2017 Recap + 2018 Plans

I had a really ambitious project list for 2017, and I didn't get even half of it done. As usual, my eyes were bigger than my wallet and calendar. But what I did manage to get done, I'm actually really happy with.

Mall disguise Cap and Nat (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) got another outing at Long Beach Comic Expo in February.

Both were already finished costumes, but Cap had some notable upgrades: finished shoes (same I usually wear, but repainted to look more accurate), new wig, new shield, and getting to wear my real glasses with new semi-accurate frames instead of fake ones.

Thomas and Lucille Sharpe's murder nightgown party costumes (Crimson Peak) were finished in March for WonderCon.

I don't put much stock in my sewing/costuming skills, but Lucille's nightgown and robe and everything that went into them made me appreciate that I do actually have some skill.

Wayne and Garth (Wayne's World) also made a WonderCon appearance. They're old costumes and very simple despite being crowd-pleasers, but it was significant because (like with mall!Cap) I used a new wig and got to wear my real glasses. (No photos of the upgrades though, because whoops.)

I made a quick and dirty circle skirt to go with my Her Universe cardigan and did a vintage Disneybound Imperial officer for spring Dapper Day in April. Fabric stash and closet cosplay save the day again.

Jack Sparrow and generic pirate!Norrington were done-ish (wearable) for Pirate Invasion in July.

They're really only a start, but a solid start that worked well. I pretty much want to do nothing but sew 18th century shirts now.

We got Beetlejuice, Lydia, and ghost!Thomas done for Labyrinth Masquerade in August.

Lydia was a fantastically fun, easy, cheap project, which was a nice change of pace despite still being another project with a tight and specific deadline. Beetlejuice and Thomas were more exercises in creativity, and made me appreciate my skills again like Lucille had.  (The photo of Beetlejuice and Lydia is from Halloween; we didn't end up with any photos from Labyrinth.)

And I (finally!) started some spoopy Halloween skirts, and planned a space-themed skirt for extra credit in my astronomy class (which I didn't finish in time, but I'll definitely still get to some day).

Not bad all told. I always feel like I don't accomplish much in a given year, probably because the things I don't finish outnumber the things I do, so recaps are wonderfully helpful to remember just how much got done.

And looking ahead...

I've already proclaimed 2018 the year of the UFOs (unfinished objects, that is). I always get frustrated with myself for being really ambitious, starting big projects, and then running out of time and energy. The deadline passes, I get depressed and lose interest, the projects sit there, and I start new ones instead of finishing the old (new is more exciting because it doesn't have the stigma of failure already attached). 2018 is going to be the time to break that cycle, even if only temporarily, and clean out the materials stash.

New projects from 2017 that didn't get finished are at the top of the list. Vintage Disneybound Hades and Maleficent didn't pan out for spring or fall Dapper Day, but the design work is almost done and we have all of the materials. We're also comparatively close to done with our Reserve TIE pilots: we have most of the pieces, and the few we don't are at least sourced. We found a solution to the hold-up on our belts, and the jumpsuit mods should be easy.

Next come older projects that were never finished or need overhauls, starting with Hocus Pocus. Sarah and Mary Sanderson were wearable for Mickey's Not-so-Scary Halloween Party at Disneyland a few years ago, but Sarah was in a really sad, slapdash state and Mary needed some improvements. I've since lost interest in finishing Sarah for myself right now, so if I don't force myself to finish that on principal I'll make a Winnie instead, and Mary will get properly finished. Alternately, we're tossing around the idea of doing Winnie and Billy like we'd initially wanted. (And no, starting two new costumes is hardly finishing UFOs, but in this case I look at Hocus Pocus itself as the project more so than the specific costumes, so whatever finishes the project in an enjoyable way is ideal.)

Less complete but still definitely in need of finishing are our Haunted Mansion costumes. They were the plan for Halloween at Disneyland the first year we went, but they ended up being more complex and time-consuming than I thought, and Real Life cut in.  The tightrope walker needs a complete do-over, and the dynamite guy is about half done with some changes to make.

There are a few somewhat in-progress but very laid-back found-item costumes that could get finished, if only because it would be easy to so why not. Sharon and Nat's Berlin costumes (Captain America: Civil War) are both very close to done: we need a new jacket for Nat, and dyeing Sharon's vest is optional, but otherwise both are complete. The Tramp and the Kid (The Kid) are good contenders too: Kid is done except for suspenders, and we've started sourcing Tramp's pieces.

I'm also set on finishing as much of King George as possible. I really want to wear the whole costume for Costume College and Labyrinth Masquerade, but I also don't want to push myself to finish too much too fast (that's how UFOs spawn). So at the very least I want to finish the accessories - crown, collar, scepter, cape, shoes, wig. I've already decided I can wear those with a red union suit and make the unfinished costume a bit of a gag.

For costumes already on a list somewhere but not technically started yet, we have French Revolution Zombaes, Gibson Gothic, and Lost Hope ballgowns. They'd be good options for Labyrinth Masquerade, and the historical bases sans creep factor would be good for the historical costuming world we're dipping our toes in. Any of those would be good for the big project of the year.

A few finished costumes also need repairs or upgrades: Lucille's robe needs to be repainted and her nightgown needs a paint alternative to the fake blood (way too messy), Thomas's black vest needs to be remade, Beetlejuice might get a skirt alternative.

Brand new projects will (hopefully) be few and far between. But we'll see. We're planning to go to the Great LA Air Raid next month, so depending on what I can dig out of the closet or find ready-made, that might require a few new pieces.

So here's the tentative tally for 2018:

• Vintage Disneybound Hades and Maleficent (Hercules and Sleeping Beauty)
• Reserve TIE Pilots (Star Wars)
• Sarah and Mary Sanderson, or Winnie Sanderson and Billy Butcherson (Hocus Pocus)
• Tightrope Walker and Dynamite Guy (Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride)
• Sharon and Nat in Berlin (Captain America: Civil War)
• The Tramp and the Kid (The Kid)
• King George accessories (Hamilton: An American Musical)
• French Revolution Zombaes or Gibson Gothic (historical/original), or Lost Hope Ball (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell)
• 1940s something or other (historical/original)