Hello everyone! I
hope all who celebrate have had a lovely festive break, and for those
who don't I hope you're enjoying a bit of peace and goodwill also!
Here's my review of what I've made this year, including my Top 5 hits!
For some reason I
felt like I hadn't got that much sewn this year, but looking back I
have actually made more in previous years (only a slight increase
really, but weird considering how I felt there were large chunks of
time when I wanted to be sewing but couldn't for one reason or
another!). I may have blogged less as a few things I made were
outfits where I posted more than one garment at a time. I've briefly
summarised my output from previous years and how much of it has
survived to compare how this year has fared.
When I started
sewing in earnest in 2014 I made 15 things including three gifts, two
of which sadly I never got photos of. While many of the things I made
that year haven't survived, a surprising number is still in regular
rotation – my last three projects of 2015 (a box-pleat midi skirt,
my Lady Skater dress, and an '80s raglan-sleeve dress) I still wear
really regularly! My second Anna dress still comes out in force in
Summer, and I recently made my first Elisalex more wearable by
shortening to knee length. Four of the things I've made have been
scrapped (first Anna dress, Charlotte skirt, the Ultimate shorts, and
my Plantain tee- these all actually fell apart due to cheap fabric,
as well as beginner-level construction). I plan to make something
else out of the Boho Maxi dress as it's not really something I wear
and it's a shame to waste that lovely fabric on something where it
barely makes it out of the wardrobe, and the Megan dress I ended up
gifting to someone else.
In 2015 I made 20 things (including six gifts). I've given away my Lady Pencil dress as
it was a bit of a weird fudging together of patterns and hopefully
will make another wearer much happier. I finished off my Ultimate
Trousers, and although I don't wear them often they were a good
learning experience. My first Ginger Jeans have worn through, and my
New Look 6144 is a poor fit at the back and needs a slip to be warm
enough for winter so doesn't get very much wear. Both my Tilly and
the Buttons skirts gape at the waistband but still get worn fairly
frequently, and the other dresses that I made get worn all the time,
especially the Anna with a gathered skirt which I initially had down
as a fail!
In 2016 I made 24 things (and am hoping to make 2 more before the year is out!). The
two as yet unmade are gifts, as were four other things I made this
year (one unblogged until I get photos to share, but I love it!). I
deliberately decided not to make as many gifts for my close friends
this year as it's tiring and doesn't always end in wearable garments
if you want it to be a surprise, as fitting is so key! I'm surprised
I made as much as I did as I definitely felt like there were more
periods of sewing machine withdrawal this year than in previous
years, but maybe this is just symptomatic of the obsession taking
deeper root! I didn't make everything from my 'Resewlutions' but more on that in a future post...
So, what were my Top 5 makes this year?
This year has been
more about separates than dresses, that's for sure! Top of the pile is:
People are surprised
these are handmade. I'm not sure the low rise is as flattering on me
as it could be, but I love wearing these as they feel so much like a
legit piece of clothing, and better than other jeans I've owned! I'm
not done with this pattern and might consider either going down a
size for a tighter fit (as these almost look like the Morgan
boyfriend jeans that Closet Case also released, but they're
definitely Gingers!) and/ or raising the rise a little.
Again, I think these
almost pass as not looking homemade! They fit pretty well out of the
envelope and I've barely taken them off, they're so easy to wear. I
really want to make more when I can get hold of fabric with an
appropriate level of stretch!
I'm so happy I
finally made this happen, as it was an idea that was left to marinade
for far too long. I love wearing this dress, although I did have to
make a few modifications to the pattern (i.e. using different
sleeves) to make it easier to wear. It's still a tiny bit restrictive
in arm movement, but I believe the BHL team have addressed this in a
re-release of the pattern.
OK, this is two
items and neither have been made perfectly, but I wear this all the
time and really need to make another so I can ride in style while the
other's in the wash! I've been cycling in London for almost 8 years
now and it's only really been this year that I made the move to wear
cycling clothes and change at work. I used to wear my normal clothing
and arrive sweaty and rumpled, with grease stains from the chain and
brake marks from getting my skirt caught in the back wheel on my hems
for years and years, but now I work in the same office every day (as
opposed to travelling to venues all over London, sometimes in the
course of one day) I find I can dress in my beloved pencil skirts
once again if I don't have to also cycle in them. It's also much
safer to be able to cycle without being distracted by whether or not
you're being modest! I also upgraded my bike this year and no longer
have a step-through frame, so it's essential that what I wear for my
ride gives me enough movement to swing my leg over the back wheel
when I mount. I have had a few embarrassing moments getting trapped
trying to dismount in a sheath dress and getting the front of the
skirt caught on the saddle!
Easy fitting, modern
but with a vintage twist, I love these and have plans for many more,
including a lengthened shirt dress! I think the collar might be a
little loose-fitting around the neck which I might adjust for my
scrawny neck the next time though – not sure how exactly to do
this, maybe just blending to a smaller size there?
I've really enjoyed
making more shirts and trousers this year rather than making all the dresses like I
used to! I did receive some lovely sewing books over the year
(Famous Frocks: Little Black Dress, Boundless Style and Gertie's
Ultimate Dress Book) so I am keen to make a few more dresses too,
especially as the ones I've already made get so much wear, I need to
vary it up a bit!
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I'll be sharing my Top 5 Misses soon, plus some goals for 2017. I'm by no means the most committed blogger out there, but I love having this space to share what I've made and connect with people who have similar interests. Hope you've all had a good year and here's to a constructive 2017!
NorseOtter x
Hi ya - you've made some great makes this year. I am really impressed by the jeans and active wear, both things for me to make yet but everything looks fantastic!
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