Tag Archives: Make Nine

Make Nine – Take 1

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This year I’m trying the Make Nine Challenge. I’m not usually very good at sticking to these things, but ha! Why not keep trying? Thankfully I’ve finished my first look of the year. In fact I finished it back in January so I’ve had a chance to wear it many times already.

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This is the Washington Dress from Cashmerette and I hacked it to have a cowl neckline. I’ve used the pattern a ton of times now to create different looks and it’s worked pretty well. This time I sized down to a 12G/14 and I like the fit!

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I will say the cowl neck is not at all as dramatic as I wanted. I was tentative when I was drafting the pattern and could have gone far more extreme to make it lower. But this is make from wool jersey (from the Fabric Store) and it doesn’t have as much stretch as say, cotton/lycra jersey. Ohhhhh, and right now I’m having an inspiration moment. My friend recently gifted me a sack of fabrics including a dark purple rayon jersey. Now that would have made a better cowl neck dress.

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Regardless, this pink wool version is super comfortable and though it looks tight when I first put it on (like in the photos), it relaxes a bit with wear and feels so lovely. We’ve had a cooler and wetter winter this year and the high neck has turned out to be a blessing on all those windy winter days. So I call this a success!

2019 – Make Nine and Other Plans

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Happy New Year! I still have lots of catch up on from 2018, but for now let’s leave that horrible year behind to do a little planning for 2019.

I have some pretty big plans for my sewing. Only 2 of my planned patterns are ones I’ve used before. Everything else at this point is new and that means they’ll take a lot of fitting, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.

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Row 1 Left to Right: 1. Navy chiffon for a blouse. No idea what blouse pattern to use, so if you have suggestions, let me know! This would be perfect for spring. Kelly green linen will be a pleated skirt, pattern TBD, but maybe this one from Peppermint Magazine. 2. The pink in the middle is wool jersey that I’ll be making into a cowl neckline skater dress using my usual Cashmerette Washington dress hack. 3. And this snail print lawn has been begging to be a shirt dress for years. I have McCall’s 6696 cut out to make a mock up, so we’ll see how that goes.

Row 2 Left to Right: 1. Vintage pink floral cotton for a simple dress. I plan to embroider some of the flowers around the neckline. 2. This Decades of Style dress is so pretty, but I’ve struggled with picking fabric for it. Maybe this striped shirting will work. Maybe not? the fabric has been sitting in my stash for so long that I’m willing to give it a try. 3. The navy polka dot is my one length of vintage cold rayon. It’s likely I’ll chicken out of making this one because the pattern and fabric will take a lot of concentration and I’ll be worried to screw it all up. But oh that pattern is so pretty.

Row 3 Left to Right: 1. Christmas fabric! I’ve meant to make a Christmas apron for the last 2 years. This year it’s going to actually happen. Maybe I’ll make it in July so it’ll be ready when the holiday crunch happens. 2. The blue is vintage fabric that has this super lovely weave. I plan to use one of these patterns to make my Easter dress, but which to choose?!?! 3. And finally a practical project. I need some plain skirts to go with t-shirts, especially for weekends. I made a denim Gabriola a few years ago and it is one of my most worn clothing items, but is now a size too big.

Whew! Lots of challenging projects for sewing! I think I can do all of them, but we’ll see how it goes. I put all the patterns and fabric is a big bag so I have easy access to all of them. Hoping that will help me stay motivated.

Now bring on the yarn! 

Knitting didn’t get nearly the attention it deserved on my blog last year. I finished up some really lovely things towards the end of 2018 as my knitting mojo returned and I’ll share those soon. Looking forward, I don’t like to plan my knitting too far in advance, but here’s a few skeins I’d really love to use.

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Clockwise from Top Left: 1. These green skeins were gifted to me from a knitting friend. Not my typical colors, but she thought they would look nice knit together. I agree and will look for a textured shawl pattern that can use both. Then I’ll probably gift the shawl. 2. The purple and pink skeins were pulled out because they are one of my favorite sweater yarns. I have a teal sweater using this yarn and I wear it all the time. So I’d like to use one of these colors to knit a sweater. 3. The hot pink has been sitting in my stash far too long. I custom ordered it, but got a little grumbly about some customer service stuff. Now that my annoyance has faded I’d love to make a snuggly sweater. I have lots of purple sweaters and really need to add some pink. 4. The purple and white speckled duo was picked up on my trip to Rhinebeck. I circled an entire show floor and these skeins were what stuck in my mind and I knew it was meant to be. These will be used for a two color shawl. 5. Also picked up at Rhinebeck is this neon set with a skein of undyed yarn. My plans for these are a secret, but it will be so good. 6. And lastly, a cross stitch project. I’ve been working on this cross stitch since I was a college student. Now that I’m so close to the finish line, I’m adding it to my goals for 2019. Will this hang by my bedside by the year’s end?

On top of all these planned projects I will have costuming projects too. What? Who knows! I need a regency dress in 25 days, but I haven’t even started or found fabric. I also have Costume College this summer, but I’m hoping to wear what I own instead of making all new.

Anyone else planning fun projects this year?