My #Sewing Top Five Misses 2018

Each year, I enjoy a review of my #Sewing Top Five Misses almost as much as my best top five. I always learn so much from my mistakes. So without further ado, here they are!top-5-of-2018.

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  1. Vogue top – Okay, when I made this,  I felt pretty clever because I constructed this top from odds and ends in my fabric stash. Ha! It’s such a mashup of colors and textures, I feel oddly distracted when I wear it. What was I thinking? New Motto – – keep it simple. To the donation pile!

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2. Aernite pants. I really loved these when I made them, but the color of the linen turned out to be problematic. It didn’t really work with anything in my wardrobe and it made me feel blah too. Lesson learned….I will avoid peachy beiges and tans in the future.

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3. The Darling Ranges dress by Megan Nielsen is a new favorite (I made three (3) versions!), but this version did not work for me. Again, the issue is the color of the stripes in the linen. It’s too peachy for me. Also, I think the dress is too long(?) so I feel rather frumpy in it. So many problems here. Ugh. The embroidered linen is so gorgeous though…too lovely to part with. I’m going try to modify the dress (shorten it to a top?) or reuse the fabric in some way.

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4. Simplicity Vintage top: What? you say. But this one is Blue! How can it be a miss?

This top is a clear miss because it’s so annoying to wear. I kid you not. Because it’s basically a wrap top with only a front and back panel, it depends on the tie to hold in the sides. That means when the tie loosens as you wear it, you enter the danger zone. If you don’t run off to a private place to re-tie, you will soon be showing all sorts of things best left covered.  Bummer as I made three of these. Thumbs down on this one….to the pile!

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5. Long Kimono top; I should love this one…the fabric, the kimono style…but I’ve never worn it. I cannot seem to find an appropriate venue/occasion. There’s something so awkward about it…maybe the length? A head scratcher for sure because I do love, LOVE this fabric so much and the style gets a big thumbs up from me.  Maybe I’ll shorten it next summer or recut it as something else. Hmmmm. I’ve got some thinking to do on this one.

Lessons learned – –

  1. Fabric in tan or beige-y tones is a no-no for me. (sigh).
  2. Avoid patterns where the design includes an element that might potentially be awkward or where you might be naked if it comes ‘undone’, LOL!
  3. Even though I love the look of a long cardigan or kimono, long isn’t always that easy to wear.
  4. Fabric that isn’t in my color palate is best left behind.
  5. Simple fabric, simple designs…they always work!

Well, that pretty much sums up the good and the not so good of 2018. I have no complaints. All in all, it was a very good year. That being said, I’d like 2019 to look a bit different. I’m hoping for some new creative adventures to sweeten my sewing experience and am thinking a lot about how to make that happen.

A fresh year, a fresh start. How was your 2018?

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!

 

 

My #Sewing Top Five of 2018

PicMonkey Collage_1Even 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.

  1. 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.

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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)

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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.

IMG_8454After multiple washings, the cordoroy has softened. I enjoy wearing this so much.

5.The floral kimono wrap top: IMG_1212

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;

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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…

3. Blackwood cardigan

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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.

The Inari Tee dress and top:

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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!