2025 Reflections – Sewing and Other Things

Happy new year!

I’m not usually a person who makes grand resolutions for the year, but I always like the time to reflect on what’s working and what could change a little bit. It’s always interesting to look over my personal “analytics” of what I did this year, and this year I definitely noticed some changes about halfway through the year.

First, at the beginning of the year I was in full maker/doing things mode and sewed most of the things I made this year in the first 6 months. Here’s the breakdown:

Tops: ~13
Bottoms: 6
Jackets: 1
Swimsuits: 2
Dresses: 1
For Others: 7
TOTAL: 30

Out of the 30 things I made, only 6 of them were made after the month of June. The first half of the year was very eventful and filled with fun visits from friends and family, a collaboration with Style Maker Fabrics, and a cruise with family.

A few makes stick out to me the most from my 9 most popular Instagram images (shown above). First, I made not one swimsuit this year, but TWO! That was very exciting for me. Especially since I had put it off for so. long.

I also made my first matching set! I’ve always wanted to make one, but this is the year I did it. I think the bright pinkness of it makes me feel a little bit silly wearing it out, although I know it shouldn’t. It turned out so fun, and I love pairing the shorts with other tops in my wardrobe.

The last thing that I am most proud of is my Mandala Genra Shirt that I made at the very beginning of the year. It was a labor of love, and after a couple hiccups it turned out just the way I imagined it.

The second half of the year was much more laid back. I recommitted myself to trying harder to learn Portuguese and started online one-on-one classes. It took a good chunk of my focus and concentration, so I started sewing less and… apparently started reading more (as shown below in my Goodreads chart).

I’ve never been a very good reader, as in I just didn’t read a lot of books regularly. On average, I probably read around 5 books a year. But starting in 2023, I had the goal to read more. In 2023 I read 12 books, and in 2024 I read 17 books. I was really impressed with that, so I tried for 18 books this year.

I ended the year (30 minutes to midnight on December 31) having read 25 books in 2025 (coincidentally). A few of the books were short (~100 pages) or I listened via audiobook, but I’m still really happy with the amount I was able to read.

Since I was making less, I was on Instagram less. And when I was on Instagram, I would sometimes realize that I could be using the time to read whatever book I was reading instead.

A few of my favorite books from the year were: Elinore Oliphant is Completely Fine, Homegoing, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I definitely enjoyed others, but those are my top three that I enjoyed reading the most.

Did you read a book that you really loved last year? I would love to know. I’m on Goodreads, but I don’t 100% understand how it works. This link should take you to my Goodreads account if you want to follow along.

I’ve had a lot of fun saving books to my Libby account so that I can easily go find books that I want to read or put them on hold if I need to. Libraries and library apps are the absolute BEST.

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A new year can sometimes feel disconcerting, especially if it’s also the middle of winter where you live. But I think it’s always a good idea to focus on the things we can control. And to do that, I’m planning to pretend it’s the 90’s and try to doomscroll less.

I still have plenty of fabric and things I would love to sew, so we’ll see what I get to this year. Thank you for being here and sticking around even when my sewing ebbs and flows.

Wishing you the best in 2026, friend. xoxo