Historical Sew Monthly 2015 / annual summary

If we talk about Historical Sew Monthly challenge, I`ve been a bad, bad blogger last year! 

[polskie podsumowanie pod koniec posta]

In January I really wanted to take part in the game, planed every single month with things to sew and wanted to post them one by one, as the others did. Then the life happened and chaos snuck so I decided to post challenges every quarter. But after that Waterloo came with many other events, which changed the summer into one long festival mixed with hard working periods that lasted all days and most of the nights containing neither rest nor sleep. I had even not enough time to write my "travelling in time diary" posts! There were also many violent (indeed :D ) changes in my private life so the challenge posts and its order just died. 

But now it`s high time to resurrect! Let the one, long, HSM 2015 post happen!

I`ve been really busy in sewing through the whole year. Almost every weekend was spent by the sewing machine or at an event :) so there is much to choose from and match to a primary categories. 

Let`s start!

January / Styczeń - Foundations/Podstawy 

Knowing about upcoming Waterloo event, I started with 1810s undergarments. Chemise and petticoat came out nice BUT now I am going to make them once again because chemise is really too short and petticoat suffered much during many reensctments (after many washings, the Waterloo mud still decorates the hem :O ). Short stays I made didn`t work so I ordered a long one from Corsetry&Romance and never, ever again will even try a corset. Waste of my time :D

• more pictures: here

February/Luty - Colour Challenge: Blue/Wyzwanie kolorystyczne: niebieski

Actually, I sewed it in March because the undergarments took too much time. It was also my first time with proper 18th century clothes and I liked both sewing (almost no problems!) and effect. Late 1780s / early 1790s are definitely my decade in 18h century :) The gown came out exactly as I planned (here is the main inspiration), I wore it many times in summer and plan another one 1790s gown in the next year.

March/Marzec - Stashbusting/Pozbądź się zapasów 

We cannot see it well but the whole lining of the new Austerlitz pelisse is made of pink cotton from my stash. To tell the truth, I was too busy to even think of the lining and after I began, I realized there is another fabric needed. So I started digging in stash and finally used the pink one. The whole "skirt" of pelisse looks like a patchwork (he he) because of lack of the fabric in a matching size :D

(I sewed in November as in March there was no stash in my wardrobe at all!)

April/Kwiecień -  War & Peace/Wojna i Pokój

It was the real war & peace as I sewed the dress for Waterloo both - The Duchess of Richmond Ball and The Battles (I will translate both of the stories soon). The gown is a simple one (main inspiration here) and can transform from day to evening and ball gown if we use it`s accesories. Clever, especially if you have only few days to sew all stuff needed ;)

• more pictures of the gown: day & ball

May/Maj - Practicality/Praktycznie

Collecting my "living in 1810s" items, I realized I need peignoir and made one. It is the most comfortable and practical thing ever. The Austerlitz event showed it perfectly when, tired after 13 hrs in a stays, I wanted to unlace myself but there were soldiers everywhere. Loose, soft peignoir brought much comfort after the whole day and allowed me to go on because it was still historical... and appropriate as we were all in a bedroom there, let`s say :D

June/Czerwiec - Out of Your Comfort Zone 

In June it was the second time but the very first with 1810s happened in January. I wanted to make a ball gown from the saree I had bought few months before in London but did too little research and that`s why the gown (even if looked nice and had perfect shape for the period) was a real disaster. The bodice had too deep cleavage and the skirt cut form a rectangles was too tight in ankles and when I walked, it showed the petticoat. I don`t want even think of the train... well "train". 

And the fabric I used was too sensitive. The gown didn`t lasted the ball, as you can see it in the picture. Feathers in the hair, gown torn and falling off --> no f*cks given that night! :D

July/Lipiec - Accessorize/Akcesoria

Huzzah for Waterloo accessories! These helped me a lot to transform not only at bicentaire but also at the other events. The mameluke sleeves and chemisette are perfect for a daywear. If we remove them both, we get a little, white dress good for an evening. Adding taffeta bodice transforms this simple dress into a ball one. Love it!

August/Sierpień - Heirlooms & Heritage/Dziedzictwo

I wanted to ommit this challenge but it just happened naturally in December, a night before an Austerlitz event. I needed new reticule so badly! The pink and violet ones didn`t match the whole outfit so I made one quickly from woolen leftovers after a new day gown. Without any decoration it looked poor so I started searching for something suitable to decorate it. And after a while I ended up with my great-grandma black, vintage lace and embroidery thread (yes, tassel is its second form :D )

September/Wrzesień - Colour Challenge: Brown/Wyzwanie kolorystyczne: brąz

Is it marsala or plum or maybe dark chocolate brown? The colour changes in a different light. Here, on the photo it looks rather purple but well. And don`t ask, what is it - ask what it will be: a plaid 1850s or 60s day gown! I didn`t decided yet which decade it will be and have only few days (including Christmas) to end it. No time to explain - get in the carriage!

October/Październik - Sewing Secrets/Krawieckie tajemnice

There is something hidden in this 1840s riding habit. And the photos don`t share the secret. What is it? I cannot explain until the second part of the project (probably in late winter / early spring). Be patient!

• more pictures of the riding habit here

November/Listopad - Silver Screen/Ze srebrnego ekranu

It is also a little stashbusting challenge as I used fabric from my stash and it is also the matter of lighter bodice - there was not enough fabric for the whole gown :D I sewed it mostly because sewing (and listening to Jane Austen audiobooks during it) helped me not to think of the other sort things. The gown came out nice, even if the bodice is not a perfect one. Construction of the dress is similar to those worn by Romola Garai in Emma - long sleeved chemisette and the coloured dress without them. Nice match!

• more pictures of the dress here

December/Grudzień - Re-do - powtórz dowolne z wcześniejszych 11 wyzwań. 

War & peace!!! :D :D My warm, grey, woolen day gown with a black lace, after I sewed it the second time (the first version was too bad) came out very nice. It is now my best-sewn dress and I love it! 

I am also making new 1810s petticoat so I am re-doing January challenge now but I am not sure if I will end it until 31th of December.

***

And that`s all! The whole HSM 2015. I know, most of the challenges were displaced but the main reason were the events, I had to sew on (if I hadn`t, I`d go there naked :D ) so be merciful. Maybe the next year, 2016 will be less crazy and allow me to go along the plan.

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POLSKA WERSJA:

Tym razem było po angielsku (heloł, mój słabiacki ingliszu ;_: ), bo HSM to międzynarodowe wyzwanie. W poście wymieniłam tematy każdego z 12 miesięcy i przyporządkowałam do nich stroje powstałe w ciągu roku. Ze względu na szaleństwo wyjazdów (o których dowiadywałam się nie raz na ostatnią chwilę) i kilka gwałtownych zmian w życiu prywatnym, cały plan szyciowy wywrócił się do góry nogami i dlatego poszczególne wyzwania robiłam w innych miesiącach. Ale, ogólnie rzecz biorąc, dałam radę! W latach 1810. radzę sobie coraz lepiej, 1790. polubiłam, 1840. kocham z każdym strojem coraz bardziej, a 1850./60. są wciąż zagadką, którą na dniach będę rozwiązywać, bo właśnie szyję ostatnią w tym roku sukienkę :) 

Tymczasem zostawiam Was z tym postem i wracam do szycia. Przed świętami pojawię się pewnie jeszcze na instagramie lub facebooku, więc wiecie, gdzie mnie szukać (a jak nie, to polecam ten pasek po lewej) ;) Wesołych!!! :D