In the spirit of #memademay2020, I wanted to share some sewing & knitting projects I have been working on, along with those queued up for the rest of the month. I know I’m a bit late to this as it’s mid-month (side note: I feel like time is flying by so quickly these days). I’ve worked on a few things already, so I’m technically not too behind!
All of these are beginner-friendly, so I hope this list is helpful for those who have picked up sewing as a new hobby during this time. For me, it was a little overwhelming to figure out where to start with what patterns, especially when some of them are so similar. There really is no right or wrong way to go about it, as it’s ultimately about practice – but I hope this project list is useful for anyone looking for entry level sewing projects.
Already completed projects:
- My second Willow Tank by Grainline Studios
- In addition to the 100 Acts of Sewing Shirt No 1, the Willow Tank is a great beginner pattern.
- I made this in a sunny, fried egg quilting cotton from Black Squirrel Berkeley. I altered the pattern slightly to allow more room in the armpit/back area, which was tight in the original pattern for my size.
- More face masks!
- This time in the Aplat pattern which I love for its simplicity of design, while also being very functional. If you recall, I covered them in my Renegade Craft Fair recap last year. I love seeing smaller brands pivot to producing face masks, and am grateful that Aplat shared their DIY pattern.
- Two simple thread catchers, pattern from Carolyn Friedlander
- A stylish solution to all the loose threads / fabric snippets from sewing. I previously either dumped everything on the floor, or had a messy pile on my table (which always inadvertently would get stuck to the item I was working on).
- My second pair of socks in the Vanilla is the New Black pattern
- Yarn from Ninette Bergersen of A Busy Life
Projects on deck:
- My third Willow Tank, but in silk
- This time in deadstock Amour Vert silk from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics
- I love Amour Vert’s patterned silk, and was very excited to find their excess fabric sold at Stone Mountain
- I’m nervous about cutting and sewing silk crepe – fingers crossed this goes well (would welcome any tips or advice!)
- A muslin Axis Dress by Papercut Patterns
- This will be my first venture into dresses and working with zippers, so I want to practice on a plain natural cotton before using a fun print
Stretch Goal:
- One or two more Stowe Bags by Grainline Studio
- These are perfect as future gifts to family / friends
- Not only is this a simple pattern, Grainline has sew-a-long blog posts to help out visually.
