I’ve been sewing my clothes for nearly four years now, which had some unexpected results. I knew I would like the clothes I made better than those off the rack once my tailoring skills caught up to my ideas and that has happened. I didn’t expect the rocky period of making things I liked that didn’t fit into my wardrobe. This has been a problem over the last two years. I think because my style was changing. I think the clothes I was buying at stores were not really me but more a trendy persona to blend in. Going into 2024, I wanted my clothes to be more cohesive.
I’ve been more intentional with what I sew and how I will wear it with the pieces already in my wardrobe. I’m also less afraid to upcycle and repurpose existing clothes I’ve bought or made into something that will work with my current clothing and accessories. This summer I’ve felt like I every piece has had a purpose in my wardrobe and everything feels like an accurate reflection of who I am. It’s been a lot of fun to mix and match pieces, even dabbling in layering garments in ways I may not have tried before. With how busy this summer has been unpacking, I’ve been less likely to reach for my accessories, which I’d like to get better at because I know that would truly bring an outfit together.
In the meantime, I think this has been a successful season of making and wearing because I reached for my pieces more than anything else in my wardrobe. It feels good to know they are getting used and can easily mix and match with other garments in my closet to get as much use out of the items I made as possible.
I started keeping track of my outfits because of my Instagram and blog, to catalog my makes and it has been a fantastic way to see what I am wearing and what I should repurpose or re-home. If you are feeling stuck in a style rut I’d highly recommend keeping a record of what you wear and how you wear them. It’s been a helpful tool to find my personal style.
Designing clothing has been a journey of learning how outfits come together within an existing wardrobe. That is my biggest takeaway from the last four years and what I’m excited to apply to my future creations as a designer and maker.
You will recognize this fabric if you’ve been here since I shared my Spring/Summer 2023 collection. I originally purchased it for a Christmas present project as part of my Autumn/Winter 2022 Collection for a pair of pants. I happened to not share it on the site. With the extra yardage, I made a blouse and a matching skirt I styled in 2023 as separates and a set.
This got me thinking, should I just make it a dress? So I did, I sewed the two together with mixed results. I liked the dramatic drape of the shoulders in contrast with the defined waist but the fabric is thin and I knew I wouldn’t wear it as a long sleeve garment. So I chopped the sleeves to a flutter sleeve option.
This felt even worse when I wore it as a short-sleeved dress. The dress was constructed well, the fabric of good quality, and the color scheme flattering but I did not reach for it. The sleeves made me feel weird and wide instead of cute. I didn’t feel like me. Have you ever experienced that with a garment or a project you have made? There’s nothing technically wrong with what you made or what you tried on, but it feels off. This left me with one more option. No sleeves.
So I chopped the sleeves entirely and that’s when I felt like I struck gold! It looks like a dress my Grandma used to wear. Shirtwaist dresses were her staple dress and I see why. They are versatile and practical. I can dress this up or down. I can layer over or under for different looks. It’s a dress I know I’ll be making again with a proper button placket and pockets for sure.
In early 2024, I read through the book of Proverbs and planned to share more of my study, but this year, I’ve been feeling imposter syndrome about sharing what I’m reading and what God is teaching me. I’m not sure why either because I love cataloging my notes from my reading and sharing them here for whoever would like to read them. I enjoy a good book discussion and I want to see how my understanding of books, like books in the Bible, changes over time as I re-read passages and gain deeper knowledge of the text.
I’ve been doing this with Pride and Prejudice and other Jane Austen stories through a podcast/YouTube channel creator named Ellie Dashwood, who I’ve mentioned before. I’ve been watching through her historical videos which explore fascets of Regency Era England to bring greater context to the characters of Jane Austen’s works of literature. I think the combination of a video I watched following what Elizabeth Bennet’s life would be like as the lady of Pemberley and a recent video by With Love, Kristina brought me back to Proverbs 31 and the woman described. It’s a bit of a web, but I’ll explain.
In Ellie’s video, she walks the viewer through what it would be like to be a Regency-era lady of a large estate like Pemberley, which is a pretty fascinating thing to consider because we don’t learn a lot about this period in history classes! What we as the viewers learn is that Lizzie would have a rather full day. It’s honestly much busier than I ever thought because history tends to paint women in a few scant roles like wife or mother, object of desire, or damsel in distress. It’s frustrating because we aren’t that different from people of the past and it doesn’t make sense to me why women would be so lacking in life and personality until 1900’s?
I thought Lizzie would be a lady forced to read and not take long walks, as she so enjoys, and have to take turns about the room with Caroline Bingley. But actually, being the mistress of Pemberley gave her a lot of jobs to do. Like Cora in Downton Abbey, Elizabeth would be in charge of the house such as making sure it was running smoothly, would be in charge of entertaining, etc. Lizzie would also be in charge of running the budget of the house to keep their expenses within their means.
Pemberley is a large estate in Darbyshire, therefore they would have tenants and Elizabeth would make social calls as part of her role as mistress of Pemberley. It was part of building a good community. As the family with the most money and resources, they were to take care of their tenants, as lady bountiful she would call on the poor and the sick and bring them food from their table. They would also have people staying at Pemberley and balls which would be hosted at the estate that Elizabeth would be in charge of planning.
I could tell from watching the video that Ellie put a lot of research into discovering what a lady of the gentile class’ life would look like. I think it sounds like a much more fulfilling role than I imagined, especially with the income disparities of the time, I was happy to learn that if the family who held an estate like Pemberley were good people the poor and the sick would be taken care of as well as the staff, like we see in Downton Abbey.
How does this connect to the video I was watching the other day, from With Love, Kristina’s channel? She mentioned the woman in Proverbs 31 but challenged me to dig deeper than the trite “Proverbs 31 woman” stereotype that gets peddled around Christian women content on social media. I was quite pleased to hear what she reminded me of because it reminded me a bit of the Mistress of Pemberley as well as what life looks like as a 2024 woman.
Kristina is a full-time YouTube creator and fiction author who is also a stay-at-home mom with five kids. In a lot of her videos, she discusses the intentionality and work it takes to find a balance between all these roles. She is incredibly down-to-earth and that is why I find myself sticking around on her channel when she is not talking about vintage fashion, writing, neurodivergence, or vintage cleaning routines because I don’t have five kids, I don’t have any kids, but her real-life perspective and authenticity teach me things that I wouldn’t know otherwise and I find common ground where I didn’t expect it.
In the video that sparked me to write this post, she was discussing the outside opinions viewers share in the comments about how lucky she is to be just a wife and just a stay-at-home mom, and what she shared I connected with. My husband and I share labor, as I have transitioned in lockdown from bringing in income from my full-time job to pivoting towards a new path, my role changed. Since I temporarily couldn’t provide financially anymore for our lives, I wanted to take a more active role in the unpaid domestic labor that makes life happen. I became much more serious about housekeeping and cooking because it made me incredibly uncomfortable to not contribute financially. It was a struggle actually to let him fully take that role, something I continually struggle with and strive to change because that’s who I am.
I’ve had people in my life treat me like a spoiled brat who doesn’t want to work or got saved from working by my husband like I’m a kept woman and this truly irks me. It irks me how people in my life can’t see that paid or unpaid, domestic labor is work and also on top of that, I am working to build something for myself through knitting and sewing which is still in process. But just because I don’t have that “job” or typical career anymore, my time is devalued and seen as me “playing all day with my crafts” not spending 8 hours a day doing domestic labor and my own work on Instagram, the blog, and my current projects. It hurts but I can’t make people see things differently than how they want to see them.
This is where the Proverbs 31 woman stereotype came in, after I was laid off a few people in my life brought up the Proverbs 31 woman as my new role model from the season I was in being unemployed and just a wife. I could just “wife” like her and have kids and make my little crafts and donate to charities and be a woman of good moral character that is secondary to her husband. That’s what the Proverbs 31 woman is. But she’s not that actually if you read the text, and Kristina reminded me of this.
The Proverbs 31 woman works and has a successful income all on her own. She buys land with the money she earns and contributes to her family’s finances through her work spinning wool and flax into textiles. She is a wife, a mom, an artisan, and a lady bountiful with whom she shares her blessings with her community. She is a fully developed character with a big life. A woman that I can connect with and I think most women today will as well. She is not the watered-down version I see on social media that is mostly clothed in dignity and grace like good things just came to her because she is special. It’s not about health and wealth gospel and faith in God providing you with three wishes like Aladdin.
I think it’s a shame that we are under-explaining her in the Christian bubble to create engagement and sell people a fake sense of Biblical feminity. I love studying literature and seeing that women are not NPCs and haven’t always been NPCs. Women are an active part of the storyline. Both inside and outside of the Christian bubble, we should be able to agree on this and, sadly, it isn’t always the case. How much more could we be supporting each other if we realized this? How much stronger could our communities be? And how could this bring light to overwhelm modern-day women are experiencing?
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. — Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
It’s a bit silly to think about now, but learning how to sew from Youtube meant that using all the correct drafting tools, was a process of failing in order to realize I needed them.
I made a series of pants and shorts in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Some were okay, many were awful, some turned out better than expected because of a pattern. What I was missing in my sewing tool kit though was the predictability of the french curve.
Once I began drafting with this wonderful comma, I saw an improvement in my pattern drafting, ease of wear for garments made with this tool, and a reduction of fabric waste from cutting the curve wrong.
This July has been the first time I’ve recognized that feeling of time passing. The year is halfway over, what do I want to do with these last six months to finish the year strong?
In May, I felt like my life was done, as I knew it. Like a video game, I was done, out of hearts, out of health, game over. June felt like an exciting adventure and a respawn of my little game character in a new environment but the same life. It was thrilling and overwhelming at times, there was so much to catch up on and so much to do to begin our life in our house. July however has been this month of my brain feeling like it is in hyperspeed. Now that I have a new space to create, I also have new creative energy. That two-month break spent packing, moving, and waiting, was like a creative refresh and since then July has been a sprint.
I think some of this wild energy has been all the excitement of this month as part of the STAY fandom, this has truly been a one-of-a-kind comeback, but also I’ve been seeking distraction. My mom is walking through a health condition that came out of nowhere and in a matter of a few weeks she went from my companion packing boxes to being unable to do much physical activity without her body sending off alarm bells. I’ve never seen her like this before, and if I stop to think about it too much, I freak out.
I’ve turned my attention to what the second half of the year could bring. There have been so many wonderful things on the horizon, my friend’s wedding, my sister-in-law’s new place, Kyle’s new woodshop, the possibility of adopting a rabbit from E.A.R.S, Shakerwoods, the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, apple picking, Pumpkinville, etc. I’ve begun planning Christmas presents for loved ones, trying to be more ambitious than ever to push myself to learn something new in the process. I’ve also been feeling the itch to actually sell my pieces. I think it’s time, I just have to figure out where and how.
In middle school, I had a black off-the-shoulder sweater with a wide fold-over collar and a coordinating skirt in gray and black stripe. It was the first skirt outfit I tried wearing over pants, a trend that has come back in popularity over the past few years along with the 2000s style. All of this has made me nostalgic for my old sweater, but not interested in buying one like it because I don’t love the new take on 2000s fashion with our current-day fabrics and fast fashion construction. It’s just all off-kilter from the original subject material.
So, I had an idea. What if I tried making one with the yarn in my stash? I had several skeins of this navy tweed from Big Twist that I didn’t buy with a specific purpose, and it took up space. It seemed like a fun color I could coordinate like I did with the Houndstooth Denim dress worn as a maxi skirt. It was an ambitious make.
I’ve only been making sweaters for a few years and had no experience designing a pattern with no collar or shoulder seams. There was a lot to think about. How could I incorporate the big fold-over collar? How do you add sleeves with the new style lines? How do you keep it on the shoulder enough so it doesn’t fall down? As with most of my makes, I dove head first into the project ready to fail if that meant I learned something!
The first obstacle I found was not having enough yarn, shocking right? I was surprised I had multiple skeins of this blue, but it wasn’t enough to get the longer length, so I had a choice to buy more or get creative in this stashbusting project? I decided using what I had was more important than keeping the original vision so I chose this gray yarn I also had in my stash from the Bunny Hat project. It brought an interesting contrast to the tweed and I actually loved the color blocking once it was done.
The arm holes were such a challenge. As I was knitting this piece top down, I first knit the ribbed collar and then reduced down for the body section, leaving enough of the collar on the edge to insert an armhole after I was done with both the front and then back. All was seamed together and for a first try, I’d say it was a success. The geometry definitely worked. I had a free range of motion. It was a win!
What was not a win was my over-calculation when it came to fit. I forgot to accommodate the size needle I was using, a US size 8, which knits up with a larger gauge. I had been using US size 7 more recently and I sized like I would have for this gauge. My second mistake was not accounting for the stretchiness of this yarn. It is an acrylic and nylon blend that gets roomy with wear leading to a sweater that simply didn’t fit.
After the move, several months after this project was done, I tried this on again and realized that I had toned up more than I thought carrying all those boxes because the sweater slips right off my shoulders and off my hips too. It’s a total size failure! Now I’m not sure what to do with it. I’ve already taken in the collar back in April, I don’t think I can take it in again and it is constructed well so frogging this project is not going to be easy. It’s a shame because I think I had a good design here.
I think my only option is to potentially re-home it and make another one following the tutorial that I shared on Instagram which was my first time doing that. I felt such imposter syndrome! To my surprise, it was met positively even though it was not created for circular needles. It showed me that sharing my craft and creating tutorials is becoming a calling, free tutorials, and free knitting and sewing tips because I just want people to do this too.
This year I’ve been transferring designs that I like onto my own paper patterns for a quick reference when planning projects and cutting out garments. It has also opened a new world of pattern hacking my own patterns! I’d heard of pattern hacking before but mainly in the context of pattern hacking pieces from the big four, either by altering the lines of the pattern piece or mashing up patterns from different garments to create something new. Trying it with my own patterns has been incredibly fulfilling and made designing a lot easier. I’m wasting less fabric and having a much easier time tailoring my garments, which means when I start designing to sell I’ll have this process down instead of being lost. It’s exciting!
One of the patterns I hacked into something new was the bodice pattern from this Henley top I made from a ribbed knit fabric from the Walmart remnant bin, it was a major score! This pattern has a scoop neck and a relaxed shoulder line that extends off the shoulder.
I used this pattern to make a pinafore-style dress from blush pink cotton with a micro polka-dot pattern in a vintage fabric from my Gram’s stash. She had 8 yards of it, and since it was translucent I decided to double layer the dress, the result has been one of the most well-finished garments I’ve made because of using the pattern and fully lining it. The first time I wore this dress out was actually to tour the house I ended up buying – good memories!
Because this was a pattern hack project, the original top may be a little tricky to see in the lines of the finished dress at first. The scoop is less deep and the relaxed shoulder I brought up an inch to make the sleeves a bit more graceful to wear on its own or with another garment underneath in the winter.
Another change was the v line in the back instead of being a crew neck, I also cut the back bodice pieces on an angle to create a better fit which worked well. I changed the line of the waist too by swooping the line upward in a half-moon shape which has been one of my favorite hacks so far. With the gathers on the skirt and minimal print, it draws the eye to style lines in the garment which is a different technique from how I normally design. It feels like a level-up of my skill set and I hope to keep exploring this style.
Going into June, after being in a yarn stash busting low-buy for the first half of 2024, I knew I wanted to break away from the acrylic in my stash and go for something lighter. In preparation, I watched a summer yarn review from NE Knits (I recommend her channel) to get a lay of the land for these lighter yarn and the best projects in her opinion to make with them.
Now if you look at my summer pickups below, they don’t really match what I thought I would buy based on her review. I gleaned a ton of fiber knowledge from her video that I plan to apply to future purchases (and one I already did from Knit Picks) to try silk, linen, and bamboo yarn.
As far as what I am actually working on this summer, these were capricious finds from the sale and clearance bins, as well as one destashed lot from my mom. Going into these purchases, I knew what to expect from some because of NE Knits review which helped me lower my expectations of one brand that has led to me being pleasantly surprised. It also helped me get in a good mindset for shopping so that I browsed with intention instead of reckless abandon. Let’s get into it!
Big Twist Cotton in Blueberry Speckle
Based on the online reviews, Big Twist Cotton is not a fan favorite, which is probably why these balls of cotton yarn were marked down to $0.97/107 yard skeins. This blend of 85% cotton and 15% polyester in composition is delightfully soft and easy to knit up. I instantly felt in love with the dye work on this yarn. It looks like blueberry ice cream! There were 10 balls of yarn left at my local store so I gathered the lot in hopes of making a long sleeve knit tee. The label calls for 11 balls to make a sweater so I hope it pans out because this project is stitching together so well! The fabric it makes feels cozy, breathable and like a garment I will enjoy wearing in multiple seasons.
I’m currently 6 skeins into the project, wrapping up the back panel. I’m about to split for the neck and shoulder pieces. Next I’ll split the remaining 4 balls of yarn between two sleeves and sew up. I’m knitting on size 6 needles.
Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend in Chai Latte
This set of yarn was an unexpected plan, but was graciously given to me by mom from her de-stashing project we worked on over the fourth of July weekend. It is a yarn that I was familiar with but as a knitting novice, I didn’t understand how to use at the time. It has a blend of colors that somewhat stripe and somewhat cluster throughout the stitches to make a knit fabric that resembles a meadow or hillside dotted in flowers.
Instead of calling this color way “chai latte” I prefer ‘seashell’ for its subtle variations of creams, a soft peach, and a purple-gray that is reminiscent of the variety of seashell colors you find washed up on the sand. I get distracted as I knit, looking at how the colors deposit across the rows. It’s a beautiful play on highlight and shadows.
I am currently knitting a cardigan, unless I change my mind to a sleeveless sweater dress, time will tell. I enjoy the weight of the yarn, the only thing I don’t enjoy is how the strands split whilst knitting them. It’s caused me to drop stitches and have some messy yarn work. In spite of that it is comfy, cozy, and a lovely yarn to behold. I have 5 balls of 392 yards that is a wonderful amount of yarn to be gifted. I’m knitting on size 7 needles.
Big Twist Cotton in Sea Glass
This yarn is vibrant and exciting – I can’t wait to get started on this project. It was on the same sale as Blueberry Speckle and is the same composition and yardage. I bought 12 balls of yarn for 1274 yards in total. I am planning to make a garment, probably a knit shirt because I’d like to knit more basics. If not a shirt a very short sleeveless sweater dress. This colorway combines my favorite shades and looks like salt water taffy. It was a win-win of a find!
This kind of blend I have been wanting to try again since I bought a blend like this as my first knitting project after a 5 year knitting hiatus. I ended up leaving the project as a UFO (unfinished object) and I regret that decision. I’m excited to see what comes of this multi-color blend and how I will style it once its done. I plan to knit my garment on size 6 needles.
Loops & Threads Everyday Cotton Yarn in Peacock
This was my first yarn purchase of the summer, a pick up during a big week, the week of our closing and this was definitely a stress purchase. I was wanting a new project to distract myself with and I’d say I got what I paid for. This yarn is not my favorite. It dyed the ends of my bamboo needles. I have actually taken my first project off the needles and put it back in my stash because I was so frustrated.
This was on sale for $1.99 per 120 yard skein and I bought 8 balls. I’m not certain what I’m going to make with it because of the dye transfer issue. I had originally thought of a knit top. I’ve also brainstormed a skirt, a bag, and wash clothes, but again the dye transfer. Will it stop after the first wash? I’ll have to try and find out.
Overall, I was dissatisfied with my experience with Michael’s this time. They did not give me the remnant price for the end of the bolt I purchased and their yarn seems subpar to Joann Fabrics and Walmart. It was also more expensive for both yarn and fabric with the fabric being but not fantastic. I think I’ll stick to Michael’s art supplies next time.
Eddie Bauer Cotton Adventurer in Blue Bird
This delicate yarn was an unexpected sale find with a yarn weight more like a fingering yarn for socks. It was an exciting and affordable way to plan a delicate project while seeing the yarn in person. I love this shade of blue and think a cardigan would be a great piece to make from this yarn. It’s lightweight and natural fiber should allow this finished garment to used almost 12 months a year. It seems gimmicky when I see clothing brands put out a yarn collection, but these skeins of “adventurer cotton” felt like good quality that I would purchase without the fancy label.
I haven’t worked with this yarn yet but plan to knit this with size 5 needles or possibly smaller if needed. I don’t want an open weave. I bought 6 skeins with 344 yards per ball in fingering weight yarn. If I like this yarn I think fingering weight will be a permanent fixture in my stash because I have plans to learn sock making.
Final Thoughts
Now, this can’t be a complete review because I haven’t worked with all the yarns I purchased yet, but I do have some takeaways from this experience. I highly recommend watching yarn reviews. Not because you have to take their word as law, but it was great inspiration. It helped me go into this season of knitting with ideas of what I wanted to look at. I went into the yarn store with a plan and took the time to read fiber content, examine the yarn weight and needle size, and to be particular about what I was buying.
My original plan without the clearance finds, was to buy Coboo instead of Truboo based on NE Knits suggestion of how the yarn knitted up. I took the time to look at each version and decided that Truboo also seemed like a better yarn for my needs. If it had been on sale I would have purchased but the price compared to some of the other finds did not make sense at the time.
I bought a yarn that was not reviewed well by customers because of the under $1 price per skein and because I wanted more time to practice with cotton yarn. That made sense to me before I splurge on a Coboo, a Truboo, and eventually a mulberry silk or linen for summer. More experience was my tipping point. So far I haven’t found the Big Twist Cotton to split like the reviews said, I hope this stays true for the rest of my projects.
This was the most organized I’ve been for a knitting shopping trip and a knitting season of project planning. I liked having a plan for each project, as silly as that sounds because I don’t believe I over bought which is important to me since the storage in my new studio is tricky at the moment. I don’t want to be overrun with materials. If you are a knitter or crocheter I hope this mini-review is helpful for your future projects, or that you just enjoyed the yarn content. If you are not a yarn junkie I hope this was still fun, I appreciate you being here and taking the time to read my blog. Have a wonderful day ❤
This collection is a combination of new items that I self-drafted and made this year and two dresses that I made in previous years that gave a refresh for a new garment. The ability to change up my wardrobe from existing items in my closet is one of my favorite aspects of sewing!
L to R: Bunny Swing Dress with Puff Sleeves, Heatwave Dress with Buttons, Plaid for Days Jumper Dress, Loyalty-Respect-Banana! Pinafore Dress, Blueberry Print T-shirt Dress, Potato Technology’s Strawberry Dress for 2024, Liz’s Shirtwaist Dress in Red Currant, A Classic Little Pink Dress in Polka Dot, Regina Phalange Dress with Lace Stripe
L to R Fabric: Joann Fabric Easter Collection (2024), Vintage Deadstock from my Gram’s Quilting Stash, Mood Fabrics and Hobby Lobby (2022), Joann Fabric Curious George Licensed (2024), Vintage Deadstock from my Gram’s Quilting Stash, Hobby Lobby and Joann Fabrics(2023), Mood Fabrics (2022), Vintage Deadstock from my Gram’s Quilting Stash, Joann Fabric Halloween Collection (2023)
One Rabbit Riot 