HSM 2015 recap

Even if we are into 2016 I'm not quite done with the 2015 recap yet. Now it's time to go through what I did for the HSM challenges.

I'm proud to say that I finished all the challenges, and in time as well. I even made one extra thing, so I did 13 HSM challenges. Going through my projects I can see that I haven't done much of really big projects that have fitted with the HSM challenges, but HSM is important for me to take the time and do those little extra things and accessories that are needed to complete a wardrobe, after all a costume is more than a bodice and petticoat. Not making a lot of big things also meant that I didn't stress too much about them, since I was sure that I could come up with something to do. HSM is also good for my stash, since I've mostly worked with stash material, and it's always good to make room for new fabrics. Right...

Going into 2015 here were my plans for the HSM:

#1 foundations - make a pair of 18th century stays
#2 blue - a muff
#3 stashbusting - ?
#4 war and peace - ?
#5 practicality - a petticoat or a shortgown
#6 out of your comfort zone - draping and making a pet en l'air
#7 accessorize - a fichu
#8 heirlooms and heritage - refit my folk costume
#9 brown - a pierrot jacket
#10 sewing secrets - ?
#11 silver screen - finish Queen Elsa
#12 re-do - ?

And here is what I did:

January - #1 foundations - The Desert Rose Stays

outside

lining

Even if they ended up a bit big in the bust, I still love the silhouette I get from them and will rely on them as my main 18th century stays.

February - #2 blue - the Blueberry muff

March - #3 stashbusting - The handmaiden cloche hat

I love this cloche. This is my most worn piece that I've made this year, and I've used it for everyday wear throughout the autumn.

April - #4 war and peace - the three quarter tricorne

If hat nr1 (the cloche) was my favorite project, this is probably my least favorite project. I was never happy with the result, and I'm definitely wondering if I'm ever going to wear it. Maybe it's salvageable with some trim.

May - #5 practicality - the Edwardian corset cover and shirtwaist

The hat I'm wearing was my third hat of the year, if you keep count.

June - #6 out of your comfort zone - a late 18th century bodice pattern

I didn't get time, or energy, to make the pet en l'air that I had planned, but I did take my time to draft a bodice pattern from scratch, so that I had something I could use for future 18th century garments.

July - #7 accessorize - The Daisy hat

I didn't make a fichu as planned instead for hat nr 4 of the year I remade the Edwardian hat into a big, really big, maybe too big, 18th century silk covered bergére hat.

August - #8 heirlooms and heritage - refitting my folk costume

I'm so happy that I now have a folk costume that actually fits, so I don't feel like a big cow wearing it.

September - #9 brown - the pierrot jacket

If the cloche hat was my most worn thing, this is probably my favorite of the year, even if I haven't worn it yet. I'm so happy with how it looks and fits.

October - #10 sewing secrets - the Dalecarlian pocket

I took the chance to hide some dye stains, hide a simpler and coarser fabric and embellish the pocket with some Dalecarlian runes, that most people today can't read. A lot of secrets in such a small little pocket.

November - #11 silver screen - the Demelza cap

Hat, or rather headwear, nr 5 was a small little practical but still stylish cap. Taking inspiration from the fact that you hardly ever see proper headwear in historical films or TV productions.

December - #12 re-do - a cap and the blueberry cape

The cap was headwear nr 5 and a well needed addition, so I can cover my hair instead of making a big hairdo when dressing in 18th century clothing, and the cap was a fun little project making use of the very last remnants of the cotton velvet that I had used for both the muff and tricorne earlier in the year.

So to summarize my HSM  year was a year of small projects, but I did finish them all. Now it's time to start planning what to do in 2016.