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2020 Project Recap

I’ve been feeling like another year went by, and yet again, I don’t have a lot to show for it. It’s true, I didn’t make any historical costumes this year. I keep forgetting that I did do some vintage sewing though, and that counts! Especially given how this year has gone.

My favorite project was my 1920s embroidered slip. It was inspired by this vintage slip. I opted to have fullness only over the hips, rather than all the way around. This was my first attempt at an appliqué design and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

The goldenrod silk came from Farmhouse Fabrics. I trimmed it with lace and net from my stash. It is embroidered with odds and ends of ivory silk thread left over from passementerie experiments.

Technically, it’s not finished. It still needs the pleats sewn over the hips. However, once that is done, alterations would be incredibly difficult. I lost weight while I was working on it and I want to leave my options open for a little while longer. For now, I’m counting it as finished. Hopefully the dress to go over it will come to life in 2021. Though it’s currently in storage in another state, so we’ll see.

Next up was a robe made from the Wearing History negligee pattern. I’ve needed a new robe for years, and as soon as I saw those sleeves I knew this was the one. I wasn’t wrong. They are my favorite part of this robe.

The main fabric is this Art Gallery print. Their quilting cottons are amazing! It has a really pretty sheen and nice drape. The trim is cotton sateen from Dharma Trading that I dyed to match.

If I made this again, I would raise the waistline and add some extra fullness below the waist. I’m a little too curvy for a true 1920s cut. It works, but has a tendency to gape if I’m not careful.

I also made my first Smooth Sailing blouse. I’ve loved this pattern for years but was too lazy to size it up. Lauren put out extended sizing this year, yay!

I used fabric I picked up in Athens last year and vintage buttons from a big jar in my stash.

I tried to pattern match as much as possible so I didn’t chop up too many animals! Boy, talk about rusty skills… It’s extra work, but so satisfying at the end.

Next time I’ll alter this so it doesn’t use a front facing. Just personal preference there. Otherwise, I love how it turned out and look forward to making more.

The rest of the year was spent teaching and writing classes. I’d planned several in-person classes for this year, but only made it to Atlanta. Thankfully, Costume On filled some of that gap.

The new online classes were Ribbon Embroidery and Millinery Flowers. I had so much fun making samples for both and have plans to release new designs/modules in 2021.

Three projects doesn’t feel like a lot. It’s still two more than I finished in 2019, so I’m counting it as a win. I have a tendency to downplay my work, so it helps to step back and celebrate what I actually accomplished.

How about you? What was your favorite make this year?

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