2018 Review

My main goal with sewing this year was to work through my fabric stash and backlog of plans rather than add new projects. To that end, I made several items for which I've had designs or fabric lurking around for years.

Real clothes
I did have one final 'proper shop' in Cabramatta's fabric district at the start of the year but it didn't do too much damage to the stash as I turned out two maxi dresses the next weekend. Turns out not buying fabric is a great way to save money that I can then spend on... fabric. I have always loved paisley but even though it is 'in' now, it never seems to be in my colours. I decided to search etsy on a whim one day and came away with busy purple paisley for a maxidress. I’ve got eight of these dresses now, which is probably enough.

In a moment of ‘I need to sew something’ I turned, as I have done before, to the 1940s. A modified Simplicity 1587 resulted in two dresses, one of fabric bought (last year) for the purpose and another from the stash. And then I made a hat to match, because I could.

Turning to my other favourite 20th century decade, the 70s (I hadn’t realised that was a category for ‘favourites’ until someone asked me what mine were, and turns out it is), I made a halter gown with attached cape from Style 1353.

I added a peacock tag to my blog because five garments make a Thing. This year in peacock fashions, I used the bleaching technique I developed for the Assassin's Creed Revelations costume to add a peacock design to a bought tank top.

I finally found fabrics (including a peacock feather print) that would work for a shirt design I drew ages ago. I like how it turned out but haven’t worn it yet as I don’t know what wear it with.

Speaking of styles of clothes I don’t wear, I gave myself a shock at the start of the year by buying, and regularly wearing, ripped black skinny jeans (that actually fit me). I also wanted what would be, I guess, the skirt equivalent but there the shops were less helpful so I made my own heavily-eyeletted black skirt.

Costumes
Also in the interest of Finishing Things, I had leatherworking classes at Birdsall Leather in preparation for finally completing my Assassin's Creed costumes. When I got back from the trip I promptly didn’t do any work on them as the Jane Austen festival was looming.

Mum bought and set up a lovely little leather workstation for me for my birthday. I made a start but had to let the Gamma.Con deadline slip as my health required that I slow down a bit.

My blogging and sewing reduced a bit in the second half of the year, partly for health reasons and partly because I've been putting more of my 'hobby' time into music. I started with a new singing teacher at the beginning of last year and the process of switching from classical to contemporary style has been a (fun and exciting) challenge requiring more practice than I used to do. And then I decided to learn bass guitar because, you know, not enough stuff to do.

For Jafa I made a pink ballgown based on an 1815 fashion plate and a silk 1830s ballgown. Turns out:
a) silk is great,
b) free silk is better (I won a voucher), and
c) not enough silk can, in fact, be a good thing. This design was very much an exercise in limitations causing creativity and the dress is better for it.

Besides the ballgowns, I also made a chemisette, two chemises and a pair of gloves. (The gloves were finished after Jafa and are incredibly dodgy.)

Other people
I was commissioned to make a onesie based on the Amygdala character from the book Hey Warrior. This isn’t the first commission I’ve done but it kind of felt like it was, as I am a bit more socially distant from the commissionee and I had to write an invoice like a Professional Adult.

A lot of the clothes I make I wear to work and one of my colleagues asked if I could give her lessons to make Butterick 6018. I was keen to do this as, while I have done some sewing with people before, since then I have had lessons myself and can show people proper techniques instead of ‘this is what I made up’.

Events
My most significant event this year was Jafa, where I had a great time. I gave Gamma.Con a miss but did make it to Ironfest wearing Eowyn’s riding outfit. As events go, I have done Ironfest now and don’t need to go again.

I finally got to History Alive this year after many years of missing it due to uni exams, starting work and being overseas. I had great fun riding a 'ye olde' bike and doing more regency dancing. My cousin made an 18th century dress in the week leading up to the event, which is super impressive. I wore my 1830s gown and my dad dressed to match in his regency suit.

The saddest event was the closing down of Cardif Collective's haberdashery storefront. It will be missed (although, thanks to the closing down sale, I now have a bolt of ludicrously cheap silk taffeta I can cry into).

I entered the Canberra Show again this year and my 1830s day dress, entered in the miscellaneous category, won champion of the sewing section. Please bring back the historical and costume categories! I got a first with a 1940s dress and second with my 1830s bonnet – my first time competing in millinery.

Speaking of miscellaneous
I made swimming togs last year and actually wore them this year, so I can report that this was a successful venture.

Despite all appearances to the contrary I have not forgotten my Bayeux tapestry dress. I spend 20-30 minutes on it a week (a sermon’s-worth) and have got another two scenes finished.

Plans
I was pretty happy with knocking planned and prepared projects off my to-do list so I think I’ll keep trying to do that next year. I have two significant projects in that category: finishing the Assassins and a ground-up 18th century outfit to be ready for Jafa 2020. I have already started the stays.

I want to make a distinctively 1920s gown as well but I don't have a design as yet. If anyone has advice about how to do a historically accurate flapper look when you have hips please send it my way – I'm struggling.


Now... bring me that horizon!

Prints charming

A couple of years ago I designed this shirt with a notion of using up some printed cottons in the stash.

I traced a pattern off a bought shirt and made a new pattern by a haphazard method of adjusting mock-ups on myself. Once I had something I was happy with I found that the fabric I was planning to use was nowhere near enough so I put the pattern away but kept the picture on my phone in case I should happen upon a fabric store.

I eventually selected a couple of prints from Spotlight’s range of cotton duck. The fabric kind of looks like it is not meant for shirts but on the other hand it’s sturdy without being stiff. Since I made my pattern I have been educated in the ways of pattern-making and adjusting, however I decided I couldn’t be bothered redoing my pattern. I just did a square shoulder adjustment and called it good. Well, that and I drafted a stand for the collar. And part way through I remembered that it would need plackets for the sleeves and buttons so I drafted them too.

The peplum is fully lined. First I sewed all the panels together for each layer, stopping the seam where the corner started curving. Then I sewed the two layers together along the lower edge, taking the stitching on each panel up to meet the existing seam. I next sewed the peplum to the shirt body and topstitched a strip of fabric over the join. The panels went together like panels. The front yoke and back peak are lined with poplin and top-stitched over the body panels.

I was pleasantly surprised with how this turned out. Most of the way along I was ‘not sure about this’ because old pattern, weird fabric and prints, and construction techniques made up on the fly but the overall effect is pretty neat. And the inside looks quite good too, I think. I’m struggling to imagine me wearing it though.

Fifties' flounces and feathers

Once I finished fitting the pattern for Butterick 6018, it was time to make it up. I picked up a couple of sateen prints from Spotlight for the purpose. They have a very slight stretch but I don't think it will be enough to be detrimental to the finished product. First to go is the peacock feather print.

Following on from the challenge of fitting, the construction is not especially newsworthy. The pattern went together well. I actually looked at the instructions which turned out to be useful. So, if you want a review, I guess it would be: "5 stars, am currently making two more".

After I started the dress I decided I would like to wear it to a wedding at the end of the week. Because who doesn't love deadlines? I got it all done bar the hems on Thursday which left Friday for the finishing. I started out doing a tiny neat hemming stitch but it soon became clear that if I wanted to sleep at all that night I would need to do something faster. So I tacked it down instead. This worked for the day but I will now hem it properly, at a more relaxed pace.

The dress can be worn with or without a petticoat but I thought it really wanted one so I bought a Hell Bunny long petticoat from Atomic Cherry. It arrived in two days which was impressive. The dress does look rather better with it.

Having an occasion to wear the dress also raised the problem of shoes. I had ordered tan Gibsons from American Duchess some time before that I thought would be perfect but they had only just been shipped and weren't expected to arrive in time. There was much rejoicing when the parcel turned up on the Friday. The shoes fit just right (phew) and I wore them all day Saturday. They were comfortable and even wearing them all day (including lots of standing and walking - without any 'wearing in') caused no ill effects. Review: 10/10, will expect postage miracles again!

With the dress I wore some vintage jewellery that I inherited from my great aunt.

I was really, really pleased with the dress. There's nothing I look at and think 'it'll do but I should to change it for next time' and it didn't take me any time to warm up to liking it.

(This seems to be a post full of reviews. I have received no benefits from Butterick, Hell Bunny, Atomic Cherry or American Duchess. But, like, if you want to send something now, go ahead!)

Peacock coloured maxi-dress

When this beautiful bordered lycra arrived at Needlewitch I had to have it. It was more expensive than I usually like to pay for fabric. However, I first saw it at a time when I was going through a spate of Vogue 8323 tops which didn't use a lot of fabric so I bought 1.2 metres of it. But before I got to it, I started being dissatisfied with those particular shirts. I'd made enough that the flaws I hadn't been able to solve kept standing out and disappointing me. I didn't want to use my lovely fabric on a shirt I would be unhappy with.

Then I made this maxi-dress which I loved. (More about the pattern is in the linked post). This seemed like the perfect way to use the lycra. The big expanses of fabric would show off the print nicely. I got out my shirt-sized piece of fabric and found that, pleasingly, the width was sufficient that it could fit the pattern sideways. This meant that I didn't need as much fabric as I had used for the first dress and that the border print would be on the borders. But I still only had enough fabric for one of the three pattern pieces.

I hurried back to Needlewitch and bought the remainder of the bolt which was just enough. I got one back and the sleeves from the first cut of fabric and the front and other back from the second.

The dress has a viscose lining to help secure the shape. The neck and sleeves are finished with gold foldover elastic. The hem is twin-needled over edge tape.

I made a gold cardigan to go with this dress from some fabric in the stash. I used the same pattern as the maxi-dress, but increased the width of each pattern piece. The cardigan turned out surprisingly well for something that was thrown together the day before I wanted to wear it.

I continue to be exceedingly happy with this pattern. This fabric is spectacular and made a dress I am very pleased with.