Historical Sew Monthly – 2023

Jupe Courtisane skirt pattern

It’s been many years since I started participating in the Historical Sew Monthly projects, and as years have gone on, I’ve been able to participate less and less. For 2022, I only completed ONE of the twelve suggested themes, though given my mood, budget, Covid, and lack of participation in my local reenactment group (largely due to Covid, amoung other factors) I wasn’t really surprised to do so little towards the challenges.

However, each year I DO find the themes inspiring, so once again I’m making my “wish list” post, for the challenges for 2023.

October 2022 trip to Marshall’s Fabrics in Edmonton

Trim at Marshall’s in Edmonton, October 2022

I was up in Edmonton (well, Nisku) in October for a conference and thanks to some very generous folks who drove me up – and were willing to take a 20 minute detour – I was able to pop into Marshall’s after a LONG time since I was there last.

The last time I was up there was in the spring, but since I’d be walking around by myself afterwards, I only got a little bit of elastic when I was there, and not the meters of fabric I was tempted to get… prior to that I hadn’t been there since pre-covid I think.

I find it fun (ish) to look back at my “shopping” posts when I actually USE the fabric I bought (to see how long I stored it… LOL) so I figured I’d do a quick shopping post this time around too.

Grandmother’s sale haul 2022

2022 Grandmother’s Fabric Sale Shopping Haul

The 2020 Ujamaa Grandma’s Fabric & Yarn sale was cancelled due to Covid, and while there was a 2021 version, I didn’t hear about it, and didn’t go. (Apparently it was quite small.) However, this year my housemate did a bunch of clearing out of her fabric and we both went through a bunch of our craft supplies and dropped off a bunch of donations a few days before the sale, which ran April 29-May 1.

TARDIS painting apron

TARDIS apron – a gift for my mum

All the way back in September 2016 I posted about some TARDIS-print fabric I’d picked up to make something for my mum. Well…. it sat folded up for a while. Then it got cut out. Then it got partially sewn up.

Finally… in the first few weeks of 2022, I finally FINISHED it.

Wow, that’s a journey.

I only got a small amount of this fabric, because it was really expensive for fabric from Marshall’s… (probably because it’s a licensed print…) though I’ve been back a few times since and they haven’t had it anymore, so I guess it sold well!  I think I might have originally been planning on making a tote bag for her art supplies – but then she made one of her own, so that plan was scrapped.

So apparently I can sew shoes…

Finished heels with a lengthened strap

Hopefully that title didn’t make you think I’d made a pair of Viking shoes (totally on my wish-list). No, instead I spent part of my birthday (after needing to take time off work because of a confirmed Covid exposure and waiting for a PCR test..) hitting my UFO pile, including FOUR pairs of shoes I wanted to try to alter.

If you follow me on Instagram, you already got a sneak-peek of this project, but now that I’m done and photographs have been taken, I can share the project!