Make Nine 2021 photo recap

One never knows what a year will bring. After taking the Make Nine Challenge for three years, it's interesting to see where the focus was each year and what got completed. My Make Nine 2021 had a more diverse mix than my 2020 projects with five quilts, only two garments, pillow cases, a yarn project, a needle book and a boro stitched bag. (In comparison, 2020 had 5 wearables; 2019 had 10 wearables.) Here is a photo summary of 2021.

Completed projects for Make Nine 2021.
Top row: Crumbs kitty quilt; Upcycled and repurposed linen top; Easy & Fun pillowcases.
Middle: Crochet Yarn cat bed; Mindful stitching drawstring bag; tried a New sewing pattern.
Bottom: Charity quilts; Wild Card needle book; UFO quilt.

Make Nine 2021 worksheet

This year, I remembered to include completion dates on the worksheet. In reviewing the completion dates, I think the year shows to be balanced: January, March, April, June, July, August, October, December. I also realize that the more complex projects will span several months. A diversity of easy/quick makes and more involved projects offers a nice variety of tasks available at any given time.

Here is the worksheet of prompts that corresponds to the 2021 Make Nine photos (above). 

Make Nine 2021 completed worksheet.

Stories and processes

The details and the processes for my Make Nine 2021 projects can be found in these blog posts:

• Crumbs: The year started off with a kitty quilt made with fabric crumbs and patchwork bits. (completed January 9)
• Upcycle/Repurpose/Mend: my upcycled porcupine shibori linen shirt was dyed in a Shakerag workshop with Doug Bolous. It was a serendipitous project. (completed June 20)
• Fast and Easy: pillowcases were made for the camper using two fabric panels and a glow-in-the-dark pillow cuff. (completed March 14)
• Yarn: I crocheted a cat bed from leftover yarns. Unfortunately, the kitties didn't care for it and don't use it. (completed October 17)
• Mindfulness: Another serendipitous project from the Doug Bolous workshop was a reliquary or rag assignment. An overdyed rag was boro stitched and transformed into a drawstring bag. (completed July 7)
• New to Me: I made the Berwick St. Tunic with a lovely red fabric print from M&S Textiles Australia. This has become a favorite shirt of mine. (completed April 14)
• Charity: I finished three cuddle quilts to support my guild's community service project. (completed March 27 and August 15)
• Wild Card: EPP hexagons made during 2020 lockdown were made into a new needle book. I use the book quite often now that I am enjoying handwork. It takes up little space in the overnight bag. (completed June 22)
• UFO Finish: The year-end project was a scrappy string quilt that spanned two centuries. Finished at last! (completed December 19)

For comparison, my 2020 Make Nine accomplishments included 4 garments, a knit shawl, pillow cases, a knit dish towel, a kantha zipper pouch and 12 charity kitty quilts. In 2019, I completed the Challenge (with substitutions) and made 10 wearables, a zipper pouch and pillowcases. 

The 2020 recap is in this post. The 2019 recap is at the bottom of this post.

Planning for next year

I do intend to participate in Make Nine again next year.

• Again I'll list "general prompts" on my worksheet rather than identifying specific projects. This allows for flexibility as unexpected projects present themselves through the year. 
• My sketchbook has a loose Wish List of things that could fulfill a few of the prompts. I'll add notes as ideas arise. 
• Dating each project's completion is a good documentation practice I plan to continue.

Make Nine 2021 is a wrap! I'm looking forward to a creative and fruitful new Make Nine in 2022.