2025 Sewing Year in Review
If you love looking back at your sewing wins (and a few spectacular fails), this one’s for you. Jenni and I sat down to reflect on everything we sewed in 2025—what surprised us, what became true wardrobe workhorses, and what this year really looked like behind the scenes at TomKat Stitchery. From empty-nester life shifts to Magic Pants and Liberty shirts, this was a year that asked for flexibility, creativity, and a whole lot of grace. Read on or watch the video here:
The Three Patterns That Totally Surprised Me in 2025
Some patterns look good on paper… and then quietly take over your wardrobe. These were the biggest surprises of the year.
Ann Tilley Handmade Magic Pants
These pants came to us thanks to viewer recommendations—and wow, were they worth it. Jenni and I made them together in a single day right after sending our kids off to college. We laughed when we considered that we may be making maternity pants. These pants are a must have if you deal with a fluctuating waistline.
What shocked us most? We both made the same size and it fit both of us beautifully despite having very different bodies. These pants are comfy without looking sloppy. We’d both like to make a winter version of these pants.
➡️ Click HERE for the full review on the Magic Pants.
The Boden-Inspired Ruffle Shirt (Cashmerette Vernon + Swanton Hack)
Not a new pattern combo—but a huge wardrobe surprise. This chambray ruffled shirt became a once-a-week wear, easily. When I initially made it, I accidently cut the wrong size using my projector. So the shirt got passed onto my daughter and I learned an important calibration lesson. I remade the shirt for myself this past spring. I often grab it for layering under jackets and sweaters. Yes, I made it twice. Yes, it was absolutely worth it.
Cashmerette Thorndike Top
This simple woven shell quietly dominated summer—mostly because I turned it into sets. I really liked pairing it with the Cashmerette Everett Pants and the Upton Skirt. Matching sets may be trendy but these earned their place in my closet. Especially the gingham.
➡️Click HERE for my review of the Cashmerette Thorndike Tank.
The Big 2025 Sewing Numbers
Jenni tallied up the grand totals for 2025. Here’s what came off the machines this year:
Total Makes
- Whitney: 79 garments
- Jenni: 21 garments
👉 Combined total: 100 makes (we absolutely celebrated that)
These 100 makes represented 18 different pattern companies. I’m proud that we branched out to try new ones while still returning to the Tried and True Pattern companies we trust and love.
Category Breakdown: What We Really Sewed
👖Bottoms : 17 total (pants, skirts, shorts)
👗Dresses (my favorite thing to sew aside from button-up shirts): I sewed 16 and Jenni sewed 6. My favorite was the Cashmerette Upton Dress with a Tiered and Gathered Skirt made of watermelon fabric (Click HERE for all the details). I also sewed the Cashmerette Irving for myself and Jenni and we wore them a lot this summer. We both loved the integrated pockets on this dress.
👚Tops: My favorite of the 24 tops I sewed is my Cashmerette Vernon sewed from Liberty of London fabric. All the details of this beautiful top (plus pictures) are found HERE
🧥Outerwear Surprise: I didn’t realize that I sewed 10 jackets and coats this year! Wow!
🧵Other Makes:
- 4 swimsuits
- This includes the late-night mistake of sewing the TOP of the swimsuit to the Bottom back. Whoops. I was able to salvage it into a two piece that I can wear under a swim shirt while water walking. (By the way, we are still laughing about me trying it on and realizing the mistake.)
- Matching embroidered pajamas for me and my sister.
- Accessories and experimental projects like the Love Notions Bridget Trousers
