I think that we can all admit that 2020 was a pretty odd year. I started off the year living and working on my university's campus while taking class, and I have ended the year doing the exact same thing in a very different way...
I spent this summer at home instead of in Calgary like I had planned, since I lost my first job with the university. This also meant that I got to do so much sewing. Although nothing about the situation was ideal, I did manage to use up a ton of my fabric stash and learn some new techniques, so I feel very lucky about how I was able to spend those months.
Once I was back in school, I was able to get another job on campus that I really enjoy, and I have also managed to sneak in lots of sewing time between online classes. Since I am living on my own this semester and my job is an on call position, I have been able to really enjoy some of the things that I am sometimes unable to do during the semester, such as bake, read, and craft. I also have been thrilled to have my cat living with me, which has made some of the stress of the fall semester much more manageable.
Overall, despite the 'unprecedented times' (anyone else starting to get annoyed with that phrase?), I have had a pretty good year with lots of creativity!
Now to the important part of this post: all of the garments that I made this year! I started doing a post with a list of everything I sewed during the year a few years ago in order to help get over my imposter syndrome. Having a concrete list that shows how much I have grown over the past 12 months always makes me feel much more accomplished, and it gives me inspiration for what I want to work on next year. This year I managed to make 21 new garments!
April:
I started the year off slow, not finishing a single garment until I made this new blog (I used to have a Weebly blog, but I changed over in April). My first finished product of the year was in April when I made this 1940's styled blazer and skirt from a 1980's pattern. Read more about this project here.
May:
In May I made 4 dresses! The first one is a 1950's dress with a low V back and a full circle skirt, made using a Gertie pattern through Butterick. It also happens to be one of my most worn dresses since it is so comfortable and flattering! Check out more photos here.
My third project of the year was very disappointing because the fit was so terrible. I finished the project very nicely, the inside looks lovely, and the fabric is so soft. However, it was absolutely massive at the bust for me, despite fitting well everywhere else. I am planning on putting this one up for sale in the next few months or so, so keep your eye out!
The next was a 1960's sheath dress made with the last bits of green wool that I had leftover from my final projects at fashion college. This was made using a vintage pattern from the mid 1960's that I have been wanting to use for a while now. I did need some adjustments to make the fit better, but I am pleased with the final result.
My eyelet summer dress was a fun project that used a navy eyelet that I have been holding onto for a few years now! I used a pattern that I have used quite a few times now, another pattern from Gertie through Butterick. It includes a mandarin collar, short sleeves, and a gathered full skirt.
June:
The start to June was not particularly exciting, and the one project that I finished that month I wasn't hugely fond of. I like the design and everything, it fits well, but it just isn't my style. I used the last bits of the wool from my 1940's suit from the beginning of the year to make a 1940's styled dress from another Gertie pattern, and I discovered that that particular style was not my favourite. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
July:
I got back into the swing of things in July, starting off with my quilted circle skirt! I had been wanting to make something out of this old quilt for years since I am so fascinated with quilted garments. Finally I worked up the courage to cut into it, and I ended up with a nice, simple circle skirt! I am really chuffed about how it turned out and now I would love a million quilted garments.
Later on in the month I finished my little summer collection and got photos in some abandoned mining buildings. These are some of my favourite garments that I made this year, partly because I love the photos so much. The collection is made up of 5 separate pieces, including a twill sheath dress with a matching cropped blazer, a 1940's style twill sleeveless dress with a pinstripe wool bolero, and a wool 1950's pencil skirt.
August:
August was another good sewing month! I made this 1930's styled dress out of a light blue swiss dot fabric (which I am absolutely in love with, this fabric is so soft!). The dress includes pintucks at the neckline, bishop sleeves, and a mid-calf length skirt.
I also drafted and made my 1930's/40's styled fox dress in August, although I didn't post about it until September. This dress is super comfortable and a great day dress. I finally got to make flutter sleeves, one of my favourite sleeve styles, and I paired them with a front button bodice and a gentle A-line skirt.
Near the end of the month I finished my 'sewing dress,' a dress from a 1954 sewing pattern with hand crank sewing machines on the fabric. The print matched my hand crank sewing machine that I love so dearly, so I had no choice but to make a dress out of it.
I also fixed up two older makes and got new photos of them in August: my 1950's wrap dress and 1960's swing coat. They both needed quite a bit of mending and adjusting, which I mostly did by hand.
September:
Right before training for my new job and starting the fall semester I made a flannel robe for myself, inspired by the lovely night robes in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. I patterned it myself. There are certain things that I would change if I were to use the pattern again, but it is very comfortable and perfect for chilly nights cuddling a cat, so I suppose that it will do.
October:
October was a month of themed dresses! The first was for Thanksgiving out of a fabulous pumpkin orange toile, which we got photos of on my campus. This dress caused me so many issues while making it. I used a pattern from the 1950's, and while those usually work well for me, this one had some strange proportions. I spent most of the month fiddling with it and avoiding it in turns, but I did manage to finish it by Thanksgiving. See more photos of it here.
The second dress was for Halloween out of a black and white rose printed fabric with little beetles and moths hidden in the print. This dress was also fully drafted by me and it features puffed long sleeves, a raised boat neck collar, a huge gathered circle skirt, and pockets!
December:
I spent most of November working on the two dresses that I ended up finishing in December. I created another themed dress with quilting cotton for Christmas, using a 1950's pattern that I have used before.
The last dress of the year is actually my favourite! This silk party dress was made using a pattern from 1953 and has such a unique design. I used a Hong Kong seam finish (which is bias binding all of the raw seams) and a facing at the hem to give it some more volume. I am so thrilled with this dress, and I can see myself wearing it many times in the future.
If you managed to get through this entire post, thank you for sticking through! At some points I had felt like I hadn't accomplished much this year, but now that I have looked back on my sewing I feel like I can be proud. And although this is about a month late, I will wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Thanks for reading,
Katherine
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