So here we are, ending this surely “memorable” year of 2020. What an intense, unpredictable and for many people very tough year it has been. I know that everybody has had different experiences and life changes during this chaotic time, I hope that you are doing at least OK amidst all of what has been happening in the world.
While we are getting to the end of this year and everyone is preparing for the holidays I’m going to wrap up the list of the sewing and knitting projects I’ve completed this year. I have to admit that it has been really nice to go through all the photos and to see what I’ve been making, remembering what was going on when I was sewing or knitting these garments/things...and seeing how much I’ve actually managed to sew/knit during the year.
Making as a practice is of course not about quantity but about quality. Before showing you my projects I want to say that making and using my hands for different crafts is something that keeps my head sane (well, more or less, hehe) and I do it regularly, that’s why you’ll see quite a lot of output here. Also, it is very closely related to my work which means I probably sew way more than someone who only does it as a hobby (although you’d be surprised how little sewing actually forms part of my worktime...and how much boring computer work is required to stay up to date, haha). I often think that I don’t have enough time to actually do everything I’d like to do, both in my personal craft practice and at work. Then again looking at this recap post shows me that I’ve been able to make a lot during this period of time.
I’ve gathered all the projects in categories and where possible I’ve provided links to specific patterns/blog posts, I hope you’ll find them useful. You can also check out my past recap posts: 2016, 2018 and 2019.
My personal makes
merino wool long sleeve t-shirt (Ottobre Design)
boiled wool coat (Berlin jacket by Tessuti Patterns, featured in this blog post)
Viscose cami dress (Ogden cami (hacked) by True Bias, featured in this blog post)
Tencel wrap dress (Ottobre Design)
Grid front tie top in cotton shirting (Gilbert top by Helens Closet)
Striped wrap dress in linen/cotton blend (Calvin wrap dress by True Bias, featured in this blog post)
Camis in black and floral viscose (Ogden cami by True Bias)
Wrap top in linen (Calvin wrap top by True Bias)
Viscose blouse (Ottobre Design)
Rib knit turtle neck in cotton knit (Ottobre Design, featured in this blog post)
Interlock knit jacket (Berlin jacket by Tessuti Patterns, featured in this blog post)
Canvas jacket (Ottobre Design, featured in this blog post)
Wool autumn coat (Ottobre Design, blog post will be up in January 2021)
Softshell anorak (Ottobre Design, featured in this blog post)
Boiled wool/viscose blend jacket and jumper (Berlin jacket by Tessuti patterns/Ottobre Design, both featured in this blog post)
Made for Lia
You probably already know that I don’t sew a lot for my daughter, haha. Well, I did sew some cool things and of course per annual tradition also her bathing suit and birthday dress. I actually yet have to finish the Christmas dress that I started last week. All patterns used for her clothes are from Ottobre Design.
Organic cotton sweatshirt with dots & fur backed leopard sweatshirt knit bomber
Bathing suit with ruffles (more pictures here) and Rabbit hoodie
Summer dresses in jersey knit
Birthday dress in corduroy knit + French Terry dress for her friends birthday present
Masks
Has anyone NOT been sewing masks this year? I know I’ve made….what feels like million masks, haha. My favorite pattern is this one!
Quilting
I haven’t done nearly as much quilting this year as I would have wanted to!!! I hope that 2021 will end with a proper queen size quilt to be honest, I really want to make it happen.
Impro rainbow grid quilt for Lia’s room & (not finished) geometrical quilt top that will probably turn into a cushion cover
this half circle grid quilt was a gift for some friends, I also made a bigger version of that one as a baby gift and a smaller version for myself
I also made fabric napkins + I hemmed a piece of fabric for a table cloth…serious progress in my grown up life, haha!
Class and blog projects
Super easy fabric tray and machine pin cushion, tutorials are in this blog post.
Backpack made originally for kids sewing camp. I really like how this one turned out and I’m planning to publish it as a pattern in the future!
Easy sewing projects for beginner kids sewing class. You can find the tutorials (+ tips on how to teach sewing for beginners) in this blog post.
Made for others
I’ve probably mentioned it somewhere before but I really don’t like sewing garments as work (I’ve done it quite a lot in the past I’m kind of over with it). It just always feels like too much stress and effort for the compensation I’d have (personal issues, haha, I’m also really bad at asking for money for this type of things). I see that I’ve only made two projects like this this year so I’m glad I did stick to my principles…well mostly…this year, hehe.
Robe for a friends sister in this pretty viscose print (Suki robe by Helens Closet, you can see the version I made for myself in this blog post).
Vest with quilted fabric made for friends son, mental note: never sew with this kind of fabric again, what a mess, haha (Ottobre Design)
Lingerie made for me, for family and for work
This year I published the Eva panties and the Hanna bikini so there were quite a lot of samples of these. And blog tutorials of course, I’m listing those below. I also did sew approximately 15 bras that are not included in this gallery as these were muslins/samples for my upcoming pattern…I hope I can share those soon too :)
![DSCF7985[1]-01.jpeg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/564b7e2fe4b0acbf242aa6ff/1608042532295-DVPNX40NXEX3S469HEEQ/DSCF7985%5B1%5D-01.jpeg)
Ebook with 10 tutorials to modify panties patterns (free when you sign up to my newsletter!)
Other patternwork
I also started to develop a project bag + needle storage pouch patterns but they are on stand by a bit right now. I really liked the samples and I hope I can publish these in 2021 too!
Knitting
Oh, knitting…such a lifesaver hobby of mine. This year I’ve made some serious progress on practicing new techniques, choosing good projects and in general…knitting a lot. I usually knit every night on the sofa while I watch something or listen to podcasts. It’s definitely the best part of my day, hehe.
I wasn’t aware of this until I looked up all the photos but I’ve actually managed to finish 7 sweaters this year (!!!) and there’s one with only one sleeve left to finish. I really wanted to have nice wool sweaters in my life and I’ve made it happen this year :)
I’m linking all the photos to my Raverly page so you can see the project details there.
Copenhagen cardigan in merino for my mother
Kumulus blouse in mohair, silk and alpaca
Pink Velvet sweater in cotton/merino
Balloon cardigan in alpaca
Sweater no 6 in alpaca
Shifty sweater in alpaca and merino
Midnight Dancer socks (gift)
Other crafts
Winter wreath made in wool felt (inspired by Purl Soho)
Embroidery on a block printed calendar (Alex and me made a bunch of these block printed calendars as gifts at the end of last year)
That’s it, thanks for reading so far. It feels good to stop and take a look at the progress because oftentimes I feel busy in the moment, feeling overwhelmed when not seeing clear results, I tend to get lost in my own head. I need to step back to actually see the big picture and give myself a high five because you know what? Even though life has been difficult and uncertain and many times scary during these months...I’ve been progressing on my path. I’ve been trying to keep my head up even when I didn’t really feel like it. I’ve found joy in my craft, I’ve learned and evolved even when it was hard to imagine positive things in the future.
Maybe this happens to you too? I’d highly suggest you make a list of positive things that have happened to you this year, may it be related to your making practice or your life in general. We tend to forget about the good things, at least I know I have this “habit”. I actually just listened to one podcast episode lately where they gave advice to remember the good things, even the smallest ones: every time something good happens to you/you achieve something/you made significant progress, write it down and put this piece of paper in a glass jar. After time you’ll see your jar filling up and every now and then when you feel down, you can take a piece of paper and read it. You’ll remember the good things, you’ll remember how good you felt when they happened, you will feel more positive. It might sound very simplistic...but I think we all need a lot of positivity right now. Writing this recap post is like reading my notes from my glass jar. I thought that there wasn’t much in it but turns out it has some pretty wonderful things in there. Papers in a glass jar or project photos on your phone…anything that can be gathered together will have better results than just relying on your memories!
That said I’m grateful for so many things right now. I won’t post my long personal list here, after all you’re reading this post because you’re interested in sewing and this post has been a long one already, hehe. Anyway, I’m also grateful for all the makers I’ve met through this space here and the academy. Your support has been invaluable during this past year. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this visual diary as much as I do.
This is the last post of 2020 and I’ll be back in January. As I mentioned in my previous newsletter I’m going to try to keep on blogging regularly as this format of sharing content really feels like something I prefer instead of short captions below photos on social media. Instagram is great for inspiration but lately it just feels more and more overwhelming, superficial and purely marketing orientated to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, I like sharing what I’m making there but I feel that I’m finding more joy writing my weekly newsletters and this blog. I asked which format you prefer in my last newsletter and many of you wrote me back saying that you also value the blog more.
Again, thanks for reading my blog and following along in this creative journey. Also thank you so much for sewing with my patterns, it’s lovely to see your makes.
Happy holidays, stay safe and “see” you next year!
