2019 in review, part 1: Plans and reality < with my hands

A lot of what I ended up sewing would have surprised me if I had known about it at the beginning of 2019. Of my Make 9 challenge, I ended up making 4. However, I have only posted 2 of them. A bikini and a pair of shoes. I am still planning to post the Nicola dress I finished just yesterday and I may also show the pair of trousers than were perhaps less successful a project.

What I made in 2019

I made my first bikini! Or actually two as I made my daughter a set, too. It wasn’t difficult and I will be probably making more when the need arises.

My shoemaking projects grew from the first tentative pairs into making real shoes.

I will continue my shoemaking next spring. Unfortunately, due to the harmful vapours from the glue and the lack of space, my shoemaking endeavours are restricted for the warm months.

What I didn’t make

The Named summer top was left out since the summer was too cold for it. The pyjama project was left for the future, as I had so many other projects that interested me more than revisiting this pattern.

I spent a lot of time making trouser toiles and even made a legform. Finally, I think that, for my body shape, the best way is to draft my own pattern for trousers rather than buy one.

I am still planning to make a strapless bra someday. I have thought about this and I think that no ready pattern will work for me. Therefore, I need to hack one of the basic bra patterns I use regularly.

The Orageuse top is still something I want to make. However, as I have made many similar types of tops using historical pattern drafting systems, this pattern has been left hanging.

What I didn’t plan

I surely didn’t know that I would make so many historical projects. Many of those projects lead to other projects as I wanted to construct a whole outfit. Never in my life have I spend so much time sewing by hand but I love it! Working slowly constructing intricate details is very rewarding. Yes, I can work very fast if needed but sewing is much more enjoyable when I can just concentrate on every stitch I make by hand.

Now I have started to make plans for the year 2020. My new Sewists’ planner helps in it and you can get your own here.