Let's start with the Top Five Hits...
1. The maxi Myosotis dresses were clear winners this year.
I definitely wore the rayon maxi more because it was so comfortable to wear and worked in so many occasions.
2. Denim Jacket - McCalls 7481
This is an inspired by jacket and I explain the inspiration in the blog post. I made this in January and didn't really wear it until spring. It makes my list because I bought an inspiration to life. Though it's really the fabric that makes this jacket sing. Also my daughter photographed the heck out of this jacket!
3. The Black Ponte ~ McCalls 7481
This was the third version of McCalls 7481 and the one that received the least amount of love on both my blog and IG. But it's my fave of the three versions. It's also the one that will be the jump off for future jackets.
4. Shirt Month
I made so many shirts at the beginning of the year that I titled April shirt month. I wore those shirts all winter and spring and then started wearing them again in the fall. Button down shirts have become my most favorite garment to sew & wear and have become "the dress pattern" of my casual wardrobe.
5. Dark Floral Katie
Y'all I taped this Sew Sew Def by MimiG pattern together! That in itself makes it legendary. Then I went on to make four more of them and while I love them all, the first one makes my Top 5 list. This is the most comfortable tunic EVAH and caused me to love pockets. I wear it with a pair of knit cropped leggings and it's perfect on a hot summer day.
I really found my style this year. I made garments that I loved and wore alot. I experimented with garments and indie patterns and showcased ALOT of fabric! *LOL* Of course there were some makes that just weren't what I thought they would be.
The Five Misses are next...
1. The Hurrying Spring Along Shirt
I hate that this shirt is on this list but I cut the sleeves on the cross grain...and of course they're tight and uncomfortable to wear. I keep thinking I need to figure out a way to salvage this shirt. Then I think donate it and hopefully someone without my fat bicep problem can enjoy it.
2. Cashmerette Black 'n White Striped Top
I liked the idea of this top but I wasn't comfortable wearing it. Maybe adding those ties wasn't such a great idea after all! This one will hit the donate bag also cause maybe someone else can find some love for it. The pants are staying in the collection though...cause those wore well this summer!
3/4. Beige Linen Pants & the Vogue 7448 OOP Top
These pants are made from my TNT pattern and made exactly like the black & white striped ones mentioned above. However, they weren't as comfortable to wear. So I'm donating them and working on another pair next summer.
While I got the top to fit, I really don't like how the shawl collar works. It still needs more work and I'm just not willing to put that work in. So this top will go in the donation pile too.
5. The waisted shirtdress fail
While this was a fail and posted on the blog as a fail, I did learn something from this process. That is a waisted shirtdress doesn't work on me, will never work on my body and that I should stop thinking I can make a pattern work. Some silhouettes don't work on my body type and I'm learning to just move on instead of wasting my precious sewing time.
Reflections on my sewing this year...
I made 46 garments this year - 4 pieces less than 2017. However, I think my garments in 2018 were much more involved sewing and included way more buttonholes than in any year previously!
My garment breakdown is ~
- 16 shirts (more on this in another blog post)
- 8 Tops
- 4 Jackets
- 4 Shirtdresses
- 3 Dresses
- 2 Pairs of Pants (from TNT pants pattern)
- 2 Wrap Skirts
- 2 dresses for the granddaughters
- 2 Maxi dresses
- 1 Cardigan
- 1 Duster
- 1 Vest
* Another plan was to sew using more fabric from the collection. Well I'm not sure I achieved what I wanted to. If half my garments had been made from collection fabric, I would have called it successful. There were 14 pieces from the collection (about a year old) and 8 pieces from the deep collection (4-10 years old). So close but not quite.
* I am the Brand Ambassador for Elliott Berman Fabrics and made 5 garments using their fabric. I will be sewing garments from EB fabrics into 2019. I love EB fabrics and love working with Eugenia.
* Eleven garments were made using Indie Patterns - Cashmerette, Deer & Doe and Sew Sew Def by Mimi G.
* The rest were either TNT patterns (my shirt & pants pattern) or a combination of Vogue, Butterick, McCalls & Simplicity patterns.
Lastly fabric in/out totals ~
- I bought 210.5 yards of fabric last year...dayum!
- I gave away 249.25 yards (Baltimore Destash, Tasha & Local High School)
- I used 133.5 yards in garments
- That means that 382.75 yards left the collection
- My final total out is 172.25 yards
That's why I still feel like I'm drowning in fabric. My total yardage in was just too high. I hope to work on that in 2019.
My last post on my 2018 sewing will be about the garment I made the most of this year - my shirt collection. That's what's up next on the blog!
...as always more later!
I was surprised to find out the black ponte jacket, McCalls 7481 was the least loved garment. I did not comment then, but the minute I opened your blog and saw it, I was struck. I wanted it. Still do in fact. Lol I love your blog. I seldom comment because there are so many comments, I usually have nothing to add. Please don't stop.
ReplyDeleteYour shirts in particular look amazing! So many lovely garments.
ReplyDeleteI loved your McCall 7481 black ponte jacket. It was a piece that inspired me to bookmark the photo for future use. I should have commented on it. Love your hits & misses post. I just counted my fabric stash and I have 1790 yards of fabric! No buying fabric in 2019 for me! Happy New Year 7 Happy Sewing!
ReplyDeleteBonnie - one of the things I love about your blog pictures is that you take your finished garment photos in front of your fabric collection. I LOVE seeing your fabric in the background. I've given up saying that I won't buy any fabric anymore though. Realistically, I LOVE fabric and while I can stop purchasing for a few months...I've never been able to go an entire year without buying some! My goal this year is to only add about 100 yards to the collection. If I can do that or less I would be thrilled!
DeleteI just loved shirt month!! Thanks for sharing your hits and misses! I still think it is impressive that you gave away as much fabric as you did.
ReplyDeleteIt was a real surprise for this regular reader to see a 'fail' on the shirt dress, and a 'win' on the Myosotis (which I see as a shirt dress and dismissed for me for same issues). Because they AREN'T the same thing at the end, and your versions of the Myosotis are so (sighs) dreamy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thinking, your inspiration, and your love. And I've already broken my 'don't buy anymore' promise this morning. Love is love is love.
The "waistline" is not really at waist length on the Myosotis. It's a couple of inches higher which makes it work for me. That's why I love the pattern so much because of the illusion of being waisted but not really...also it has some of the best armholes I've sewn in awhile. Oh and I bought fabric today too! *LOL* Those after Christmas sales get me!
DeleteThat's an impressive output! Hey I loved that ponte jacket! The velvet dress is still my favorite though. I really do love those colors on you and it works really well with the pattern. Great pairing. It's really too bad about the floral panel shirt, because that fabric is amazing. It happens to the best of us!
ReplyDeleteNancy - I'm sad about the floral shirt too. I was gonna mess with it but I think Imma just put a size label into it and send it off to be donated.
DeleteO no, that floral shirt was my favourite! Closely followed by the black ponte jacket and the crisp white shirt. What a productive year you had!
ReplyDeleteI have loved your makes for a few years. Also your creative approach to sewing is an inspiration to me. If you can take one more stab at saving the "Hurrying spring along" shirt, one solution might be to remove the sleeves and replace with another fabric-maybe a chambray or a blue to match those beautiful blue leaves. So many other options! Can you tell that it was one of my favorites?
ReplyDelete"I really found my style this year."
ReplyDeleteWell then this year is a win!!!! That honestly makes me giddy.
I am so, so, so sad about the floral shirt :( I love the velvet dress so much. Love the ponte jacket and love your D&D dresses!
That outfit (3/4 in your fails) just doesn't seem like "you". It's perfectly good separates but not enough sparkle :)
The important thing is, you were rightside up on your fabric in/out! I also know I can't say I'll not buy fabric but I am trying to be more mindful of what I do buy. And 46 garments is pretty danged good...nearly 1 per week and as you said, there were many involved projects!
You are for sure a Sewing Fanatic! I wish I could get 1 item done!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.purlsoho.com/create/2014/04/24/womens-robe/
ReplyDeleteI thought about your Hurrying Spring Along shirt for some time (thinking that you should not have to give up that beautiful shirt) then did some Google research for a good tutorial for inserting a gusset into the underarm of a blouse. There were lots of tutorials but some designed for suits, some way to complicated, etc..... I would suggest opening the sleeve and side seam to a comfort level for you and measuring the length before drafting the gusset. If you were to add a gusset while constructing, you could cut the gusset in two sections, front and back and install as you sew.
patsjean - that's very kind of you to provide a link for the gusset! But I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to save the shirt. I think it should make someone else happy so I'm going to donate it. Plus it gives me room in my closet for one more shirt I'm sure to make in 2019.
DeleteQuite a successful year for you! So many new garments would make getting dressed so much fun.
ReplyDeleteYou had such a productive year! I love so many of your makes, especially the jackets!
ReplyDelete