#project plans

My mom and I were at a second hand shop recently and found one of those fabric sample books that upholstery shops have. She ended up buying it and we split the fabric inside, and these are the colours I'm keeping.

I'm thinking I might use them to make a patchwork embroidery project, inspired by this:

(Source: julia_linentale)

I'm not sure how big I want to project to be - I'll either do something I can fit into a picture frame as part of the gallery wall I'm planning for my office, or make it a bit bigger and do a wall tapestry? Or maybe make something for a frame and if I have left over fabric make something practical, like a little bag.

Two mid to late year projects I'm gonna be starting in like May-ish!

TOP: KINTSUGI

Look, I've tried to do a temperature blanket a couple of times, and I've never managed to stick with it; they look cool when they're finished but the process just isn't compelling enough to keep my ADHD brain engaged. So this year I thought I'd try a mood blanket instead; that way it has the added benefit of helping me better keep in touch with my own emotions and will help me identify any trends with my mood too. I'm also going to be sensible enough to do join-as-you-go so it's not a bunch of loose pieces that don't give me any sense of accomplishment.

I'm doing 3-round hexagons and will use black to join. I've got two shades of each color and the plan is to use the lighter color for an "average" level of emotion and the darker for more "extreme" days. And as noted at the bottom of my color key, I'm trying to primarily use yarn I have on hand, so I may switch shades partially through depending on what I use up, but I will probably go grab a new skein for my light pink, because the only light pink I have somehow is a wool blend and I don't want to cause washability issues.

starting off with... a soft shopping ban '''':) my stash is full to bursting and i have so many exciting projects i could make in there, theres simply no need for new things.

(im calling it a soft ban because im certain im missing things from all of my projects (notions especially, i usually only pick those as i finalise the design) and im not going restrain myself to my stash if a better choice is available, but it needs to be a purchase for a specific project only.)

ok on to the more fun things! im splitting my year into two (slightly uneven) sections- up until the end of may, im going to be throwing myself into costume work, and then from there i want to focus wholly on fashion & restyling pieces, as i have many, many things ive pushed aside for showy pieces in the past couple years.

for cosplays, heres the breakdown!

Lady Stede Bonnet is my main goal of the year, she will be what im putting the most time into. a (mostly) historical robe à la française inspired by Stede's iconic blue suit. i dont have any base layers to work from, so theres going to be so much to do before we get into the main dress! Heres a list:

Shift

Stays

Pocket Hoops

Under Petticoat

Petticoat

Main Robe

Stomacher

STRETCH- Fichu

STRETCH- Tie On Pocket (collab?)

Wig Styling!

STRETCH- Fan

STRETCH- Knife

its a lot to look at, but hopefully at least some of these will be pretty quick makes! ive listed a few stretch goals, mostly accessories, but id like to get to them if time allows!

if i finish Lady Stede in time (or, more likely, if i get stupidly frustrated at any point and need to put her down for a little) im going to pick up Janet again! i made the skirt back september, and cut out the waistcoat too! i have the fabric for the blouse & was planning on modifying my anne blouse pattern for it, so it should be perfect for when i need something easy for a minute.

as an ultra stretch goal, i also want to make Froggie Senshi! ill talk more about it in its own post, but i think its going to be a great comfy casual cosplay for the end of a long weekend. ill only be working on this one if i have time & energy though! (id actually really like to get a group together for this one but... logistics yknow?)

either way, post may mcm, im taking a break from making costumes! im not sure exactly what fashion pieces i want to make yet, i think ill see how im feeling when the time comes, but im excited for it! ive been feeling a bit constrained by my wardrobe recently, so im hoping adding some fresh pieces will revitalise it :)

I recognize the fact that I do not have the time or skills in embroidery and appliqué, at least at the moment, to replicate the nine layers of heaven and hell from the Divine Comedy on an 1890s skirt

dudes has anyone ever tried like using one of those fantasy patterns for making  a ren fair costume or something of the sort and then just ended up like hjdsj what the heck well I just found this kickass website with like a bunch of free patterns and such for medieval style dresses this is a godsend I can like feel the sewing machine vibrating within me. 

YEAAAAAAA

but no really she even makes little diagrams which are super helpful so yeah if you’re into this kinda thing but don’t want to go buy a whole complicated pattern and then cry gently over your sewing machine at night like go be free

here’s the link: https://rosaliegilbert.com/patternsdiy.html