Sunday, December 30, 2012

Twenty Twelve ~ A Review

Normally I do this post in two parts - the dress part and everything else.  Well by now we all know that I primarily sew dresses, so this year I'm gonna change things up and do just one post.  This post will highlight the number of garments I made, what type, and which ones were the real superstars of my wardrobe!  

Dresses Recap:
I made 25 dresses this year...on average 2 a month.  You can see the pics of the dresses in my 2012 Dresses Flickr Album or you can read about each individual project in the 2012 Projects Tab. 
  • I made seven designer knock-off dresses, two from Erdem's collections, who is quickly becoming my favorite designer.
  • 13 of my dresses were made from my TNT dress pattern.
  • There were five dresses made from new and previously unused patterns.
  • I made three more Vogue 1250 dresses - I love that pattern!
  • Three were from Butterick 5147 another pattern quickly becoming a fav because of it's versatility.

Finally, my top five favorite dresses of the year were...





Honorable Mention goes to the three Vogue 1250 dresses (especially this one).


Wardrobe Sewing:
This was big for me this year.  I love coordinates.  I love when the things I sew all work together, so sewing wardrobes comes pretty naturally to me.  I finished two and am still working on a third. 

Lavender and Gray Skies ~
This was the first collection which I started at the beginning of twenty twelve  and it consisted of seven pieces ~ a jacket, dress, straight skirt, a pair of lined pants, a sleeveless white shirt, a sleeveless cowlneck sweater and a cardigan. I can tell you that the jacket (which was the anchoring piece) didn't make it.  It ended up being purged with the last closet clean out. The jacket just wasn't me but the other pieces from the collection have been worn several times and will definitely make an appearance in 2013.



The Ten Yard Adventure Collection~
The second wardrobe challenge started with 10 yards of an ivory polyester crepe purchased from one of my favorite online fabric resources.  This collection yielded six pieces that I wore all summer long...took several pieces with me on the cruise...and even inspired a fall/winter piece.  It also spawned one of my favorite dresses of Twenty Twelve.


The Entire Collection


...and a few favorites from the collection...





The City in Winter Collection~
The third and final collection is still under construction.  So far seven pieces have been sewn with quite a few more due to come out of my sewing machine, some as early as next week, during my Winter Sewcation.  


Some of my favorites so far...






Final Project Overview...
For myself I made 25 dresses, 4 pairs of lined pants, 5 skirts, 3 tops, 6 cardigans and 3 jackets for a total of 46 finished garments.  There were a few projects that I started and abandoned and one dress (McCalls 6506) that I'm carrying over for next spring.  I also made a skirt for my niece to use for historical day at her school and the Christmas PJs shared earlier.


Sewing Highlights of Twenty Twelve...
  • Being named a Mood Sewing Network Blogger is hands down one of the most encouraging and inspiring things to happen to me this year.  I am thrilled to be a part of this amazing collection of women sewists and can't wait to share my 2013 projects with you made from beautiful Mood Fabric.  You can see my 2012 completed projects here.
  • Getting my sewing cave revamped in the spring was a real highlight of 2012.  I haven't had a sewing room this organized and detailed since my children were very young and I treasure having the ability to go into the sewing cave to create with everything accessible!
  • Attending the Le Tour De France Fashion Show sponsored by The Haute Couture Club of Chicago in May was pretty awesome too!  I met up with some sewing friends that I hadn't seen in awhile and met some that I'd always wanted to meet, Cennetta, Nancy, Liana and MaryBeth.  I also got the chance to go to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston and purchase some fabric from there since it's one of the fabric stores from my Sewing/Fabric Bucket List.
  • Finally spending time with some of my fellow MSN bloggers and getting to know them has just been awesome...Oonaballoona, Marina and Sarah thanks for spending time with me!  And to all the others who've journeyed to NYC and I've been fortunate enough to meet, thanks for meeting up with me!

Looking forward to 2013...
I have no sewing goals other than to just keep sewing!  I do have a sewing related trip planned in the spring, something I've wanted to do for quite some time and two sewcations - one this winter (happening now!) and one in the early fall.

There are now over 1,171 followers of my blog and who knows how many follow me through various blog reading programs, but I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading along.  It has been a privilege to share my sewing with you this year and I hope that you'll be along for the ride in 2013...and Elizabeth I really do miss you!


...as always more later!







39 comments:

  1. I can't believe how much you've sewed! Impressive. Hands down, my fave is the Whitney dress. I LOVE that thing.

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  2. They're all my favorites! As soon as you sew something new, I'm all in love again. :-)

    Happy New Year Carolyn! I hope to get to NYC sometime this year. Fabric Bucket List. Love that. Stealing it.

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  3. Wow, what a triumphant year! It really is impressive to see it all laid out. I look forward to seeing you in 2013!

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  4. I miss you too! See you soon!!!

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  5. Amazing collection and you are so inspiring with your TNT dress and cardigan, thank you. Wishing you a wonderful 2013.

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  6. Gosh! What a great and productive year! You made so many lovely pieces-- great job!

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  7. I love how you work you TNTs with great fabric. Love your style Carolyn.

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  8. Wow - what a year you have had. So many great outfits - it has been a pleasure to watch and has helped so many people with different techniques.

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  9. This is a great post. I enjoyed reading about your spectacular year of sewing. You are an inspiration and I excited about what collections you will create next year. You have got my thinking about how to better coordinate and execute my future projects.

    Just today I found myself looking into my closet trying to determine what I need to add to get better wear out of some of my favorite garments.

    Thanks again for sharing your year end review. Happy New Year and God bless!
    C

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  10. The Valentino fabric dress was my favorite. And I love the black and white ensemble.

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  11. All great outfits - love the Whitney dress and your coordinates especially! Well done on creating such a great wardrobe!

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  12. You made an incredible wardrobe ... Looking forward what you making next year x

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  13. I'd forgotten the Whitney dress but it really is a winner. I love seeing your end of year roundup, it's always inspirational.

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  14. A truly impressive amount of sewing. So many lovely items, but I think the Whitney is something special and you look so happy wearing it. Happy New Sewing Year.

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  15. That is a lot of sewing! A lot of High Quality sewing too! Inspirational.
    Have a Happy New Year, I'll enjoy seeing what you come up with next.

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  16. Wow! That's a lot of sewing for 1 year. I really love the Valentino dress! And, all of your makes of Vogue 1250 - had me branching out to try that dress for myself.

    Best Wishes for 2013!

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  17. Amazing garments you have sewn this past year, Carolyn.

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  18. Wow. So many beautiful garments! Have a wonderful New Year!

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  19. I am so impressed with your turnout. It seems everything you make is a win. I love that dress with the running stitch down the front. I think that is my favorite.

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  20. Carolyn, you are incredibly prolific and such an inspiration! It was great to meet you and your mom in Chicago last spring.

    Here's to another fabulous sewing year in 2013!

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  21. More than the number of garments (awe inspiring), the quality of your sewing and your elegant sense of style are an inspiration.

    The City in Winter collection is my personal favorite., can't wait to see the next pieces!

    Have a Wonderful 2013--Dee

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  22. What a great sewing year you've had. And you have not even mentioned all the work you put into your great blog posts. Am I the only one who noticed the teaser about the sewing trip in the spring? I can't wait to hear about it.

    I miss Elizabeth, too.

    Happy New Year!

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  23. Like other posters I love your Valentino panel dress best! Thanks for all your inspirational thoughts and garment executions.

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  24. Wow!!! Even though I follow your blog and see your beautiful creations, it still overwhelms me to see all of it in one post... You're still my all-time sewing inspiration!!!!!

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  25. Congrads on a great sewing year. Thanks for the inspiration. Looking forward to your creations in 2013. Happy New Year.

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  26. There are many things I admire about you but hands down the top of the list is being able to jettison stuff that isn't working for you or you are tired of. Have a lovely time in the cave.

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  27. You're an inspiration, Carolyn! I'll get back on my bike & see if I can pedal a little further. Your sewing cave also makes me feel better about my enormous stash which has continued to build while my mind has been eaten by a black dog and my hands by the dreaded arthritis. With you for courage and my new electric scissors for relief, I'm going to try and make 2013 a productive year!

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  28. I enjoyed your blog this year and the recap was the icing on the cake. What beautiful stuff!! May your coming year be filled with more creativity and abundance.

    ~Sewjourner

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  29. You are one very stylish lady. Happy New Year to you! Very inspiring. :)

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  30. Talk about prolific! You've been a dynamo in the Sewing Cave. I can't wait to see what the new year brings for you. Happy New Year!

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  31. Awesome! You look so happy and confident in your beautiful creations. You are an inspiration.Happy New Year!

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  32. You've inspired me to make myself TNT patterns. I've made one for pants and a button down shirt. I can sew anything and have over the years from undies to wedding dresses. But I have not sewn for myself much. With five kids and 11 grandkids I was always on the back burner. Reading your blog for the last few years has made me realize you can make things for plus sized women that look nice and fit. Enjoy your blog. Thanks,

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  33. WOW. The number of garments and the quality of your work is utterly outstanding. You are a very well-dressed woman!

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  34. Awesome collection and looking forward to this year's creations. Happy New Year.

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  35. That trendy lace dress is beyond gorgeous, I love the textured lace you used. You are amazing! Seriously all of your pieces look like you bought them. And wow your sewing room is also amazing. Your fabric stash is INCREDIBLE. Oh my gosh. I'm so jealous right now, haha

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  36. Congrats on such a productive year! You added so many great pieces to your wardrobe. Can't wait to see what you do in 2013:)

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  37. It's great to get a reminder of just some of your garments from 2012, you are so productive. I love the Chanel ribbon dress and the photo of you wearing the black hat is just so chic! Happy New Year!

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  38. Another productive year! Looking forward to another year of your posts!

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  39. 2012...A very, very good year! I have loved everything you've posted and have been inspired to do my own TNT shift dress because of you!

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