2026 costume plans

 So it is time again to think about what I want to make this year, some of it will happen, and some won't. Nowadays I do tend to make more general plans, and not so many specific garments. The thing is I realized last year that I can wring out a costume, either cosplay or historical, fairly easily these days, but I do miss some of the excitement of making something that is really challenging. Last year the most challenging thing I did were the Toad hats, but that whole project was more of a "fun" project so I didn't care if they didn't end up perfect, which they didn't since I don't work that well with foam. They were good enough and I am happy with them though. 

This year I want to dive into a project where "good enough" isn't good enough, I want to make it really good, and I want to challenge myself again as well. So I have decided that my main project this year will be to recreate Mon Mothma's senatorial outfit from season 2 of Andor. 

To make things a bit more complicated is that she is wearing two different versions, one with with trousers and flat shoes and one with a skirt and high heels. Should I do both?  I have started with buying a pair of trousers and I have the material for the inner pleated shirt. I have also found a good match for the coat fabric, but that will be many meters, and a cost that I need to plan when I can take. I will also need to learn how to style the short wig to get it right. The coat and undergarments will also need quite some time for patterndrafting to make them correct. Still my goal is to make the costume in time for Stockholm ComicCon in early November. 

The first event coming up is that I want to go to a 1620s event in late April. I do have a basic outfit that works for early 17th century, but I want to add accessories in the form of a partlet, better apron and some kind of coif/headwear that is more simple compared to the laced veil I did last year. I would also like to add a skirt in a darker fabric. The jacket wasn't really finished when I wore it in August, so the first thing I am going to do is to finish the sleeves and fix the fit over the bust.

When it comes to 16th century things I will focus on accessories. In 2027 there will be a big event, and I want to have a new outfit for that, and I think that it will be best to start with the accessories, which would include and embroidered partlet, possibly a new shift and the most important thing will be to see if I can make a nice hairnet or two, both for me and my husband.

So those are my general plans, but who knows what other things I might get inspired to do in 2026.

Inspiration is back and is called Project Toad

 After a January that had me doing nothing and feeling no inspiration at all, I feel that it's time to start doing something again.

In fact I'm now so inspired to start with new projects that I have put up a deadline that I need to finish my female tusken soft parts in February, see I even publicly write a date, so that I can start with the other stuff that I want to make.

I'm into two things - project Toad and linen napkins. The linen napkins are for my 16th century camp gear. Earlier this year I got a lot of old linen curtains that were going to be trashed. The linen is a bit too rough and not tight enough to use for clothes, but it will be great for household items. I feel like making napkins and towels will be a great thing to have going, and I can keep on testing embroidery and embellishment on them.

But the main thing is that I have decided to go for Project Toad! My husband has agreed to come one day to NärCon Sommar, and that he can be Toadbert.

Toadbert isn't the most common toad, but I feel that he fits my husband really well. I've given him the mission to find a pair of white trousers, a short-sleeved white shirt and a yellow tail, and brown boots. Cosplay is new to him, and I feel that it will be best to make him wear as "normal" clothes as possible. I will then sew the blue vest and make the toad hat.

I will of course make Toadette for myself. I feel that she isn't too complicated, but I have some decisions to make. How long do I want to make her dress? How long should her ball/plaits be. The length will also determine how big they are. I will get a longer plait with larger balls, but they might also be too chunky if I make them too big. 

For the toad head/hat I plan on starting with this foam pattern for a mushroom hat.

The pattern is from Pretzl cosplay, and is for quite naturalistic hats, but I think I can use the button mushrrom pattern and modify it ino a toad hat. Since a full foam hat is really warm I'm thinking covering the whole hat with fabric, and cut out venilation holes, probably where the white circles are. For Toadette's balls I'm planning on using styrofoam balls that I also cover in fabric.

Cover in fabric migh be trickier than just painting, but that will allow me to use the same fabric in the hat as in the vest and dress, so that it's totally matching. I'm also planning on using a fourway stretch fabric, might make it harder to sew the clothes but will probably be easier to use to cover the foam.

Well that's the plan and I am quite excited, now I only need to finish the Tusken and get my next paycheck so that I can start on Project Toad.

costume plans 2024

 So what am I looking forward to make in 2024? My body is going through changes, and I will probably not get my final body shape and weight after my operation this year. The normal development is that a person that has gone through with a gastric bypass first looses around 20% of the weight, and then they gain some back again before stabilizing. With that being said I want to make new costumes, but I need to make costumes that are adjustable and not too depending on fit. 

My main cosplay plan for the year is to finally finish my new AOTC female Tusken raider.

It's been on my list so many years, but this time I feel that I am serious and I want to have it finished for Närcon in the summer. It is a totally new build, I will basically just keep the boots, gloves and the pouch. Or rather I will finish the pouch that I started with on one of my earlier attempts to remake it. 

Then David is coming with me to medieval week, and he has said that he wants to have a landsknecht outfit. Well first he said that he wanted to make one himself, but it will be me who makes it. He also needs two more shifts to wear with his costumes, so that he can change during the week.

He has said the he would like a pink costume, but we haven't decided on other design choices. I also hope that I will remake my half-finsihed pink trossfrau for myself, so that we can match each other during medieval week. 

I have some loose other plans, some cosplay and an idea for a new trossfrau in case I decide to go to a huge event in early 1525, but I will see if inspiration comes. It's also a question of my budget this year being a bit tight, since I have been on sick leave after my operation and needs to get my finances back in shape after that. For a costume it is also obvious how the inflation and low worth of the Swedish krona has made buying fabric and cosplay supplies a lot more expensive. 

Plans for 2023

 As I said in my last post, where I recapped 2022, I haven't really found a balance to fit creating things into my new life in a partnership, and I am not happy with my body anymore. Due to that I don't really have a lot of plans for the coming year, but there are two events that will probably be my focus.

First of all there is the Celebration Europe over Easter, so April. I don't plan on any new proper costumes, but I would like to do some fun fandom fashion thing. I fell in love with some Star Wars costumes, mainly from the TV series Andor and Kenobi, in 2023 but they are simply too complicated and the fabric would be too expensive for me to manage to finish them before April. So something fun and comfortable is the plan.

Then in June there are the big 500th anniversary of king Gustavus Vasa becoming king, and I am involved in the project group that will recreate is parade in Stockholm around Midsummer. That means that I and my husband need something suitable to wear. My plan is to either finish my pink gown, that I got into a wearable but not finished state in Visy in 2022, or see if I can remake my courtgown to fit me, since I have added a lot of weight since 2020 when I made it.

For my husband I will need to make him a proper pair of 16th century trousers or hose, we haven't agree on if he would accept wearing hose and codpiece yet, and he needs some nice headgear. I also want to remake the closure of his coat.

I think I will stop from doing any other great plans, and simply see if I get inspiration to make something else.

Plans for 2022

 Even if I haven't done a lot of costuming in 2021, costuming is a big part of my life and I for 2022 I have a few big projects planned. For the first time since 2005 I will not be able to attend Star Wars Celebration, they moved it to a date when I can't get time off from work. Still with what the world looks right now with the pandemic raging I'm happy that I didn't have to decide myself if I should go or not. That means though that I doubt that I will do any Star Wars projects this year.

1. A male farmer's outfit for 1520

Me and my fiance are going to the traditional winter feast with our 16th century guild, so I need to get him something wearable until then. I am remaking one of my old shifts and then I need to sew a pair of hose. If I have time I would love to make a jacket, but realistically I will be happy if he can go in shift and hose.

Deadline: January 22

2. 1780s outfit

I'm celebrating my 40th birthday in March and I am planning a party and what to wear. I would love to make a new 1780s/Star Wars mash-up for that. I had planned to make it for the next Star Wars Celebration, but since I can't go there this would be a fun thing to wear it to. I have outgrown all my 18th century undwear so I need to make new stays, a new shift, new petticoats and a new bumroll. So basically I need to make a new 18th century outfit from scratch.

Deadline: March 19

3. Winter Daisy

I still want to make Princess Daisy from SuperMario at the Olympics. It's basicallt a tunic and leggings, but this will only be if I really feel that I have extra time.

Deadline: NärCon last weekend in July.

4. New 16th century outfit

At Medieval week I was well dressed, but I was jealous with all the beautiful women wearing trossfrau gowns. My inspiration will still be something more suitable to Swedish upper/middle class, but I want to make a new gown that I feel nice in.

Deadline: Medieval Week early August

5. Wedding gown

I am getting married next year, so all other projects will stand back for my wedding gown. I have a plan already, and it's not going to be an historical gown. It will take historical inspiration though, so that means proper underpinnings to make it look good. I will probably not post a lot about it until it is finished, but I am planning on starting this project in March, just when I'm finished with the 18th century project.

What I've been working on

 This summer I knew that I was going to go to Medieval Week in Visby, and that I needed some stuff. I'm leaving on Saturday, and to be honest I have not finished anything, but I have things that are in various states of completion.

The most finished thing is this simple kirtle. It's a standard square pieces with gores, and I'm mostly using the 14th century as inspiration. I have not had time to fell the seams or hem it though, I'm still bringing it with me to use as a nightgown so I don't have to worry about freezing.

I wanted a new hood to wear over my wulsthaube, but I also found an embroidery challenge that I wanted to do. I have a long way to go until I have finished the blackwork, but I'm bringing it with me to work on during the week. I will have to stick with my old hood or just a a veil over the wulst.

I have also cut up an old shift that I'm hoping to sew together in a new version. This one I'm actually hoping to finish until I leave on Saturday.

I will also try to make separate posts about all the projects once they are totally finished.

Time to launch my jedi librarian project

 I never thought that I would do a jedi, to be honest I was never really interested in those costumes or lightsabres. Still the last year I've gotten a bit bored with my x-wing pilot costume and I felt that I wanted a costume that was obviously Star Wars, but also nice and comfy to walk around in. So a jedi it was. 

The jedi librarian is modelled on the character of Jocasta Nu from Episode II.

There are some other librarians in the comics and games as well. The main thing that separates a librarian/historian/archivist is the geometric patterns on the tabards and obi, and that there is no leather belt. I was really happy to skip the leather belt and basically just have to make fabric costume. I had the project in the back of my mind, and then I suddenly found this heavy cotton fabric with a distinct geometric pattern.

I liked the scale, and that it was a cotton fabric, so I decided to go for the jedi. Now I of course needed fabric for the tunics as well, so I quickly threw together a moodboard at the same online store where I had found the above fabric. (stoffochstil.se)

The top fabric will be the undertunic, the golden brown will be the main tunic and the black is for the big black skirt and boots that I'm planning on using, and that I already have.

This is what the fabrics looked like after I had washed them. The reddish fabric for the undertunic is a linen-viscose blend and the golden brown fabric for the outer tunic is a linen-cotton blend. I really wanted to use linen, since it's so comfortable and also has a nice texture to it. The problem with linen is that it wrinkles like crazy, but the blended fibres help with that. 

The white fabric for the obi and tabards are too contrasting against the other fabrics, so I will try give them a tea bath to take the white off a bit. Also the pattern is quite faint, so I will work with embroidering the pattern with threads in the same colours as the tunics.

With that it's on to actually sewing the costume. I'm hoping to get started with that in the weekend. 

I found some inspiration

 As I mentioned in my posts about costume plans for the year I have had problem finding inspiration. I have really enjoyed my cross stitch embroidery, but I can't keep doing neck decorations and cuffs, I simply don't need so many shifts. I started thinking about needing a larger embroidery project, that could be something different, and then inspiration struck.

I found this portrait. It's from Philadelphia Museum of Art, but you can't link direktly to their image so I had to go via pinterest. It's attributed to the artist Martin Schaffner, who was active in Ulm, and it's dated to around 1520. Now Ulm is in Baden-Würtemberg so a lot further south than the areas that I prefer to take inspiration from, but this whole outfit fits well with the quite generic early 1520's fashion that I like. It has a rounded neckline instead of squre, the sleeves are quite wide (that would set it apart from my green long-sleeved gown), the shift has embroidery both at the neckline and cuffs. I really like the burgundy guard around the neck and sleeve openings. Even if I'm not a huge fan of brown I had planned to make a brown, or at least more somber, gown in the future so it fits there as well. What's really special is that embroidery on her hood, but that is also something I would really like to make. And by now I have so many wulsthaubes so if I feel that the embroidery is a bit too strange for Sweden, I can wear something else. 

I don't have a specifik deadline for the project, I don't really need a new shift, gown or hood, but that is also what I enjoy. I can now have a goal so that I have something to plan, but I can do it when I feel for it. It's even possible that I won't even get started on this until next year.

Another embroidery thing I started thinking about is the jedi librarian. A jedi librarian has a geometric pattern to the obi and tabards. I have had a hard time finding a fabric with a pattern that I like, but if I decide to embroider the pattern, then I can decide it by myself.

Jocasta Nu is the most famous jedi librarian.

Historical Sew Monthly 2021

 The HSM will continue in 2021. The overall theme for this year is "fiction" and if you can you should try and connect the project to either a fictional character or a persona. This will be a bit of problem for me when it comes to my 16th century costuming, since I try to base that more on "real" people than on fiction. On the other hand the 1796 project is smack in the right period for anything Jane Austen inspired, or the Scarlet Pimpernel which I adored as child. It's also the time period when my all time favorite opera - The Magic Flute, was done, and right now I'm thinking that it would be so much fun to be able to recreate a costume connected to the Magic Flute. 

January: Joy: Create an item that brings you joy, or that epitomises the joy you find in historical costuming.

This is very open, so I will probably save this for when I have a hard time coming up with something.

February: The Roaring 20s: Make something from the 20s (any century) or that somehow incorporates a number in the 20s.

This sounds like a good fit for my new 1520s gown.

March: Small is beautiful: Little things can make a big difference to the finished look. Make something small but perfect (bonus points if it exclusively uses materials purchased from a small business)

No idea

April: The Costumer’s New Look: Give an old costume a new look, either by creating a new accessory or piece which expands or changes the aesthetic and use of an outfit, re-fashioning something into a costume item, or re-making an old costume.

No idea

May: Purple: Make an item in any shade of purple.

I cleared out my stash of purple fabrics for two of the 2020 challenges, but I will see if I have some scraps left to do anything.

June: On Your Head: Create an item you wear on your head.

For the 1796 ball I will need something to wear on my head, and I really like 1790s turbans. I don't really feel a need for any new 16th century headwear.

July: Like a Melody: Make something inspired by music.

If I'm going to a ball, I guess that can be done as inspired by music.

August: Cite Your Sources: We’re always a fan of research in the HSM, but this time it’s the centre of the challenge. Create something that requires research to get it right. Be thoughtful in your choice and use of research sources, and (of course) be sure to share your research sources along with your make!

No idea

September: Closures: This one is all about how you fasten a garment. Try a new type of closure you’ve never done (time to tackle dog-legged plackets, hand-sewn eyelets or pinning yourself in?) or make something where the focus is on the fastenings.

No idea

October: Orange: It’s the final colour to be covered by a colour challenge! Make something orange.

I have a lot of scraps of orange/gold silk velvet both from princess Daisy and the courtgown project, something small from that.

November: Zero Waste: Make something that creates zero waste. You could either sew a garment like a shift that uses clever geometry to use all the fabric, re-make an old costuming item to extend its life, or create something entirely from re-used materials.

No idea

December: All the World’s a Stage: Make something inspired by theatre, opera, or the modern stage: films & tv.

If I'm going to do anything related to the Magic Flute, this will be the challenge for that.

Costume plans 2021

 After all the looking back at 2020 it's time to look forward to 2021. As of writing I don't really have any big plans ahead. The more I get into recreating history, and not just doing the costuming, I get more and more into things that I need to be comfortable in a camp. That will probably affect my costuming, since I'm hoping that the outdoor medieval events will resume this year. For cosplay I will probably just push the 2020 projects into 2021, and see if I get inspiration for them.

Historical costuming

I have material for a new 1520s gown. This would be a simple gown suitable for the local middle.

A wool nightgown. I need something to sleep in at camp without freezing.

A simple shift. All my current 16th century shifts have a lot of smocking and embroidery. I want to make a tighter shift that doesn't get so bulky under the gown, and with a simple shift I could start to make more partlets and other details to go over it.

A pair of hose. I have my red pair, but that was really just a test version. The seams are too bulky to fit in medieval shoes, so I would like to make a new pair with neater seams.

Finishing the court gown project. I still have the cape to finish for the court gown, I have also cut out pieces for an embroidered shift for it, so I should try and finish those.

A 1796 ballgown - with stays and petticoats. On September 4th there will be a ball set in 1796, but the same organizers that had the 1762 ball that I attended with my Lady Poe gown. That ball was so much fun that I really want to go to this one. I really need to update my late 18th century wardrobe, since all the stays and gowns have shrunk mysteriously. I hope to be able to use my late 18th century stays, so I don't have to make new ones, and can concentrate on the more fun outer pieces. At the moment I'm thinking about using my favorite opera The Magic Flute as inspiration, since it premiered in 1791.

I have been looking around for fashion plates and extant gowns, and I want to do something similar to this. A simple white gown, an open robe and a turban. 

This portrait by Louis Gauffier is also really beautiful

Cosplay projects

I will see what events will happen. I want to finish the Daisy project that I started last year, a princessy Days and not the winter Daisy, and after that it's probably the jedi librarian that will be my priority.

The half-finished Daisy costume.

What I need before events start again

This summer all the big events have been cancelled but my trips up to the viking camp has been good to figure out what I need in my gear to be comfortable. I will not talk about tents here, it's on my list but I will be able to go without them, that's also a much bigger investment than these things.

- A wool nightgown
As of now I change into modern wool underwear for the night. It's comfortable, but it would be nice to wear something more accurate, not the least if I want to go up in the night, and when going up in the morning.

I'm thinking something like a Herjolfsnes dress, or another simple gored cote. This would also give me a dress that would work fom Viking Age and up until the 16th century for a general medieval look. A roomy overgown can also easily be slid over the head for extra warmth in the winter.

A warm cape

I have a tendency to get cold in the evenings, so I need something that can keep me warm, and is bigger than my small red gollar.

For my courtgow I need to make this cape,and I'm thinking about doing a version in wool as well just to keep warm.

A short sleeved wool dress
I have my longsleeved green gown and my sleeveless kirtle with detachable sleeves. Now I feel that I need a shortsleeved dress to have all available options. This would also be the dress that I want to use in the winter and for physical stuff, so I wouldn't line it with linen but keep it as a pure wool gown.

I have already picked out the colours for this dress, I want it to be pink with wine coloured details.

I need a pair of bigger shoes. I like my shoes, but I can't fit my hose in them, so I need to buy a pair of shoes that are bigger, and I'm also thinking that they should go a bit higher up like a boot, so that I can use them in the winter when it's snow. Then I would have my current shoes for summer and a pair of cold weather shoes.

I also need some boring househould items like linen towels for when I'm cooking and don't want to use modern cotton towels. A nice big linen bath towel would also be nice to have.

These are enough projects to keep me occupied well into next season.

The historical sew monthly 2020

The Historical Sew Monthly (HSM) has been part of my regular costuming ever since it actually was the Historical Sew Fortnightly. This year there are quite a few changes. One of them is that there is a general theme - sustainability.

With every challenge we’re celebrating the way fabric & thread were used, honoured, cherished, and re-used in the past. We’re also trying to lessen the carbon footprint of historical costuming, but creating with intent, and re-using whenever possible.

I think it's a good thing to try and be as sustainable as possible, and I will try to follow it and make use of my stash as much as I can.

Another change is that even if there are still 12 challenges, it is up to you to pick when you do the challenge, and they are open the whole year. I still think I will try to tie the challenges to a specific month, it's a good incentive for me to make things, but it's good that I can go back, or if I finish something before the set date I can still use it.

Here are this year's challenges.

January: Timetravelling Garments: Create an item that works for more than one historical era, or that can be used for both historical costuming, and modern wear. It could be an apron that could do 1770s or 1860s in a pinch, a shift that can work under many decades of fashion, or a historical cape you also wear everyday, etc.

We are well into January, and I haven't come up with anything for this. Or rather nothing that I need or would use. Since the overall theme is sustainability I don't want to make things just for making them, and then never use them.

February: Re-Use: Use thrifted materials or old garments or bedlinen to make a new garment. Mend, re-shape or re-trim an existing garment to prolong its life.

No idea yet

March: Green: Make something in a shade or shades of green. If you can also make it ‘green’ in the figurative sense, even better!

No idea yet

April: Local: Support your local industry and your local history by making something that (as much as possible) uses materials made locally, or purchased from local suppliers, or that features a garment specific to your part of the world.

Here I just need to decide what my definition of "local" is, it gets a lot easier if I include Sweden, and not just my area. As I say every year, I always have parts for my folk costume that I can make, and this would fit that challenge.

May: Basic: Make a garment that can be used for many occasions (like a shift, or the classic ‘Regency white dress’), or a simple accessory that will help you stretch the use of an already existing garment.

No idea yet

June: It’s Only Natural: Make something inspired by nature, or use natural fibres and materials in a way that stretches your usual practice (e.g. natural dyeing, using cane instead of plastic whalebone for corsets/stays etc.). Or challenge yourself and do both!

No idea yet - but first weekend of June is the Leksand Medieval fair, and if I'm doing something new for that I could try and fit the challenge.

July: No-Buy: Make something without buying anything. Whether it’s finishing off a UFO, using up scraps of fabric from earlier challenges in the year, sewing entirely from stash, or finding the perfect project for those small balls of yarn, this is your opportunity to get creative without acquiring more stuff.

No idea yetAugust: Celebration: Make something for a specific historical celebration, make something generally celebration worthy, make something that celebrates a historical hero, or just make something that celebrates some new skills you’ve learned.

My 1520s court gown will fit this on so many levels.

September: Sewing Secrets: Hide something in your sewing, whether it is an almost invisible mend, a make-do or unexpected material, a secret pocket, a false fastening or front, or a concealed message (such as a political or moral allegiance).

No idea

October: Get Crafty: Make use of your own skills or learn a new one to make something from scratch rather than buy material. The possibilities for learning and applying new skills and techniques are endless. Lace, pleated self-fabric trim, knotted fly trim, embroidery, dyeing, knitting your own corset laces, hand painting your own fabric...

No idea - but I could always use more lucet cord

November: Go Green Glow-Up: Be environmentally friendly and celebrate how your making skills have ‘glowed-up’ as you’ve used and practiced them by taking apart an early make of yours that no-longer represents your making skills, and re-making it so you’d be proud to use it. It can be as elaborate as a total re-make, or as simple as getting the ribbons or buttons you didn’t have time to source at first. You could even take something from a challenge made earlier in the year, and fix the tiny things you weren’t totally happy with.

I have two options here already. My pink 18th century skirts, or rather the pieces of it since I scrapped it earlier this year, or remake the embroider on my highnecked 16th century shift.

December: Community: It is the season of giving. Create an item that honours or supports the communities around you, whether Real Life or online

No idea yet

As you can see I don't have many firm plans for the challenges, but will probably come up with ideas later on. Last year I didn't finish many challenges, and I think it would be really fun if I could finish all 12 again.

Costuming year in review - goal for 2020

Happy New Costuming Year!

It's time to lay out the plans for the coming year, and this year I have a few specific costumes that I want to finish. I have thought about all these costumes for quite a while, but now it's really time to make them public. My costuming year follow a certain rythm. During the spring it's planning and slow work, then comes May with the first historical events, in June-July the focus is on NärCon, August-September is usually mixed between historical events and ComicCon, before the costuming season ends with AvestaCon in late October. Then in November/December the planning starts for the coming year, and it all kicks of in January again.

Goal 1 - Swedish 1520's court gown
My main goal for 2020 is to make that 1520's court gown I have been talking about for a long time. I have started with the mustard kirtle that I will use as an underkirtle, and I am working on a new shift with blackwork in order to try out techniques before I make a really fancy shift with goldwork.

The gold gown to the right is fairly close to what I'm aiming for. For the courtgown I will need to make

• a new shift - fine linen with goldwork
• a new wulsthaube
• a silk cap/hood with goldwork to go over the new wulsthaube
• silk velvet gown
• probably new shoes and jewellery

The 1520's court project is so big that I am trying to force myself to not do too many other projects but I have three in mind.

Goal 2 - Princess Daisy from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

This is the new costume with the goal of having a comfortable costume for NärCon. The plan is to construc the costume from sportswear fabric, to make it cool and comfortable. The challenges will be to order fabric, stretchy and wicking fabric in oranage is apparently only found in the US, learn to make resin jewellery and make all kinds of sport equipments. Daisy has a lot of different rackets, clubs and bats in her arsenal and I want to have at least one to carry around.

Goal 3 - Enfys Nest

I made Enfys Nest into a wearable state for Celebration, but now I want to go back and redo all the things that were rushed, the things that broke at Celebration and of course make the helmet. The goal is to have her finished before ComiCon Stockholm.

Goal 4 - a generic jedi librarian

I am not going to make Jocasta Nu from Attack of the Clones, but use her costume as inspiration for a generic jedi. I'm simply a bit bored with my x-wing uniform and want something else that's generic and comfortable, but still obviously Star Wars. With my set of skills the jedi librarian is a good costume, since it doesn't involve any leather work, she's not even wearing a belt, so it's basically just a sewn costume. I will need to buy a lightsabre though, and that will be the main investment for the costume.

So those are my goals, I have a lot of other small things that I want to do, for example I will need to make winter wear for my 16th century wardrobe, but these are my main goals for the year.

#costumingyearinreview goals for 2019

With all the recaps from 2018 done it's time to look forward to what 2019 will bring costume wise. I was worried that the Historical Sew Monthly challenges wouldn't continue in 2019, but they will. The list of challenges have been posted already, but I'm not going to post a dedicated 2019 HSM plan. Last year I learnt that I hardly ever plan my HSM projects, they are more things that I come up with when it's time for each challenge. I will concentrate on the 16th and 18th centuries, but who knows what other time periods might sneak in.

For this year I have five major costume plans, and in order of deadlines they are:

1. Enfys Nest

She needs to be finished by April for Celebration Chicago. This will be my main focus for the winter. If I run into some snags I might have to delay her until NärCon though, there are some things that I have ordered that need to arrive in time and details like that. I'm a bit scared about this costume since it contains so many hard parts that I need to work on.

Status:

I have fabric and shoes and gloves. I'm going to start with the soft parts straight away in January.

2. Lady Poe robe à la Francaise

On the 8th of June there is this big ball set in 1762, I hadn't planned on going (it's expensive) but I got some money for it as a Christmas gift. It's very strict about accuracy and I need to wear a proper francaise for it. I'm going to resurrect my Lady Poe project. After all I ordered all the fabric back in 2017, I hope I ordered enough to make a full francaise with all the trimmings. I'm going to skip on the step where I make it into a Star Wars-costume, and just go for a proper 1760's look, but I'm still going to call it my Lady Poe. 

3. Obelix

At last NärCon me and Ann-Sofie decided to make Asterix and Obelix, after all she and her husband had been so well received as Tintin and Captain Haddock and we talked about other fun childhood favorites to cosplay. I'm plus size, I'm a redhead. This will be a really fun project, and yes I want to come up with a way to make a menhir to carry around. An idea that I have played with is also, if I'm going to make this, why not make a genderbent version as well. I'm thinking a pinup Obelix would be really fun and still recognizable.

4. Melisandre's coat

I want to finish the coat and wear it to NärCon as a complete costume.

4. 1520s court dress

I have so many ideas for 16th century gowns, but I want to slowly work away on my court gown. I have cut out the bodice and started to interline the velvet. This will be a slow project that I work on when I don't have other things. I also want a new sleeveless kirtle, and that will be a project so that I have another gown for medieval events. 

Other loose plans that I have for the year, but no set dates or specific plans:

A 16th century half-length cloak/cape

A couple of 16th century shifts

A veil or hood wih goldwork embroidery (this could actually work with the HSM challenge for August)

A 1695 jacket or mantua.

An Edwardian sporting outfit (I do have a deadline for this, but I'm afraid it will clash with both Enfys Nest and the francaise project, so I'm already counting on scrapping it)

And with that the new costuming year is off to a start. 

Happy sewing and crafting everyone.

Introducing Enfys Nest for Star Wars Celebration

It is time to reveal my main project for Star Wars Celebration. This will be a big and expensive project, but I'm hoping to have it all done for Celebration in April.

So who is Enfys Nest? It's a character from the new Solo film, that was released in May. And she's really cool.

This is definitely not my usual kind of costume project, but it will be fun to make something different.

Thankfully by the time I saw the film a lot of people had already researched the costume for months, so there is a lot of information out there, and a lot of files if you want to 3D-print the things needed.

Here is my breakdown, but for a more detailed description I recommend visiting the Rebel Legion forums, or the Enfys Nest facebook group.

Shoes - Demobaza Moon Rovers with added greeblies. The Moon Rovers are expensive (€413 last I checked) so I will start off with modifying a cheaper hight top sneaker. Greeblies can be 3D-printed.

Jumpsuit - brown waxed cotton with inserts of black fabric. There are a lot of complicated seams on the jumpsuit. I will use my standard jumpsuit pattern and modify it, I have ordered the waxed cotton.

Knee pads -

Leg flaps - a long strip of canvas with painted markings, rolled around a dowel.

Belt - with leather with topstitching and some accents in other colours.

Chest piece - the box and "beads" can be 3D-printed, the "beads" are also available as resin casts on Etsy. I will need to make the teeth and bone details.

Cape - a wool cape with a orange-red lining, and some strips of other colours in the lining. The fur is a bison hide, but I will look for suitble fake furs.

Arm shields - also available as 3D files, but they don't look too complicated to cut out from plastic sheets.

Gloves - tac 2 gloves, modified.

Helmet - I have preordered a resin cast of the helmet.

Staff - available as 3D-files.

That's the breakdown. This is going to be an expensive costume, since there are so many parts that I can't do mysef, so I will try and take it slowly and add piece by piece and hopefully I can bring it with me for Celebration, otherwise she will have to wait for NärCon 2019.

My NärCon costume plans

The biggest cosplay event of the year is here, and I'm finished and ready to pack my costumes and head to Linköping Thursday-Sunday. This year we are suffering a drought and heatwave in Sweden, and for the week they are warning of temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius, or more. This has of course affected my costume plans, but not so much.

I will bring three costumes with me to NärCon this year.

Admiral Daala

I will be trooping with the Nordic Legions. When I planne this costume I had NärCon in mind, I just happened to finish it earlier.

Heat adjustments - none, but it is a fairly loose jumpsuit and I'm using my own hair and no wig. I'm also going to be with stormtroopers who suffer a lot more in the heat, so I think we will take a lot of water breaks during the trooping.

Melisandre

My new costume for NärCon will be Melisandre. I think this will be costume that I'm mostly walking around in when I'm off trooping.

Heat adjustments: I didn't line the sleeves, I will have room for a linen shift under and I'm going to bring a pair of black plain shoes, instead of wearing the black boots that I had planned. I've also made a bag of the same fabrics so that I can always carry a water bottle with me.

Bellossom

I chose this costume due to the temperatures. I wanted a third costume with me and I think this will be the most comfortable one. It's light and breezy and I can fit a linen shift under it. The headwear keeps my hair off from the neck, I can even wet it down to keep cool, the big flowers also shade my face.

Those are my costume plans, I will definitely bring quite few changes to normal clothes though, in case I simply can't be in costume when it's that warm.

Historical Sew Monthly 2018

The HSM 2017 was not a good one for me, I only finished the 18th century pocket hoops, so one out of 12 challenges. I'm hoping that I will do better this year though, and since I am throwing myself passionately into a new era, the 16th Century, I'm hoping that it will make me inspired to finish more challenges.

That being said I will focus the challenges on my 1520s project, and I won't desperately try to find projects to fit with the HSM 2018.

Since some of you might have started to follow my blog this year, when I hardly did anything HSM related here is the short description.

The HSM 2018 is a monthly historical garment challenge.  Every month in 2018 will feature a themed challenge.  Sew (or knit, or crochet, or tatt, or embroider, or milin, (or whatever it is you call making a hat), or otherwise create) a historical garment or accessory that fits the monthly theme.

The goal is to make one historical garment per month.

Well here are the challenges and how I'm thinking about them.

January: Mend, Reshape, Refashion: Mend or re-shape one of your previously made historical clothing items, or refashion a new one out of something not originally intended as sewing fabric.

- No idea yet

Feb: Under: Make something that goes under the other layers.

- perfect for the new highnecked hemd/shift that I'm plnning for the 1520s.

March: Comfort at Home: Make something to wear around the (historical) house.

- no idea yet, but an apron is always and option.

April: Buttons and Fastenings: Create an item where the closures are the star of the show.

 - maybe a gollar with an interesting fastening.

May: Specific to a Time [of Day or Year]: Historically, some garments were worn year round, and for a range of events. Others were exclusively for certain times of year, or specific times of day. Make one of the latter.

- no idea yet 

June: Rebellion and Counter-Culture: Create an item that pays homage to fashion rebels and clothes that flaunt their place on the fringes of standard sartorial society, or that was signature to a rebelling cause.

- the slashing of the 16th Century would perfect for this, but I'm not planning on adding any slashing to my outfit.

July: Sleeves: There are some amazing examples of historical sleeves styles out there. Put the focus on the arms and shoulders in your creation for this challenge.

- no idea yet

August: Extant Originals: Copy an extant historical garment as closely as possible.

- no idea yet

September: Hands and Feet: Create a fabulous accessory for your hands or feet.

- gloves or mittens maybe?

October: Fabric Manipulation: Take fabric to the next level with any kind of historical embellishment or manipulation: smocking, shirring, embroidering, beading, pinking, ruching, printing, painting, dyeing etc.

- a smocked apron for the 1520s outfit would go well with this outfit. If I did an apron for the March challenge, and depending on what fabric I have at home, I might up this challenge and make a roundgown with a ruched bodice of some kind.

November: Purses and Bags: You’ve got your arms covered in July, your hands in September, now make something amazing to dangle from them.

- no idea, but it's always easy to make another 18th Century pocket.

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! 

- no idea yet

My goal will be to finish six of the challenges, I don't want to get too ambitious and feel forced to come up with ideas for the HSM. 

2018 Costume plans

Happy New Year!

It is time for me to reveal my costume plans for 2018. Well if I learnt one thing last year is that I shouldn't make too many plans, and that I really want to dive into some big projects this year. I've also decided that I want to make projects where I can either use my own hair, so redheaded cosplays, or cover it entirely.

These are the projects that I have set plans for, as of now.

1520's outfit (historical)

I'm so hooked on the 16th century, and not just the costumes. I am an archaeologist/historian, working in a museum so history is my first great love, and the late 15th and early 16th century is my favorite time period. Since the summer I have returned to it, and discovered that there are quite a few new books that I haven't read, and I'm making up for that at the moment. I would guess that the renewed interest in the time period from historians comes from us approaching the 500th anniversary of the bloodbath of Stockholm, Gustav Vasa's adventures in Dalarna, and the so called liberation war in 1520-1521.

I've decided that my first major project of the year will be to create an outfit that would be suitable for a woman in a master miner's family. That means an outfit for a person in the lower upper class, someone that would have contacts with the main fashion around the Baltic sea, but also needing to be able to do some practical work.

I'm thinking something along what these women are wearing

From De Re Metallica by Agricola

or this statue by S:t Barbara

The consists of two main parts
1. I want to make a new shift, I have a lownecked one and now I want to make highnecked one
2. Make a wool gown.

I want to have the project finished for the Medieval fair in Leksand 24-25th of May.

2. Admiral Daala (Star Wars)

Admiral Daala is a character from the old Star Wars books and series back in the 1990's, even if she made a comeback in the last book series before Disney bought Star Wars and scrapped the old Star Wars canon. She is not a particularly great character, but she is a redhead and she wears this jumpsuit which looks really comfortable to run around in at conventions.  I want to have the costume finished for NärCon last weekend of July.

3. Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)
Ok, I know I said that I only wanted to make costumes where I didn't need to work with wigs, but this will be an exception. I made my quick Luna Lovegood in October, but I really want to upgrade it to a more accurate version. I have bought new shoes already so what I need is a better shirt, a wig, a new wand (since I broke mine) and a Hogwarts robe. This costume won't involve much crafting, more just saving up and buying the stuff I need for it. It would be fun to have it finished for some time next autumn, probably AvestaCon.

4. Melisandre's travelling outfit (Game of Thrones)

When your new hairdresser's first comment after dyeing your hair is "you look like that red woman in Game of Thrones", well I could only give her right. I love that red hair.

I'm doing the travelling cloak, since then her hair just disappears under the cowl and I don't need to use hair extensions. This is a seriously complicated costume though. The underdress is probably a wrap dress in shot silk, the cloak itself consists of at least two parts. The main part is made up from rows and rows of grosgrain ribbons sewn together and over that you have the cowl/shawl that is in a very specially textured fabric. All the materials also need to be dyed to match each other perfectly. 

Still my goal is to start this one in the spring and have it done for Comic Con Stockholm in the autumn.

5 Resistance girl from 'Allo 'Allo
Cosplay Dalarna is thinking about doing a group project, but since we couldn't agree on a theme we made it very broad and decided on retro TV, basically anything that was aired before 1989. I want to make a costume that's simple but still recognizable. I love the TV series 'Allo 'Allo, and all the women of the resistance dress the same.

This is Michelle of the Resistance, but since I don't want to wear a wig I'll just be a background redhead. They were a beige macintosh, black beret, silk scarf, black flat shoes and white socks. I just need to find a cheap macintosh and then I'm mostly set.

So there are my plans, hopefully I will finish more of my plans than I did in 2017, but who knows what else I might come up with during the year. 

Looking back at the 2017 sewing projects

It's time to look back at this year and see what I did. First of all this year didn't turn out in any way what I had planned. Of the projects on my planned list I only finished one of eight. Overall I didn't feel very inspired or productive. A large part was probably due to the fact that I remodelled my kitchen. Not just the time it actually took, but also the planning around it and how it actually took me until the autumn until I had finished putting everything back in the kitchen from my living room, the kitchen was done in March.

That being said one of the best things that have happened this year was that Cosplay Dalarna evolved into a weekly meeting where you hang around and talk about costuming plans, it has also taught me a lot when it comes to working with different materials, ie anything outside of fabrics. Through Cosplay Dalarna I also came up with some smaller projects that I had no idea that I would make when the year started. Overall this has been a year of making smaller things, but it hasn't felt as fulfilling as a big costume project.

Anyway these were my plans.

And this is what I actually made this year.

A pair of 18th Century pocket hoops.
My plan on making a full robe à la francaise stayed with the pocket hoops, but at least I have a pair of functioning hoops

A Queen Amidala vintage style outfit, complete with a hat.

I finished my pet en l'air and made a frilly cap to go with it.

I dyed and added sleeves and guards to make my 1520s undergown look like a proper outer gown.

My favorite part of this outfit was the wulsthaube and veil that I made, I also made a hat but that was more of a failure. I loved my wulsthaube though, and it's probably my second favorite piece of the year.

In the summer I also made the 1910's Rilla Corset

.

Then it was time for my craziest project of the year, when I made Pokémon cosplay, and walked around NärCon as Bellossom, I even finished second in the Pokémon cosplay contest. 

The Pokémon cosplay didn't end there, instead I also made a superhero/Pokémon mashup and went to Comic Con Stockholm as Bellossom-Girl.

I made my second fandom fashion piece as well when I used the leftovers from my Greedo dress to make what I call my little Greedo dress.

On a whim I also decided to throw together a Luna Lovegood costume in October.

The year, just like the last two years, ended with a new Star Wars when I made my The Last Jedi Leia in time for the premiere of the film. This felt like my only big project this year, and it felt really good to go so wholeheartedly into something, including patternmaking, wigwork and making the jewellery.

So looking back, maybe I wasn't as unproductive as I felt, it was just that most of my energy was spent on smaller, fun and non-accurate projects. 

Favorite pieces of the year

1. TLJ Leia

2. 1520's wulsthaube

3. Bellossom Girl

Conventions/events that I attended

Star Wars Celebration 2017 in Orlando

Leksand's Medieval Fair

Tuna Ting, Borlänge

Star Wars Wedding in Halmstad

NärCon, Linköping

ArCon, Falun

Comic Con Stockholm

AvestaCon

The Last Jedi Premiere

Most worn costumes

1. Mon Mothma

2. X-wing pilot

3. 1520's gown

I felt that this year I have mostly learnt some smaller craft things, like beading the jewellery for Luna Lovegood and working more with worbla, I also managed to style a wig successfully for the first time.