What I Made in 2018 (So Far)

 

If you follow my Instagram feed, you know things have been a little quiet when it comes to sewing…2018 has been a bit of an adventurous year so far! Most of my sewing distraction is due to being a new homeowner – my husband and I bought a house at the beginning of the year and it’s been taking up a lot of my time to get everything unpacked, set up, and fixed up outside in the yard this summer. School is no walk in the park either, and taking summer classes is a bit of a drag when all you want to do is hang out at the pool or beach in the nice weather. But in the time since the beginning of the year, I made a few new things, so I thought a compilation post of everything all at once would be best to share what I’ve made so far in 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to London this spring for work and was on a mission to get to Liberty – oh man, what a beautiful department store with lovely things, and what a fabulous haberdashery floor! It was so hard to leave with just two cuts of fabric, and it would have been more had I not been traveling with a carry-on suitcase. I settled on two Tana cotton lawn prints and whipped up an Ogden Cami from one print (first pic above) and a Willamette Shirt from the second, both of which are on heavy rotation this summer. The Willamette is a new favorite go-to pattern for an easy breezy top on hot days.

 

 

 

 

This Willamette Shirt may be my favorite of the two – I completely copied a version I saw on Instagram and used a print from the new Cotton + Steel/Rifle Paper collab to make a beachy version. It goes really well with this pair of Maritime Shorts!

 

 

 

 

We had a nasty heat wave recently in Boston where the weather was 90+ for over a week, and on top of that, the AC went out at work – yuck. I’ve been trying to sew from my stash (which, as you can see from the above projects, isn’t going so well, hah!) and this ITY jersey from Joann Fabrics I bought years ago was perfect for recreating a favorite summer dress, McCall’s 6752. I made the original five years ago and wore it a lot, but the fabric was cheap and didn’t hold up very well. Hoping to get more mileage out this version!

 

 

 

 

After taking a shoemaking class in NYC in January, I’m totally hooked on learning whatever I can about making shoes. Using a kit from Rachel Sees Snail Shoes, I made my first pair of sandals and learned so much more about shoes! Everything I needed to make a pair was included: the leather, different shoe patterns, rubber, knife and awl, cement, and a leather punch. Plus, I got access to a video lesson that walks through each of the steps to make a custom pair of sandals.

 

 

 

 

This was my next attempt at sandals, making my own pattern and trying some different things. They’re nothing too fancy and pretty basic, but I wear them a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the sandals I am the most proud of so far – a pair of me-made Birkenstock sandals!! After stalking Jasika’s Instagram and blog, where she posted details of how she made her own Birks, I found some supplies on Ebay and Etsy to make my own (namely, the cork footbed and outsole material). To make the pattern, I copied a pair of knock-off Birk sandals from target to get the shape of the straps right. After cutting out my leather, I painted the little white dots on with some leather paint. Then it was a matter of assembling everything and boom! I had a new pair of sandals in a weekend.

 

 

I have a few other things on deck right now: a linen Alder shirt dress, an Ogden Cami/shorts PJ set, a one-piece swimsuit for vacation in August, and some more sandal and leather projects. Now it’s just a matter of finding time to get all of these things made! Just one more week of grad school to go for the summer, and I have one month off until the fall semester starts. Hope to get a lot done!