Garment Grab Bag: Simplicity 4020

Sometimes indecision on what to sew stalls my progress. There are so many things I want to make, but I find it hard to settle on one item. So I am trying something new this year. I made a "garment grab bag" of a bunch of patterns that are on my very long "to-sew" list.

There is nothing high-tech of fancy going on here. It's a simple paper bag with folded slips of paper.

I will try to stick to whatever garment that gets selected, though I won't be too rigid. If I am truly not feeling like making that garment, I'll pick something else. Sewing brings me joy and the moment it turns into a chore, I lose motivation.

 

The first garment I selected was Simplicity 4020 - a pullover top that has been in and out of the queue for years. I don't know why I kept putting it off.

 

I made view A (red) in a green polyester-lycra sweater knit from the stash. I wanted to make view B (blue), but I didn't have enough fabric for both the collar and long cuffs.

 

I cut a straight size 16 and sewed it as is. I've yet to try it on, though I do intend to wear it to work tomorrow. It seems a little short, so we'll see how that goes. Hah!

 

The top is paired with my latest skirt:  Burda 1-2008-109.

 

 

This is another pattern that has long been in the sewing rotation.  I cut a straight size 44 and used 1.5 yards of stretch denim. I forgot to add the belt loops before putting on the waistband and my fly front is sewn opposite than what's shown in the line drawing.

 

The front angled seams also serve as integrated pockets which is a neat design. It makes the skirt puff out a bit in the front, but I don't mind it much. 

 

There was one part of the instructions that just did not make ANY sense despite my best attempt at trying to understand. After thinking about it for a couple of days, I gave up and skipped that part. Maybe those instructions are there to help control the poofiness? I have no idea. Everything seemed to piece together without them and the skirt fits fine. I doubt I'll sew this pattern again, so those instructions will remain a mystery.

***

I selected another garment from the grab bag; this time, I pulled floral trench coat. I seriously debated selecting something else because (a) this will be a very long project and (b) I'm in the lower arctic and a lightweight trench coat is not on my radar right now. Then again, I thought why not get started on spring wear now. Yes, it's minus degrees Fahrenheit and there's a crapton of snow and it's windy so the temperature feels even worse. But spring is a couple of months away and I want to be ready.

I want to blog the process of making the coat. If I can remember to take pictures of the progress along the way, I'll share them here.

 

L

2025 Make Nine

I've done the Make Nine challenge since 2019. Each time, I created a grid of specific patterns to sew or fabrics to use from the stash. I was most successful with the challenge in 2022 where I completed 8 of the 9 items. Unfortunately, the last two years haven't yielded the same results as I got bored with the patterns early on and never updated the plan.

This year, I've decided to do something different. Rather than select specific patterns, I'm going to do what I've seen others do and focus on types of garments. This gives me even more flexibility to change my mind when something isn't going well whilst still sticking to the original plan.

 

 

To make the plan more challenging (and hopefully more fun), I will try to make all of the pieces coordinate - with the exception of lounge wear. In the past, I'd make pieces for the challenge and then have this random garment that doesn't really go with anything else. I want to at least get some cohesion among the things I make, though I am not aiming to make this a formal wardrobe plan. 

 

I have several patterns in mind for each item in the grid and will go with what works and what I feel like doing at the time. 

 

Because I can oftentimes be indecisive about what to sew next, I wrote the numbers of all of the patterns I want to sew on slips of paper and placed them in a bag. Whatever I select is what I'll work on next. If I lose interest, it's no big deal. I'll just select something else. If some other garment that's not in the bag grabs my attention, then I'll work on it too.

So that's my intention for 2025 Make Nine. Are you doing the challenge this year? If so, what are your plans?

L