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?

It's hard to believe that it has been a year since I started sewing more regularly and documenting my journey here on the blog. Over the course of this year I've learned a lot about the kinds of garments I like to wear; style, color, fabric type and weight. I hit my stride about mid-year and started making garments I have truly incorporated into my wardrobe. My favorite makes of the year, pictured above, were all made in May or later and none of them were part of my original plan.



In total I've made 20 garments this year, almost doubling the number of garments I've ever made. Of these garments I wear approximately 11 of them, including two formal dresses. The five pieces I've worn most are a vintage Simplicity wrap dress S7705, a McCalls trumpet sleeve blouse M7542, a Hey June Handmade Halifax Hoodie, a Grainline Studio Lark Tee, and a Chalk and Notch Fringe Dress pictured above.

Most of the garments I don't wear were really only intended to be "wearable toiles." I'm glad I took the time to make these mock-ups before cutting into more expensive fashion fabric. However, the problem I found with making toiles was that I rarely actually made a second garment with the changes I planned to make the next garment fit me better.

I plan to be much more intentional with my 2019 makes. I'll use neutral, earth tones as well as floral prints and tailored styles. And I'm going to do a better job of making the final garment post-toile. I'll share more about my inspiration and 2019 sewing plans soon!

My mother taught me how to sew, and her mother taught her. We have a rich family history of sewing and I couldn't be more thankful for the mentor-ship of my mom and her sister Karen.

This year I had the opportunity to tackle a sewing project with the help of both my mom and Aunt Karen and captured some of their advice along the way. I wanted to share their nuggets of gold with you; I hope you find them as helpful as I do!


Tips from Aunt Karen included, "before you cut anything out, treat your fabric like you would the garment. Every fabric, every time." This tip allows a sewer to avoid shrinking of finished garments, dye bleeding, and other potential fabric laundering issues. She also suggested it was best to adhere interfacing to the inside (toward your skin) when possible in case it wrinkles. For example, she would suggest that I adhere fusible interfacing to the interior collar stand instead of the exterior panel of a collared shirt.


My mom, quoting her mother, told me the best way to decide on button placement is to always start with a button in the place with the greatest pull (across the bust or hips) and to place the rest of your buttons evenly from there. What an amazing tip! She also taught me that to set my stitches and make a crisp seam I could spray water (from a separate spray bottle) to steam my garment without burning my fingers.


I've learned a lot about sewing this year, spending intentional time watching, reading, and practicing my craft. With advice like that of my mom and Aunt Karen I can create better garments than I could purchase. I'm so incredibly thankful for the advice of my mom and Aunt Karen any time I have difficulty interpreting a pattern or deciding on an appropriate fabric. Now to enact their advice on my next project!

What tips have you learned from your sewing mentors?

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

I've had my eye on Chalk & Notch's Fringe dress pattern for a while now and was finally inspired to make my own autumn version when I saw this burgandy Amalfi Rifle Paper Co. rayon at my local fabric store.

I've had a crush on Rifle Paper Co. fabric for a while now, and have a sizable hoard, but have been too afraid to cut into any of my stash. Until now. And I'm so glad I did!


I purchased my Fringe dress pattern a few weeks in advance and had it printed using pdfplotting.com. This was my first time printing indie patterns through an online .pdf printer and I was surprised at how easy and inexpensive they were to print. If I can plan far enough in advance I will certainly be doing this for the rest of my indie patterns.

I was very thoughtful about how I cut out my pattern pieces, aligning floral motifs across top and bottom pieces. I used my rotary cutter and mat to cut out the fabric pieces for the first time and was fairly happy with how that worked, although I should probably get a smaller rotary cutter if I plan to cut more patterns this way in the future. I made a mistake at this point and accidentally cut out the material for the darts. Thankfully this dress isn't extremely fitted and I was able to take slightly thinner seams and still make it work.

I had difficulty turning the ties and ended up simply ironing and top stitching them. I also sewed the ties into the side seams instead of the darts, as a stylistic preference. Although I thought I was being careful I caught about 1/2" of the right tie in the back waistline seam. I decided not to pick out that seam and re-sew it since I am likely to only tie the ties in the back of the dress and I had already serged the seam when I discovered my mistake.


I really like how this pattern dealt with the insertion of pockets. This pattern called for fusible stabilizer at the opening of the pockets, which I'm sure will make a big difference in how well the dress wears over time. Once the pockets were completed I tacked them toward the front. I plan to add stabilizer to all of my pocket openings in the future as well as tack them in place.

I love sewing with wovens and this rayon was a dream to work with. I especially like how this fabric ironed so well, allowing me to get a crisp neckline facing and curved hem. I will certainly be using more of my Rifle Paper Co. stash in the near future and hope to make the Fringe dress again too.






Time estimated: 12 hours
Size: 4
Material used: 100% rayon
Care instructions: machine wash warm or cold, tumble dry low, iron low in needed

Cost to make t-shirt:
pattern - $14.00
.pdf printing - $4.00
fabric - $41.25
*used existing thread and interfacing
TOTAL: $59.25

In September I took my first sewing class at a local fabric shop, The French Seam. Over the course of two, three hour long sessions each participant made their own Lark Tee. I was excited for the opportunity to learn a few additional tips and tricks about sewing with knits and was glad I took the class.


I decided to make the v-neck version with long sleeves, which seemed fitting for the autumnal themed fabric I selected, Floral Glow in Twilit by Art Gallery Fabrics. Thankfully sewing with a group of other women allowed us the opportunity to tissue fit our pattern pieces before cutting our fashion fabric. I traced my pattern pieces onto medical exam paper and cut out a size six.


Right off the bat our instructor Deb suggested something radical, sewing knits with a universal needle and a straight stitch. Deb and I agree that a straight stitch looks more professional, so I was game to try it! According to Deb's experience a longer straight stitch is more elastic than smaller, packed stitches. The heavier the fabric, the longer the stitches. I used a medium weight knit with a 3.0 stitch length. It is also important not to use too high of a speed while sewing the garment.


Since this fabric has a fairly obvious directional print, but the pattern pieces didn't have notches on the sides, Deb suggested that I trace the motif on my pattern to get good alignment when cutting out my fabric. This tip worked well and I will definitely be using it again in the future!


Before doing anything else I marked the stitch line of the v-neck and added a line of stay stitching just inside the stitch line. This is only the second v-neck t-shirt I've made, so I was glad to have Deb's assistance. It turned out better than my first one, but I hope to get it more crisp in the future. Thankfully the pattern of the fabric helps to camouflage this slightly less than crisp neckline.


I used stay tape in the shoulder seams and in the bottom hem. I stitched 1" knit stay tape, glue side up, to the bottom of the shirt. Then I turned the hem up, ironed it in place, and topstitched it. A few additional things I learned from Deb about ironing are to not wiggle my iron while ironing as it could stretch and misshape the garment and create wrinkles somewhere else. I also had the opportunity to use a wood clapper to set my seams after ironing.






I really like the Lark Tee and will definitely make this pattern again. Next time I make it I plan to grade the pattern to a size four at the waist for a slightly more fitted t-shirt. I can see a closet full of Lark Tees in my future!

Time estimate: 6 hours
Size: 6, long sleeve v-neck
Material used: 95% cotton, 5% spandex
Care instructions: machine wash cold, tumble dry low

Cost to make:
class - $65
pattern - $18
fabric - $25, 1.5 yards
thread - $2
TOTAL: $110 plus tax