A review of 2025, my first year of sewing! I learned a lot, I refused to invest in a sewing machine, and insisted on sewing by hand on the couch. Most of the creative motivation I had this year was for crafting with textiles. Thoughts of sewing and construction were in my mind constantly, which helped make hours working at a museum more productive.
This year, I made:
- 1 embroidered napkin
- 2 shirts from scratch using up-cycled fabric
- 2 heavily modified shirts
- 6 pouches (5 with zippers, 1 with velcro)
- 4 microwaveable bowl cozies
- 1 unfinished secret project!
Starting Small
My sister gifted me some embroidery tools and I picked up a box of embroidery floss at an antique store. I began with some embroidery on small scraps of fabric. It was calming to stitch but also very mentally stimulating to figure out all the physics of fabric and knots. I even learned how to do a mitered corner (on the backside of the napkin on the right). I only took a picture of the napkin while it was wet because I used a wash away template! Oops.
Silliness with Shirts
Then I got ambitious and decided to turn some pants I didn’t like into shorts. Halfway through this project, I decided to use the leftover fabric to make a shirt. I used the bodice of a dress that fit for a template and spent hours and hours thinking and drawing plans. I traced and retraced pattern pieces and even made a toile out of the drawstring bag that sheets come in.
Through this project I learned:
- Princess seams
- Creating and attaching a lining
- Flat-felled seams
- Using slash and spread to adjust the length of a pattern piece
- How to check and true a pattern
- The importance of making a toile
- How to sew and turn inside-out straps
- Corset-style bodices really do need boning (I didn’t use it)
- Write down the order of operations and don’t forget to do steps
- Top-stitching
Next I turned a large men’s shirt I found outside into a sleeveless top! I was very happy with how this turned out and finished it just in time to wear to a Jonestown themed party.
This was more freeform, I trimmed and pinned and tried it on until it fit. I used this video as a guide. I also learned how to use bias tape to finish the armholes, with bias tape I picked up at an estate sale.
Next was my most ambitious project yet: a shirt from a pattern. I had an old green sheet and used McCall’s pattern M8570.
The challenges of this project were cutting all the fabric out, trying to finish raw edges by hand with an overlock stitch, and the time it took to sew by hand all the long seams. This was the first time I really felt like a project might be impossible without a sewing machine.
But I managed to complete it! It’s not perfect, the fit is a bit funky and the facing is bulky. The fabric gets wrinkled easily and is worn (it was a very old sheet). But I’m still proud! Please ignore the fact that the bottom hems don’t line up.
I went back to upcycling another shirt I found outside, this time changing it from a wrap to a tie and a button in the center. I cut pretty boldly with this one and got lucky that it turned out okay.
Christmas Pouches
I was a bit tired of the long seams involved in shirts, and as Christmas was approaching, I decided to incorporate some zippers into my sewing. I made a few pouches in different styles as gifts. I also used this as an opportunity to practice different quilting techniques.
Christmas Bowl Cozies
For Christmas gifts I also made a few microwaveable bowl cozies. I had to make sure to use 100% cotton everything and even got a batting specifically made for use in the microwave. I used this pattern, but after the first one I made decided to use only one layer of batting because I thought maybe they didn’t need to be that thick.
2026 Goals
I have an unfinished project that I need to complete in the first month of this year, then it’s on to a few more planned projects. I have 2 linen-cotton blends that I’d like to make into shirts for me and my boyfriend. Maybe I’ll get a sewing machine this year? I’d also like to do more with thrifted materials.