If you, like me, are a fan of sewing blogs (an assumption I feel it’s safe to make, seeing as how you are reading a sewing/crafting blog right now) you are undoubtedly aware of the #MakeNine challenge. I’m pretty sure it started through Instagram but, as I am an old fuddy-duddy who is not on Instagram (I’m barely on Twitter), I only learned about it through the numerous sewing blogs I read.

Now, I’m not really one for New Years’ Resolutions, which this sort of smacks of. Not that there is anything wrong if you cotton to it. I just have never gotten into the habit of writing down a list of typical resolution-y things.

That being said, I like the idea of the Make Nine campaign, mostly because I do — regardless of what my basement might make you think — like organization. I like to have a list of what needs done, by when, using what materials. Perhaps even more, I like crossing things off said list when they are completed.

That was one of the fun things for me this past Christmas-make season. As evidenced by the spreadsheet I showed you all in a previous post.

In fact, I loved the spreadsheet so much I’ve already started a new one. This one isn’t specifically Christmas-themed. It’s sort of an everything-themed spreadsheet. In theory, it will have birthday/anniversary gifts on there, as well as costumes, and the list of personal makes that I intend to work through this year.

I started the spreadsheet on Monday. I have already put 21 items on it.

Now, the spreadsheet is not meant to be the same thing as the Make Nine list. Well, not exactly.

The idea behind Make Nine is that it is a gentle challenge, whereas the spreadsheet is more of a marathon. My Make Nine list isn’t just going to include items to sew or make.

What is it going to include, you ask? Well, it just so happens I have an answer for that.

1. Work more from stash this year – forcing myself to work with the fabrics I have started thinking of as “too precious to use”. I have pieces that were saved from some of my grandmother’s clothes, some of Dad’s old shirts, really nice lace that was gifted to me, and some high quality material that would be more useful as a finished item than sitting in a bin. It’s time they got a chance to come out and play.
2. Make more things with pieces from the scrap bin – it’s starting to get out of control, following the past Christmas gift-making season.
3. Make a bra. I’m not sure yet whether I’m going to make one using a favorite bra as a pattern or try to make one from a new pattern. All I know is I need to challenge myself and a bra seems like the perfect opportunity.
4. Take better pictures. The lighting in the workshop sucks, which isn’t an excuse for lousy pictures. I just need to buck up and start doing my finished products justice, which means photographing them better.
5.  Get my wool stash back to where it fits in a single bin again.
6. Make a sweater for myself – ideally, using the brown mystery wool I have been using to experiment with long-draw, but not limited to that.
7.  Finish working through all of the alpaca, Shetland, and Lincoln Longwool fleece I have sitting in the basement
8. Solve the mystery of a better fitting prosthesis for Mom. Insurance covers a new prosthesis every year (or is it two years?) following a mastectomy. That doesn’t, however, mean that they are comfortable or fit completely correctly. I want to come up with one that is more breathable (they get terribly hot, which makes them even more uncomfortable) and has a more customized fit.
9. Finally get one of my long-term quilt projects finished. (There are two to choose from)

So there you have it. The nine things I would like to focus on this year. Mostly, it looks like the theme of this year is going to be “intentionality.” I don’t think that’s a bad thing.