I started last year with the creative arts of sewing, cross stitch, and knitting, but unfortunately I had to stop knitting due to increasing carpal tunnel symptoms. In 2023 I sewed 10 tops, 2 outerwear items, and 2 non-clothing items. I also knit 2 items, cross stitched 3 small ornaments, and made Christmas ornaments.
I sewed 2 versions of the Weekend Getaway Blouse, in both knit and woven fabric.
I sewed a floral Lyric Peplum top, a pattern I’ve owned for some time, and finally used for the first time.
I sewed the Sparky top as part of a Sew Over 50 challenge to sew a pattern with the cover photo of a model over 40 years old. The model is the pattern’s creator, Heidi of the blog Designs By Heidi on WordPress. The purpose of the challenge was to increase the visibility of older sewists who have been largely ignored, although we are a sizable percentage of the sewing community.
I also sewed some basic tees/knit tops, some with fabric leftovers. The teal, floral Laundry Day Tee is the prettiest of the bunch.
I sewed a summer dress-to-top refashion.
I sewed 2 pairs of pants that I don’t wear, so I have to add some pants to my sewing list for next year.
I sewed 2 outerwear items: a light-as-air voile summer wrap and a cozy fleece cape.
By the way, I had a lot of fun with the cape photo shoot. I wanted wintry photos to show off this garment, so I changed the background. I think the photos look quite convincing! The sunny, orange tree original is also quite nice. I can’t complain about living in a warmer climate.
My non- garment sewing was Scandinavian Christmas Dolls and a quilt which I completed in 3 sections using the quilt-as-you-go technique. I definitely plan on making another quilt this year.
My knitting:
I also experimented with dyeing fabric for the first time. I’m going to save that and the cross stitched pieces for their own posts.
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On to 2024:
Happy New Year!
One of the best things about blogging, is looking back to read what I wrote last year. This is what I wrote about my sewing goals:
2023: My main goal is to enjoy the creative process, as well as produce some useful or beautiful objects….my favorite projects are those that I feel inspired to make…. to branch out, and have multiple projects in different needle arts going at the same time.
I lived up to those goals, and they still apply.
I don’t have a list of sewing patterns I intend to make in 2024. Instead, I made a different list of sewing and making goals.
Sew a pattern I haven’t made before.
Sew another iteration of a pattern I’ve made.
Sew a refashion.
Sew something practical.
Sew something just because.
Sew a non-clothes item.
Make a non-sewing project.
Participate in a sewing challenge.
Pick a stash fabric, pair it with a pattern, and sew.
Play sewing hooky.
I just wrote it, but realized I completed this list last year. Some things fit more than one category. I sewed 3 new patterns: the Weekend Getaway Blouse, Lyric Peplum Top, McCalls 8029; the Laundry Day Tee is a repeat pattern, the Sparky top was for a sewing challenge, the quilt is a non-clothes item, the tees are practical, the dolls are “just because”, etc. The voile was the stash fabric that wasn’t bought with any pattern in mind that I found the perfect use for.
What is sewing hooky? At the start of the covid pandemic when everything was closed, and staying home was strongly encouraged, I set aside sewing time for Saturday afternoons. It turned into a habit I still enjoy. But sometimes, it’s a nice break to do something different, to get outside and enjoy a beautiful, sunny winter’s day or watch a movie in cold air-conditioning on a hot summer’s day.