Happy (belated) New Year! I feel like I just have been on the go the last few weeks; I spent the period just before Christmas with my family down in Cornwall, before zooming back to Oxford for one evening, and then I was in Germany for Christmas to New Year with my husband’s family, and then in Dublin for just over 24 hours. I am writing this from the sofa with a large mug of tea, enjoying being able to briefly take some time to be still and put into words all that has happened in the last year.
To start with, my Top Nine sewing makes for 2022 (based on Instagram likes) were…
- A Fabric Godmother Peony party dress in a luxe deadstock satin jacquard
- A McCalls 7351 circle skirt shirt dress in an abstract Lady McElroy cotton lawn
- An Itch to Stitch Atenas classic denim jacket in a bold, Japanese-style deadstock jacquard
- A Deer & Doe Eucalyptus vintage style playsuit in a cheerful deadstock cotton poplin
- A By Hand London Anna Hack skater dress in a beautiful Rifle Paper Co. cotton
- A Simplicity 8014 relaxed fit shirt dress in a sunshiney yellow gingham
- A Tilly and the Buttons Bobbi button-up skirt in a Impressionist-style deadstock jacquard poly canvas
- A Forget-Me-Not Valerie a-line dress in a sweet Lady McElroy floral cotton lawn
- A Sew Over It Giselle sheath dress in a perfect Atelier Brunette autumnal viscose modal
I had some real highlights this year, with my sewing journey continually bringing me so much joy, celebrating my first wedding anniversary, picking up an AMAZINGLY FUN new hobby, and some really fun trips to Lebanon, California, Spain and Germany. Times were also pretty tough, with the endless chaos that surrounds my immigration plans. One day, I will write about the whole process, but woof, it is… truly demoralising at times.
In terms of my sewing, I am really proud of my continuing collaboration with Minerva (check out my profile) and my brand ambassadorship for Lady McElroy, and I was so thrilled when the lovely people at Forget-Me-Not Patterns reached out and sent me a PDF of their Valerie dress. I loved meeting so many wonderful people at the Bay Area Sewist meet-up in October. I couldn’t believe my luck when I won ‘Best Copy’ for the #SewRecreateTheLook23 challenge on Instagram, with my ‘Killing Eve’ inspired wrap dress, or when I was featured in Issue 122 of Love Sewing magazine, talking all about my twirly winter wool coat!
Make Nine 2024 Plans
I always enjoy making a plan for the upcoming year, even if they don’t always come into fruition! I only managed to make two garments of my 2023 Make Nine plans (whoops), but I am pretty happy to go off-grid and throw plans out the window if I get particularly inspired by something else. It is still really helpful for me to have a vague idea on how to pair the patterns and fabrics in my stash, so I have picked out the following garments for my Make Nine 2024:
- Vikisews Bryce Cropped Blazer
in a spring floral polycotton deadstock jacquard - McCalls 8036 Wrap Dress
in a Cloud 9 rayon - Fibremood Leah Boilersuit
in a Mind the Maker stretch cotton twill - Multi Pattern Mash Up Dress
in a deadstock viscose crêpe - Vogue 9328 V-Neck Dress
in a Mind the Maker viscose crêpe - By Hand London Hannah Wrap Dress
in a Lady McElroy cotton lawn - Paper Theory Zadie Jumpsuit
in deadstock Irish linen - Deer & Doe Circée Wrap Dress
in Rifle Paper Co rayon - Deer & Doe Agave A-Line Skirt
in a chunky deadstock twill
2024 is shaping up to be another adventure-filled, pretty chaotic year for me; I am keeping everything crossed for some more clarity soon on various ‘personal life’ matters, because at certain points this last year, it was not easy at all to be honest. Either way, I am excited to keep sharing all my various makes and my sewing journey with you 😊 Thank you all for being such a huge, special part of my 2023.
Wishing you all a sparkling New Year!
Love, Rose x
