December 2018 - the final challenges

Despite not being actually on holiday, I fell into the spirit of things and started a list of 'Things To Complete Before the End of the Year'. This can either go one of two ways: it can motivate me, or, which is far more likely, it can completely terrify me and after throwing myself into a complete spin of indecision and confusion, I get absolutely nothing done.



Luckily for me, this year it was the former.

My list included:

• Complete the 1865 chemise I started this year
• Complete the 1865 Blue and Black corset I started this year
• Complete the 1810 Pink and Green bonnet I started this year
• Complete the Regency reticule I started this year
• Complete the Pretty Housemaid corset (1890) I started LAST year

And you know what, the most cool thing is when you get these items out of the box at the back of your cupboard, determined to stick at it until at least one of these things is completed, and you find that very little is needed for most of them!

• The chemise needed 2 buttons bought and sewed on. Check.
• The Blue and Black corset needed a small bit of binding, flossing and the lace sewn on. Check.
• The bonnet...well that needed quite a bit sewn together and then all the trim, but I stuck at it until...Check!
• The Pretty Housemaid corset needs a smallish amount of flossing done...
• And the reticule...pretty much needs everything done...

But for now, I can post the final challenge completed for the year: (Thank you, Leimomi! Perfect challenge!)

December: Neglected Challenge: Was there a challenge this year (or, if you’ve been doing the HSM for a while, in a previous year) you missed? Or didn’t create quite what you’d wanted for? This is your chance to make it up!

October 2017: Out of Your Comfort Zone - Create a garment from a time period you haven’t done before, or that uses a new skill or technique that you’ve never tried before.

This is going to be Millinery, which is completely new to me and extremely daunting. 2017 started off well for me, but I started running a second business about August of that year, which is when my sewing went on hold. At our fabulous Regency weekend away, Leimomi started us off with patterns, materials and  instructions for bonnets. These have mouldered away in corners of most of us, possibly, well, certainly in my case, but now will hopefully see the light of day and be finished!

1810 Regency Bonnet

What the item is:
A Regency Bonnet

What passed challenge are you recreating:
October 2017: Out of your Comfort Zone

Material:
Silk dupion, silk taffeta

Pattern:
Regency Bonnet by Lynn McMasters

Year:
1810

Notions:
Buckram, Scraps of cotton batting/flannel, wire, linen thread, silk thread, all poly ribbons/flowers, ostrich feather

How historically accurate is it?
I'd say about 75%. Pattern seems accurate, I hand sewed it (while others machine stitched ;-) ) and used all accurate materials except for the ribbons/flowers: these are impossibly to source silk satin ribbons or flowers in NZ.

Hours to complete:
Maybe 20? Maybe 15? Hard to say.

First worn:
Hopefully this summer, one day when we manage to have a regency picnic.

Total cost:
Buckram, wire and trim were the only purchases. Maybe $30