2020: the beginning of my sewing journey & what I made
- christine lee
- Mar 1, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 9, 2021
Prior to the pandemic, learning to sew was something I only dreamed of one day learning. I’ve wanted to learn since I was a child but kept putting it off, feeling intimidated and not having the resources immediately available. As an adult, I was always too distracted by FOMO on going to parties and events. Well, that all obviously changed in 2020.
I started sewing in April of 2020. I really struggled learning to sew at first. I hated my sewing machine & seemed to encounter problems every step of the way! I troubleshooted so much until I eventually figured it out. I'd have preferred to have taken a class, but in the midst of a pandemic, I was on my own. My passion for fashion kept me going even when I hated sewing. I found help from YouTube, sewing books, and Reddit.
Here are some pix of what I made last year! they’re all in chronological order.
I started off sewing napkins, unable to sew a straight line. Then I progressed to masks (tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz0YpY6VqVU) & some basic projects like a gathered skirt (Clemence skirt from "Love at First Stitch" by Tilly & the Buttons) and reversible apron (pattern from the free patterns section of Bluprint, now Craftsy; if I can find it I'll post it here). Here are some of my spring makes:
& here are some of the garments I made! these were all made with sewing patterns. I made my first dress, and It felt like a huge accomplishment. I’ll post a pattern review of this soon. I also made simple crop tops & skirts.
Patterns for pix below:
Bluebell dress by Mood https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-bluebell-dress-free-sewing-pattern/
Blouson top by Retropatternarchive https://www.etsy.com/listing/788061136/pattern-easy-sew-vintage-women-blousen?ref=shop_home_active_34&crt=1
Ruffle wrap skirt by NH Patterns https://www.etsy.com/listing/823980052/womens-wrap-skirt-with-ruffle-hem-pdf?ref=shop_home_active_11&crt=1
Tundra cage lingerie set by Ohhhlulu https://www.etsy.com/listing/629852054/pdf-tutorial-tundra-cage-lingerie-set?ref=purchases_similar_listings-2
Halter top by NH Patterns https://www.etsy.com/listing/531703645/womens-halter-neck-bralet-style-cropped?ref=shop_home_active_3&crt=1
The Fitted Halter top by Retropatternarchive https://www.etsy.com/listing/801572039/pattern-easy-sew-vintage-women-belly?ref=shop_home_active_35&crt=1
Tie front tie crop top by Retropatternarchive https://www.etsy.com/listing/791348397/pattern-easy-sew-vintage-women-belly?ga_search_query=crop%2Btop&ref=shop_items_search_1&bes=1
I made my first bralette (Jordy bralette by Emerald Erin). I since then made more bralettes by other companies such as EvieLaLuve, OhhhLulu. I attempted to make this bikini by EvieLaLuve, failed, and took a break from swimwear. Then I tried again with an easier pattern (the Dallas top by edgewater ave and Summer bikini bottoms) am finally starting to get the hang of it.
Pattern for pix below (mostly in order, from L to R, top to bottom) It's a lot!
Darcey bralette w/ keyhole by Evie la Luve https://www.etsy.com/listing/646124968/keyhole-add-on-for-the-darcey-bra-pdf?ref=yr_purchases
Honey boyshort by Evie la Luve https://www.etsy.com/listing/696686900/honey-boyshort-panties-sewing-pattern?ref=yr_purchases
Sarah Longline by Ohhhlulu https://www.etsy.com/listing/195959838/longline-bralette-sewing-pattern-ohhh?ref=yr_purchases
Fingerless gloves by Basic Tease https://www.etsy.com/listing/476479686/sewing-pattern-for-long-and-short?ref=shop_home_active_15&crt=1
Lani top by EdgewaterAve (free) https://edgewaterave.com/pages/lani-top
Renee garter belt by Evie la Luvehttps://www.etsy.com/listing/699870613/renee-garter-belt-sewing-pattern-pdf?ref=yr_purchases
Darcey bra by Evie la Luve https://www.etsy.com/listing/594674934/darcey-soft-bra-sewing-pattern-pdf?ref=yr_purchases
Jordy bralette by Emerald Erin https://www.etsy.com/listing/579948136/jordy-bralette-pdf-sewing-pattern?ref=yr_purchases
Ava bralette & garter by Alison Smith https://www.craftsy.com/class/lingerie-essentials-bralettes/
Watson bra by ClothHabithttps://shop.clothhabit.com/products/watson-bra-bikini
Burlesque panties by Ohhhlulu https://www.etsy.com/listing/385207178/the-ultimate-burlesque-panties-sewing?ref=yr_purchases
Sierra bralette by Madalynne (free) https://madalynne.com/product/sierra-diy-bralette-sewing-pattern/
Dallas top by EdgewaterAve (free) https://edgewaterave.com/pages/dallas-top
Black Beauty bra by Emerald Erin https://shop.emeralderin.com/products/black-beauty-bra-pdf-sewing-pattern
Sophie Swimsuit by Closet Core https://store.closetcorepatterns.com/products/sophie-swimsuit-pattern
2020 was a rough year. We were all forced to make sacrifices that we weren't willing to make. It was a year for introspection and learning. I finally learned to sew-- a huge accomplishment for me. I can say that I appreciate the extra time to myself to craft and create what I want. In the future, I'll post more about individual projects and tutorials.
Thank you for taking the time to read this! I'd love to hear about your sewing journey, & how it was influenced by the pandemic. I feel like I've accomplished so much more than I could've had covid not happened. As much as I (along with everyone else) am sick of this virus, at least I now have my love for sewing.
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