My yearly sewing recap is probably one of my favourite blogs to write as it gives me a chance to really look back over the year (and what a crazy one it was) and see how my sewing skills (and wardrobe) has improved. Spurred on by my yearly sewing goals, I tried my best to meet all my goals this year and can happily say that I did so well reaching many of my sewing goals. This year was a continuation of shopping my fabric stash as well as trying a wider variety of projects and garments. 2025 yeilded a total of 15 garments which is pretty amazing and I am already excited to see what we make next year but for now, let’s recap. 2025 also yielded some other sewing projects such as pillows, tailoring hams, children’s toys and quilted pouches. At the current time of uploading this blog posts, not all projects got their own moment in a single post but I think I might go back and write some up in the future.
For now, let’s look back at all the projects completed in 2025.
Starting off our year strong, back in January I made a dress to wear to the Sou’West Vintage Fest which I was the face of for 2024. Using Simplicity 10646 (or Similicity 9164) pattern and some desert themed border fabric, I made a cute collared dress. There were a lot of issues with this dress and honestly, I think I’ll end up either giving her away or chopping her up for parts.
Full blog here.
With February being quite the busy month, when choosing between sewing a birthday or Valentines outfit, I chose to sew something for my birthday. This ended up being the Simplicity 1873 X Cynthia Rowley using a really cute sunny Japanese cotton.
Full blog here.
March yielded only one wearable outfit which was a vintage Butterick 9629 pattern using some gorgeous Batik inspired Mayalysian cotton from Nagoya fabrics in KL. I ended up saving this dress to wear at Cooly Rocks On in Coolangatta and it was stunning!
Full blog here.
Right before winter hit, April became a busy sewing month resulting in 4 garments and 1 extra project. The first was a cute barbecue inspired retro dress using Butterick 6413 by Gertie and some adorable weiner dog gingham from Spoonflower designed by alexdesignsthings. This one was so fun and included some true vintage lace from my grandma’s stash.
Full blog here.
Next up in April was a cute shell pleated skirt. I had originally planned to make this skirt years ago for a vacation and I was just getting sick of looking at it in my stash so she finally became the skirt she always dreamed of. The skirt was self drafted and included a wooden button closure.
Full blog here.
The next April garment I made was a cute summery playsuit using a mixture of Vogue 9000 for the bodice and Butterick 6354 for the bottom. This playsuit was inspired by Pinterest where I saw a playsuit I loved but couldn’t find where it was from originally. Luckily I had some sage green gingham and was able to create a perfect replica of the original pin.
Full blog here.
My last April garment was a Dolce and Gabbana inspired button down dress using Vogue 9182. Although this pattern has been featured a few times on the blog, the fabric had to have its moment in the sun and it turned into a stunning summery tropical dress. At this current moment, all images were lost and I plan on redoing them soon so please check back soon!
Full blog on it’s way.
Although not technically a garment, April is also when I made myself some tailoring hams to match my ironing board cover using an old thrifted curtain. Using the pattern from Twig and Tale, I made a super cute tailors ham which has become super handy.
Full blog here.
May was a pretty full on month and also meant I had to squeeze in as much sewing before heading to Cooly Rocks On as I could. The first and biggest project of the month was sewing a tea-length gown using fabric from my stash and the Lamour Dress pattern from Charm Patterns. This gown was made using a soft wedding satin and a stunning pink rose embroidered tulle.
Full blog here.
My final May make was a simple dress using Vogue 9100 which has become my favourite pattern of all time and some really fun parrot fabric I found at Homecraft Textiles. This dress was such a joy to wear at Cooly Rocks!
Full blog here.
Once June rolled around it was time to sew something a little more cozy so we kicked off the month by making our first pair of winter pyjamas using the pattern Lisette B6296 and some obnoxious retro inspired flannelette from Spotlight.
Full blog here.
July was welcomed with frosty weather and the urge to sew some swimwear. The first bikini I made was self drafted using a few Instagram videos to help me along. It was a challenging project but I’m so happy I gave it a go.
Full blog here.
The second piece of swimwear I made in July was my first ever one piece swim. Using an old swimsuit that I already owned, I used that as a template to make a super cute sage green and daisy swim. I cannot wait to sew some more swimwear!
Full blog here.
The final piece I made in July was a jumpsuit using Butterick 6789 from 1993. Having found this pattern in an opshop, I couldn’t wait to test it out and this wearable muslin fabric made this pattern a dream to work with. I want to sew a few of these for upcoming seasons as this jumpsuit has already become my most worn piece.
Full blog here.
August zoomed by in the flash of an eye and the first project I made were just a few cushions for the lounge room. Continuing the rooms celestial theming, they turned out great even if I made them the wrong size for my cushions.
Full blog here.
The final garment I made in August was me saving something from the stash. Right before modes4u closed down online (they are back! Yay!), I bought some fun cat print fabric which I rescued from my stash pile and used pattern Vogue 9100 to turn it into a fun dress just in time for the Royal Show.
Full blog here.
September was actually filled with lots of personal sewing projects. I made a few toys for some of my friends kids using their old baby clothes which turned out super cute. I also used September mostly as time spent in the garden so there are no garments to share for September this year.
When it finally reached spooky season, October was celebrated by making a simple summery dress from a vintage McCalls 8938 from 1952 pattern and some cotton candy corn fabric I had in my stash. She was simple cute and perfect for the warm weather heading our way.
Full blog here.
As the year was heading to a close, November‘s sewing projects were more on the practical side by whipping up some cute quilted boxy pouches using a pattern from Sunday Sewing Club (the Cleo Pouch). I love how these turned out and will make more next year as they are so handy for cute storage.
Full blog here.
To finish up November, I also made a pillowcase for a new arched pillow I got myself (the lower back pain be real) and I used a self drafted pattern with retro bedsheets to get it done. I love how it turned out and I use it daily. Photos and blog post will be posted soon and this post will be updated. Please check back soon!
In the blink of an eye it was December which meant it was time to finish off projects for the year and maybe squeeze a final one. Although I really wanted to sew a garment, I turned my attention to making some new decorations for the festive season and I made myself a felt chain garland which I absolutely loved. I don’t have a post about this project but I might write something up a little later.
It has been a really interesting year and I tried to focus more on quality and garment finish rather than churning out as much as I could. I loved spending this year sewing some new things such as pillows and pouches, and this has resulted in me wanting to really try making some fun things for next year. Getting to shop my stash meant that I was able to move on some fabrics I have held onto for way too long and I think next year I will really work on getting my stash a little smaller. Although not shown on the blog, this year also had me testing a lot of patterns which failed for a variety of reason, some months had about 6 extra things made but none were finished due to fit and were chopped up for toy stuffing. Hopefully next year, we will continue making some great projects as well as fun new things too.
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