I've sewn much less than previous years. From January-November, I sewed 50 items. I made:
- 17 Tops (1 fail, 3 so-so, 1 never worn)
- 13 Dresses (2 fails, 4 so-so, 3 never worn)
- 6 skirts (2 fails)
- 6 Cardigans/Jackets (1 fail, 1 so-so, 1 never worn)
- 4 Other (2 fails, 2 so-so)
- 3 Pants (1 fail) (*I* only made 3 pair of pants all year)
- 1 Outerwear
I have 9 fails and 9 so-so garments and 5 that I've never worn. That's almost half of my garments :/
There I go making all the tops again! LOL! At least my ratio of "good" projects has improved!
"unsuccessful" isn't entirely accurate but it was the best wording I could come up with. It includes actual fails, those garments that are okaaaaay, and things I haven't worn yet.
The most disappointing fails:
- Both Nettie bodysuits. I just don't like the pattern. I will try one of the Big4 patterns that was released this year.
- The Yellow V1501. I WANTED THIS SO BADLY!! The fabric is just not opaque enough. And I don't want to wear a slip with it because SUMMER. I guess it *could* be lined :/ UGH!!! I hate working on something after it's "finished".
- Burda 4/2017 striped knit dress. I LOVE the fit and details aside from the ruching. I don't dislike ruching but it just doesn't work up the center back for me. And the stripes make the front ruching look weird. I pulled this back out and tried it on again and NOPE. Donate pile.
So-So (not hated/a fail, and will stay in the wardrobe and will likely be worn):
- M6752. I love this top. I love the fit. I love the fabric print. I love the cowl + zipper. This fabric is shitty. Shitty. Shitty ITY. It's so weird how it is definitely not all created equally. I've made some wonderful garments from ITY and this feels like plastic-y paper. Grrr.
- M7627! I love this crazy top soooo much but it is hard to wear as I generally run hot (it *is* nearly 4 yards of fabric!). I hope to be able to wear it more in spring.
- S1499. I love the color of the vest but I rarely wear it. And I put it on - often! But then take it off and hang it back up. The fabric is a little too stiff and it stands away from my body. Suggestions for softening the fabric??
- Burda 9/2017. My silk blouse :( It rolls back on my shoulders so I'm constantly adjusting it. The sleeves are way too long, and I want to take the ties out but it feels SO AMAZING on my body and I love the color!!
Never worn:
- Burda 12/2015 vest. This was my sewing bee entry. I need to separate the olive from the denim. I adore the denim side and want to have it available to wear in the spring. I intended to have it ready to wear for spring!!!! :-D
- Burda 6/2012 (gingham). I kept feeling like I didn't have the right occasion to wear this. I don't know why!! It's like a quintessential summer dress.
- Burda 3/2017 (blue). It feels too dressy for work and I've never worn it :( But I LIKE it!
- V1501 (print). I made this for an event in MAY and it snowed(!). I never got around to wearing it. I wore the skirt from the same pattern and fabric very often this summer.
- S1366 cami. I don't know why!! I wear the other Vogue top from this fabric constantly.
We should talk about things I love!
- Ottobre 5/2017 sweatshirt - It's black. It's wool double knit. It's awesome! I seriously have to force myself to wear other things on weekends!
- Vogue 1522 - this top is everything!
- M6654 skirt - such a simple staple but I love it. I have worn it in all ways pictured and MORE.
- M7542 top - I hated every minute of making the pleated sleeves but I always felt so cute and fun and flirty when I wore this top. I'll have to make one of the other views when the weather warms up again.
- Burda 8/2017 - I have worn this as much as possible!! Winter has firmly settled in here and while it is still quite cozy below freezing, we've been having single-digit mornings so out comes the down coat.
**A super honorable mention to my newly made M6886 sweater dress. That's going to be a serious staple going into 2018.
I look forward to sharing my 2018 goals post. Do you know that January 2018 is my 5th sewing anniversary?!? :-O How time flies!!
Thank you all for following along with me this year!
28 comments:
What a great way to sort through your year! I love your loves! I even loved a lot of your so-sos, lol! You were SUPER productive as always, and I can believe it has been five years for you. For softening fabric, a can of Coke works really well with jeans. You may have to research if it is helpful for other fabrics, but I tried it for denim, and it came out lovely.
What a great collection of "loves" though, even if you hoped there might be a few more! That red coat doesn't get any less gorgeous :D Looking forward to seeing what you have planned for next year!
You look like a ray of sunshine in the Vogue skirt! Worth saving I reckon.
I second the coke.
I can't believe it's been 5 years already! Seems like you just got started! I think your I love it rate will go up in the future as you hone into exactly what makes you happy and make more of them. It's why the TNT movement is so strong. Can't wait to read about your goals for 2018.
What about making a silk slip to wear under the yellow skirt - that won't be too hot. A lightweight pongee or something...
How wonderful to take a look back through the year of your accomplishments. Nothing is ever a real fail, so long as you learned something from the experience, right? You're doing an amazing job.
Peggy from Silhouette Patterns has said many times that she uses a can of Coke to soften fabric. Any fabric. Especially denim. 1 can of Coke (coke not pepsi not diet, just reg. coke) in a front loader and 1 large bottle of coke in a top loader. Use it as you would your detergent.
Oooh that Burda coat is AMAZING!! I'd be wearing that all the time too. What a great wrap of your year in sewing!
Was also going to suggest Coke.
I love the blue dress! It looks awesome on you. Maybe you could try wearing it during the holidays :)
A Merry Christmas to you!
And I wanted to add... reading what worked/didn't work for you is very helpful as I plan my sewing, and made me think of what are the things I do love and wear most. I had started a skirt that in my mind was going to be in heavy rotation, one of the Simplicity Amazing Fit patterns. I started putting it together and when I tried it on to fit, I immediately new I was not really ever going to wear it. So I didn't even finish it, which gives it hope of maybe becoming something else instead of going into the donate pile. I think trying on garments during the process, and even styling it or trying to figure out what it might be worn with (shoes is always a challenge for me!) can save time in the end!
Works like a charm! That was going to be my suggestion!
Hopefully some of your never worns will make it into your love it section and increase your success percentage. I admire you ditching the blahs though because I have difficulty ditching those and wear them regardless ! I second trying to rescue the beautiful looking yellow skirt.
What a great look back at your year! There are certainly some stunners in your love list! And that blue dress in the not yet worn list might be my favorite. You’ll find a reason to wear it - it would be great for a dressy event. It’s always frustrating to see what percentage of makes aren’t loves, but I think the longer you sew the more you understand what are dealbreakers, like icky fabrics. Congrats on your 5 year anniversary! Your output is so amazing it seems like you’ve been sewing much longer!
I can't believe you didn't wear that gingham dress, gaaah! You should wear it everywhere in the summer - grocery store, park, bar, library, gym! (Maybe not the gym.) :)
Happy holidays to you and yours!
I'll give it a shot. Thank you!!
Aww thank you!! I'll try to find a suitable lining.
It did go fast!
I may have to because I really like the skirt on me!
So true :) Thanks Irene!
Thanks!
Thank you Abbey!!
Thanks Chabe!
Agreed! And I rarely force myself to finish something if I don't like it. Sometimes, you just know. And I agree, styling things sometimes works to inspire you to finish.
Good point! Thank you!
Thank you!! I agree, it gets a little easier with time.
I really appreciated your wrap up chart, so much so that I am making my own! It will be a useful tool for me to hone my favorites and focus in on what I am doing that is working. I sew furiously but have many so-so's and failures and few loves. I really like your blog. It's well done! Thank you and Happy New Year and happy sewing! Terri
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