And here they are! I’ve seen a lot of fellow sewists/sewing bloggers decide to skip declaring a Make Nine for 2019 after “failing” to complete their 2018 list, but I’m ever the optimist and I like the structure of planning and list-making. So, despite that my own Make Nine 2018 only ended up with like, almost 4-ish garments completed from the list, I spent some quality time coming up with the nine(-ish) types of garments that I want to make this year.
- Lingerie, lingerie, and more lingerie
- Blazer
- Shirtdresses
- Trench coat
- Pants
- Pretty pajamas
- Activewear
- Boss-lady blouses
- Pinafores/skirts
I am most certainly keeping it vague this year. I have to admit that I do get easily distracted by new patterns, so rather than picking specific patterns that I want to make throughout the entire year, I’m focusing on naming general types of garments.
And maybe it seems, well, a bit too general? Maybe it’s incredibly broad? Here’s the thing; I started running a couple months ago. I started working from home, and with the loss of my near-daily bike commute, I turned to running three times a week. I’ve really taken to it! But… my body has changed! Gah! Yay for me and all that, but none of my clothes fit anymore. I feel like I’m right back where I was not too long ago, about a year after giving birth to my daughter, with a new body, and a closet full of clothes that don’t quite fit and make me feel… blah.
So that’s where I’m coming from with this list. I do have patterns in mind for most of these already, and indeed, there are ones that I’ve carried over from my Make Nine 2018 list. But I figure, being less specific gives me more opportunities to change my mind and also make multiple garments (hello, pants!) while still feeling like I’m checking something off of this list.
You know, no big deal, I’m just completely re-inventing my wardrobe and re-evaluating my entire personal style and how I present myself to the world! Totally doable in 12 months.
1. More lingerie.
I am totally hooked on sewing pretty lingerie. (Also on buying pretty lingerie, but that’s quite a different story.) It’s quick, it takes so little fabric, and there are a lot of opportunities to be creative with fabrics and shapes. Plus, it’s true what people say, it does give me this little boost of self-confidence when I’m wearing fantastic lingerie, no matter what I’m wearing over it. It’s my way of telling myself, “Kirstin, you ARE hot, you ARE worth it, and you ARE going to do great things today!” Not only do I want to make sure my everyday underwear is in better shape, but I also want to focus on making myself some extra special pieces as well (even if that means designing and self-drafting my own patterns).
2. Blazer
I’m still planning on making the Amsterdam blazer from Orageuse! I have the pattern printed and cut out (which in itself is an accomplishment since it’s SO huge), I have test fabric, and I just ordered some Prince of Wales check fabric to be the (hopefully) final version.
3. Shirtdresses
I’ve realized that I’m not that much of a dress person, especially in my day-to-day life, but I love how shirtdresses can be easily dressed up or down, can be worn year-round, and they make me look instantly (decently) put together. I have a Perkins shirtdress that I made last year that I still wear often, and I want more! Some other patterns I’m thinking about are the Alder (from Grainline Studio), Helmi (from Named Clothing), and Xyris (a free pattern from Mood, where are all the shirtdress patterns with long sleeves!?).
4. Trench coat
I have four meters of a gorgeous, stunning, rich caramel-colored cotton that is begging to become a Spring trench. Or a Summer trench, considering that Belgium can be pretty dreary all year round. I’m not entirely sold on a pattern yet, but I keep coming back to the Londres by Orageuse.
5. Pants
It should speak to the importance of pants that when I initially wrote this list, I had pants listed twice. And you may have seen in my (currently paused) “Thinking about” series, that I am, in fact, thinking about sewing pants and styling pants and finding pants patterns. There are so many patterns I want to try, I don’t even know where to start. But considering that I made so many tops last year and that my last few pairs of jeans are ready to bite the dust, pants will definitely be a priority for me in 2019.
6. Pretty pajamas
This is related to my desire to make over my lingerie drawer, and I talked about it in one of my recent vlogs too. I know that functionally, my grubby, old pajamas are fine (although, some of them are barely hanging on as functional garments). But they’re so worn out and they make me so sad to wear, especially as I’m working on improving the rest of my wardrobe. I have a bunch of Liberty prints that I’m finally realizing I will probably never wear in public (too tightly packed, too brightly colored, too ditsy for my taste), and I’m dedicating myself to using them to sew up some fantastic pajamas. Not only the classic “nice pajamas” silhouette (I have the Carolyn pajamas by Closet Case Patterns pictured), but also nightshirts, camisoles, and even some ridiculously extravagant bias-cut nightgowns.
7. Activewear
Like I mentioned before, I’m a runner now! I promised I wouldn’t buy any specific running clothing until I was sure that I was going to continue with it, but two months in and I’m (pretty) sure I’ll stick to it! Plus, it’s the theme of this month’s Sew My Style challenge, so it seemed like a good opportunity to try out sewing my own lingerie. I have several meters of wicking Lycra heading my way and I’m preparing to sew some patterns from Fehr Trade.
8. Boss-lady blouses
I want to have an arsenal of simple, mostly solid-colored (preferably white) blouses with some sort of unique detail or shaping on them. A ruffle here, a statement collar, a bell sleeve, a shoulder cut-out, etc. Something I can throw together with one of the many many pairs of pants I will (hopefully) have and immediately look stylish and put together. Pictured in my grid is the Macey blouse from Style Arc, which has a cute button-up shoulder detail, and a Burda Style blouse with a ruffled collar. (But I’m open to suggestions, tell me your favorite interesting blouse pattern!)
9. Pinafores and skirts
They’re similar enough to count as the same thing… right? There are so many good pinafore patterns out there (Peggy, Dani, Amber, Phoebe sorta counts, Cleo, etc.) and I want them all! Plus, I hardly have any skirts, and whenever I have a really good think about what I want my ideal wardrobe to look like, it always includes more skirts. Just not pencil skirts! Ugh, I’ve learned that lesson, I need skirts that I can ride my bike in!
So that’s my Make Nine for 2019!
An overwhelming theme for my Make Nine is that none of these silhouettes or garments are mind-blowing or complicated (or specific), but I’m anticipating that whether or not they’ll be successful in my wardrobe will depend totally on my fabric choices. And you know what? That probably means way MORE neutrals and solids, and way FEWER prints and colors. I think another theme will be recognizing that I don’t have to sew what’s in my stash, that I can (thoughtfully) destash the ones that are no longer “me”, and try to find the good stuff that I know must be lurking in Belgium/Europe beyond all the endless kid-themed jersey fabric collections.
WHEW! Who’s excited to make a lot of stuff in 2019!? Are you doing a Make Nine list this year? Tell me about it in the comments!