2019 Make Nine

[mechanonymouse]

So I probably ought to use this journal for more than just exchange letters, especially as I logged out of my tumblr for the protest and just forgot to go back. In the interests of doing so this a repost from my Pillowfort with my personal garment sewing plans for 2019 in the form of a Make Nine with lots of waffle. It isn't a complete list, I was given the material to make my first quilt for Christmas and am planning on making at least one bag as presents.

Make Nine is a challenge started by Rochelle of Home Row Fiber Co. It seems like a good way of making myself make the things I need but don't want to make and stop myself from making things I don't need.





My list is going to be pattern light because some of the clothes I liked most and wore most last year were self-drafted and I have had very little luck in making patterns fit me.

1. Trousers/jeans for casual wear. Specifically the Angel Wing Jeans pattern from Ottobre's Spring 2014 kids magazine without the Angel wings. I desperately need casual and smart trousers - as does my mother who has theived one of my pairs of smart trousers and one of my pairs of jeans leaving me with a serious shortage. The reason I started sewing was how hard it is to find RTW trousers that fit. The trousers that fit me best and have since I was a teenager are girls 158cm trousers and finding either plain jeans or smart trousers that aren't obviously school trousers is a nightmare. While I have a pattern copied off a much loved pair of RTW, I screwed up on the grain line somewhere so if the Angel Jeans fit they will replace it as my standard trouser pattern. I have two meters of indigo stretch denim which is enough for two pairs of jeans at my size but I will be buying some more in a lighter blue and I think I'm getting some as a belated Christmas present from a friend but you can never have too much denim.
2. A smart coat to replace the one I currently have that can't have various of its buttons replaced again because the fabric has been damaged from repeated replacement. It will be Burda 110 from 10/2018 again but with the collar from 109 and a longer length. I have no idea what the fabric is going to be but I'm hoping for a petrol or deep brown. I know it's boring to make the same pattern again but I've done all the fit alteration on this one and worked out it's little quirks where you need to deviate from the pattern instructions.
3. Shirts. I don't have many tops that aren't t-shirts so button down shirts are on my list. There is a shirt dress in Burda's September issue that I think I could use as a starting point. I have higher hopes of that pattern working if I make a full bust and narrow shoulder adjustments and do the standard shortening than the McCall's shirt pattern my mother has been poking at for the last few months and it means I won't have to draft the pattern myself. I have the fabric for five shirts one of which will be a paired with a skirt I need to make and got fabric for a summer pair of pyjamas for Christmas that I'm going to use to toile the pattern.
4. Jacket. I need a new summer and winter jacket. I have a canvas in white and really dark emerald green stripes for the summer jacket and a tweed wool in cream, teal, and purple for the winter jacket which is end of line M&S. The problem here is I think I'm going to have to draft the pattern. I have a Burda pattern which I could possibly cludge in to fitting - the sleeves and armscye fit really well but my mock up showed I needed to do a major sway back adjustment as well as my standard narrow shoulder and full bust adjustments and shortening and I'm not confident making the modifications with the way the jacket is darted.
5. Matching skirt for my winter jacket. I have three meters of the fabric for my winter jacket and I want to make a matching skirt to wear as a suit. This will be a knee length pencil or straight skirt with a lining. I'm far more likely to wear short skirts in winter when I can wear leggings or thick tights underneath.
6. Skirt to match the shirt. My mum brought me five meters of African Waxed Cotton for my birthday. I want to make a matching skirt and shirt out of it so it looks like I'm wearing a shirt dress when they are worn together. The fabric is a border print and I want the skirt as long as possible so I'm thinking a six panel gored skirt with a front button placket - in other words self-drafted.
7. Smart Trousers. I would like to make some smart trousers that aren't a jeans pattern masquerading as chinos and have a trouser block. To do this I'm going to make up the Clover Pattern by Collette Patterns again. I know this pattern works well for me but my traced and altered pattern has since been binned. From this I will be able to use it to make various trousers that appeal to me rather than faffing with patterns that are miles off of working.
8. Smart Jumper 1 - I have no idea what these are going to look like since my attempts at buying sweatshirting in real life have failed and I haven't seen anything I love online but I really need to extend my winter jumper collection from alternating two to a more reasonable number before either of them give up the ghost from constant wear.
9. Smart Jumper 2 - Again I have no idea but the Beast from the East is apparently returning and I need more than two jumpers for properly cold weather or I'm raiding my mother's wardrobe. The photos I've chosen are for a hooded cardigan and a hoodie from Ottobre 2018/6, so I own the patterns i just need to source the fabric. I suspect my mum will be making the flight jacket at some point or I will be making it for her.

Now to get over the lurgy and actually be well enough to trace patterns off, preferably before one pair of jeans dies and I end up making jeans in my pajamas in half a day so I can put trousers on again.

Update: I've traced the jeans pattern but due to continuing lurgy it is sitting in an envelope being ignored. I really need to get around to doing that. The trousers I'm wearing could get up and walk away but I have an awful feeling the other pair are going to disintegrate if I try putting them on. George at ASDA jeans do not survive nearly a year of wear well.