Sewing Lessons I Learned In 2024

There are many sewing lessons I learned in 2024. They all came from sewing a variety of garments and working with some materials I’ve never used before.

Lesson #1

When I started the year sewing a black turtleneck as part of my “Back To Basics” sewing series on YouTube, I realized that having those basics are really essential.

Having something that can go with so many other things can be the key to getting dressed quickly and confidently. It can also save you some money.

Lesson #2

I used a laminated fabric in order to make a raincoat. This is a project that had been put off for years. But here are some things I learned from this:

Use a nonstick foot on the sewing machine. This will make the process so much easier.
A new, nonstick needle can also make things go smoother.
Use clips rather than pins. You want to keep the pin holes in the fabric to a minimum.

These are just a few of the lessons I learned while working on this project.

Lesson #3

Another sewing lesson I learned in 2024 is that it can be a good idea to sew something trendy.

I made the Seamwork Iggy pants. These are barrel-leg jeans that are trendy and fun to wear. I chose this pattern because it didn’t have a very pronounced bow or barrel shape. That was important because I didn’t want to look bow-legged.

Lesson #4

It’s okay, and probably essential, to sew something FUN! Now, sewing something fun can take on it’s own definition depending on the sewist.

For me, one of my fun projects this past year was this color blocked dress using Simplicity 9886.

This one took some planning and I needed to use my artistic skills to sketch it out before cutting into my fabric.

Another fun project for me was making this yellow dress.

This one I did as a Minerva Brand Ambassador. I just love this yellow and the pattern was easy to sew.

Conclusion

I think it’s important to have some fun while you’re being creative. There are ways to challenge yourself and I do this as well. I worked with faux leather for the first time in 2024. Just like the laminated fabric, that was a challenge that had been put off for a while.

For this new year of 2025, I plan to keep on doing the same. I’ll challenge myself to improve and learn and I hope you will do the same.

Making A Jumpsuit With Simplicity 3011

I don’t make many jumpsuits, but I decided that making a jumpsuit with Simplicity 3011 would be the perfect challenge. Not only that, but after the first completion, I decided to “hack” the pattern into a two piece set!

The First Jumpsuit

The first jumpsuit was made as the pattern stated. There were some minor changes made to the pattern in order to try to get the fit right. My usual change for pants would be to raise the front crotch seam by about 1/2″, which is what was done here. But this pattern did offer some unique challenges.

woman wearing burgundy colored Simplicity 3011 jumpsuit

Originally the sleeves of this were very long and the cuffs made them even longer. I removed the cuffs, shortened the sleeves by about 2″, then reattached the cuffs. because I wanted the sleeve to have the blouson effect, I tightened the cuffs by increasing the seam allowance to 1-1/4″, basically doubling the standard 5/8″.

Back view of woman wearing Simplicity 3011

The only “problem” I had with this pattern (which really wasn’t much of a problem in the end) was putting the zipper in. Because I haven’t done many garments with zippers in knit fabrics, it would have been easier to add some additional interfacing along the opening.

The pants portion of the jumpsuit is lined with a knit tricot. This is a type of fabric that’s often used for lining lingerie. That lining gives the pants the coverage I wanted and the perfect amount of extra weight it needs.

Here are some ways that I styled this jumpsuit. All of these jackets are made by me.

The Second Jumpsuit

Since making a jumpsuit with Simplicity 3011 went so well once, I did it again. This time I made some modifications. My one piece became two pieces.

Woman wearing two-piece Simplicity 3011 jumpsuit

The zipper was shortened to about 12″. I then closed the rest of the seam that would have been a part of the zipper opening. Since jumpsuits are made in two pieces anyway, the actual separation was easy. I wanted the bottom (waist) of the top to have elastic to give it that look of a one piece.

Because the material was thicker, this two-piece was not lined. The fabric is a brushed two-tone sweater knit. It’s super soft and easy to sew. The top portion was lowered by 1-1/4″ while the waistline at the pants was raised 1-1/4″.

Front view of green 2 piece jumpsuit Simplicity 3011

Both of these were sewn primarily with the serger.

Let me know if you have any questions about this process. It was fairly easy and quick to do.

Here is the video I made about this project…

The End Of Summer-Thinking Of Fall

This post, The End of Summer-Thinking of Fall is about some plans I have and some recent pattern purchases. It’s that time of year where before you know it, the weather will be changing and leaves will be falling off the trees. In fact, I’ve already heard some of the (very small) acorns hitting the deck in the back yard.

Wardrobe Planning

Because it can be so hot and humid in the summer where I live, I don’t really wear pants very often during the summer months. I’ll wear dresses and skirts, shorts and skorts – that’s basically my summer “uniform”.

Once things start to cool down, I have a lot of different items I’d like to sew. I’ll show you some of those in this post. If you’d like to follow along with a more formal “class”, Seamwork offers a free for subscribers process for the Fall (and in the Spring). Here’s an affiliate link to become a Seamwork member or check them out if you’re interested. I’ve been a member for years and I enjoy making many of the patterns they offer.

Recent Pattern Purchases

One of the projects I’d like to tackle is using KnowMe 2052.

I have saved three pairs of jeans that either don’t fit or that I just don’t wear anymore. I’d like to try to repurpose them into this pattern, or something similar. I also have some denim that I can add to the pattern as well. In fact, one of the jeans I want to repurpose is in a picture in this post I wrote years ago. Looking at this, I see it’s been a VERY long time since I’ve written about this topic. But, I can also see that my process is basically the same –

Clean out the closet and figure out what’s needed!

Have you gone through this process (or something similar)? I find that it’s helpful, especially since I sew so much. I’ll donate as many things as I can.

Another project I’d like to try is a cropped jacket. I haven’t really made anything like this before, but I purchased this pattern recently.

KnowMe 2089 pattern envelope for end of summer

Blazers are another things that’s lacking in my closet. I have some patterns that I tend to use for a basic lined blazer that are really good.

The Plans

Basically, I want to use as much fabric stash as I can. There are lots of patterns that I have that are suitable to make all the things I’m thinking of. I hope this will inspire you to go through your fabric and patten stash and see what you can use for your own seasonal sewing.

Currently, I’m about to start this pattern from Seamwork – the Iggy pants.

Usually I don’t try a new style by making it myself, but this time I decided to challenge myself. These are a slightly barrel shaped pant with a fly front and elastic at the back. I’ll do a later post to show you how they turned out.

That’s all for now. I’ll keep you readers updated on how my ambitious plans are going.