Monday, December 31, 2018

2018 in Review


This has been a tough year for me. I was moved around from one department to the next at work, which was hugely stressful and made my extremely depressed. I ended up being moved a grand total of 8 times during the year, and I was such a wreck most of the time that I could barely get up enough energy to make myself dinner, let alone sew anything. I managed one new dress at the beginning of the year (with two bodice options), and I wasn't super thrilled with the dress when it was all said and done, so I ended up wearing it once and then completely taking it apart. I didn't sew again until the fall, to finish a UFO, and then I made one new dress for Dickens on the Strand.My last project was finishing another UFO, but I ran out of steam during vacation and that ended up being my last contribution to this year's list of sewing accomplishments.

I'm going to try and keep my goals for next year short and general (besides my wedding stuff) so I might have more of a chance of hitting my target. After the success of my Dickens dress, (not to mention the fact that I'm settled permanently into a position at work without the threat of being moved again!) I'm totally feeling my sewing mojo coming back, so I'm hoping to get a least a few more things done than this year. I have a total 1890s vibe coming on right now, so large sleeves are definitely in my future, and my friend Liz and I have matchy-matchy 1830s gowns planned, so I'll be diving into a new era of big-sleeved goodness that I've wanted to try for a long time now. I'm still coming off the high of a successful costume event, so right now I feel like sewing all the things. Hopefully I can ride that wave all year and be super productive!

So, without further ado, the very short list of this year's projects:

Dresses


http://mistress-of-disguise.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-turquoise-and-silver-bustle-gown-for.html http://mistress-of-disguise.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-turquoise-and-silver-bustle-gown-for.html
    Undies


    http://mistress-of-disguise.blogspot.com/2018/06/1872-green-embroidered-corset.html

    Accessories

    https://mistress-of-disguise.blogspot.com/2018/12/an-experimental-black-and-gold-brise-fan.html



    Goals for 2019:

    Make all my Wedding Stuff.

    This is really my One Big Goal, because, well, I have to get it done! I've designed my dress and have my petticoat done for it, but I need a new corset and, well, pretty much everything else. As a bride, I have weight loss goals I really want to hit, so I'm going to delay working on the bodice until a couple of months before the wedding so I can slim down as much as possible before then. The skirt is the more complicated part anyway, and will take way more time, so I'm going to start work on that this summer. I also have a couple of bridesmaids dresses to make, and I can totally get those done first before I start on my own trousseau. I'll have posts about the bridesmaids stuff throughout the year, but I won't be posting about my own dress until after the wedding, so probably the end of the year closer to December.

    Finish more things, even if I miss getting them done for an event.

    I have a bad habit of sewing like a crazed lunatic up until an event, and then abandoning the thing after the event is over, even if the project isn't finished yet. I have a lot of missing waistbands and items without closures because I get things just wearable enough to have for the event, and I never go back and add in those few things that would make them 100% complete. But y'all, it was amazing to have a waistband on my Dickens skirt. I need more completed garments in my life.

    Finish some new stuff for M.

    A good chunk of my UFOs are stuff for M, so he has a lot of great looking stuff that just isn't done yet. I need to buckle down and work on some of his things again.

    Refine my drafting and grading skills.


    This is something that I've wanted to do for a while, but I really feel like this is the year to make it happen. I'm going to pick up some second-hand textbooks from the UNT fashion design school and really have a go at making proper patterns. I can drape stuff all day long, but drafting is a sort of weak spot.

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