2024 Sewing Year in Review

Sewing this year was kind of all over the place. I made a lot of shirts, a few dresses, and tried to make a small capsule wardrobe. Though I'm happy with what I created, I want to think about my approach to filling my closet and be more intentional with fabric and patterns.

I made 28 wearable garments, 5 handbags (two given as gifts), and had 3 wadders. More than half of the garments made were button-front shirts (9) and pullover tops (7).

 

The Stats

 

 

 

 

My tried-and-true button-front shirt is Burda 8-2009-104. I love the fit of this pattern so much that I made it multiple times and use it as the starting point for fitting other shirt/dress patterns. I've since cut out another one and have plenty of fabric to make several more. I blogged about the pattern here.

I'll definitely keep making tops, but I also need to focus on making more pants; I've not done a proper pair of pants in a few years.

 

 

 

I purchased a lot of fabric this year. Sigh. Even still, I'm happy that I sewed more stash than non-stash. 

Favorites 

If I have to pick a favorite, it has to be the shirts I made this year. Even though I like and wear all of them, there are a couple that make me smile the most.

Burda 9-2023-125:  When I first made this pattern, I was a little disappointed because it was too long and a bit snug across the bust. But having worn it a few times, I love it. The length is perfect for layering or wearing with capri pants.

I am very happy with how the gingham version turned out. I bought extra fabric so that I could cut the collar, front band, cuffs, tower plackets, and back yoke on the bias.

Burda 8-2009-104:  Here are three of my favorite versions of this pattern.

Each version is made of stretch cotton sateen from Mood.

Honorable mentions:

Jalie 2908:  Another tried-and-true pattern. This time I used a wild denim print, also from Mood, to make this pair. Originally I was going to make a jacket, but the fabric screamed "make jeans" and I obliged.

 

Burda 7827:  This pattern was in and out of the sewing queue many times. After feeling confident in my flat-pattern measurements, I cut into the good fabric and sewed it up. I'm so glad I did because I really like the dress. I'll certainly make it again.

 

So how did I do with the 2024 sewing intentions?

• sew one handbag from each designer:  Bwahahahahaha. Not even close. I did try new designers (Noodlehead, Lavender & Twine, Maggy55), but missed several others. There are so many bags that I want to sew, indecision stalls the progress.
  
• Make Nine 2024:  Only completed 3 of 9. I am switching this up for 2025.
• clean out my closet:  This was a partial success. I cleaned out my closet and parted ways with some garments. Others are in a bin to be revisited later.
  
• rethink personal style:  This is an ongoing intention. I'm drawn to new styles and fabrics and want to continue updating my wardrobe.
• reduce fabric & pattern buying:  Oof. This was a major fail.
  
• commit to completing the Whole30 fabric challenge more frequently:  I don't even think I tried once this year. Oops.

2025 Sewing Intentions

• Make Nine 2025:  Instead of focusing on specific patterns, I will work on types of garments with the intention of completing a coordinated capsule.
• reduce fabric buying and stash:  I recently bought a new car and the added expense has to come from somewhere, so no more buying for a while. I also watched a documentary on Netflix (Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy) and it put into focus something of which I'd been aware a long time. I have a lot of fabric and I need to use it. Plain and simple. What I don't use can be donated.

That's it for the intentions. I'm keeping the list short to allow flexibility and room for growth.

I hope to continue sharing my sewing ramblings on my little slice of the internet. Thank you all for taking time to read and comment. I wish you all a happy new year.

 

L

Make Nine 2024 Results

It's that time of year again to summarize sewing feats for the year. First up are the results of my Make Nine 2024 challenge.

 

Ah well. I didn't complete as much as I had intended. I started the wrapped top, Burda 8-2022-109, however I got bored with the fabric and stowed it in Area 51. Though it is unlikely that I will finish this version, I do intend to revisit the pattern in a different fabric.

 

McCall's 8367 (cargo pants)

 

I really like this pattern and the pants I made. I wore them quite often over the summer and like how they fit. They're good for errands and doing general day-stuff. The waist is a wee bit snug, but that can be fixed by restitching the end seams on the elastic.

 

Maggy55 Ciara (handbag)

 

This was a challenging bag to sew, but I'm glad I pushed through and finished it. It's super cute and has a lot of room. I'll probably make another one in a solid color. I blogged about it here. 

 

Burda 8-2009-103 (tie-neck blouse)

Originally, I intended to make Vogue 1973 (bel0w), however I had some trouble getting the right fit and abandoned the pattern for my TNT.

What drew me to the Vogue pattern is the concealed button placket and tie-neckline. My version doesn't have the concealed placket, but I think I can adjust the pattern to include it. I'll give it another go for sure.

 

***

 

I like doing the Make Nine challenge and intend to keep going. I am going to do something different for 2025 as I found myself losing interest early on with the patterns in the original plan. Instead of selecting specific patterns to sew, I am going to do what others have done and make a grid of intended garments to sew. More details on that in the next post.

Wherever you are on Earth, I wish you peace and joy in the coming new year.

L