Even though I prefer to look forward, I love doing this retrospective post at the end of every year. Thanks to Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow for inspiring the #SewingTopFive. So here we go…my top five makes for 2018.
- The layered lace Anthropologie knock off (full post here).
I chose this Anthropologie knock off as one of my best, not because I wore it alot, but because I had such a great time making it. Even the first step of the process was fun. I visited all the local fabric shops, searching for bits of lovely lace, then layered them to create this textured bodice. It took alot of time, but I loved what I was doing so much, I didn’t really notice.
2. This New Look dress took me by surprise! The two versions are here and here, but I’m counting them as ‘one’ for the purposes of my ‘best of’ list.
I didn’t really expect this drop waist loose-fit dress to become a favorite. It was a such a simple project…but sometimes it’s the ‘easy sews’ that yield the best results.
3. Pastel Green Coat (full post here)
This was the only ‘serious’ coat I made in 2018 and it has become a strong favorite. The wool was a great find; gorgeous and soft. I’m so glad I decided to line the coat in silk. Pastels aren’t on my list of favorite colors as a rule, but I always feel like a ‘cool girl’ when I wear this coat.
4. Another Anthropologie knock-off made it into my top five list, the cordoroy shirt dress.
After multiple washings, the cordoroy has softened. I enjoy wearing this so much.
5.The floral kimono wrap top: 
I always feel great in a wrap top/dress. This one is so fun to wear!
Here are a few Honorable Mentions:
I would feel disloyal if I didn’t give a shout out to these me-made garments that have served me so well this year.
This Kobe Top from Papercut patterns:
I love this pattern, and will be using it again. This was a fun project because I used a old linen tablecloth with embroidery.
The floral wrap dress;
I was reluctant to cut into this fabric because I loved it so. Fortunately, the dress turned out well. It’s now a favorite of mine…
I made several Blackwoods in 2018 and I love them all! This particular version was special because I was able to use the selvege to create a unique border along the front and sleeve bands.
I’m not sure why I waited to try this cool pattern! I wear the linen dress all summer and the tops (modified with a low peplum) are favorites too.
How was your 2018? It was a productive year for me. I managed to sew and blog three or more garments each month. Motivation to sew was easy to find, as I joined the Ready to Wear Fast sponsored by Goodbye Valentino. If there was a ‘hole’ in wardrobe, I had to sew or go without!
The RTW fast has been an interesting experience. It’s shifted my sewing significantly from spontaneous, muse-driven sewing to ‘sewing with a purpose’. Intentional sewing meant I was able to fill some holes in my wardrobe that I’d ignored or filled with frantically purchased ready-to-wear garments. I’m glad I replaced those pieces with nicer me-made essentials. I also reduced my fabric stash significantly…a big win! I discovered that there are some things I just don’t like to sew, exercise wear, for example. I just don’t find the satisfaction quotient to be high enough to justify committing any of my cherished sewing time to it. It was good for me, so I will likely do the fast again!
In my sewing room, 2018 was a very good year. But alas, there were a few missteps along the way so I’ll post the Top Five Misses next.
I hope those of you who blog/instagram will post your top five too, as I love reading those posts. Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!
It took me awhile to fall in love with this new pattern by McCall’s. The cold shoulder style put me off at first. I thought I was over that look, but this summer, I’ve discovered that the cold shoulder tops and dresses I made last year 
There are design details I really like about this pattern – – the sleeves cut into the bodice, the flounce detailing on the bodice, the off-the-shoulder look, the wide shoulder straps. I’m not particularly found of the front and back bodice seam, although I didn’t think much about that until I started to cut my fabric. Because my fabric had a horizontal print, I had some pattern matching in the front which I hadn’t planned for. Thankfully, I did have enough fabric!
Yes, I’ve gone a little off the deep end over this pattern! What can I say? When I find a favorite pattern, I tend to go a little berzerk, imagining all of the variations…and then, before you know it, I have four versions in my closet! No, I did not sew all of these tops since my last post. They were sewn over the last couple of months, using fabric from my stash (YAY!).
To add a drawstring at the neckline: First, I adjusted the neck opening to make it a bit smaller. To do this, I took a half an inch out of the front and back bodice pattern at the center front and center back. Because the cut of this shirt is so loose in the shoulders and bodice, that adjustment did nothing to the comfort or fit of the top. To make the channel for the drawstring (a simple black ribbon), I replaced the neck facing with a strip of bias tape, and inserted the ribbon through that. Pretty simple modification…
Do you ever get obsessed with a trend? I’ve been known to go overboard with a new look, and in my case, statement sleeves are my new ‘thing’. This Spring, it seems they are everywhere, and I am clearly jumping on the band wagon! Sure, I like the look (flow-y, care free, maybe even a bit boho), but I also like the challenge of a new sleeve shape. Each pattern is a new adventure in sleeve construction with new techniques to learn.
The pattern when together nicely. The v-neck, the front pleat, the bell sleeves were all explained well and fairly easy to execute. The challenge was in the fit (that is an understatement). I cut the smallest size, but the v-neck was still pretty large. I mean, we are talking cleavage exposure here folks, and that was just not where I wanted to go with this top (LOL). So, I did a bit of modifying. There is a back seam as you can see from the line art.
So, my strategy was to take that seam in by about an inch. I also eliminated the neckline opening in the back and just sewed the seam closed. That seemed to do the trick. The neck opening is large enough that the top just slips over my head!
