Monday 5 January 2015

New year, old plans…Happy 2015!


Happy New Year all! I hope that you had a relaxing and enjoyable time over the festive period. As usual, my motto of life seems to be 'Better Late Than Never'; so as it's January 5th, the Twelfth Night of Christmas, this is my last chance to talk about last year.

2014 was a brilliant, scary, roller coaster of a year for me. One of the wonderful things about it was that it finally saw me sewing for myself again. For those of you not in the know, I have a BA in costume making and work as a costumier in the theatre. It can be difficult to separate work and play when your hobby is somewhat similar to your day job. But after 5 years, in 2014 I finally managed to disassociate sewing from deadlines and stress. I made a few things for myself, and a few things for others.

My linen cycling trousers, inspired by a Japanese pattern, and in my gloriously summery garden


Unfinished projects from 2014


Continuing to sew on the kitchen table…

The lack of blogging since November is down to (yes, you guessed it!) a severe increase in sewing at work, and lots of sewing deadlines there too! This meant that most of my personal sewing plans had to be pushed to one side; however over the next Month I am determined to finish:

  • Velvet 1970s-esque miniskirt
  • Grey shirt for F.
  • French knickers 
  • & The Queensized Quilt of Doom


Stashbusting projects from 2014



And of course, there's all the fabric that I acquired in 2014 that never even got cut out. Here's what I hope to have to write about over the next few months, in a vague sort of order of what might be ready first!

  • Burgundy cropped sailor trousers, 1930s-esque
  • Cream period shirt for F.
  • Red crepe shift dress
  • Black floral 1970s-esque suspender skirt
  • Wax relief shirt for F.
  • Yellow elephants 1950s summer dress
  • Zingy foliage 1930s beach pyjamas 



Plans & dreams for 2015…

I will make my dream coat!

Of course, I have even more projects planned! My aim for 2015 is to try to use my time more efficiently. I'm trying to improve my diet, so that I don't feel so tired all the time. With the extra energy levels I'm longing to gain I plan to be more creative overall, and not let my free time be dominated by leftover stresses from the day. 

Sewing-wise, my aims and ambitions are to:
  • Continue to use the large pattern resources that I've gathered, from vintage patterns to modern Japanese sewing books
  • Take the plunge and re-make some of my beloved vintage clothes that have fallen to pieces.
  • Get back into menswear, and practise tailoring again! 
  • Finish a queensized quilt!
Phew, that sounds like a lot! 
What about you - do you have many sewing plans for this year? What do you hope to accomplish or learn?