Make Nine progress

Er, so we’re a bit over halfway through the year. How’s my 2019 Make Nine going?

*Looks shifty*


Actually, it’s not going as badly as it appears in my head. I did make my Colette Sorbetto, and the skirt from Simplicity 8246 (in a fab apple-print fabric, and I adjusted the pattern to account for my thick waist/narrow hips). The Clever With Colour jacket is still on the needles – I’m on the very last bit of the bobbly edging now. So it should be done by the end of the year, given how long it takes me to sew anything knitted together.  I always procrastinate towards the end of a knitting project. And while they were not part of my Make Nine plans, I’ve also made cushion covers and two sleeveless shirts this year.

Three of the items on my list – wide-legged trousers, tunic and kimono top – were listed to go together, but I wasn’t able to find a pattern for the sort of thing I had in mind until recently, when I found one that’s very similar to what I had in mind for the trousers and kimono top. It’s a Vogue pattern, V9375, but has a vintage beach pyjama vibe, and I reckon the trousers and jacket would do the trick for those two pieces. The fabric I was thinking of is this exuberant grey Jacobean floral (it may be grey, but it is busy). I’m still looking for the right tunic pattern, but might just adapt the Sorbetto.

I'm still looking for a 60s-style A-line miniskirt pattern in my size. It will be out there somewhere...

I have bought Vogue 9274, a design for a fabulous asymmetrical jacket. The pattern includes trousers, but they’re elastic-waisted and I’m not wearing tweed trousers with an elastic waist. I’m really not into elastic round my squishy middle. The wide-legged trousers with the kimono top also have that, and I plan to experiment with an invisible zip instead, though if I had to fall back on elastic with crepe, I guess I could live with it. With tweed, though, it’d be too much bulk.

I also found another pattern I liked, a simple shift with a swing jacket, but on me the jacket would fall in just the right place to reveal my waistline, which I prefer not to do. So, it occurred to me, why not combine the shift dress with the asymmetric jacket, all in tweed? YES. Tweed was also on my list for this year. And it also occurred to me that having already made the skirt and top from Simplicity 8246, I don’t need a new pattern for a simple shift dress, I just need to work the adaptations I’ve made to those two garments into the dress from the same pattern.

I’ve also been out and bought a pattern for a shirtdress. I used to have one I loved wearing, but the armholes had the old problem of revealing my bra, and in photos I could see how badly the bodice pulled out of shape because BOOBS, and the slightly high waistline made it look like the ‘girls’ were sitting on my waist and I had no shape. Now I’ve learned to adapt patterns for a fullsome frontage, I can make all the shirt dresses I like.

So, how’s it going? I’m probably still on track to make nine things this year, no problem, but they may not all be the ones I had in mind in January!