I’ve been seeing a “2018MakeNine” hashtag on the sewing accounts I follow on Instagram and dug into it a little more–it’s a way to plan out the top nine things you want to make for the year.

I’m going to participate and spent some time thinking about what I needed/wanted most in my closet. I’ll never have a minimal wardrobe but I want to make things that are versatile, comfortable, and will really get worn. The “Summer of Basics” challenge was a turning point last year for me so hopefully this will help keep me focused.

There are mostly tops in this roundup because I made five pairs of pants last year and need things they work with. And yes, there are 10 projects, not nine, because those two tanks won’t take any time at all and I desperately need summer tanks.

I already have fabric for about half of these; for the rest, I’ll try to buy from indie fabric stores versus JoAnn or Fabric.com. I’m even trying to stick to a rough color palette, to really make sure these all work together.

So what am I making?

Click twice for full size. Also, I’m not a sketching genius; these are Fashionary panels

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  • A quilted jacket inspired by those from the artist Natalie Ebaugh. (This is a bit tricky for me–the joy is in the making, but is it too close to plagiarism? I would never sell it, but I’m not sure how I would feel if I were the artist being imitated…)
  • A lengthened Built By Wendy for Simplicity (S4109) pattern, to evoke this “studio coat” from Everybody World (again, maybe a gray area of copying?)
  • The Wiksten Oversized Kimono Jacket from Making Magazine in some sort of mustardy color
  • A jumpsuit from an 80s pattern, to copy this Madewell one (I have no qualms knocking off Madewell)
  • A lengthened Archer shirtdress, maybe in a wax print, since this version I got from Everlane last year is the best way to feel pulled together in the summer while neither overheating nor getting too cold in air conditioning

Here’s the Pinterest board for my plans so far; I’ll blog the projects here but if you want to see progress shots on Instagram, too, this is me.