#makenine2023 Recap

February 4, 2024 by steelyseamstress 5 Comments

We’re into February and I’m slow off the mark this year. But before I get into what I think I might make over the come twelve (actually now eleven months) I thought I would recap on last year’s attempt.

Finished 5/9

My first make of the year was this zero-waste skirt by Liz Haywood. I love this skirt. It is made of wool, and therefore very warm and yet it is elegant. I can’t tell you how many times I have been complemented on this skirt. I can’t claim that I feel that comfortable with sewing zero-waste patterns yet, but the techniques used were interesting and the instructions guided me through the process well.

Next I made this lovely bobble hat. I reach for this hat again and again I am really happy with how it turned out. I can’t say I am a great knitter, but this is the second hat I’ve made with cables and I feel like I’m getting the hang on things. I absolutely love the detachable pom-pom and I’m tempted to buy another just so that I can swap them over in the interests of variety.

I then embarked on an adaptation of the Nikko Top. I used the front of the Viki Sews Terry Top pattern to create this top.

Also, in the same picture, above I’m sporting a pair of trousers that were on the list. These are the Peter and the Wolf Trousers by Papercut Patterns (an old pattern that is sadly no longer available, unless you can find it second-hand on the internet). This is the third incarnation. I’m not quite so sure about these. I loved my jeans version and I think the stretch on these was greater, so they haven’t ended up as slim-fitting as I would like, but they are certainly wearable, and if I feel the need I could tweak them a bit.

Finally, the biggest make this year, in as far as it was the most adventurous and time-consuming, was my parka. It has been a little cold to wear it yet, as it is only lined with brushed cotton. But I certainly love the way it looks and it might make me feel a bit happier going out in the rain (possibly!)

Not finished 4/9

Just four items remain on the list, and I’m going to keep them there. I realise that some of the items have been languishing on the to-do list for some time but I’m still excited about doing them. Plus, this year I have managed a grand total of five items from the #makenine list so I feel there is plenty of room to add some new exciting projects to my list. I’m hoping to particularly get to grips with adjusting some items to make them more usable and re-fashioning some things in my wardrobe that have great fabric, but have hardly ever been used.