mandie_rw | Entries tagged with year in review

Two weeks off from school, and I shall do all the things!

(Or more probably, none of the things. But that's ok too.)

(I was going to make a concerted effort to do at least one Visible Home Improvement-y Thing over break, but now the paint I want isn't on sale any more, and the peel-and-stick wallpaper I want for the living room accent wall to cover the ridiculous giant yellow square from where we removed the mirror, is sold out til the end of January. Will order the wallpaper now anyway, but obviously won't be doing that over break!)

Time to think about all of the costuming for next year, right? Of course right!

As always, I reserve the right to do absolutely none of this, but it's damn entertaining to plan, so here it is.
( Planning is fun )

Current Mood: chipper

Sort of!

Really I'm just taking a break to rest my brain from the lesson planning for tomorrow (noooooooooooo). Distraction!

God bless all of you out there who coped with 2020 by being creative and making things - I'm apparently not the creative productive type when I'm stressed at the state of the world, I'm the sit on the couch and gain 15 pounds and nap constantly type. Which, I know, it's certainly not the worst thing, and lest we forget, the year also involved shifting to (almost) full-time teaching as well. So, while I'm not being too tough on myself here, I also want to stop being quite so lazy, and get the damn napping and snacking under control! Also I don't think I appreciated how much more active I was while working at the evil J. So, a goal for 2021 is to be a little more mindful about being active, and snacking.

Costuming? Well, usually I post a nice picture recap, but I'm not going to bother this time! I did finish a couple of things...

- Finished my pair of green linen 1770s stays (which I never actually posted finished pictures of OOPS) and made a linen jacket for Wifey and I's trip to Williamsburg in February. Which was a very good time, and feels like a thousand years ago!
- Made most of a basic working-class 18thc outfit for a new volunteer at the Indian King Tavern - and then fell out of touch with her when covid happened! Goal: get back in touch with her and find out if she still wants it...finish it all up and sell it if not. Either way, get it out of the damn house.
- Made long sleeves to wear with my late 1830s Christmas ballgown to make it daywear-appropriate for our Poe picnic in October. This I did in fact manage to blog about!

I also made a few (very few!) everyday pieces - all skirts, I think. I started probably ten things I didn't actually finish, but oh well, we'll just have to deal with the expanded UFO bin for the moment!

The 2021 sewing list is, as always, highly subject to change!

Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2021 edition)
- UFOs. Finish, throw away, sell...whatever needs to be done! This remains on the list and probably always will... Including a serious reevaluation of the costume closet here - my extensive 1860s wardrobe especially is on the chopping block. Tom's very accommodating of my ridiculously expansive hobby, but I take up a damn lot of space, and since moving in together is hopefully going to happen some time this year...a bit of downsizing would be prudent.

- c1900 bathing costume. Solidly in the "someday" category. Don't know if it'll be this year, but I still want a turn-of-the-century Jersey Shore getaway to happen sometime (not the kind with Snooki)!

- 1898-1900 dinner dress. Possibility right now, for a local event we'd like to do in the fall, if we can.

- Longwood Gardens winter stroll outfit - c1898 plum wool with fur capelet. This is the one I've changed my mind on 1000 times! We did end up pushing back the date to late February, so I'll have more time and hopefully dig up a bit of motivation.

- Squiggle print Regency outfit - just for fun, because it's been ages since I made anything Regency, and I miss it.

- Wearable mockup for that 1951 suit. Since I've got the ring now (sort of...still at the jewelers!), I can spill the beans on my plot for that! I'm very firm on wanting a courthouse wedding (the nature of the party afterwards is negotiable), and I want to wear that suit, made of hunter green wool. I suppose this is my version of wedding-dress-daydreaming, LOL. (And why I'm being so damn particular about the shade of green. I HAVE A VISION YOU GUYS.) So I want to make a trial version first, and god knows I have enough damn fabric for it! Probably will use some black and white medium-weight glen plaid, from back in the day when Joann's used to get random nice high-wool-content blends in the apparel section. Possibly with a black velvet collar and pocket tops, as I think that would be snappy.

Current Mood: lazy

Since, let's be real, I'm not gonna finish anything major in the next couple of days! Maybe that plaid skirt...

2019 Things I Sewed That Are Worth Documenting. (Not counting UFOs created, or hats/headwear things. Hats count but they don't fit nicely into this kind of writeup!)

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Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2020 edition)
Priority:
- UFOs. Finish, throw away, sell...whatever needs to be done! This remains on the list and probably always will... Including a serious reevaluation of the costume closet here: there are entire eras that my group just doesn't do any more, won't do any time in the foreseeable future, and the clothes for it are just taking up space. I also have waaaaay too much 18thc for the amount we do it these days.
- Revamp the underwear bin. Take stock of everything from corsets to chemises. There is currently nothing on the docket for 2020 that I need to build from the skin out, so I want to add to and/or replace some things. Finish the green linen 1770s stays, replace the "Regency" corded bodice/petticoat combo with short stays and a new petticoat, and possibly replace my 1860s corset. It fits just fine, but it's white silk, and since I've been wearing it since 2013 it's getting fairly grody! It'll definitely need replacing by next Gettysburg, so if I have nothing else to work on, that's a good one to do.
- Wearable mockup of Vintage Vogue #1669. I want to make this coat as a dress, out of green wool...it's a weird bee I've had in my bonnet since the pattern came out! I still can't find the wool I have in my head; I want a dark emerald-to-forest green 90-100% wool, in a weight that's heavier than your usual suiting but not full-on coat weight, and that's apparently a really tall order, even disregarding price! Green is really damn hard to find. (So if anyone has a suggestion outside the usual sources that costumers use for wool, feel free to pipe up!) Currently contemplating the B&T broadcloth, although I think it's darker than I want... Anyway, since whatever wool I buy will be almost definitely in the $25+/yd range, I want to work out the kinks in another version first! (Hello, I am not a tailor. This will require tailoring. Eep.) I have some black and white mostly-wool glen plaid that I think will work nicely for that, so if I'm a good girl I will manage to make that while the weather's still cool enough to wear it. We'll see...

Secondary:
- c1900 bathing costume. I still want to do this! But honestly it's so much more fun in my head when there's a group of us, and I don't think it's too high on anybody else's sewing list, so...someday.
- New sack gown. Do I have anywhere to wear it? No. Do I have the fabric for it? Also no. Do I have an unfinished sack in the UFO bin? *looks shifty* Would I still like to make a c1770 silk taffeta sack for no good reason? Yes. Will I? Almost definitely not.
- Floral print linen 1838-40 day dress. I think I cut this out last year in blissful anticipation of having about 3x more sewing time than I actually did before the Young Victoria dinner. Maybe I'll make it for this one?
- 1898-1900 dinner dress. For an event that's only actually happening in my head, but dammit it's fun to plan! This would be a challenge, as I'm only allowed to use a dress length from the Stash. I have ideas though...

Current Mood: contemplative

Or, lack thereof, because school and student teaching! Which is fine! I'm very pleased at my progress in that aspect of life, rest assured. :) I wouldn't even bother with this list except it's a yearly tradition at this point, and because we all know I like list-making.

- I did make a very few everyday-type clothes (I think...two skirts?) that I didn't take pictures of, including a Simplicity Vintage beach cover-up (from #8139). Which is sad because that IS a cute beach cover-up. Maybe I'll go to the shore next year and remember to get a picture of it...no guarantees, I am so not a shore person.

- Blue linen skirt to wear to the Great War event in August. Didn't really exactly match my already-existing shirtwaist, but I ran out of motivation for the top half! That might happen someday if we ever have an occasion to wear those outfits again... I also made a hat for Robin that she forgot to bring to the event, so obvs we HAVE to wear these outfits again. ;)
robin and me

- Finished the natural form dinner dress for Belvidere. Despite the back seam that frayed out before I even wore it (hi, glue pen), I was really pleased with how it came out. And I haven't yet gotten nice pictures of it nor written a blog post, as outdoors in the dark/indoors in a poorly-lit hotel were our options for pictures at the event! I'm probably going to wear it to a fancy-dress event in January (despite it being...not fancy-dress, technically) and might be able to get nice pics there. We'll see.

(Also I spilled cordial down the front of the skirt that night. We made it a point to have only white wine, for just that reason, and I manage to spill only the one reddish drink, only down the ivory stripe. I have talent! And then let it sit in a garment bag for 3.5 months. Vinegar works wonders, BTW! Not 100% gone, but hardly noticeable!)
me in nat form

- Early Victorian Man Shirt! Done, is currently on the laundry room floor in the to-wash pile. I will document it at some point though.

I also got various other projects into various stages of "sort of almost done" to "actually almost done if I had just another couple of free hours"; 1780s striped cream satin dress, natural form teagown, and striped 1790s open robe come to mind, and there may be a couple more.

I'm just going to paste and add to last year's list, sans old commentary, as the "finished" list kind of speaks for itself, heh.
Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (~~2018~~ 2019 edition)
( Blah blah blah...okay I ended up writing commentary anyway. I HAVE OPINIONS )

Current Mood: optimistic
Crossposts: https://mandie-rw.livejournal.com/631939.html

I still like to put these together, because I really had no idea what I did a year ago, and had to go digging through both DW and my blogger site! I am fully prepared to make almost nothing in 2018, because school (so that will be a depressing writeup), but that's all right.
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Comparing the to-sew list...
Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2017 edition)
- UFOs. This just stays on the list! Well, I did kind of clear out the UFO bin by actually throwing a couple of things away, does that count? I need to do a really strict clean-out at some point in the year though. Extending that to old costumes I won't wear again...sell that shit!
- 1898 winter outfit for ice-skating. I've (barely) started the corset and combies, but this is basically a skin-out outfit that I have a month to do...gonna be interesting! Yes! I didn't make the suit I originally wanted to (and bought a lot of wool for, oops), but I did make 1898 separates, and I do enjoy late 1890s, so I count this as a win.
- Black-and-white 1882 dinner dress for Mick's after-party at Belvidere in September. Half-done, because event canceled. Will finish someday but probably not this year, so taking it off the 2018 list.
- Possibly new ballgown (late 1850s, with tiers of black tulle) for Gettysburg Remembrance Day. Haha. No. Maybe for next Gettysburg? Don't like the fabric as much as I did when I bought it though, so, maybe not.
- I'd like to try branching out into 1850s and late 1860s/elliptical, but I have no idea if I'll have time for that, so it's anything but definite. Eventually! ;) Again, nope! No time! No time in 2018 either!
- More modern skirts & dresses, and a pair of trousers or two. By "modern", I mean mostly 1950s! Someday I'd like for my entire wardrobe to be vintage, but that's a very long-term prospect! Chipping away at it though. Well, no trousers yet, but there has been vintage sewing, so also counting as a win.

Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2018 edition)
Being in school all year I will preface this with an "I really make no guarantees as to any of this", but I still like writing out lists, so there.
- UFOs. Finish, throw away, sell...whatever needs to be done!
- More modern skirts & dresses, and a pair of trousers or two. By "modern", I mean mostly 1950s! Someday I'd like for my entire wardrobe to be vintage, but that's a very long-term prospect! Under this heading is a late 40s/early 50s suit or two for interviews at some point (haha yes that's optimistic I know...)
- Finish my striped cotton 1790s overgown for our (just) planned spring Georgian picnic. Or maybe something else ike a spencer if I feel so inspired, who knows. I definitely want to wear my 1790s round gown though!
- Late Victorian swimming costume. I won't be able to make a nice long weekend of it down the shore like I wanted, but at the very least I still want to have a day at the beach in Victorian swimwear!
- 1898 summer day dress. For aforementioned abbreviated day at the shore. I'm hoping we can wrangle an overnight at some point after my summer semester is over! Probably out of some slate grey and white narrow-striped cotton I have in the stash.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Mussorgsky; Night on Bald Mountain
Crossposts: https://mandie-rw.livejournal.com/621512.html

Let's seeeeee...

I'm not going to count all the things I apparently started and didn't finish, oops. As usual.

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My list of intended sewing for this year? Let's see.
Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2016 edition)
- UFOs. This just stays on the list! Uh...the cross-barred anglaise technically was a UFO?
- At least one new outfit for Williamsburg. Details on this still need to be worked out, so I'm not completely certain I'll be able to do it, just money-wise, but if I possibly can I will! Also probably a nice capelet, mitts, and sundry other things I'll inevitably decide I need. We didn't end up getting it together for a W'burg trip, so I didn't really need any 18thc fancies
- The brocade 1760s sack! If I go to the Francaise dinner it'll be for that; if not it can go to Williamsburg. Nope. Think this is coming off the list, since I'm not looking to need any 18thc fancies this year either
- A snuggly pelisse. I was very inspired by the recent War and Peace trailer! I want it for my birthday (because I can always bully Robin into ice skating with me even if no one else will) and for the Washington's Birthday celebration at Allaire later in Feb. Shame that W&P turned out to be HORRIBLE (except for hot hot James Norton! but the women's costumes were tragic) so I really stopped being inspired to finish my pelisse, although it's three-quarters finished
~~- A Pre-Raphaelite gown for~~

miss_philomena~~'s birthday outing. I wanted to make one of those regardless, and this is a nice reason to! (I was going to wait another year to let my hair get longer, but ah well.)~~ I'm counting this since I did make the undergown!
- Sooper seekrit 1890s group project...still possibly! Nope! Still have fabric but taking it off the list.
- Finish the slightly scandalous Neoclassical gown. Every once in a while I go back and sew about 2" on this, but still nope.

Rather bad, but the Big Costume Trip didn't happen this year, so plans shifted. And I'm happy with what I did make! I just really like making lists, let's be honest here. ;)

Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2017 edition)
- UFOs. This just stays on the list!
- 1898 winter outfit for ice-skating. I've (barely) started the corset and combies, but this is basically a skin-out outfit that I have a month to do...gonna be interesting!
- Black-and-white 1882 dinner dress for Mick's after-party at Belvidere in September
- Possibly new ballgown (late 1850s, with tiers of black tulle) for Gettysburg Remembrance Day
- I'd like to try branching out into 1850s and late 1860s/elliptical, but I have no idea if I'll have time for that, so it's anything but definite. Eventually! ;)
- More modern skirts & dresses, and a pair of trousers or two. By "modern", I mean mostly 1950s! Someday I'd like for my entire wardrobe to be vintage, but that's a very long-term prospect! Chipping away at it though.

Save

Current Mood: complacent
Current Music: Kinks; Life Goes On
Crossposts: http://mandie-rw.livejournal.com/567566.html

Or, what the f did I make this year. Good thing I have a costume journal...

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So...let's see last year's list.
Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2015 edition)
- UFOs. This just stays on the list, for general objects. Ditto. Did get a couple out of the bin, including the blue linen turque, but this pretty much just stays on the to-sew list forever!
- Really really should finish that brocade 1760s sack. I need to know final costs on the francaise dinner before definitely being positive I'm going, though, and those aren't up yet. If I don't go to the dinner I make no promises about finishing this! But it is a UFO... Nope. I was stuck on the trim, but with the fly fringe I may have figured it out. We'll see.
- Katherine Parr. Have done a lot, still so much left to do! Nope! I don't have an event for this any more, so who knows when in the distant future I'll finish it. I'm taking it off the 2016 list.
- Game of Thrones Winterfell dress...possibly. No event for it, but must be done in season to get a shoot of it in outside winter setting! (Where is my SNOW) Hah. I enjoy that I was bitching about snow at this point last year too. There was a GoT dinner, but I had other sewing priorities at the time. Eh. Still like the idea, but also coming off the list.
- Sooper seekrit 1890s group project...also possibly. Depends what else comes up (and if I manage to snag the third fabric!) Got the third fabric! Depends on how busy our summer is.
- Revamped Neoclassical gown. Opposite of Winterfell dress, must wait for warm weather to get pics of it! I had a spate of working on this, but wandered off again. I still do intend to finish it though!
- ~~Things for Gettysburg 2015, and we'll just leave it at that. Hey, I'll be staying with Famously Fabulous People, and have to dress to impress! :D~~ Yes! This one I actually did!
- ~~And I forgot about my Costume Roulette project that just kept getting back-burnered this year! I still want to make a c1828 day outfit, bonnet, pelerine and all!~~ I didn't actually make a late 1820s dress, but I used the fabric for it for my late 1830s dress for Allaire! I think 1837 is outside of my costume roulette dates, but I'm counting it enough to take it off the list. Still intend to do that 1828 someday!

That's pretty terrible as regards the list, but I'm happy with what I made this year, so it's alright!

Let's see what I can dream up and then not do this year! (I just like making lists, even if I fail miserably at completing them!)
Things I Want to Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't (2016 edition)
- UFOs. This just stays on the list!
- At least one new outfit for Williamsburg. Details on this still need to be worked out, so I'm not completely certain I'll be able to do it, just money-wise, but if I possibly can I will! Also probably a nice capelet, mitts, and sundry other things I'll inevitably decide I need.
- The brocade 1760s sack! If I go to the Francaise dinner it'll be for that; if not it can go to Williamsburg.
- A snuggly pelisse. I was very inspired by the recent War and Peace trailer! I want it for my birthday (because I can always bully Robin into ice skating with me even if no one else will) and for the Washington's Birthday celebration at Allaire later in Feb.
- A Pre-Raphaelite gown for

miss_philomena's birthday outing. I wanted to make one of those regardless, and this is a nice reason to! (I was going to wait another year to let my hair get longer, but ah well.)
- Sooper seekrit 1890s group project...still possibly!
- Finish the slightly scandalous Neoclassical gown.

And I think that's it to go on the list! I know I'll come up with more as the year goes on, but I think that's quite enough to be getting on with.

Current Mood: good

It's a little earlier than I usually do these, but since I don't think I'll finish anything in the next two days, I may as well post this now!

(I'm taking some down time; my schedule yesterday consisted of going in to work at 5am, napping when I got home, and then marathoning Law & Order: SVU for the rest of the night. I hardly ever just plop in front of the tv for hours so I don't feel bad about it! And today I'm not dressing til I have to suit up for work.)

It's a good thing I tag my projects, as otherwise I'd have no idea what I made this year...early 2014 seems like it's years ago!
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Current Mood: lazy
Current Music: Sinfonia; Mendelssohn

The year of unfinished costumes! Can I count the stuff I lost interest in halfway through and stuffed in a bin of UFOs? No? Damn.

I enjoyed watching everyone else finish Historical Sew Fortnightly projects on Facebook and blogs, and I did a couple of challenges myself, but sewing for someone else's deadlines clearly doesn't work out too well. Or my own, frankly.

Let's see, what did I actually do?

( What I made, what I didn't make, and what I say I'm going to make next year but you know I'm fibbing )

Current Mood: silly
Current Music: Mozart; Symphony No. 41

I left this til last day of the year because I was hoping to add one more thing to it, but no dice - the past two days have consisted of sleeping, sprawled on the couch watching all of series two of Downton Abbey, sleeping, drinking copious amounts of tea, sneezing and hacking and being a general nuisance. Did I mention sleeping?

(Also slumping around protesting that I'm going to die from Spanish flu and should be pitied. Too much Downton Abbey I think.)

I feel like a flake for yet again missing a sewing deadline (no coat for the Historical Sew Fortnightly bonus challenge *pout*), but considering I slept fifteen hours last night, I think I'm too stupid at the moment for anything but the most basic hand sewing, which the coat wasn't!

Anyway, 2012 in costume! And how well I did on my planned list of things to sew (hint: it's never very well!)...
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Current Mood: sick

Why yes, I'm at home on New Years' Eve - paying $100 to go to a club in NYC isn't really my thing, and that's what my college friends are doing. I'm sure they're having fun, but I'm really happier at home by myself!

I shouldn't really make these end-of-year reviews, as I'm always a little depressed seeing how little I made...but then, it's all a matter of perspective! And I don't make New Years' resolutions, but I do make lists of costumes I want to make!

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Current Mood: calm
Current Music: Beatles; A Day in the Life

Prepare to be under-impressed with my lack of speed in sewing! I always feel like I should have been able to make more...( but then I reminded myself that this year I wrote a thesis and graduated college, so that's not too shabby! )

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Faces; Ooh la La

Costumes I've Made in 2009. (Even though, of course, now it's past midnight, so it's technically 2010. Whatever.)

( Let's see what I've actually made, because I don't remember )
I've got about a billion things I'm scheming about sewing in 2010, of course...I'll make a Totally Unreasonable List that I will proceed to completely disregard as soon as I make it. So...might as well make that list right now, huh?

Things I want To Sew in the New Year But Probably Won't
- 1870ish red and white striped walking dress
- 1844 C&C corset and corded petticoat
- red 1840s day dress
- 1911 C&C corset
- late 16thc jacket and petticoat, coif
- 1971 Gernreich swimsuit from KCI book (No...not the topless one.)
- bridesmaid dress --which I actually NEED to sew!
- Figure out what the heck to do with all the fabric.com silk taffeta I bought
- patchwork quilt for A's wedding gift -- aka. the Damn Quilt. I know I said I was going to chuck it all, but...I dunno, I like punishment. Also actually need to sew this.

Current Mood: creative
Current Music: Beatles: Come Together