My sewing year of 2022 – highlights and lessons

With the year coming to a close, I’m also wrapping up my sewing journey of 2022. For me this year was tough and also very busy, and once again sewing allowed me to stay sane and get a breath of fresh air each time I started and finished a new project. Sewing calms me down immensely and keeps my restless mind occupied. It works similarly to a workout session really. Speaking of that, this year was a pivotal moment for me in that respect, too. As someone who has never done any sports, I’m proud to share that I started to attend regular workout sessions in the beginning of 2022 and am still not bored after a year of doing that. So yes – in certain respects 2022 was definitely a good year!

If I were to describe my sewing year of 2022 in few bullet points, the highlights would be the following. I made 6 coats this year! 🙂 And am absolutely happy and proud of that. This year was also about upcycling, recycling and using fabric leftovers – these projects were absolutely rewarding and I got a lot of good energy out of them. I very much missed making jackets this year – I have made a single jacket this year and that’s something I want to have more of in my closet, so 2023 very likely will be a year of sewing jackets!

So below let me share my TOP 3 makes of 2022!

• Winter coat in Melton wool
• Upcycled genuine leather skirt, Burda Style design
• Casual herringbone coat in Yorkshire wool

These are my wearing favorites, not necessarily favorite projects while they lasted 🙂 For example, making that leather skirt was an ordeal really. However, it is probably the most worn garment of mine now. Every garment that was a result of an upcycling or leftovers usage exercise has been worn extensively, too. So if anything, I’ve learnt this year that it makes so much more sense to make something practical instead of something glamorous but not necessarily attached to real life. Below is a collage of my most worn and loved garments that I’ve made this year.

I’ve shared in a number of my previous posts my epiphany about dresses. In short, I had been just obsessed with making dresses before, but recently I’ve understood that they did not get much wearing and instead spent time in my closet, so why bother? Now I am of the opinion that it is so much better to have 10 coats in the closet instead of 10 dresses 🙂 And that’s because coats season is so much longer! Fair enough, we can wear dresses in cold season too, but I do not do that usually because I’m cold all the time. So dresses for me is mostly summer garment.

This year I did not have major disappointments when it came to my projects. All of the garments were finished, nothing was thrown away. If I were to name a project that ended up being a bit of a let down, that would be my trench coat making journey. And don’t get me wrong – I like and wear this trench coat. However, being the most expensive project ever, it’s a bit underwhelming and has few drawbacks when it comes to its design. I might consider making another trench coat in spring!

All in all I made 23 garments this year. It is fewer than last year, however, arguably they were in general more complex and lengthy projects this year – fewer dresses, more coats, and so here we are! For all of the garments I spent 930 Eur in supplies. That comes to 40 Eur a garment, a very decent result, in my humble opinion. The reason I’ve done so well with the costs is that 7 garments out of 23 were upcycled or made from leftovers, hence bore zero cost.

I’ve just made an inventory of my remaining fabric stash. It has clearly grown this year. Even though I swore not to purchase more fabric, I did not keep the promise. Previously I had 2 shelves fully packed with fabrics, now there are 3. And that’s not good! So if there is any New Year’s resolution related to sewing, that would be to stop purchasing fabrics and use up as much as I can from my stash.

I have in total 42 different fabrics, in that number 16 are coatings / suitings and 7 are different linings meant for specific coatings / suitings. Leftovers are not counted in, however, I have more than 10 decent pieces for tops and skirts in my leftovers stash. The total cost of my three shelves is roughly 2000 Eur – yes, I keep track of all my expenses, because I just love calculating 🙂 So yeah, I’ve invested this much into something that currently sits on the shelf, and that’s not counting all the haberdashery and other supplies 🙂 With my current sewing tempo my stash could last for almost two years of sewing. I definitely should not be purchasing any more fabric in 2023! 🙈

Wrapping up 2022 I might as well pat myself on the shoulder for all those successful projects and nice garments that resulted out of them. I’ve learnt pretty much everything there is to learn when it comes to actually stitching up a garment. The next level of learning would be to start drafting for myself, but I’m not sure I’ll go down that route. There is simply too few hours in a day to engage in a complex world of garment construction. But hey, what do I know – I wouldn’t have believed couple of years ago that all of my coats would be me-made at the end of 2022! 🙂

I have not yet shared my last make of 2022, which is an awesome coat the story of which I’ll tell in the very beginning of January. But here, let me share a small sneak-peek!

Next year I definitely want to make more jackets – I love wearing them to the office and basically anywhere else, and I have too few in my closet. I also want to make a raglan sleeve trench coat and one more leather skirt (now there is my mom’s leather coat all ripped apart and waiting for an upcycle chance). And the dream of mine is to make a very formal pants suit out of glorious black/navy wool and silk blend and to complement it with a neon green bustier made out of the remainder fabric that was left after my neon green jacket project. I am pretty certain that would be a show stopping ensemble. Well, who knows – this might as well happen next year!

Let me share a big thank you to all of the readers who come to visit my blog! Thank you for all your comments, thoughts and love that you share. It’s something that keeps me going with my blogging journey. I am so glad you come to visit me here in my space and hopefully also get inspired or find a useful advice or two to succeed with your own amazing sewing ideas! Here’s to a successful, healthy and hopefully normal, for once, New Year of 2023! 🎉

Let’s catch up next year! ❤️

~Giedre~