This blog post is one I now really look forward to writing every year as it gives me a great chance to reflect on all the wonderful projects I have made over the course of an entire year. 2024 was an incredible year for projects and sticking to some personal goals, such as those found in this post, and sticking to my self-imposed fabric buying ban (which I may have broken on an occasion or two). I’d love to know what’s your favourite make of the year so please let me know down below. All up, in 2024 we made a total of 23 garments which is insane!
Starting off the year back in January I made a very simple dress using some bright floral cotton and the much loved Butterick 6453 from Gertie. Coming off the back of a very hectic and chaotic 2023, I wanted to just make something simple and fun that wasn’t Vogue 9100 (I sewed it 4 times in a row last year so I’ve retired it for a few months at least). This dress was fun, bright and colourful and put me in a great mood for the rest of the year.
Full blog here.
This was the first February in a while where I didn’t make a Valentines Day dress but I still made two garments. The first was my disastrous birthday dress which was supposed to be made using the Rose Cafe Bustier dress pattern but it failed spectacularly and I ended up making a Franken-patterned dress instead. It was fun, cute and an absolute mess but it’s made me determined to keep trying challenging patterns.
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The second make for February was a sweet retro themed playsuit I made for an upcoming holiday to the Maldives. This playsuit was my first time using cotton from Spoonflower and it started an absolute love of making things with bold retro floral prints.
Full blog here.
Due to travel and some big life changes in March, I only made one outfit but it was super cute and fun. Originally allocated as a holiday garment, due to the flu, this Super Mario Lamour Dress from Charm Patterns never made it on the flight but instead was featured on a fun date night. This dress was supposed to have a matching mens shirt but we’ll save that for another day.
Full blog here.
April was a fun month and yielded 3 garments. The first was my adult toddler playsuit using Vintage Simplicity 8254 from 1969. I paired it with some stunning Malaysian batik cotton fabric my Dad found whilst shopping in KL and I had a lot of fun wearing this garment. Hurray for surprise pants!
Full blog here.
The second garment I made in April was a simple navy with spots halterneck dress using Butterick 5209. Despite loving bold and fun prints, I wanted to make something a little more subtle and this dress was just the ticket. This dress inspired me to delve into some of my calmer and plainer fabrics for the rest of the year.
Full blog here.
My third creation for April was using a pattern I had wanted to sew for close to two years. From the Vintage Sewing Pattern Company, I used Advance 9077 to create a gathered bust Marilyn-inspired dress from some fabric I found whilst travelling in South Korea in 2023. This dress became one of my favourite makes of the year and this pattern sparked so many ideas; it really was a wonderful creation.
Full blog here.
When May rolled around, I embarked on the first big project of the year which was sewing a Regency Era gown inspired by the Featherington family from the Netflix show, Bridgerton. Whipped up before the premiere of Season 3, I used Simplicity 9434 to create a sage green gown complete with satin and floral embroidered tulle.
Full blog here.
My second May make was a Dolce and Gabbanna-inspired Gerber dress which originally retailed for well over $2700 but I made for a fraction of the cost. I loved setting myself the challenge of making something designer-inspired and using McCalls 7950, I think my version was a pretty good dupe.
Full blog here.
May was also the month I had to do some pageant sewing as I was to participate in my first pageant in about 2 years. For the daywear round of the Cooly Rocks On Pinup Pageant, I went for a bee-keeping routine where I made myself a Charm Patterns Liz Dress out of Gertie’s Yellow Rose border print cotton sateen and some soft yellow contrasting bodice pieces. The dress was stunning on stage and such a fun make.
Full blog here.
My second pageant make for May was for the talent round of the Cooly Rocks On Pinup pageant. I made myself my first ever shirt dress using fabric from Spoonflower which matched my wallpapering demonstration, yes, my talent for the pageant was wallpapering, and honestly, I could not have been happier with the final result. The dress made from Simplicity R10646/9164 had a contrasting pink collar, sleeve cuffs, fabric covered buttons and matching belt and head scarf. All up, she was a darling little garment.
Full blog here.
As soon as I made my wallpaper dress, I had to make another shirt dress using Simplicity R10646 and this time I chose a sage green cotton poplin adorned with white daisies. This became one of my favourite garments of the year and inspired many future projects.
Full blog here.
My final make of May was a pinafore version of Very Easy Vogue 9100. Even though I’ve made 4 other version, this fifth make features a bright turquoise tartan, a circle skirt and a matching head wrap. I wore this pinafore in so many different ways she became one of my favourite winter makes of all time and I couldn’t wait to sew with tartan again.
Full blog here.
After making 6 garments in May, by the time it was June I only got around to making one outfit. Reusing an old tried and true pattern, I made Butterick B6284 using some cute green cotton I had in my stash and this ended up being a really well loved dress in the cooler months.
Full blog here.
My seasonal depression really hit hard this year so in the months of July, August and September I only really crafted and made myself some bits and pieces for the sewing room. I made myself a new ironing board cover which was a project I have wanted to do since I started sewing and I used an old curtain that I thrifted.
Full blog coming soon.
Come October, I was back into sewing clothing and my first creation was making a Very Easy Vogue 9182 button down dress for Bali. I originally purchased this fabric on a previous Bali trip so it was very special to get to wear it on this years trip.
Full blog here.
The final thing I made in October was a pair of wrap around pants using a Balinese Batik style fabric I had also purchased from a previous trip. These pants were so comfortable and I will definitely keep wearing them everywhere.
Full blog here.
With the end of the year in sight, I made sure to give it my all which meant that in November I made four different pieces. Our first November make was the first in my big Disney Cruise Sewing Extraveganza and it was a cute Donald Duck-inspired sailor dress made from Spotlight sateen and the Night and Day Charm Pattern Dress.
Full blog here
Next up in November was a sweet little cottage core-inspired dress using fabric I’ve owned for over 10 years. I used Advance 9077 to make it and loved being able to use this pattern again this year.
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Continuing the Disney Sewing Extraveganza, I wanted to make something inspired by the time I took a real vintage dress and tried to sew up a dupe which is where this project came from. I made myself an orange gingham dress using Butterick 6453 (aka Simplicity 9291).
Full blog here.
The final make for November was a Tangled inspired peasant dress using Butterick 6322 and some soft cottons from Homecraft Textiles. This dress came out adorable and it was perfect for the Disney Cruise.
Full blog here.
Moving onto the last month of the year, December, which was quite a sewing challenege due to some crazy health issues. Despite this, we still cranked out three pieces! The first, and rightfully so to kick off the festive season was my first attempt at pyjamas using Butterick 6296.
Full blog here.
Hoping for a surge of ‘end of year sewing speed’, I ended up making a cute little simple Mickey Mouse dress with tried and true pattern, Very Easy Vogue 9100. This dress turned out super cute and I loved wearing it on the cruise.
Full blog here.
The final part of my Disney Sewing Extraveganza was also my final make of the year and it was a super cute pair of Alice in Wonderland Oyster pyjamas using Butterick 6296 which caused way too much stress than they were worth but in the end, I kind of loved them.
Full blog here.
Well thats a wrap on all sewing for 2024 ending with a total of 23 garments. This was the year where I tried to focus on increasing my sewing quality and trying to challenge myself a little more. Looking back, I think I did a pretty great job sticking to my goals and although I didn’t finish all the goals I had planned, I am still hoping to keep sewing and make many new things in 2025.
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