Happy New Year 2024 and a New Start

I called this post NewYear and  New Start because that's my aim. Its not actually where I have got to as yet. I am hoping to actually completely change my life this year. That includes move to a different country as well as everything that will go along with that but I will not bore you with these details just yet. The house move though is yet another reason to keep this list concise this year. It needs to be achievable.

For now its New Year and I do hope you had an enjoyable New Years Eve. 

In the end we spent ours with familly and friends. I have to say my days of queuing at the bar are long gone and these days we still like to celebrate with just close friends rather than at pubs and clubs. 

 

Normally, I start the new year each year looking at my aims from last year and what I actually managed to achieve. It kind of works but I know on last years to do list I had a few things still left from the same list the previous new year so the 2022 and 2023 list had the same aims. And I still have not made some things even one year on. A couple of these I am carrying forward for the third year!

I suppose tnot making some of the items partly comes down to to the fact several of the items on last year's (and the 2022) list are they are luxury items and not really needed. If I need something eg. a pair of trousers then it gets made. If I am cold I make a warm top etc. etc.

 

I am intending to still carry a couple of these items forward - dresses and skirts but see below for more info. That is if you want to continue reading, because this post is more for me than for readers. I need to get my aims down in a recordable way because otherwise I seem to lose my sewing mojo so to speak, and kind of drift into dreaming of sewing not actually doing it and that is why this post is for me so very important to my yearly sewing. Its a round up but really it sets my intetions for the rest of this year. It makes me think of what has not worked well and what I should possibly repeat.

 

Then there's the aims to make things like the basic vest tops and also legging. We'll yes, easy to make, very needed, but I will only make from offcuts which limits the chance to make what I need. I hate though to cut into a large piece of fabric that would make a sweatshirt say and then waste the excess because all I made was a tiny vest. Really its not financially a viable make. So I keep leaving the vests and they stay on my list of things I am intending to make. This past year I could have made some but made some very useful baby clothes instead. I do not regret the choice but possibly I should have more realistic aims this year about how long it actually takes to sew things. 

 

In the end in 2023 I ended up buying black leggings, not making them, because it was actually much cheaper to do so. I also got them instantly and they have a fleece lining. I cannot buy the fabric to make them myself,  so would have made thinner versions. I have the past few years been obsessed with totally making my own clothing but I have decided this is actually not always a clever thing to do. 

 

Black leggings are practical, but boring to make. I need them but why pay more when making them yourself (and that's not including effort and time) when they are so cheap to just buy. I never bought such items since around 2013 so for 10 years I have made my own but it was actually nice to just buy them and I saved £1.85 a pair on what I could make them for. Not including time or the thread to sew them up that is. Or the elastic for the waistband. So really they were even cheaper!

 

That's made me think quite a lot about my sewing, because shouldn't I be concentrating on making the stuff I cannot buy, either because its unusual, or because its very expensive to actually buy? Like everyone I have limited time for my hobby so why waste it making boring stuff I can buy quite cheaply?

 

So a small revelation for me really. But it will from now onwards change the focus of my sewing slightly I expect.

I also need to take much more time inspecting my fabric before cutting and cut it if possible right side up. I recently made a jumper cut with right side down. 

If you look closely you can see the angle of the pattern  is a-cock. I carefully lined in the selvedges and tried so hard to cut on straight grain. We'll looking at the knit on the reverse of the fabric, yes it's on straight grain ( or looks to be), but if you look at the pattern on the right side, it's at an angle. Probably only I know, but it really bugs me. 

I read about this phenomenon years ago on some blog or other- so sorry not to credit that blog but I do not remember who it was said that - sometimes with knits, lining up the selvedge does not work, because the fabric can stretch and set the pattern at an angle. It's the first time it's happened to me with knits but not the first time I never realised I had cut off pattern-wise that is. 

I made this skull top a long time ago now. 

I still wear this often in summer despite the fact the skulls are cut at an angle. I did better when I used the red piece of fabric in the summer dress but I still live with the top I cocked up.

I could recycle the blue top. Eventually I will, but the tops still in nice condition and sometimes it's still worth keeping something even when you made a mistake. Especially when it rminds you to do things better!

So for this year I really need to double check what exactly I am cutting before I do the first cut.

Ok so to my plans for 2024:

Right now I need some nice warm trousers that can double as work and loungwear. I had thought this impossible but the fashion for knitted flares will mean I can do this and enjoy the fact that I can get away with comfy semi-smart trousers even at work. Being knits they probably will not be work worthy for long but they should get me through winter, so I aim to make 2 to 3 pairs of flares similar to these but in more boring fabrics. 

Much as I love pretty velvet prints I have to be realistic and I need some basic greys, creams or blacks right now. 

One pair I will make from the rest of my jumper fabric because it contains lycra so should work for winter trousers too and will make a lovely cozy pair of trousers. Not too sure of the other fabrics as yet. Hopefully this will work!

I also have a half made winter jumper/top so will complete that ASAP.

 

Its from this 10/2015 Burda Style magazine and will hopefully be completed soon because I need it and I want to cut out a coat.

Maybe a second pair of trousers from that fabric because I have quite a lot left. Its a dark red fake cashmere with 4 way stretch and the most amazing drape. I bought this last January sales and had no idea what to make and I should have bought more in other colours. Its a lovely fabric but they sold out. Still it's always easy with hindsight! 

 

I will show you this top assuming it all works out soon. Its harder to make than I expected though and having Christmas ( sewing shut down for me) in the middle of making has seriously slowed me down. I still have no table to sew on today. Hopefully that will be sorted soon but we have a familly birthday party tomorrow, so I need to get that done with first.

That will also give me two outfits I can look good in for work or play. And since I will have whole outfits it will make it easy getting dressed this winter when I really find it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Last year I traced a hoody from a Burda mag that has zips at each side of the neck. I really want to make this but might use some cheap sweatshirting for the first (muslin) version rather than risk a nice piece of fabric until I know if I am up to making this particular top. I cannot currently find that magazine so no picture of that one I am afraid but its still on my list. This is from the Burda UK website:

I find this a hard choice then because I have several pieces of very nice sweatshirting bought in sales. These bits of fabric cost about the same as the more ordinary every day polyester stuff but I cannot replace the nice bits for that amount of money so best I just go with the cheapo everyday stuff first maybe? 

 

The thing is it's not all about cost. Buying a nice fabric in a sale can often mean you match a cheaper fabric in price but it's not a match really. The nicer fabric is a bargain that usually cannot be replaced for the same cost and often it cannot be replaced at all because it gone out of fashion and no one has it any more.

 

This is the kind of dilemma really slows down my making. Risk my bargain bit of fabric and get something lovely - if it works first time? 

 

Or just make a cheaper bit of fabric up so I effectly make a wearable muslin first?

Of course the trial/muslin is best because then if I need to adjust or it just will not work or its the wrong size I can still make another, using my lovely fabric, and it should work second time making. But financially both the lovely one and the boring everyday version cost the same because my nicer fabric was bought on offer, so then I am just delaying using my nicer fabric. 

The trouble with diving straight in with the nice fabric can be seen with this top I made ages ago. 

It came out really really small, weird shaped and even when I added wide bands onto it it still never fit me. It was awful!
 

Anyway, it just did not fit. I loved that fabric and wasted it. The top went in the bin and I never used that pattern company since, but that did not get me back that piece of nice fabric, so I will probably go down the safe make a trial (muslin) first. And end up with two tops. But really that's not so bad. Better by far than wasting a nice piece of fabric.

Otherwise for 2024, I need a nice baggy cape type coat. I know what I want to make. Its from a Burda I bought second hand. I actually have 2 copies of this magazine one I was given in German and one in English. I originally thought I would have to translate but then realised I also have the English copy. Thats good because this may be harder to make thn expected ( like my top above thats ongoing!). This cape coat is from Burda Style 12/2002 number 128:

 I bought the fabric which is a black speckeldy wool mix and I am adding a tiger striped furry lining so assuming it works it should be very cuddly to wear and to sit in in an office environment at a desk wrapped in it when its just freezing. and just need to do this before the snow comes. It usually does in the UK, though last winter was relatively mild, but we do get that here in the UK. A mild year then loads of snow next year. Not sure it's got anything to do with global warming either because even in the middle ages before the industrial revolution we had these changeable winters in the British Isles.  It was documented as far back as the 11th Century.  

I suspect sometime in January or February we will get snow and probably the ice will come in the next couple of weeks. We had some already but although it's wet and warm at around 4 to 7 degrees C right now it's likely to change and I want a blanket coat so even at a desk I can wrap up and keep warm if I need to. I kind if feel I should keep a blanket at work - have considered this for years. It makes sense rather than sit there freezing but I think it would be highly frowned upon, so I have never done it. It was certainly a good thing about covid and working from home I could wrap up in a blanket when needed but in a work environment its a big no no, so I will make a huge coat that works in the same way this year instead. I suspect this coat is going to take me a few weeks to make - probably all ir most of January so I need to set myself less to make and maybe I can then achieve it.

So this is going to be a short list this year( I think the list gets smaller each year as it goes, as I become more realistic about what I can really achieve!)

2 to 3 pairs of basic winter flares using the free pattern with my flares made wider - as on my previous velvet versions.

Cape coat- as above

Ballet style dress(s) - on my list for the last two years!

 I really want to make the two dresses and have fabric for both versions so this should be quite easy. After all I bought the pattern even if it was years ago. I also, in both cases, bought the fabric, so I do need to try to make these. 

 

Though I have previously got very stuck on a skirt with a twist front that I abandoned around a year ago. 

 I may have to give that one another go as well just to see how to do the twist. Its currently half made in the UFO's box with a couple of coats I also could do with going back to.

Hoody as above with zips at neck.

 

A short winter weight mini skirt - no pattern decisions as yet but I do have some bright orange check boucle I want to use for this.

And for now that's all I am aiming at sewing-wise, because if its like every other year I will add this or that top or dress to this list virtually every week anyway. By keeping this list short I may even get to tick a few items off it as the year progresses.

Knitting though- well that's another thing. I began these socks last June. They were intended to be my Christmas socks. I didn't like the contrast I chose because it was not enough of a contrast and looked rubbish so in August I took them right back to the ribbing. That took about 3 days because I am not good at picking up stitches in 4ply so did it very slowly. Then I decided to just knit basic socks. In the meantime I knitted a baby aran and some baby socks. That took all my knitting time and at best I am a slow knitter. So Christmas comes and I have done the one sock. Not working for a week meant I have got sock two on the go but yet to turn the heel etc so really I am half way through sock 2. Never mind I will finish these socks but it might be at the end of January but to be honest that's fine. 

This is where I am at today with these socks as at 12pm UK time today:

 

I have one and a bit stripes before I start the heel flap on sock two and turn the heel then its the home run to finish them. 

 

And if at all possible, assuming I get these finished, I want to take part in this year's Winwick Mum Winter Haven Knit Along (KAL). I will see what the new pattern is and maybe get these finished asap and start that as well. Two new pairs of socks for 2024 would be wonderful.

I also want to try and get a knitting pattern published this year so I am trying to learn how to write understandable, reliable knitting patterns. I have interest from a publisher but have to actually get going and do this. And this is a huge aim for 2024 and my main New Years resolution. I will keep you posted on this one as I progress it.

So from me at the moment for my aims for 2024 that's it. I am hoping keeping it concise means I actually complete this year's list.

Take care and thanks for visiting my blog,

Happy 2024 

Bracken