CoBloWriMo 1: Goals!

Hi friends!  It’s been a while.  But hopefully not for much longer!  For one thing, School’s over and my thesis is done so I’m going to have more free time going forward in general.  But for now, you’re going to be hearing from me more than usual for the next 30 days because I’m organizing a costume blogging challenge called CoBloWriMo (Costume Blog Writing month)!  I’m going to try to post every day for the month of June.  If you’re reading this and you’re interested in joining us, check out our Facebook group!  So, without further ado, here is my first CoBloWriMo post!  

Today’s prompt is “What are your goals for 2016?”  I’m sick and I need to go to sleep so I’m going to be brief, but I’ve got some costuming goals, some blogging goals, and maybe a life goal or two.

Costuming Goals

My first costuming goal is to finish a couple of unfinished projects that have gone by the wayside for various reasons. 

Not the most attractive picture of my face, but a nice shot of the outfit taken at a recent ball at the Morris-Jumel Mansion

The first is my 18th century outfit, which dedicated readers may remember from last year.  It’s finished to the point that I can put it on my body and wear it for a day if I have to, but it’s nowhere near actually finished.  Most importantly, I need to finish the stays, which are unbound at the top and bottom.  This was actually on purpose – I needed to put them together very quickly when I made them and so didn’t do too much fitting of the pattern, and as a result the front panels are too short and don’t cover enough of my bust.  I’ve recut the panels that don’t fit, but they still need to get sewn together, boned, and attached to the rest of the stays, and then I can do the leather binding and eyelets.  Once that’s done, I can fit and finish the caraco (and make tons more 18th century stuff!).  I’d also like to make an underpetticoat for this outfit, and maybe try a different shape of skirt support.
The second is the new 1860 corset I started back in January.  I went through two different mock ups and countless alterations and the pattern just frustrated me so much that I kind of rage quit.  Now that I have my old corset back from someone that I lent it to, I may just copy the pattern off that one (based on the 1860 French corset in Norah Waugh’s Corsets and Crinolines) and adjust it.
The third is my red kirtle. I wear it all the time but it’s technically not done – it’s supposed to have black stripes around the bottom of the skirt, and a lining in the bodice.  I also need to recut the waistline – I exaggerated the point at the waist a little because I thought it looked pretty, but it makes the waist wrinkle when I sit down, which is not super desirable, and pushes the bones up in a problematic way.  I also would like to get my whole court outfit to look more like this painting:

I still don’t know who this is a portrait of.

So I might add some gold trim, if only for the Faire season.  I had hoped to be able to do my hair like this, but alas for I cannot – I’m going to have to cover it because I cut a lot of it off recently (!!!)

Here are some other things I’d like to make this year:

I don’t remember her name but she’s from the Vigee-LeBrun exhibit at the Met – once I get my 18th century stays fitted better, I can start making nicer 18th century stuff, and what’s better than red taffeta and black velvet?

I’d like to make a sheer dress to wear in the garden at the Merchant’s House – I’m partial to the one in “Two Sisters” (1856) by Tissot becasue I think it’s the same woman that’s in Young Lady In A Red Jacket (and she’s got a great hat)

She’s my second choice for sheer dress – “Girl Reading” by Alfred Emile Stevens (1856)

I’ve had some beautiful buttery yellow wool sitting around for a waistcoat for months, so I’d really like to get on that and complete my middle class Elizabethan look.

Blogging Goals

I’ll keep this simple: I’d like to blog more.  My goal for CoBloWriMo is to post every day.  Afterwards I would like to post at least twice a month.  I would also like to bring back my attempts at regular features – Movie Monday and Sketch Saturday.

Life Goals

I’ll keep this simple also (because now I really need to go to bed): I’d like to get up earlier, draw more, rely on electronics less.  And I’d like a full-time job.  Dear universe: take notice.