Sabrina

I'm too lazy to put pictures into this post, but click on the links to see all the entries tagged. I actually made a pretty decent amount of things this year and I also actually like all of them, more or less, so this year was definitely a win on the sewing front.

1. First up, it took me all the way until April to finally finish something, but I did: charcoal pants to wear to a conference that I was going to in Texas. The fit is not good, but it's not terrible either. Fitting bifurcated garments still eludes me because, to quote myself, "Crotches are weird, man."
2. In early May, I had finally finished my pink linen 1780 stays, which I had started in April. They're boned with reed and really comfortable to wear. I was happy with the fit and how they ended up looking, especially with the narrow binding. They're still not lined, and they probably never will be, whatever. ;p
3. Another UFO that I finished up was a quilted petticoat. This was a great multi-use undergarment, because I wore it under my 1840s dress and under my 1780s stuff. It's awesome. Adds a nice amount of loft in the skirts and keeps them off the legs. It was just some pre-fab quilting stuff from Joann that I bound at the hem and the pleated top.
4. I made a white striped 1845 dress in about 2 weeks start to finish. I was so impressed with myself. Of course, I neglected pretty much everything else in that time, but whatever, I made a dress and now have a good bodice base for that era. It turned out pretty well, but it totally needs a different corset with a higher bust point, and then I'll have to adjust the darts in the lining, but that shouldn't be a problem whenever that time comes. It needs accessories too. And for me to not drop blackberry juice on it when I'm wearing it.
5. I finished up another UFO: a fichu. A very useful accessory for the wardrobe, but not very exciting. Although I did tambour embroidery on it when I first started it many years ago.
6. I painted two silk fans in 18th century style but with dog portraits as gifts. It was a fun project and a nice change from the sewing.
7. I made a super cute and twee corset cover 1870.
8. My 1870 sheer dress might be my favourite out fit of the year, consisting of a bodice, overskirt, and peplum. It's ruffly and trimmed with lace and currently in need of repairs. I used my 1840s bodice as a starting point to make a new 1870 bodice block, which was used for this and my corset cover.
9. I made a feather/down stuffed bumpad out of an IKEA pillow. Feathers EVERYWHERE!
10. To go over it, I made a white linen-rayon 18th century petticoat.
11. And to go over all that for my trip to Virginia and DC, I made a pale yellow linen-rayon 1780 gown. I wore it to Colonial Williamsburg, where I had a wonderful stay! I got a good pattern base for this, although I want to make some important changes to it at the back so that the sleeves are set in deeper and the back is narrower, but it fits and the look is acceptable.
12. I also made a white voile (my 3rd white cotton dress of the year!) 1780s roundgown with en fourreau back to wear to The Lady Detalle's birthday tea. For some reason I didn't take any detail pics after I I finished it, but got some great pics at the tea taken by quincy134 . I really like the back pleats on this. I had made some very slight alterations to the fit of the pattern I used for the yellow gown and some worked (like getting a better fit in the back) and some didn't (like having the neckline dip too low and showing the very top of my stays).
13. I made a silk organza 1780s cap to top everything off. I didn't entirely finish it for my trip and had to temporarily sew part of the caul the band, but it is done now.
14. After all that summer sewing I needed a break. But I knit up a pair of legwarmers for elizabeth_mn and had fun dyeing them from off-white to pink. Made out of worsted-weight wool, they were a quick and soothing project during a stressful time.
15. I also cut out and started sewing a silk 1920s slip, but that will be my UFO going into 2019.

My goals for 2018 were: 

• keep on trying new things with sewing, new techniques, new materials, etc.
• get a couple of solid bodice patterns figured out, ones that fit really nicely and that I can just use whenever I want to make something from that era
• get some 18th century things made, especially finishing up these stays and other undergarments and making some gowns and millinery to go over them
• make some modern clothes, preferably of a professional-looking nature for when I have to look like a grown up

I think I was pretty successful with most of these. I tried out new eras that involved different techniques and styles as well as new materials like reed. I also made bodice blocks for 1840s, 1870, and 1780s that aren't perfect, but that fit well and only need small adjustments to be right. I definitely made some 18th century undergarments, gowns, and millinery (cap and fichu!). The one I fell down on the most was the modern clothes. Just made a pair of mediocre pants. I'm hoping that getting to this blazer soon will help out.

Plans for 2019:

• keep on upping my sewing game by trying new techniques (like tailoring!), improving fit, and making accessories for outfits
• make some modern clothes
• get some good pictures to document all my hard work
• let go of plans and lists and make what I'm feeling at the time to help with productivity (but no creating UFOs! gotta finish things!)
• use the stash (it's starting to get out of hand)

I decided to whip up an 1840s dress for a local event with my Victorian costuming friends and figured I'd document the progress since it's a new-to-me era.

I started out with the 1852-1856 pattern in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 1, combining the half-high lining with the overlays to create a bodice pattern that went all the way up to the neck. I also used the sleeve lining to figure out a starting point for the sleevehead of my sleeve. These were the measurements I got from measuring the little 1/8th scale diagram, so they may not be totally accurate, as well as my little 1/8th diagram before scaling up. (Dashed lines are where I figured I'd have to shorten the pattern.) I scaled up the pattern using radial enlargement, which can get a little bit wonky at times, but overall is the quickest way I know how to do this without using some sort of technology that is not my hands. (You can see where the little scale diagram is taped at the bottom for the process.)

( In which I go into the process in detail, with many notes )

Up next is cutting out the fabric.