Utena Cosplay: the Janet Jacket from Style Arc

 Have I not been using this blog as I intended? Shut up.

Anyway, it's April and my wedding is in less than 7 weeks, so it's time to get going on my costume. I purchased the Janet Jacket from Style Arc since it has the style lines I want AND comes in plus sizes AND was downloadable.

My relevant measurements as of today, in my corset, are:
Shoulders 21"
Bust 52" ish (need to fit with a bra on but it'll need fitting regardless)
Waist 42" but can probably corset down to 40" easily on the day
Seated hip 55"
Upper arm 19"

My fabric has a tiny bit of stretch so I can cut it with a bit less ease than I would normally, and get a great fitted silhouette that's also comfortable. I think I will want wearing ease of about half an inch through the bust and waist, and like an inch in the sleeves, and the hip will be open. Based on my measurements I think I should start with a size 26, and I'll have to take the waist in significantly, and extend the shoulders and sleeves. I will also need to extend the center fronts to be straight and overlap for buttons.

I will also NOT be lining this, so I don't need pieces 8-12.

Sweater organization!

 I recently added a few more drawers to my wardrobe, and I think I've got a good amount of space to grow into with my handknits now. This may change as I add more pieces, but here's a quick tour for my own reference and inspiration for others if you like:

January wrapup, February plans

 It's been a month since I made plans, and in the grand tradition of Me, I haven't done what I planned. Well, not completely. I did mock up and fit the Arayti cape:

Purple Velour Dress

 I got into my sewing room on Thursday and had big cleaning energy! I'm really itching to sew charm squares together, but my plan is to piece pretty much exactly to a layout of the bomber pattern pieces (extremely minimal waste) which I haven't printed, so I'm going to exercise restraint and not do that.

The project that was on my table is the purple velour dress that I started back in.... October? I'm going to a birthday party on Saturday evening and it's very much a sweatshirt and jeans kind of party but I would love to wear this and feel a little fancy.

Meriam Pants and the Linen Jumpsuit - planning

 I'm so excited about this project you guys, SO MUCH EXCITE. It's got a bunch of steps and will result in several useful items: understanding of the Meriam Trousers expanding waistband, a decent crotch block, a pair of linen/rayon pants with said expanding waistband, and my linen jumpsuit. If it works out, I'll also have learned to use "my" serger (technically on long-term loan from Leah

I'm working backwards on this, kinda - the first thing I did was design the jumpsuit.

Other Craft WIPs and Plans - 2023

 Ah, "other" ... the great category that is forever overused. For me, this is the things that I pick up now and again, and then set down for a loooong time. Cross stitch, spinning, weaving, drawing, dyeing, sashiko, diamond painting, etc.

Knitting WIPs and Plans - First Quarter

 So I've got a lot of things on the needles right now. They're all listed on Ravelry, but I want to put them here in priority order as well. I think it probably only works for me to have 3-4 active WIPs at once and it's nice if the weights vary, but not critical. 

Sewing Plans - First Quarter

 The first half of my year is going to have two events that I really want to sew for, and in August there's a third. On top of that, I've got three projects in progress (not counting the skirt that only needs a button) and two that I'm sort of socially committed to doing. I'd like to finish one of the in-progress projects before jumping into more. The second one is cut, but I'm uncertain if the size I chose is right for me now. If not, it'll go into hibernation until things change. There's also a practical item that I've been meaning to whip up for quite a while and really want to be able to use sooner than later.

Looking forward