Wow, another pandemic year is closing and the things that we thought/hoped would be over in a few weeks are still here. I'm still very grateful for my sewing and crafting practice and this small pattern business. For me, sewing and crafting is a therapeutic practice and I'm very grateful to have it in my life.
During the first year of the pandemic, my freelance work dried up and I was able to dive into pattern design. I made lots of YouTube videos and released three new patterns and my improv quilting course. For 2021, I had planned to cut back on YouTube a little bit and really focus on patterns and classes. But, things just don't always go as planned.
In February, I started to struggle with daily migraine symptoms. So, my focus shifted to treating my migraine condition and regaining my health. I have never felt so ill for so long and the idea of living the rest of my life in that state was really scary. I could write a whole post about it but the good news is that I started feeling better in late July.
After five months, I finally started to have days without head pain, nausea, fatigue and dizzyness. I attribute the improvement to a daily prescription preventative medication and supplements. I also have a prescription for bad days and have been learning how to recognize my own symptoms and indicators that it's time to take something. I was lucky to find medications that worked right away. Many people are not that lucky. I still have migraine days before and during my period but most of the month I feel able to live my life normally. I'm really thankful that I was able to take the time to focus on my health and don't regret it at all.
Anyway, let's back to the sewing. I released one new pattern this year, the Miri Tank top. This is a woven, A-line tank, finished with an all-in-one facing. View A has a scoop neck and view B has a V-neck and angled armholes and back neck. This is also my first pattern to have bust cups. It comes with three cup sizes, A/B, C/D and E/F for all sizes. The design of the tank is fairly simple but the drafting was very complicated. Doing three cup sizes for every size basically tripled the number of pattern pieces. But, I wanted a really beginner friendly sewing pattern that would not require a bust adjustment for most people. I designed the pattern to go with a beginner sewing class that maybe, hopefully, I'll be able to create this year.
I did a lot less sewing this year than in years past but after I wrote up my list of projects that I finished, it's actually kind of long. I did a mix of quilting, garment sewing, knitting and crochet this year. To get a peak at all of those makes, watch my video recap above or on YouTube here. Or, just scroll down for links to the blog posts for some of the makes. My favorite makes of the year were hacks of my Miri Tank. I made a button back Miri and a Miri dress and wore them both quite a bit.
Below are all the things that I made and blogged about this year. To check out the posts, click an image below. (By the way, you can check out makes from years past here.)
Tutorials from 2021
What’s coming in 2022
Right now, I’m just making small plans. I of course have lots of patterns that I’d like to create but I’m taking it one month at a time, for now. First up, I want to work with my projector more and get to know it. Then, I’d like to add projector files to my patterns. All my pattern come with A0 files but files made specifically for a projector would be extra friendly.
Thank you so much for following along on my sewing journey and for supporting my small business. It’s a one person show here at Sew DIY and I truly hope that the tutorials and blog posts are helpful for you and maybe also a little inspirational too. I wish you all the best for the new year! Happy sewing!
