McKenna Rosen: 1920s

Sew...(pun-intended) I have big plans for sewing in 2015. I wish to expand my horizons. At the end of the year, we'll see how actual events will have matched up to my plans (I don't expect the comparisons to be similar by any means). I already have another Costume Designing job coming up (oh, glorious pre-production) but it should ~~not~~ interfere with my other projects *cough* *cough*

Anyway, starting from newest decade to oldest, here are the garments I'm looking forward to making this year!

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A simple, yet elegant '50s dress. I absolutely adore this era! And I have so much fabric that works for this decade, it's really sad that I haven't made one in three years!

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Now, I'm not "into" the Forties as much as I should be. It's not that I think the styles ridiculous our weird; I just find other decades more exciting (I'm sure watching Agent Carter is going to fix that). But one thing I've always adored about the Forties is the sweet suits and business-casual side of fashion. I would love to complete a suit similar to the ones above.

The pure ingenuity of the women from the Thirties always astounds me. They had nothing and they continued to get up every morning, dress and put a bright face on for their families. Mommy still looked put together, so things couldn't be that bad. The styles are always practical, but elegant and those women emerged from the hard times all the better for it. I love all the separates that were more utilized in this decade. The skirts are flattering to any figure (particularly hip-y ones) and I would love just one evening gown *sigh*

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I'm just madly in love with so much about this decade! Oh, the styles just speak to my sensibilities. Elegance and optimism seem to be the theme of the Twenties. When most people think about the Twenties, they think flappers and The Great Gatsby and maybe the scandalous Miss Fisher (that TV show was a disappointment). I think of art deco and beading and feathers and fur and velvet. I think of also the simple calico, the eastern-inspired tea sets (I happen to own one), the t-strap heels and the Charleston and the magnanimous and endless variety of collars on those drop-waist dresses! I'm going all-out on the Twenties!

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Anna Pavlovna

I liked the NineTeens before Downton Abbey made it cool *pushes glasses up with finger*. It might seem like I'm covering every decade, but I'm not. The first half of the 20th century is absolutely my favorite! I have a lovely pattern by Andrea Schewe (I don't normally take Simplicity costume patterns seriously, but Ms. Schewe does her research). I have big plans for a dinner dress at the very least. And you can't go wrong with a huge velvet hat with silk flowers just as big!

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I do love the 1870s, but I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for it yet. It remains to be seen if I do end up bustling up in the end. I actually haven't made anything Victorian (aside from a girl's dress HERE )

So, I'm going to start with 1840s and move on from there. It may or may not happen this particular year.

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The 1830s, '40s and '50s are going to be my springboard for entering the world of Victorian fashion. My HSM project for this month is an 1840s-90s corset (I guess you could call it an all-purpose corset). Again, I doubt I'll attempt the 1870s, but I'm going to be hanging out here for awhile. North and South is what got me interested in Victorian fashion in the first place and I think I'm going to try and duplicate one of Margaret's dresses. Maybe eventually, I'll catch myself a Mr. Thornton of my own ;)

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Here, ladies, is my sweet spot. Regency! I don't normally make a goal to do more, but it's so easy for me, I often overlook it. A huge, huge thank you to Jennie Chancey for her wonderful

Sense & Sensibility Patterns.

Her beautiful and easy-to-understand patterns were what got me into historical sewing in the first place! A must-have for me this year is a cross-front gown. Probably white (the 1790s-1830s was the era of the "Little White Dress"). I don't have any solid calico drawstring day dresses, so that must be fixed (not even kidding, it takes me about a four-hour afternoon to make one) and one can never have too many open robes!

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It would be positively heinous of me to put all the painstaking time and elbow grease into making a Georgian Corset and not make myself something other than a Carico Jacket and a few measly petticoats to wear with it. This year, I'm hoping for some pretty day dresses and maybe a ball gown with side hoops!

By Raffaello

I'm also looking into some French/Italian Renaissance pieces, but it's certainly not priority. My sister, for her 5th birthday, wants a reproduction of that Ever After gown on the top. I love it!

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And finally, I shall continue dabbling in Medieval/Faerie-Tale Gowning. I would like to do at least one practical gown and one Royalty gown. And a crown. One can't be a queen without a crown!

There you have it. Most of this will fit in one or another of the HSM categories. It will be interesting to see how this list compares at the end of the year.

I can't believe it! I had this entry done A WEEK AGO and I totally forgot to take pictures of it yesterday! Thus, here is my *slightly* late project for the HSF. It's a 1930s green cotton-velveteen coat with brown faux fur collar and cuffs and black velveteen trim!

But, before I continue, here are the actual 1930s evening coats that gave be the inspiration (and credibility) for this project. I was also greatly inspired by the gorgeous fur-trimmed coats that Helena Bonham-Carter wore as the Queen from "The King's Speech". In fact, as soon as I was finished, I tried the coat on and I called out in the basement to "Dr. Logue." I said, in the most royally British voice I could muster, "And what if my husband were the Duke of York?"

This was a self-drafted pattern and I really took my time on it. I even took the time to copy all the pieces I cut of the fashion material onto some useless fabric so I could recreate it! The coat fits in the challenge because I had to "Make-Do" with it. All the materials were from the stash and-don't tell anyone-the green velveteen was actually a set of curtains not long ago. I also really like it because it's a multi-decade wardrobe item! It's completely acceptable from the 1920s through the 1940s! We couldn't get a full shot (space was a bit cramped), but I'll tell you that the coat extends down to mid-calf length. I could have just buttoned it closed like the ones above, except...I didn't want to look like a hippopotamus that ran through Gramma's clothesline. Thus, the waist had to be cinched!