2018 Make Nine

Happy New Year! I’m sitting here in my bathrobe, drinking tea, and dreaming up all kinds of things to sew in 2018 (which is probably still true no matter what time you’re reading this). I love how the start of things feels full of “I will do ALL THE THINGS!”, and less of “Oh yeah… I didn’t feel like doing that.” So without further ado, here’s my “ALL THE THINGS” list for 2018 (otherwise known as the 2018 Make Nine, hosted by Rochelle New, which you can read more about here)

Camden Cape

Oh man, I’ve wanted to make this forever (see my Fall sewing plans and it was even in my last year’s make nine), but haven’t been brave enough to order wool yet. But I’m going to Chicago in a month (or #Chiberia as it’s currently being called), and I’m gonna need some major wool warmth. So now is definitely the time. I even ordered a clapper, so you know it’s getting serious. Plus I just got an awesomely large gift certificate to Britex fabrics for Christmas (thanks Dad!), and I’m going to head over there tomorrow and see what beautiful wools I find. Maybe a forest green one? (Update: I finished this! Read all about it here)

Watson Bra

While I don’t have any intention of sewing my own bras en masse, I do love wearing longline bras and practicing new skills and techniques. The simple cut of the Watson bra is exactly the kind of thing I enjoy wearing around the house, to the gym and is my favorite kind of swimsuit top too. I’ll likely add some foam to the cups for a bit of shaping, and I can’t wait to use up some of my fabric scraps. I might make the bottoms if I’m feeling inspired, but I honestly don’t have much interest in sewing my own undies.

Etta Dress

I love the timeless style of this dress. And before the pattern even came out, I dreamed of a dress like this out of some beautiful white picot harvested from a maxi dress my grandmother made. It will be the perfect dress to wear when I graduate from my master’s program in the spring. My gram passed away around this time last year, and this dress feels like the perfect way to bring her spirit with me as I complete a journey she was such a part of.

Wrap Dress

Wrap dresses are so effortlessly chic. I want to be effortlessly chic. Ergo, I clearly need a wrap dress (or 4). Gonna try the new Seamwork Erica dress, and see how that works, and maybe move on to the big 4 wrap patterns if it isn’t quite what I’m looking for. (Update: I finished this. See the post here).

Midway Bomber

Yep, another fall sewing plan I never got to. No excuses, just wasn’t a high enough priority in the sewing queue. But Bomber Jackets are so cool, and I am dying to try this out. I might swap this with the Deer and Doe Lupin, or maybe I’ll make both (probably both).

Lander Pants

The sample photo made me fall in love with these wide leg pants, and I almost want a pair in the exact same color. These will likely be my first foray into pants fitting and I think the wide leg will be helpful (read: less  fitting, hopefully). No idea if I’ll actually like wearing these, since I don’t tend to tuck in shirts, and these seem like they are best with a good tuck. But I’m excited to give them a go.

Erin Skirt

I feel like button up corduroy mini skirts are everywhere right now, and I totally want one. Plus, it might even transition seasons well. I just need to find the right color and weight corduroy, since the couple yards I ordered turned out to be either lighter in color than I anticipated, or much thinner than I need. (Update: I finished this. See the post here).

Bonn Shirt 

I would love some more casual blouses to wear to work, and I haven’t yet found my perfect shirt pattern. I love the Granville Shirt so much, but it’s still very much a button down, not a blouse. Really, I’m looking for that slightly looser, but still flattering, casual Sunday brunch shirt (is that a thing? I think that should be a thing.) Kennis always seems to draft patterns the way I want them to fit, and it helps that we’re similar body types, so I’m hoping for a smashing win on this one! Plus, then I’ll have another reason to buy all the pretty rayon challis prints. All. Of. Them.

Tieback tanks

So, I realize that in the interest of keeping this list realistic, I need some easy wins. They can’t all be complicated, technical sews, or I’ll go totally rogue and the whole thing will be shot to shit. Since I work at a ropes course for most of the summer, I desperately need some good tank tops, ideally ones that can be tied over my climbing harness. If my harness goes over my shirt, then it gets SO sweaty, it’s unreal. Here’s hoping this solves a very specific wardrobe need this summer. Fingers crossed. Bonus: these will probably be great for barre too, and given that I’m at the studio all the freaking time, these can pull double sweaty duty.

So that’s it for my official 2018 Make Nine! I have some other big things I’d like to tackle, like the Ginger Jeans, Rumana coat, Sasha trousers and maybe even an Anna dress. But those felt too big to toss into my make nine, and still have the challenge feel fun and not burdensome. I’m feeling pretty excited about my sewing this year. I made So many garments this past year, and it felt great. But I’m really looking to make probably fewer, but more deliberate pieces this year.

What’s in your make nine? And how did you go about deciding? Any bets on how many we’ll actually make?!