2020 Year in Crafts

2020 was not a great year for me personally or professionally. However it was a great year for crafts! Here are some highlights in crafting that I hope to remember when I look back on this year:

I Started a Blog

I started posting to Instagram more frequently in May 2020. Me Made May gave me a reason to dress up in the clothes that I made, since I hadn’t been getting dressed to go to work or go out. I started my blog in July 2020 as another outlet to show off my creativity. I asked my friends for some blog name recommendations; there were many suggestions of versions of Robin-Bobbin. The name Liusends was a suggestion from my friend Hermes!

Shoemaking

Right before the 2020 lockdowns began, I took a shoemaking class at Brooklyn Shoe Space. I was switching jobs and had planned to do something epic for myself in between the jobs. I listened to the Love to Sew podcast episode about shoemaking, I was eager to try it out for myself. I took the week-long intensive shoemaking course at BSS, which fit perfectly in my time off schedule, and I made a great pair of shoes and learned so much!

Knitting

I also made this hat with a matching pom.

This was the year I started knitting! I started knitting in January 2020. I was looking for a hands-on activity to do while playing board games, to fill that lull when someone is pondering all the possible moves. I got the Learn to Knit kit from Purl Soho and made my first project, a bright pink squishy scarf that I later decorated with pom poms.

In 2020 I completed seven knitting projects, a few of which were holiday presents. I’m looking forward to upping my skills and working on more complicated projects next year.

Sewing Up a Storm

In 2020, I sewed:

37 sewing projects
51 face masks
I tried bramaking for the first time, using the Emerald Erin Black Beauty Bra kit
And I made 2 backpacks

New Inspiration

Before March 2020, I got a lot of my inspiration from going out in NYC and seeing new shows, attending concerts, eating at new restaurants, and visiting new places. These are some media that inspired me at home this past year:

Vintage Vogue patterns: I have spent hours looking at old patterns on eBay. I love the way the fashions were photographed with an urban background
Streaming TV shows: Gentefied, The Midnight Gospel, Shaun the Sheep
Making Magazine: The feeling of flipping through a physical print magazine is so special. This one has a curated collection of sewing, knitting and fiber arts crafts.
Seamwork Magazine: I love reading all of the articles, especially the personal essays. I usually read the new edition the day it comes out, on the first of the month, and add the new releases to my project queue
Books: I did not read as much as I had hoped to this year, but the book that stuck in my mind was American War

2021 Crafting Goals

Sew one of my vintage Vogue patterns!
Block print fabric and sew something with the fabric
I have an idea for a sewing pattern and would like to make an illustrated tutorial
Sew from my stash- I have so many special fabrics that I would like to make into something wearable next year

And a Quote

Here’s a quote from Zadie Smith:

I think the traditional “feminine” arts of homemaking or dressmaking or whatever are shamefully undervalued. They’re doing what I’m doing: making a space for another person to be in. Creating an architecture for life. There’s no greater task but also no more mundane one.