Even though I’m a little late with this kind of post, I thought it’s still worth creating a list of all the wonderful things I managed to sew in 2023. 2023 started off really strong with some fun projects, it had some very challenging projects and I sewed my first prom dress and gown. The end of the year teetered out a little and I didn’t make anything exciting due to burnout but I did make a few simple pieces using patterns I really enjoy sewing.

In January we started the year off really strong and made 4 garments. The first was a tie up top and shorts combo set which I planned to wear whilst in Bali on retreat. I made it using Simplicity 8654 for the top and Butterick 6354 for the shorts using a soft sage green cotton adorned with tiny white flowers. Although I loved the final pieces both the top and shorts were a little on the small size and I will have to size up using both these patterns next time.
Full blog here.

Our next January sew was my first attempt at a vintage dress replica. I used the Night and Day dress pattern from Charm Patterns and some stunning purple striped and floral cotton blended silk to recreate a dress I could never buy. I loved how this one turned out and I plan on creating a belt for it soon because I wear it so often.
Full blog here.

The third garment I made in this month was a Feyre Archeron from A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) Lady of the Night Court inspired day dress. I know that sounds like absolute gibberish to those who aren’t familiar with the ACOTAR book series but seeing as I’ve loved the series since I was a teen, making this dress was a lot of fun and I loved the glow in the dark fabric I was able to use. I used Butterick 6018 to create my dress and it came out amazing except one mildly awkward moon placement which creates a weird ‘S’ across my torso. This project inspired a bigger project later in the year.
Full blog here.

The final garment I made in January was my Valentines dress for the year. I wanted something cute with a big bow at the front and I decided to use vintage Simplicity 3845 and I added sleeves. I used a gorgeous red and pink (my favourite colour combination) tartan poly viscose which I found from Etsy. It was so lovely to wear but I think I might hem the skirt a little higher as she’s a bit too long for my liking.
Full blog here.

February only had one completed sewing project but it’s probably my favourite day dress I’ve made for a while. Inspired by the tv series, Pushing Daisies, I recreated a vintage dress worn by Chuck/Charlotte to the best of my abilities and it came out amazing. Using the vintage McCalls pattern 5251, I managed to find some very similar yellow floral cotton fabric from Michael Miller and I was able to create a lovely match to the original vintage dress. This is also the first sewing project I ever made a belt for and although I’m still learning, it was a good first attempt.
Full blog here.

During March, I was able to create a lovely day dress suitable to wear to High Tea at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. I wanted to challenge myself with a new bodice style so I chose vintage Simplicity 2109 and used a lovely blue floral cotton and velvet ribbon to create my garment. The dress was lovely to wear although a little tight and it’s a pattern I’d love to revisit soon.
Full blog here.

Come April, it was time to sew something for Easter and I just so happened to have found some cute Aussie Easter Bilby fabric whilst on a road trip. At the time of the dresses creation, I was in Canberra with a really rubbish sewing machine so I purposely chose a very simple pattern which came from Home Journal 9140. Although very simple, this dress is very cute and I loved wearing it during Easter.
Full blog here.

April was also the month I decided to try using 1970s floral bedsheets as fabric to create a cute summery dress. I used Blackmore Pattern 8673 and some super groovy bedsheets from Wabasso entitled ‘Sunflower’. I enjoyed the challenge working with limited materials (and avoiding the damage the bedsheet had) as well as getting well acquainted with the button hole function on my new Canberra machine.
Full blog here.

My final make of April was a three coloured gingham dress which admittedly, looked better in my head. I’ve been wanting to make a gathered tier skirt for a while and thought this kind of project would be a fun way to do so. I used a vintage Weigel’s 2089 pattern which turned out to be too big for me and I haven’t really worn the dress much.
Full blog here.

Does it still count if you sew something for a friend? Well in May I only managed to make a dress for my gorgeous pinup friend Miss Lexi Heart and it was a fun rockabilly number for a pageant. Using the Lamour Dress from Charm Patterns and some cool rockabilly printed cotton, this dress was made in a day and then taken straight to the airport intake for the pageant. I loved how this dress turned out and I now want to sew this pattern for myself.
Full blog here.

June was the sewing highlight of the year for me when I created one of the dresses I am most proud of so far. Inspired by ACOTAR again, I created a vintage ballgown suitable for the High Lady of the Night Court to go to a ball in. Using Vintage Vogue 436 from 1948, I ended up turning this dress into two separate pieces (bodice and over skirt, and a separate underskirt). To create my vision I used some midnight blue satin and navy glitter tulle as well as hundred of star studs and star buttons. It was a labour of love.
Full blog coming soon.

Come July, I wanted to sew something a little bit simpler so I I chose to do a Midge Maisel inspired floral gingham number using Simplicity 9296 from Gertie. I have wanted to combine this fabric and pattern for a while and enjoyed making something simple and fun.
Full blog here.

I certainly wasn’t immune to the Barbie mania that was sweeping the world so I caved and created a Barbie dress just in time for the movies release. I got to also answer the question of ‘How easy are Very Easy Vogue Patterns?’ and found out they are pretty easy. This actually became one of my new favourite patterns and I have sewn it up several times since. Of course I used a lovely Barbie printed cotton for the dress and it was super cute.
Full blog here.

The third and fourth projects I made in July were part of a weekend escape I took myself on where I stayed in a little cabin in the woods in Denmark and I spent the weekend sewing and enjoying a lovely warm fireplace and audiobooks. I made two dresses on this weekend from the same pattern, Simplicity X Lisette 1419 which was my favourite pattern from last year. I made one dress using a really cute mustard gingham where I added a white collar and sleeves.
Full blog here

And the second dress had a cute autumnal pumpkin vibe to it where I added a big bow on the neckline and sleeves.
Full blog here.

By the time August rolled around, I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist making my first ever vintage prom dress just in time for the Perth Pinup Prom. Having always wanted to own a vintage cup cake prom dress, when I stumbled upon the perfect sage green cupcake fabric, I knew I’d be making a sage green dress using some satin and tulle. I decided on the Liz dress from Charm patterns and loved how the look came together despite many complications along the way.
Full blog here.

Once October whipped around I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with some things happening in my personal life so I only made one outfit. As I wanted to create more separates, I decided for Halloween I would make a cute two piece outfit using Butterick 6354 for the top and a self drafted circle skirt for the Botton. I used some fun purple cotton with a witchy print and black cotton for accented edging.
Full blog here.

In October, I was invited to a dear friend’s baby shower and I knew the theme would be May Gibbs and I could not resist the May Gibbs fabric I had sitting in my stash. I used the Very Easy Vogue 9100 pattern from the previous Barbie dress I made but just replaced it with some adorable Wattle Babies fabric. I wear this dress a lot and love it so much.
Full blog here.

As I was so enjoying the Very Easy Vogue pattern, I decided to use 9100 again to create for myself a cute Alice in Wonderland dress using fabric I’ve had in my stash for over 7 years. Sometimes I just get sick of seeing the same fabric in my stash every day that I just want to hurry up and turn it into something and this just so happened to be a quick and lovely pattern to use. This was the only garment I made in November but I loved trying to learn how to better adjust patterns to fit my body.
Full blog here.

Despite being in the grips of a strong depression towards the end of the year, come December, I forced myself to make something for Christmas as I had the fabric ready to go. A few months prior I knew I was starting to struggle with my mental health so I bought some adorable Snoopy Christmas fabric to make me really want to sew when times got tough. It worked and although I coped out and once again used Very Easy Vogue 9100, at least I made myself a Christmas dress.
Full blog here.

The year of 2023 yielded 20 completed sewing project with some great discoveries along the way. I loved trying out new patterns which posed several challenged as well as trying to work with new materials which I’m not familiar with. I know at least 4 of the dresses were the same pattern but I’m happy to have found a simple go-to pattern which can create a dress in a day for when I just want to sew something simple for myself. Although I had a huge list of projects I wanted to complete in the year, I’m still happy to have made 20 new pieces. In the coming year, I want to try and finish some unique project and sew outside my comfort zone.

A special thank you to all those who have been following my sewing adventures and even though I have take a huge break from social media, the messages of love and support have been incredibly touching and inspiring. I hope next year to create many wonderful things and have you along for the journey.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.