2024 YEAR END ROUND-UP

I’m not sure what happened to this last year. Oh yeah, there was that knee replacement surgery in May that pretty much wiped out half the year for me, followed up by a few surprise illnesses. Most of my sewing was done prior to May so there wouldn’t be much needed later, like in July for Costume College. I do know a major part of the beginning of 2024 was consumed being Dean of Costume College and getting that up and running. It became almost a full-time job for me this time. So I had to decide what I could finish up in the way of costumes and what I could actually make from scratch.

My first “event” of the year wasn’t until May, the fashion show in Port Townsend, WA. I finished up two dresses for that, my 1860s rust wrapper and my 1888 Blue Plaid bustle that I copied from an antique pattern using an 1873 Truly Victorian pattern. (Note to self- don’t wear that bustle-hoop skirt under it next time).

 

One of my other dresses I had finished was my 1887 Autumn Plaid bustle dress. I added some red braided trims and buttons to it & called it done. I had planned on wearing it in Port Townsend for my street dress but in the end my suitcase was overloaded with my other two dresses and the hoops for them. So it still hasn’t had an outing. Maybe in the new year?

Another dress I was able to finish up was my 1870s version of the Disney’s Haunted Mansion Maid’s dress to wear to Costume College in July. It just needed its lace trims and buttons added to it. I was able to wear it again for Halloween, which I had originally planned on wearing it the previous year.

 

So the only “new” costume I made this year was my 1810 Regency “Bridgerton” dress I made for the Gala at Costume College. My theme for the Gala was obviously from Bridgerton, and I titled it Lady Watered-Down’s Ball because we couldn’t use the actual name because of copyright infringement. I wanted to make something floral but still could be used again as historical. Instead of making it a floral lined dress, I made an underdress separate and the overdress of the floral netting so the all-white dress could be worn again by itself. I loved the pattern I used from Nehelenia Patterns and have plans to make more from it.

In the next couple months after Costume College I got to experience having pneumonia again but fortunately not ending up in the hospital this time, and a month later came down with “positional vertigo”, which I’d never heard of and scared the crap out of me. I found out it’s a very common experience and was floored to discover that at least 13 of my friends had also experienced it. It took me just over a week for that to go away with using head adjustment exercises. (Look it up, it may save your sanity). Needless to say my energy level was zilch for quite a while.

In November, my group of Historical Dressers did our annual historical fashion show at Lantern Crest Retirement Community, and I just pulled out one of my older favorite 1860s olive green dresses to wear. Our theme was Historical Characters & Authors from Books, and I dressed as Marmee from Little Women. I’d forgotten how short-waisted my bodice was and remembered the three 1860s dresses I’d made a couple of years ago to replace it. But none of them were hemmed and I never found buttons for them. So now they’re on my list to finish. I did find some buttons recently for at least one of them. (You’d think that would be enough to light a fire under me but so far nothing. I think I need an event to wear it to before that will happen.)

 

Just in the last two weeks after having no enthusiasm to sew for months, I decided to make a reproduction kerchief for my friend to wear with her 1770s dress as a Xmas present. This sparked my enthusiasm to do more hand-sewing, and I pulled out all the patterns and tracings of antique kerchiefs, fichus, and pelerines I have and came up with one that would work for her. I had sold quite a few of my older ones on a Facebook group in November on Black Friday but have been wanting to try some other styles. The ones I had all seemed to be a bit small for our modern bodies, so I’ve been altering a couple to make them wider and longer. I still think these two new ones could be enlarged a bit more, but I have another one I’m working on now that I like even more. I just need to find some more lace that is appropriate for them. BTW, this blue bodice is the 1860s dress I just got buttons for so I can finish it.

My plans for the New Year begin in 2 weeks when I'll be joining the CGW at their New Year's Tea. I'm still trying to decide what to wear for that depending on the weather. It could be hot, warm or cold. There's no telling what the weather is doing anymore. Then on February 15 I'm doing a presentation for the San Diego Mayflower Society, similar to what I’ve done for the Daughters of the American Revolution, a PowerPoint presentation and a 3-person fashion show for them. I probably need to start on that real soon. Also on February 22 there is the Riverside Dickens fashion show. I haven’t decided what I’ll be wearing for that either. And of course I’ll start planning the Port Townsend fashion show in May and what to wear there. There's a good chance it will be the Autumn Plaid bustle. I’ve been looking more and more at what I already have in my closet, and if they fit. But that hasn’t stopped me from buying a few new fabrics (an 1810 cotton print and a sari-like sapphire blue that I fell in love with but haven’t quite decided what it will be yet.)

Once again, I end the year with at least 6 dresses waiting to be finished. They’re close and as long as the Frenzied Squirrel doesn’t decide to cut out yet another dress, I may get some of them done. Wish me luck, and Happy New Year!