So…, technically, this isn’t everything I made this year, but this is everything that is wearable. Not everything was well made; some of it was experimental, and others just didn’t turn out right. But, I did learn from all of my mistakes!

Making clothes is a difficult venture. I have political and environmental reasons for doing so, but I would say creating my own clothes has more to do with self-discovery and self-expression.

Here is what I made in no particular order:

YouTube sewesses got me obsessed with gingham. I created this loungewear set as a potential maternity outfit that could be worn both inside the home and outside. Right now, however, I am choosing to be childfree, so it is now just a fun, flowy loungewear set for the house. It has a functional drawstring unlike the kitty boxers, and a cute oversized tank top.

I made this set of pants twice. The first pair is full of measurement problems, but I absolutely ADORE the ouija board fabric. So, I bought the fabric again, started from scratch, and created this amazing pair of flannels. I was still short on fabric, so the black cuffs and waistband were made using organic cotton that I bought from an Etsy store called ISeeFabric. The drawstring is leftover t-shirt yarn that I bought from Wool and the Gang. The fun part about this project was learning how to improvise when you’re short on materials.

I am OBSESSED with this tarot card fabric from Joann. These are the best fitting pajama pants I have made so far. They are flowy, nice and long, and my stitch work is on point. The drawstring is a thick satin ribbon I created using leftover fabric from my Galaxy Rosa Dress. To match all of my new flannel pajamas, I made a flannel shirt using the Amy Shacket pattern by Anna the Tailor. I left out the interfacing and some other parts since I figured it’s just a pajama shirt. Then, I stained some wooden buttons and sewed them on. This shirt is super comfortable and matches all of my funky colored pajama bottoms.

These pajamas are a bit more lightweight and fit more like Capris pants. I wore them mostly in early fall. The kitty print is just so cute. I am equally a dog and cat person, but because I’ve had seven puppers in my lifetime, I am ready to go back to the chill vibes of cat ownership. I wish these pants were a little longer, but I can always fix that later. The hot pink drawstring is super cute, and another Wool and the Gang “Jersey Be Good” find.

This was supposed to be a wearable shirt for the outdoors, but it turned into a mock-up, then evolved into my favorite loungewear despite me not being 100% satisfied with it.

This was my first attempt at the Amy Shacket pattern by Anna the Tailor. It was a little too big, the sleeves were too short, and I did not align the front panels, so it looks a little sloppy.

I would eventually adjust the pattern to make the sleeves three inches longer (I have really long arms), and a size smaller. I also omitted some of the interfacing, the front closure facing, and used wooden buttons instead of metal buttons. This worked out very well for the subsequent shirts I would make.

I made this Eucalyptus Mini Skirt after I realized I had too many patterned pieces and really needed some solid pieces to complement my graphic t-shirts.

This one is shorter than I like, but an underlayer of shorts fixes this problem. It goes with just about every cardigan I own.

This was my first attempt at a skirt with buttons, and my first time using an expensive specialty fabric.

This dress was somewhat self-drafted with the help of a tutorial by Jess Dang. I had to make some adjustments because I didn’t have as much fabric as I needed. As a result, the gathering at the waist isn’t as full as I would like.

Although this skirt is not my best made item (it has plenty of strange stitching and wonky buttonholes), its crudeness is hidden behind the beautiful fabric and wooden buttons. The fabric is traditional Japanese sashiko cotton.

This skirt taught me how to enjoy and love my poorly sewn makes. It gets a decent amount of wear despite its problems.

This is one of my favorite skirts. It is a wrap skirt made with a delicious mustard fabric my best friend helped me pick out during my last trip to New York City.

I got the skirt idea from my Pinterest board.

The skirt combines a Jess Dang draft and a wrap dress pattern from Butterick 6554. I documented some of the process.

It is super flowy and goes well with all of my plain tank tops.

My Galaxy Rosa Dress was almost an “Abandon Ship” project because I got the sizing wrong and I made it during a time when I was obsessed with super pretty patterned fabric… even though super pretty patterned fabric doesn’t always translate into nice clothes.

I made the dress work by scrapping the sleeves, opening up the neckline, and giving it a satin tie for the back.

The original pattern is called The Rosa Dress by Rosery Apparel. This dress was one of my many learning opportunities for dealing with mistakes.

I have not worn it much, but it was the main project that helped me get over the fear of making a mistake.

I was having a Ms. Frizzle moment when I bought this sassy cats fabric. It is definitely quilting fabric, so the fit is a little boxy.

The pattern is New Look 6096. I would probably have a better fit had I used apparel fabric instead of quilting fabric. Lesson learned.

Regardless, I still like the dress. It is quirky and pairs well with cardigans.

This dress is the McCalls 7313. It is one of my favorite makes and my first success sewing stretch fabric. Originally it was meant to be a mock-up, but I ended up really loving this one.

It goes with pretty much all of my shoes and cardigans and it’s comfortable.

This is the McCalls 7313 again, only midi length. As much as I like it, I am tempted to shorten the length.

This is my first button up shirt, and the first item I ever made using linen. The pattern used is called the Sitka Short Sleeve Shirt by Sirena Patterns. Originally, I was not happy with the shirt since it is a little big, I messed up a few of the buttonholes, and there’s some weird stitching by the collar. Regardless, I wore the shirt for the first time at work and everything about it felt fine. No one at work knew that I made it (I don’t really tell anyone at work if I’ve made things), and I felt zen-like with the flowy fabric and mandala buttons. The lesson learned here is that no one will notice if any of your clothes have mistakes. So, keeping sewing on.

This is my second shirt, and my first serious attempt at history bounding―the concept of dressing in a way that combines historical, classical, and/or vintage style into modern dress. I love history bounding, but I prefer to do it in a subtle way. This blouse was made using reproduction fabric based on 18th century fabric found at the Colonial Williamsburg archeological site. The buttons are antique Czech glass dated to be from the 1920s. I am super proud of this make. The pattern is Butterick 6686. I could have done a better job sewing the hem, but let bygones be bygones.

This is one of my favorite makes of the year: the Amy Shacket by Anna the Tailor. Despite being a shacket, I made some adjustments to make it more of a flannel shirt. This pattern showed me how to make liberal adjustments and taught me that interfacing can be unnecessary depending on what you’re structuring. The buttons are a rich walnut brown color that match my wooden jewelry. This shirt is part of my casual capsule wardrobe. I love to pair it with black skinny jeans, leggings, and Doc Marten boots. I lost track of how often I wear this outfit. The Amy Shacket pattern is currently my favorite sewing pattern, and I have two more plaid fabrics in my stash that will eventually become this shirt.

I made five t-shirts, two of them casual, and three of them dressy. The pattern is called the Wardrobe by Me T-Shirt. I wanted to learn how to make basics for the purpose of creating dressy t-shirts I could wear at work. I love pairing them with Betabrand slacks and a blazer or cardigan. Best of all, I can make a stop at the hiking trail for some exercise before heading home. T-shirts are not exactly easy to sew since knit and stretchy fabric can be finnicky, especially when adding a front pocket. I learned to appreciate the seemingly simplest of clothes. A t-shirt is not just a t-shirt. Someone had to sew it together.

This is the project that made me love flowy pants. Secret pants are definitely the way to go: they look like a skirt, but they feel comfortable like pants.

The pattern is McCalls 7131. I messed up the first pair, tried again, and then created these awesome pants. They only irritate me in that I made the seam allowance too wide at the crotch, so… wedgie central depending on how I move….

McCalls 7131 take THREE! The fit is so much better here. I jazzed up my French seams, made sturdier pockets, and used gorgeous 100% linen. Then I spilled egg yolk on them during breakfast…

I did save the pants, and they’re now one of my favorite pairs. Linen changed my life. It is expensive and an investment, but it is crazy breathable.

This project inspired me to pay more attention to fiber and fiber quality. Natural fibers are more comfortable, breathable, moisture wicking, and odor neutralizing.

This is my first attempt at making sweatpants or joggers. The pattern is called Peek-a-boo patterns Java Joggers.

The fabric is also from ISeeFabric. It is a deliciously soft stretch fabric made with organic cotton. The color is not as green as I’d like, but it goes surprisingly well with what I own.

I know chunky knits can be polarizing because they can fit awkwardly and pill easily. But, I absolutely love my Sometimes Sweater from Wool and the Gang.

I minimized the fuzz and pilling by investing in an electric lint remover. I also do not wear anything over the sweater to reduce friction.

This was the garment that reminded me to start making more green clothing. One of the things I disliked about my fast fashion wardrobe was just how few clothes I owned in colors I actually wanted to wear.

Everyone sells blue, red, black, grey, beige, and white.

I want more green, purple, burnt orange, and raisin.

These are my forgotten mittens that I started when I still lived in New York (almost ten years ago).

I finally finished them, and jazzed them up with these precious bronze buttons that I bought off Etsy.

Another reminder to keep making green things.

As long as this project took me, I am super happy to have geeked out on this Harry Potter Hogwarts Scarf. The trapped bars are a little wider than I would have liked, but nothing is ever perfect!

This project taught me not only patience, but how to appreciate the end result of a project that took a massive amount of time.

Behold the classic witch’s hat—with a twist! I had so much fabric left over from the Morticia costume that I was able to create a matching witch’s hat.

This project gave me the confidence to make accessories to complement my work. Some outfits really do look better with a hat.