HSM #6: 'Poofy Pants' (also-- where I've been for the past 6 months)

(It's eleven o'clock at night here, so have a bad mirror selfie for now and I'll get someone to take some real pictures tomorrow, and I'll make up for the lack of pictures by talking a lot)

The Challenge: Out of Your Comfort Zone

Fabric: 3 yards of a linen/cotton blend

Pattern: 2 giant rectangles, 4 medium-sized rectangles, and a waistband that I draped on myself

Year: 10th century-ish

Notions: Just thread!

How historically accurate is it? ehhh, not terribly accurate, mostly because of the fabric (fiber content, and color) and the shape of the waistband (and the fact that it is mostly machine stitched). I got a little boggled reading archaeological articles about fragments of fabric found in graves, so I just looked up pictures of SCA people wearing the style I wanted and then made it up as I went along. I'm not going to be too hard on myself though, since I am coming out of a period of depression (more on that below) and being too much a stickler for accuracy would probably kill my newfound sewing motivation.

Hours to complete: ~12 somewhat inefficient hours

First worn: not yet!

Total cost: free!

Catching up on 2014: Kitschy-button Blouse

I tried to give this project a respectable name like the "Embroidered Cotton" blouse or the "Surfeit of French Seams" blouse, but in my head I always think of it as the Kitschy Button blouse, so that's how it will remain.

Catching up on 2014: Red Wool Pencil Skirt

(This is the first of the posts I am going to write on the various projects I completed over the fall and winter.)

This skirt was a project for the apparel production course I took in the fall.  My original attention was to take it apart after I got a grade back on it, and do some turquoise & yellow anglo-saxon inspired embroidery, but since it's such a nice proffessional-looking skirt I've been a bit hesitant to modify it.

Front:

New Year Plans

                So the new year has crept up on me, and I just realized I haven’t posted anything here since October.  I have indeed been sewing, I just haven’t had any time to take photographs and write up a post since, well, October.  I’m going to try do individual posts about my various completed projects over the next few days, but in the meantime HAPPY NEW YEAR!

                I thought it might be nice to kick off the new year with a list of sewing projects I hope to accomplish in 2015:

·    

A slightly modified version of Tarja Turunen’s gorgeous red coat, as seen in Nightwish’s Nemo music video and a couple songs of their End of an Era concert.  Seriously though,  I really want a nice, warm, winter version.  Maybe I’ll start on it soon and be able to wear it before things start warming up, or maybe I’ll save it for the fall, but either way I want it.

·    A robe de style, most likely in black.  My historical dance group is thinking about branching out into the 1920’s, and I would love to have something a little bit different than the usual 20’s flapper dress.

·       

A pair of high-waisted tapestry shorts.  I love the way the pair in this picture is styled. (link to picture source)

·     A nice set of 1860’s undergarments—corset, drawers, several petticoats, the whole thing.  Whether or not I make myself a post-Civil War elliptical hoop depends on what I’m doing over the summer, but it could happen.

·      A waistcoat; either something double-breasted and steampunky, or with black panels and chains, a la FloorJansen  (in a fine wool, though, not leather.)  I'd love to learn a bit of tailoring, and I’d like to have something to wear over my 18^th century shirt and make it a bit more modern.

I also have a few unfinished projects I would like to finish up:

·     Completely remake the hood of the mistcloak I made in 2011, and possibly line the upper portion of the cloak as well

·     Make a waistcoat, accurate breeches, and a bicorne hat to finish my 1795 Royal Navy uniform

·     Finish my Elwing costume from two years ago

I Forgot To Mention...

I made a new background!  I used this stock photo and edited it using a combination of Powerpoint and Pixlr.  I also tweaked the color palette of the entire blog a bit.  I am by no means a digital artist or a graphic designer at this point, but I'd love to keep dabbling, so one day I can start designing my own fabric.

Navy Pleated Skirt

I have been a terrible blogger.

Seriously, I pretty much disappeared all summer (my mental health was keeping me from sewing much) and then I got very busy with school and just haven't had time to post anything. 

Anyhow.

I started this skirt back in June (or possibly July) but I had the worst luck with it and didn't finish it until early September.  First I pressed open a seam and discovered that the fabric scorches easily, which required a trip to Joann's to replace the fabric.  I then proceded to run out of lining fabric, thread, and hooks & eyes, and then break my sewing machine, so time just got away from me.

Now not only is it finished, but I've also taken pictures of it.

Brief Update

So, I just graduated from high school so I should be having a lot more time to sew this  summer.  I've got ideas for various items of casual clothes, as well as miscellaneous bits of menswear.   There's also a few costumes I want to work on.  I wore my solo dress to the Little Rock Feis a few weeks ago, after making a few changes to the sleeves and collar: