I chose my "2018 Make Nine" with a few garments I wanted to add to my closet and a lot of skills I wanted to add to my sewing repertoire. My goals for the year including learning how to sew a collar stand, fit a jacket, and "master" knits. I'm still working on that last part...


I made most of my 2018 Make Nine, but didn't end up finishing all of my original selections. Some of my makes were actually toiles that I would like to make again next year now that I know how to fit them better. I will also be more intentional about selecting better fabrics. I plan to make another Sewaholic Granville button-up shirt in a gray gingham from Rifle Paper Co. and a few more varieties of the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet. In 2019 I hope to finish my current Make Nine goals and make a wrap sweater, blazer, and underwear as well since these are items I definitely want to add to my wardrobe.



My 2019 Make Nine goals, pictured above, will fit into my wardrobe really well and transition from work to evening and weekend events. I've picked Simplicity 1801 designed by Cynthia Rowley, Named Clothing's Sointu Kimono Tee, Patterns for Pirates' Wiggle Dress, Colette Patterns' Moneta Dress, Closet Case Patterns' Sasha Trousers, Grainline Studio's Morris Blazer, True Bias Patterns' Ogden Cami, Closet Case Patterns' Charlie Caftan, and Sew Over It's Pussy Bow Blouse. New skills I would like to learn include bias binding and the Hong Kong finish. I think I'll need a purchase a bias tape maker with some of my Christmas cash! I may also try to join a few Sew My Style monthly challenges, depending on the pattern selected.

However, I want to be sure to leave enough time to make a few garments I haven't thought of yet, so I don't want to over commit! What are your sewing plans for this upcoming year? Do you plan to review fabric or test patterns?

I am so fortunate to come from a long line of seamstresses. When I decided to be more intentional about developing my sewing skills this year I new one of the things I wanted to learn was how to sew a button up shirt. In addition to learning how to sew a button stand, collar and collar stand, and placket, a button up shirt is something I wear to work often and would be a great addition to my me-made wardrobe.

After spending a small amount of time searching the sewing community's social media I learned about Sewaholic's Granville shirt pattern, which always came with rave reviews, so I added it to my 2018 Make Nine goals. However, I wasn't confident enough to begin this project on my own so I coordinated a weekend sewing extravaganza with my mom and her sister, my Aunt Karen. These two women are my sewing gurus and I learned a lot from them while making this wearable muslin.


After laying out all of my pattern pieces I realized that I didn't have enough material to make a long sleeved sample so instead I settled for a short sleeved version and will probably still need to practice a placket before I make a final version. In fact, I had so little fabric my mom had to dig up a contrasting from her stash for the collar stand, which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of this shirt!


After reading the pattern back and having a brief tissue fitting with my mom I decided to cut out a size two, carefully folding pattern pieces in case that wasn't my final and correct size. The pattern and instructions were fairly easy to understand and I loved the option of a current style and fit in the traditional format of a tissue pattern with printed paper instructions. However, my one major difficulty with this pattern was the length of the collar stand piece. Between the three of us we just couldn't figure out why it seemed so long, even after pulling out a button up shirt Grandma had made years ago to compare and searching other maker blogs. Eventually I decided to cut off 5/8" from one end of the collar stand, since I was working on a muslin, and the assembly went much smoother from there.


My mom and Aunt Karen were taught to attach the collar to the collar stand before attaching the collar stand to the shirt. I decided to stick with the pattern instructions for my first time using this pattern and attached the collar stand to the shirt, topstitching a portion of the collar in place. I think the method I used from Sewaholic's pattern could make a weak pivot point in the collar and will likely try Mom and Aunt Karen's method next time I make this pattern. One additional tip I learned from Aunt Karen was to put the interfacing inside or on the bottom when possible in case it were to bubble.


As I said above, I ended up making a size two, which fit well throughout the waist and hips, but was far too tight in the shoulders and arms. When I make this pattern again I will make a size four and grade down to a size two for the waist and hips.


I was so glad to have the lightweight red and white button up made in time for Independence Day and wore it a lot that whole week!

In addition to the fabulous family time sewing this shirt I was blessed to have my sister photographing its assembly as well as the final product. Pictured below, my modeling my new make over family vacation in Cincinnati.




Stay tuned for my long sleeved gingham version this fall!

Time estimate: 20 hours
Size: 2
Material used: assumed printed cotton blend, gifted from family friend
Care instructions: machine wash cold, tumble dry low

Cost to make shirt:
pattern - $25
fabric - gifted
buttons and thread from my stash
TOTAL: $25

Photography by K.Willerick Photography. Go check out her site!

After I got the pattern pieces all cut out and partially assembled I realized that the pattern I read at the store was for a woven, but the pattern I had at home was for a knit! I mean, the brand is Stretch & Sew for heaven's sake! The instructions I was working from called for an elastic waistband and I had a zipper in-hand. Thankfully I was familiar enough with invisible zippers that I was able to insert a side zip with only a little extra effort.


I am really happy with the final product, although I'm not sold on the midi length and will absolutely use a knit with this pattern next time! The chambray I used is adorable, but wrinkles easily was difficult to pattern match. Now I need a drink!

I am so excited to share my Blackwood cardigan from Helen's Closet with you. It was my first home run of the sewing season and will be perfect for the spring weather headed our way. I can't wait to make another version or two!

I purchased white, double sided brushed dty jersey from Mood to make this cardigan and love how soft it is. This was the first indie pattern I've purchased and the also the first .pdf pattern I've assembled. One of the benefits of using a .pdf pattern was the ability to turn off other sizes and print only my desired size. I can't seem to make myself cut down tissue paper patterns to my size so this was fun to try. On the other hand I didn't love having to print out, piece together, and tape the .pdf pattern. It took a fair amount of extra time not to mention additional overhead. And I'm still working on how to best store my .pdf patterns once they have been assembled.



I cut out this cardigan in an extra small with the desire to assemble the whole garment with only my serger. Since the material was cut so small I wanted to be careful not to take off too much additional material with my serger blade. I probably should have taken the time to remove the blade since I wasn't entirely finishing each seam and ended up having to use a small zig zag stitch inside of my serged edges to completely finish each seam.



Although this version is fairly small I envision wearing it to the office in the summer, mostly over cute sleeveless blouses, so the size shouldn't be a big issue. I love this modern style and found the pattern quick and easy to assemble. When I do make it again I will size up to allow for additional layers.

Time estimated: 4 hours
Size: extra small
Material used: jersey knit, polyester spandex blend
Care instructions: machine wash warm or cold, tumble dry low, iron low in needed

Cost to make t-shirt:
pattern - $14.00
fabric - $9.00
*used existing thread
TOTAL: $23.00

I have been looking for a basic brown, long sleeve t-shirt for far too long. After dozens of unsuccessful trips to a handful of retail locations I finally decided to take on my fear of knits and just make one! In fact, this was one of my early 2018 Make Nine selections.


I had some difficulty selecting a pattern and finally found this one. It is a bit more of a relaxed fit than I usually prefer but I decided it was worth a try. I grabbed this pattern and a warm, chocolate brown knit at my local JoAnn Fabrics and was ready to get to work.


I adjusted the pattern by removing two inches in length from both the sleeves and the body of the shirt. Very early on in the assembly of this t-shirt I ran into a problem. The pattern instructed me to turn the neckband under and top stitch it in place, hand whipping the v together and leaving six thicknesses of material inside to act as a makeshift facing. This seemed far too heavy for a simple, casual t-shirt so I struggled through a few different options before I was able to achieve this traditional t-shirt look.



If I had this neckband to do over again I wouldn't have clipped the seams as you can see in the picture above (an early instruction from the pattern) since that made top stitching the neckband in place more difficult. I sewed the side seams and armscye with a knit needle in a small zig zag. I also top stitched the hem of the shirt and sleeves with the double needle I originally purchased for the leggings I made last month.





I am happy to be adding a basic brown t-shirt to my wardrobe, but would not likely choose to use this pattern again in the near future. Do you have a favorite t-shirt pattern?

Time estimate: 6 hours
Size: 10
Material used: knit, cotton polyester blend
Care instructions: machine wash cold, gentle cycle; lay flat to dry

Cost to make t-shirt:
pattern - $7.00
material - $12.50
*used existing thread and iron-on stabilizer
TOTAL: $19.50

The prospect of starting a sewing blog can seem a little daunting at times, which is why I was excited to learn about the #2018MakeNine "gentle challenge for makers." Being intentional about nine items I would like to make this year seems like a very achievable goal while also leaving room for a few spontaneous projects.

Already in January I have made a fitted knit dress and leggings, both of which were on my list.


The additional pieces I want to make are all things I've been looking for in stores and haven't been able to find the right size, fit, or color. Time to warm up my sewing machine!

I'm looking at this pattern as an option for a brown long sleeve t-shirt, but would welcome any tips on patterns that may be a bit more fitted.

I may not need a pattern, but I would like to add a black A-Line skirt and fun printed maxi skirt to my wardrobe this summer. These basics would help me mix and match many more outfits.


Lastly, I'd like to try making underwear. This free pattern looks like a great option.

I have been sewing apparel since I was eight years old, one new outfit a year for my annual 4-H project. I LOVED the trips to the fabric store, pouring over the patterns and gorgeous materials. I was always allowed to choose what I wanted to make and the fabric I wanted to use, but aside from sewing one swimming suit I rarely worked with knits.

I love to wear knits. They are soft, comfortable, and easy to care for, so I decided to try my hand at a simple project while I practiced sewing with knits.


I chose this Simplicity leggings pattern, with four individual panels, because I thought it would offer a better fit than the leggings I have purchased RTW. I used a ball point/knit needle on my machine and worked to get the tension correct, sewing the side seams with a small zigzag stitch. Then, I used a twin needle for the first time to hem the leggings and sew the waistband down.


I found it a bit difficult to sew the hem and waistband from the top and need to continue to work on the tension of my seams, but all-in-all I am extremely happy with the twin needle and am not sure why I was scared to try it for so many years!



I made a size small and found this pattern fits a little large. I would size down for a more modern fit if I made these leggings again.




Time estimate: cut and sewn in approximately two hours
Size: small
Material used: knit print, rayon and spandex blend
Care instructions: machine wash cold, line dry

Cost to make leggings:
twin needle - $3.50
pattern - $10.00
material - $13.50
elastic - $1.00
*used existing thread
TOTAL: $28.00 + tax