Wrap Up for Make Nine 2022 & Make Nine for 2023!
Hello hello!
It’s the 1st of January so you know what time it is - time to do an update on last year’s Make Nine list and give you my new plans for the year! I love writing these posts, and I honestly can’t belive this is the third one I’m writing. It’s such a nice opportunity for reflecting on my projects from the past year and see how my skills have developed over the course of 12 months.
2022 was a big year for me - I spent the first half of it working on finishing my Master’s degree where I got to interview so many of my dearest sewing friends and spent an incredibly hectic 25 days writing an entire thesis :’) I finally graduated in early July, and the freedom I felt from finally finishing this degree after 4 (!!!) years was just unbelievable. It also meant I could finally take a moment to seriously consider what I want to do with the rest of my life, and I solidified some pretty big life decisions. I’ve been dreaming of starting a small pattern company for the past couple of years, and I think I’m finally ready to take more serious steps towards achieving this goal. I still have a ton of work ahead of me, but I cannot wait to share more with you in the next few months :)
ANYWAY! Let’s take a look at my Make Nine list for last year and see how I did!
1 - Another Winter Coat & A Half-and-Half Coat / Jacket
I originally planned to make a coat out of the grey & black wool coating I got and a jacket out of the wool herringbones in grey and brown, but I ended up making a Martina Coat (by Vikisews Patterns) using the grey and brown herringbones. I kid you not, I’ve been DREAMING about a split brown and grey coat for years and years, so I’m just over the moon that I finally got around to making it! I haven’t had the chance to photograph this coat yet due to me being ill for the entire month of December and having such little access to sunlight in our dark little apartment but believe me it’s coming soon :’)
2 - A Tailored Waistcoat
YES! I actually ended up making three different waistcoats this year: The Liliana Vest from Vikisews, the Miller Waistcoat from Merchant & Mills, and the Veronica Vest from Just Patterns. The Liliana and the Veronica are the two more fitted, tailored styles out of the three, and the Miller is a boxier fit with not much shaping. The Liliana ended up having some pretty big fitting issues (it’s basically 1-2 full sizes too big and the shoulders are too sloped for my square shoulders, causing some dramatic gaping at the back neckline) but the Veronica… The Veronica is perfect! I used the amazing, pale golden / champagne / brown wool herringbone I used for one of my favourite self drafted trousers to make a matching set, and I cannot tell you how good and powerful I feel when I wear them together. Here are the links to the dedicated IG posts: linen Liliana, wool Veronica, and the wool Miller.
3 - The Perfect Boxy Summer Shirt
I had such a hectic summer that I sadly didn’t get around to making this… Oh well, I’ll try again this year!
4 - A Well Fitting Bodice Block
Hahahahaha no, of course I didn’t have time to tackle this project! I love that I knew I wouldn’t have enough time to do this but I put it on the list anyway :’) I did, however, figure out one of the major problems I was having with my upper body, which is the fact that many top patterns have quite angled shoulder seams whereas I have super square shoulders. Even small adjustments in the angle of the shoulders has been suuuper helpful!
5 - Underwear
So I was in desperate need of new underwear when I out this on the list, and I was being super stubborn about fulfilling this need by making them all myself. Well the thing is that I have a huge mental block about making underwear, and I just couldn’t convince myself to do it. Especially in a year where I didn’t have much time to sew, I did’t want to spend hours making things I was dreading to make. I finally got over myself and bought some and guess what - no regrets! This is your reminder that you don’t have to make things you don’t want to make.
6 - A Colourwork Sweater
Nope, didn’t have time learn how to do colourwork. I’m determined to do it this year though!
7 - Another Pair of Hollywood Waist Trousers
Yes! I literally checked this off my list within the first week of 2022, using a beautiful vintage wool blend suiting in a dark grey colour. I’ve worn this pair soo many times this year and I’m so so so happy with how they came out. I also made a linen pair in February, which have been literal life savers for the warmer months. I feel like I really perfected my self drafted Hollywood waist trousers this year, and that makes me feel really proud. Oh and I also got to try an advanced copy of the Mitchell Trousers by Closet Core Patterns, which feature a really cool Hollywood waist and they came out super cool! Here are the links to the dedicated Instagram posts: grey pair, linen pair.
8 - A Casual Boilersuit
I managed to sneak this one in at the very end of the year, yay! I ended up going with a different pattern and fabric than I initially thought, but I am completely in love with how these came out. I used the new Jesse Jumpsuit pattern from Modern Sewing Co. and a gorgeous dark green wool blend suiting, and I haven’t been able to take it off since I finished it! It fits super comfortably, I have full range of motion, and it’s that perfect blend of tailored and casual. Love it! Click here to go to the dedicated Instagram post.
Alright, now that the recap for last year’s list is done, here’s what I have planned for 2023:
1) A full canvas front tailored waistcoat
Now that I made a couple of waistcoats and figured out my preferences regarding pattern, fabric, and fit, I’m super excited to make one with a fully canvased front. I feel like it’ll be the perfect way to attempt some traditional tailoring techniques on a smaller scale. I’ve been loving my golden herringbone wool set so much that I think I’ll make another matching set using either the suuuper dark brown or the olive green wool blend suitings I got a few weeks ago. As for the patterns, I’ll stick with my self drafted Mylo trousers and the Veronica vest from Just Patterns.
2) The perfect summer shirt
I’m dead set on getting this done this year! I have a very specific vision in mind involving a self drafted pattern and that lovely natural linen I got yeeeaars ago for this project. Think 50s summer shirts with a more modern feel.
3) A blazer for me…
I feel it’s time, don’t you? My waistcoat adventures left me lusting after 3-piece suits, so I would just loooove to make a matching blazer using that lovely herringbone wool.
4) and a blazer for my partner!
2022 was a great year for my partner’s wardrobe! I made him some really beautiful key pieces that significantly contributed to his capsule wardobe, and he’s been patiently waiting for a blazer for many many months. I’m really hoping to make him one this year!
5) A formal matching set
My personal style has really come into its own after I started sewing, and I no longer have any truly formal options I can wear to more serious events. This year I’d love to change that and make a pair of trousers and a backless waistcoat out of this gorgeous black silk taffeta my dad got in Egypt back in the 90s.
6) An 80s inspired denim jacket
So I have this vintage leather jacket from the 80s that I love to pieces. It has a distinct batwing silhouette with huge shoulders and a tiny, cropped waistline. I would love to draft a pattern for a jacket that has a similar feel to it. The brown denim Worker Trousers I made have been patiently waiting for a matching jacket, so that’s the plan for the fabric :)
Photos of the jeans in question.
7) A linen summer suit
I had every intention of working on this project in 2022, but school stuff got in the way and I couldn’t get to it. The plan is to draft a pair or pleated bermuda shorts and either draft or modify a pattern for a casual, unlined blazer to match. I don’t have the perfect fabric for this in my stash, but I’ll be on the lookout for a brown or green linen for the perfect summer suit.
8) More knit tops for me and my partner
We’re both in need of more knit tops, and I would also love the opportunity of using up some of my knit-stash. A few basic white tees and mock or turtleneck tops should do it!
9) Some sort of colourwork knitwear
I’m not promising that it’ll be a full sweater, but I really really want to learn how to do colourwork in knitting this year! Ideally I would love to make something using all the remnants of my past knitting projects, but we’ll see how that goes.
And there you have it! I’m really excited about getting more into tailoring, and working on those projects that I’ve been putting off for so long. Here’s to a year full of intentional, meaningful sewing!