At the end of the year, it seems almost obligatory that one must look back and review what has happened over the last twelve months. On my computer, I keep folders of blog photos for each year. Inside each year is a folder of “Projects.” For each make, there is a separate folder. My count for 2015 is FIFTY projects. FIFTY! I do try to post one new DIY every week and some weeks there is more than one. I have so many ideas for things to make that it can be hard to slow down. So, the projects pile up. And trust me I haven’t shared everything I made this year. There were a lot of test garments for my two patterns the Lou Box Top and the Baseball Skirt that never made it to the blog. Plus a few gifts for others and loungewear for myself (pajama shorts were a necessity this summer). If I were to actually count how many things I made it’s probably over sixty, maybe seventy.
Today I thought it would be fun to share the most and least worn garments from the last year plus some plans for 2016. Let's start off with the winners. My top nine most worn and/or loved garments are: (1) Vogue V9075 Jumpsuit (2) Polka Dot Ella Tank (3) Teal Knit Racerback Dress (4) Cap Sleeve Nettie Bodysuit (5) Linen Inari Dress (6) Retro Crossback Swimsuit (7) Knit Jumpsuit McCall's M7099 (8) Kangaroo Pocket Linden Sweatshirt (9) Spring Floral Tania Culottes
Over my twenty years (!!!) of sewing, I have become much better at selecting the fabric and pattern to match my wardrobe. When I think back to my early days of sewing, I had about a 50% success rate (maybe less!). There were so many things I made that were just unwearable. I was gaga for pretty prints (hello quilting cotton!) and while it’s so pretty as eye candy, it’s hard to incorporate into a grown up wardrobe. These days I’m very lucky to live in Los Angeles and have access to the amazing fabric district here. That combined with a vastly improved skill set, I now have a much better success rate with my sewing projects.
And on the other end of the spectrum, I thought I’d share nine great makes that have been worn only once or (horror!) never. (1) Chambray Culottes (2) Teal Nettie Dress (3) Blue Plaid Linden (4) Nascha Mini Skirt (5) Black Nettie Bodysuit (6) Vegan Leather Leggings (7) Lined Lou Box Top (8) Polka Dot Crescent Blouse (9) Curved Hem Chambray Skirt
These garments were mostly a success but didn’t make it into heavy rotation because the fabric or fit was off or I somehow feel a little uncomfortable wearing them. A few of these are patterns I've had a lot of success with and are even featured in the top nine but the fabric just doesn't work. So, they've gone unworn. Earlier this year I did a big closet clean out (using the Konmari method of course) and got rid of a lot of things that I didn't wear or no longer fit. I'll give these pieces a little while longer but if they're still unworn they might make it into the goodwill pile.
2015 was a pretty big year for me. I launched my first pdf sewing pattern, the Lou Box Top. I’ve loved seeing what everyone has made from it. Thank you all so much for the support. I also ventured into the world of swimsuit sewing and it was much less scary than I had anticipated. My first swimsuit was a vintage cross back one piece that I took to Hawaii in March. Later in the year I made a two-piece from Seamwork magazine and while I haven’t taken it in the pool yet I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Finding some success with swimsuits has inspired me to try some other new/scary things like bras and jeans.
For 2016, I want to continue to build my handmade wardrobe with items that are wearable and stretch my skills. I'd like to try some new things and hopefully release some new patterns too. Here are the top 9 patterns on my list to make this year. (By the way, there are about 25 other new patterns I want to sew too. Oh yeah, and some patterns that I want to make again. So much to do. So little time.)
So here's my #2016MakeNine: (1) Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress (2) Grainline Studio Scout Tee (3) Birkin Flares by Baste & Gather (4) Rushcutter Dress by In the Fold (5) Cosmic Sweater by WATG (6) Halifax Hoodie by Hey June (7) Southport Dress by True Bias (8) Moji Pants by Seamwork (9) Soma Swimsuit by Papercut Patterns
What do you have planned for your 2016 sewing adventures? Anything new and wild that you'd like to try?
