus in the coming year.  I've already posted about my specific plans concerning the YOF, so I won't go into detail here.  Briefly, I am planning two full sets of historical undergarments - 18th Century and Victorian.  This means I need to buy a substantial amount of linen for shifts and chemises, and I've already purchased coutil for stays and corsets.  For petticoats and skirt supports, I will be using old sheets from my current stash.

Menswear

This is the main category of costuming that I have been putting off until I could buy fabric again.  I want to start making Regency men's clothing so that Brian the Engineer can come with me to future RSV events.  I currently have nothing in my stash that is appropriate for this endeavor, especially now that I've been working at Colonial Williamsburg for nine months and have learned to appreciate natural fibers even more than I already did.  This means more linen for shirts, and some nice wools and heavier linens in dark, muted colors for trousers or frock coats.  Fortunately, I have several fabrics in my stash suitable for waistcoats.

18th Century gowns

I already have the fabric for several gowns which I had planned to make last year but never started because I never finished my stays!  This will be rectified shortly, thanks to the YOF.

Regency gowns

According to the RSV schedule of events, I have a Valentine's social, a tea, a luncheon, a picnic, an ice cream tasting, a nature walk, and at least one ball to plan for in the coming year!  I clearly need to add to my meager wardrobe of two day dresses, one sheer ballgown, two bonnets, one spencer, and two reticules.  I have plans (and fabric) for at least two bodiced petticoats, and I want to make two more sheer gowns to wear over them.  I have already done some pre-shopping on fabric for those sheer gowns, and they're going to gorgeous!  :D

Now of course I don't want to start buying fabric like crazy just because I can, so I came up with a couple of new rules for myself:

When new fabric is purchased, it must be used within a month, or I have to donate it to the bargain fabric table at work.  

This should prevent me from returning to my old habit of buying fabric because "it's such a good deal!" or "it's so pretty!" or "I might need it someday!"  

For the purposes of this rule, "used" will mean something has been cut out from said fabric.  This will keep me from waffling about what I want to make from a particular fabric, and will also get me to be more productive rather than just accumulating yardage.  Cutting out is my least favorite part of sewing, so once that's over with I am much more likely to finish a project.  It's not fool-proof though, so my second rule is:

When I start a new project, I have another month to finish it.  

So this means that the beautiful blue velveteen I bought last week at that very bargain table must be cut for a Regency bodice by no later than February 8, and sewn together by March 8.  

However, I can still buy large amounts of fabric that is useful for multiple projects, like muslin or coutil, and I don't have to use it ALL in a month.  I have to cut out at least one thing, but the rest can be stored until it's needed.  And if a project is one that takes more than a month, it's ok as long as I'm working on it continuously.  I'm just not allowed to cut something out and then abandon it, as I've done so many times in the past.

So, onward!  I have fabric to buy!  :D  

2013 No New Fabric Year in Review

My No New Fabric challenge ended up being much easier than I had anticipated, and way more productive!  I finished a total of 18 items, and started 3 more.

My costuming goals shifted focus over the course of the year - in January of 2013 I had planned an extensive 18th Century wardrobe which has only partially materialized.  However, attending a Regency ball last March expanded my historical fashion interests, and joining the Regency Society of Virginia has given me numerous opportunities to wear my new early 19th Century costumes - and reasons to make more!

No New Fabric Challenge - November Recap

11 1/2 months down - two weeks to go!

I know I'm a little late with this recap, but that's because I've been busy working on next year's challenge (among other things)!  But more on that later.

No New Fabric Challenge - 3 month Recap

Let's see now... 10 months down and only 2 left!

Sorry for not updating on this challenge for two months in a row.  I still haven't bought any fabric, I just haven't gotten around to posting about it.

No New Fabric Challenge - July Recap

7 months down, only 5 to go!

July was kind of... meh, as far as costuming goes.  I didn't do much, yet I somehow still have a backlog of posts waiting to be written!  I shall work on those soon.

No New Fabric Challenge - June Recap

Well, I'm halfway done with my No New Fabric Challenge.

June was a good month for both sewing and events.  I finished one UFO and attended a ball and a church service in Regency dress, as well as War of 1812 Bicentennial events at Fort Norfolk.

No New Fabric Challenge - May Recap

Five months down, only seven to go!

This was another not-so productive month for me, but I did finally get my sewing machine set up today!  :D  I haven't sewn anything on it yet, but I plan to tomorrow.  In the meantime, here's what I did accomplish in May:

Regency Bonnet Shenanigans

In which I transform an ugly hat and remnants of a chair cushion into passable* Regency headwear:

Said ugly hat

*Remains to be seen

No New Fabric Challenge - April Recap

Four months down, only eight left!

I'm a few days late getting this recap up, but I've been rather busy with the move and the new job and trying to buy a new car.  I've really only worked on one project this month.

No New Fabric Challenge - March Recap

Three months down, nine to go!

*Whew!*  March was quite a month for me - I turned 28, accepted a new job in a different state, received my first ever blog award, completed two full dresses and one pair of shoes (which comprised one outfit total) and attended my first real historical costuming event!  (I'm not counting Renaissance Faires.)  Of course, next month is going to be the real challenge; that's when I move!

Regency Blues

I'm having difficulties with my Regency ballgown.  The vision in my head is a sheer striped white overdress worn over a light blue day dress.  I have been inspired by several images, all found on my Regency Inspiration Pinterest board.

I envisioned the white overdress skirt to be the same length or just slightly shorter than the blue underdress, like in the above two fashion plates.  However, I do not have enough of the white striped voile to accomplish this.  The very first image gave me the idea to use my scalloped eyelet trim and a row of solid white voile puffs to lengthen the skirt.  I originally planned to add the eyelet in two rows, with the puffs above.  I had more than twice the eyelet I needed for one row, and I also wanted to add more width to the skirt to make it as flowy as possible.  To make up the extra width, I decided to add a panel of my solid white voile at the back of the skirt, with vertical rows of inset lace set at intervals to mimic the striped pattern of the main skirt fabric.

The stripe at the center of the photo is my inset lace joining the two fabrics.  The stripe along the right is not yet sewn in.  

The stripes will not be as close together as on the main fabric, but I'm ok with that.  I want the feel of the striped fabric, not a direct copy.  This panel will be gathered closely at the back of the skirt, so it should blend together relatively unobtrusively.

However, now that the bodice pieces are cut out for both gowns, I am unsatisfied with the fabric left over for the overdress skirt.  The blue dress should have plenty of width, as I have 102" remaining.  But my striped fabric, even with the solid white panel attached, is only 60" wide.  I want the overdress to be as full as the underdress, but if I make it wider I can only use one row of the eyelet, and therefore it won't be as long as I want.

(Is this making any sense at all?  I'm having a hard time explaining it.)  I've laid out the fabrics to better visualize it.  The blue fabric is folded in half along the right edge.

Option 1:

Imagine a row of puffs between the striped fabric and the rows of eyelet.

Option 2:

Ideally I would like the white overdress skirt to be this long, but then I'd need several rows of puffs and/or tucks between the two.  

Option 3:

I could leave the overdress intentionally short, to show the blue underskirt more.  

In case all of this is unclear, Option 1 would leave the white skirt narrower than the blue underskirt, but almost as long.  Option 2 would make it as wide and as long, but require much more extensive hem decoration than I was originally planning.  Option 3 would make it as wide, but much shorter.  Also, keep in mind I only have enough of my insertion lace to make five vertical rows, so they would either need to be much wider apart, or spaced between more rows of a different lace, if I am to make the skirt wider.  I hope this all makes sense.  I feel like I'm buried underneath a pile of decisions here.  :(

No New Fabric Challenge - February Recap

Two months down, ten left!

I didn't set a foot inside a fabric/craft store once during all of January, which made my resolution fairly easy to keep for the first month.  This last month, I had to make a JoAnn's run for various sundries to finish up a few projects, and it was a little harder...  But I made it!

Regency Madness

I found out yesterday that there is to be a Regency ball only an hour away from where I live, and the day after my birthday!  Having absolutely nothing remotely acceptable to wear and barely a month in which to fix that, I got started right away.  First I tore my well-ordered (haha) bedroom apart in order to determine if I had any amount of suitable fabric to make a ballgown.  I came up with the following:

3 yds light blue cotton, 2 yds white cotton voile, 1 yd white striped cotton voile, 3 yds eyelet trim, 1 yd blue velvet ribbon

I then logged onto Pinterest and went on a Regency pinning frenzy, which I carried on again this morning when I woke with the realization that I would need a bonnet.  Also shoes, but I have that covered.  I may cannibalize a modern jacket in order to make a passable spencer.  We'll see how ambitious I get.  Remember I can't buy any fabric!

Edit:

And it'll be perfectly timed for the Historical Sew Fortnightly Stripes challenge, too!

No New Fabric Challenge - January Recap

One month down, eleven to go...

On January 2, I made a resolution that - for me - was very difficult to make.  Surprisingly, it hasn't been as difficult to keep as I had anticipated.  I have been doing more sewing and less shopping, more planning and less dreaming.  This challenge has forced me to organize - and use - the fabrics in my stash, making my work area (i.e. my bedroom) a nicer place to work (and live).

Decreasing "The Stash" and increasing productivity?  I should have done this ages ago!

My HSF UFO: The CAC

I could have chosen any number of half-started ventures for the Historical Sew Fortnightly Un-Finished Object Challenge, as I have several such projects lying around.  I went with the Curtain-Along cloak, which had been sitting folded in a box for months.

This photo makes me feel rich.  :)  

I already had the outer cloak cut out and sewn together, but for the sake of tidiness I had folded it up and put it back in the plastic pouch that the curtain panel originally came in.  In the meantime I gathered more fabric.  The red wool in the top left corner of the box is now the cloak lining, and the black and red velvets on the bottom will be made into a couple of muffs eventually.  I like to organize my fabric by project in these nice flat boxes I get from work.  Up until Saturday, this was as far as I had gotten on the cloak.

An 1813 Apron-Front Gown

I am woefully behind on the first project in the Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge, but I can at least post pictures of my progress so far.  The challenge was to make something that would have been worn  during a year ending in 13.  I chose 1813, since I already had plans to make a Felicity-inspired muslin dress with a high waist and three rows of tucks around the bottom of the skirt:

Felicity is an American Girl colonial doll.  

How Shall I Embroider My Yellow Shawl?

Edit - I originally unknowingly used a slur in this blog post, and I have since removed it. Over Thanksgiving I went back to Iowa to visit my parents, who were in the process of moving to a new house after almost 30 years.  Not surprisingly, I came back with many long-forgotten treasures from my childhood, and random fabric sources.  One such treasure was this 18 x 90" strip of yellow cotton:

I used this piece of fabric as a shawl, and it became a vital part of my dress-up wardrobe when I wanted to play "G******" with my younger sisters.  (The Hunchback of Notre Dame came out when I was 11, and I was fascinated by Esmerelda.)  It was never hemmed, just had a short fringe from where it had been torn along the grain to create the rectangle.

I have decided to incorporate this unassuming yellow shawl into my grown-up costume wardrobe, as well.  First it needs to be washed, as in the intervening years it has developed a few stains and acquired several black animal hairs - both from my old dog, Chewie, and my current cat, Jazz.

Maybe I shouldn't let her use a box of fabrics as a bed...

To prepare the fabric for washing, I have hemmed it by hand to prevent further fraying of the edges.  This has given me a chance to hone my hand-sewing skills, and I also think it gives a nicer edge than machine-sewing.

This photo - without flash - shows the truest color. 

Next I plan to hone my embroidery skills!  I want to make this shawl my Embellish project for the Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge.  The deadline for this project is February 25, and I wanted to get a head start since embroidery is very time-consuming.  But first I need to decide what color(s) to embroider!

I was originally thinking a floral pattern similar to this, in red and green:

But now I'm leaning more towards all black embroidery for a more dramatic effect.  Maybe some leafy vines like this:

My plan is to focus the majority of the design along both short ends, with a smaller border running along one long edge.  I'm thinking it'll look something like this when I'm finished:

What do you think, oh blogosphere?  What color(s) and design should I choose?  Leave me a comment with your suggestions!

2013 No New Fabric Challenge

Looking back at 2012, I feel like I barely did anything costume-related.  Sure, I accumulated lots of fabric (and curtains) and started quite a few projects, but the only costume I actually completed was the redo of my Padmé Corset Gown.  To rectify this, I have decided to challenge myself in 2013 to plan out what I want to make using only fabric I already have.  I have made a list of planned costumes, and my goal is to complete at least six of these in the next year - in no particular order:

A. Block-printed jacket & linen petticoat - 18th Century

Inspiration:  Woman's Linen Jacket, 1785-90  Victoria & Albert Museum