2023 Plans - Part 2: Craft Details

EDIT @03:45: Minor spanner in the works in the shape of the first Charm Patterns Patreon release for 2023, which I now ALSO want to make. If it's a sew-along, well... there goes my initial plans!

"New Year goals 2023" by Marco Verch is licensed under CC-BY-2.0.

This post is specifically for my crafting plans for 2023. As outlined in the previous post, I intend to limit myself to not more than one project per month, and probably no more than 8 for the whole year to allow for both time off and for projects to take longer than planned. In some ways this is a 2-3 year project plan as my aim for 2023 is to gain core outfits plus some specific items, and to improve these outfits over time... I may add some longer term plans at the bottom, or not, depends how long it takes me to type this up!

These are outline plans - nothing about inspirations or fine details. I will list a broad project title, the item(s) involved, patterns to be used, and rough fabric information (owned, fibre, weave). 

Layout

Project title:

Description: Outfit item(s) + Good/Better/Best

Purpose:

Pattern: Company, # or name, owned/not

Fabric: Fibre, weave, owned/not

Status: Unstarted, In Progress, Complete

Links: Link to a full project post if one exists

1. Regency

Project title: Regency dress

Description: Regency gown with back fastening and long sleeves

Purpose: Early 19th century historical costume

Pattern: Laughing Moon #138 (owned)

Fabric: Cotton - have a printed cotton, may buy a swiss dot though

Status: In progress: Pattern pieces cut out mock-up for pattern size completed

Links:

2. Mid-19thC

Project title: Gaskell dress

Description: 1850s/1860s crinoline dress with pagoda sleeves

Purpose: Mid 19th century historical costume

Pattern: Laughing Moon #111 (owned), View B

Fabric: Wool (owned)

Status: In progress - continuation and improvement

Links:

3. Late-19th C

Project title: Fan Skirt #2

Description: Remake of earlier fan skirt project, with lessons learned

Purpose: Late 19th century historical costume

Pattern: Black Snail #0414 (owned)

Fabric: Purple/black 100% wool (owned)

Status: In progress: Fabric bought

Links:

4. House dress

Project title: 1949 House dress

Description: Wrap house dress from 1949, Ruler resized pattern

Purpose: Work and around the house. Easy-on clothes

Pattern: Enbonpoint Vintage #94 - Mable (owned)

Fabric: Cheap cotton or polycotton

Status: Planned

Links:

5. Pinafore dress

Project title: Julia pinafore dress

Description: Pinafore dress pattern from c.1950s, Ruler resized pattern

Purpose: Work and around the house. Easy-on clothes

Pattern: Enbonpoint Vintage #134 - Julia (owned)

Fabric: Cotton or polycotton

Status: Planned

Links:

6. Rita blouse

Project title: Rita blouse

Description: 1950s style blouse

Purpose: To go with fox skirt

Pattern: Charm Patterns - Rita (owned)

Fabric: Cotton/Polycotton

Status: In progress: Mock-up for pattern size completed, pattern pinned out but not cut

Links:

7. Bullet bra

Project title: Bullet bra

Description: 1960s bullet bra, ruler pattern

Purpose: Underwear for 1950s style clothes

Pattern: Mrs Depew #527B (owned)

Fabric: TBC

Status: Unstarted

Links:

8. 1950s Petticoat-skirt

Project title: 1950s Petticoat

Description: 1950s petticoat or skirt, ruler pattern

Purpose: Underwear for daily wear with 1950s style skirts/dresses (less floofy)

Pattern: Mrs Depew #7309 (owned)

Fabric: TBC

Status: Unstarted

Links:

Other proposed plans

Ideas and projects which may happen in addition to those above, in place of those above, or not until next year or even later!

9. Sarafan

Project title: Sarafan

Description: 19thC or folkloric sarafan, shirt, and apron

Purpose: Cosplay - Vasilisa the Wise and Baba Yaga

Pattern: Folkwear #128 - Russian Settler Dress (owned)

Fabric: Cotton

Status: Planned

Links:

10. Gambit dress

Project title: Gambit dress

Description: Pinafore dress in the style of The Gambit

Purpose: Daily wear

Pattern: Mood - Gambit (free/owned)

Fabric: TBC

Status: Planned

Links:

11. 1940s dungarees

Project title: Dungarees

Description: 1940s/Rosie the Riveter -style dungarees

Purpose: Daily wear - work and home

Pattern: Charm Patterns - Lucille (owned)

Fabric: TBC

Status: Unstarted

Links:

12. High waist shorts

Project title: Button Shorts

Description: 1930s-style button-front decorated shorts

Purpose: Summer-wear

Pattern: Charm Patterns - Ginger (owned)

Fabric: TBC

Status: Unstarted

Links:

13. Edwardian blouse

Project title: Edwardian blouse

Description: Early 1900s to 1910s blouse

Purpose: Historical costume for late 19th and early 20th century. To go with existing fan skirt(s)

Pattern: Black Snail #0816 (owned)

Fabric: Cotton lawn (owned)

Status: Mock-up for size completed

Links:

14. Wrapper dress

Project title: 1840s Wrapper

Description: Dress from 1840s-1860s for at-home wear

Purpose: Costuming and at-home

Pattern: Laughing Moon #120 (unowned)

Fabric: TBC

Status: Unstarted

Links:

15. 1890s shirtwaist

Project title: Shirtwaist

Description: Shirtwaist or shirt pattern from c1890

Purpose: Late 19thC costuming to wear with fan skirt(s)

Pattern: Black Snail #0314 (unowned)

Fabric: Cottons

Status: Unstarted

Links:

16. 1890s cape

Project title: Short cape

Description: Short cape from c1890

Purpose: Late 19thC costuming to wear as warmth with fan skirt(s)

Pattern: Truly Victorian #590 (unowned)

Fabric: Wool or similar heavy material

Status: Unstarted

Links:

17. Ten gore princess skirt

Project title: Princess skirt

Description: Corsolet waisted skirt from 1906

Purpose: Historical costuming 

Pattern: Truly Victorian #TVE23 (unowned)

Fabric: Wool

Status: Unstarted

Links:

18. 1917 skirt

Project title: 1917 Evelyn skirt

Description: Large pocketed 19-teens skirt

Purpose: Daily wear and Historical costuming 

Pattern: Wearing History - Evelyn (unowned)

Fabric: Cotton or wool

Status: Unstarted

Links:

19. Smocked aesthetic shirtwaist

Project title: Amsterdam Smokwerk blouse

Description: Pattern inspired by the turn-of-the-century Smockwork blouse/shirtwaist in Amsterdam 

Purpose: Daily wear and Historical costuming 

Pattern: Clockwork Faerie - 1890s Aesthetic shirtwaist (unowned)

Fabric: Cotton

Status: Unstarted

Links:

18. 1890s Apron

Project title: 1890s Apron

Description: An apron to go with 1890s outfit(s)

Purpose: Daily wear and Historical costuming 

Pattern: Undecided (unowned)

Fabric: Cotton

Status: Unplanned

Links:

2023 Plans - Part 1: Overview

 Welcome to 2023!

"Business plans for 2023" by Marco Verch is licensed under CC-BY-2.0.

I don't really "do" resolutions, especially not New Year Resolutions. Why? 

1. I forget the things I planned if I'm not actively doing them
2. If I want to do / start / stop a thing, then postponing it to an arbitrary date doesn't help me - I start it right away (or don't!) - building in procrastination just sets me up to continue procrastinating!
3. If put on the spot, I find I just think of things to propose, which aren't necessarily things that would help me or which I actively want to do the most, just what came to the top of my head right then

So, what I am doing instead is using today as an opportunity to write down the things I was already hoping to do this year. There is no "today is the new start" aspect to this, just an acknowledgement of y plans for the forthcoming year. These are split into sections to try to group my plans. Unlike a traditional list of resolutions, the aim of this is to try to keep my ever burgeoning list of Things I Want to Do in a somewhat manageable state, and hopefully to limit my goals to things which I can reasonably accomplish within the limits of my brain and body's capacities.

Personal and Professional Development

1. Complete at least 50% of my chartership submission
• This has been rumbling on now for almost 5 years, so this year I want to get some concrete progress on it.
2. EITHER Get my hours increased at my current post OR Seek a new post
• I am stagnating at work, which could be fixed with either more hours (more time to develop the role) or finding something altogether new.
3. Continue my Russian classes and consider taking the C1 exam either this year or register again at C1 to take it in 2024.
4. Complete another year on Duolingo. 2023 focus languages
• Russian
• Primary focus
• French
• Secondary focus
• Ukrainian
• B1/2
• Italian
• A2/B1 - revive my old Beginner's level
• Arabic
• A1/2 - Recognise the alphabet, Get basic greetings, numbers and please/thank you
• Chinese
• A1 - Recognise characters

Leisure

1. Read between 2 and 4 books a month. My Goodreads target is currently set at 24 books, or 2 per calendar month.
• Lacking commuting time, I am reading less fiction books than I want to, and my TBR is insane. 
• 2-4 books a month is one every week or so.
• No limits on length - just published separately (e.g. a Tor.com short book is the same as Lord of the Rings in this count)
2. Play PC games at least once per week

Craft

1. Sewing - no more than 1 project per month.
• Complete three basic 19th Century outfits
1. Early - 1800s-1820s
2. Mid-century - 1850s-1860s 
3. Late - 1890s-1900s
• Complete some practical outfits for general wearing
2. Do the fox painting my parents bought me for Christmas 2021
3. Practice crochet

Health

1. Weight control
• This is probably the closest thing I have to a traditional New Year's Resolution, but in this case it has a specific target and end date. 
• Target: 95kg
• Purpose: Anaesthesia for transfer
• Date: April 2023
2. Exercise
• I need to force myself to exercise more or I won't achieve my target weight.
• Ever since breaking my ankle mid-summer 2022 I've been struggling with walking, so I will be getting a month's membership to the local swimming pool for January and trying to go at least once per week. Depending on how successful that is, I will decide whether to continue to fight the work insurance people and get "proper" gym membership sorted or continue using the local pool. Swimming as my main "big exercise" should reduce the pressures on both my ankle and my existing arthritis. 
• Minimum target: 
• Walk at least 3x a week
• Static cycle at least 2x per week
• Swim 1x per week
3. Teeth
• Arrange for 3 teeth to be pulled - I have two wisdom teeth coming in a 90° angle off from the angle they SHOULD be at, and one has also crushed into the tooth alongside and is sitting half inside that tooth, and is slowly killing it.
• Dentist wants this completed before my other treatment starts again, and we don't want to delay that more than a month ideally.
• Date: Jan/Feb 2023
4. ASD & ADHD
• Consider the value of pursuing a formal ADHD diagnosis
• Evaluate whether can afford to continue counselling sessions from 2022 now that they are no longer included in my NHS coverage (12 sessions covered)