2012, over and out

Well folks, 2012 was definitely not as prolific as 2011 was sewing-wise.   Or so I thought.  As it turns out, the total count items-wise is pretty close:  I am coming up with 30-ish items, same as last year.  But where last year I made a lot of dresses (14 -- egad!), this year I made more simple skirts and tops, and maximized pattern re-use.  The numbers I'm coming up with for 2012 are:

Dresses:  6  (2 Sewaholic Cambies, and 4 vintage Butterick 6075)

Tops:  10  (8 Sewaholic Renfrews, including several I failed to blog, and 1 Sewaholic Alma, which has been finished since November but I have neglected to photograph!)

Skirts for me:  8 (2 Simplicity 2655 and a bunch of "moon" variants, some of which I have failed to blog)

Skirts for schmeebot:  10 (all Pacific Moons ... she lives in them, which is the best compliment a sewist could possibly have!)


Not counted in my numbers above was my big fail of the year, my Stegosaurus butt Colette Ginger, as it never reached the finish line.   I understand what went wrong there and need to give that pattern another try.  Granted, I may tackle the not-on-the-bias version first this time!  My other fail of the year was my first Cambie -- given that it was basically a wearable muslin anyhow, no big deal.  It's wearable, but not comfortable!  Oh, and this skirt also has to go ... too dirndl-y to sit as close to the waist as it does.

So what was good this year?  I made a lot of wearable (if not particularly exciting) items!   I think my favorite for the year is still the very first thing I posted, my first Butterick 6075.  It's a little loose-fitting, but I love the fabric and the style.  But honestly?  I rarely wear dresses in real life.   When I sew dresses, it's mainly for the joy of making something pretty.

With the Sewaholic Renfrew, I got really excited about sewing knits.  I had made a few knit tops before, but things really clicked somehow with the Renfrew.   It's just a great pattern.  I've made it as directed, plus a sleeveless variant that works well for me because I wear cardigans a lot.  I think in the future I may draft it a few inches longer rather than using the bottom band, which doesn't always sit well on me.  Especially now that I have a place to set up my coverstitch machine again ...

And skirts!  I wear skirts a lot ... far more than pants these days.  I don't think I could have too many!  Alas, my most favorite skirts are still store-bought ones ... surely I can change that in 2013?  My favorite skirt for the year is one of the Pacific Moons I made for schmeebot, but I have more of the fabric and will be making myself one, hopefully soon.

This was kind of a crazy year, what with buying and moving into our first house, plus a new hobby that is now vying for my sewing time.  That whole job thing keeps me pretty busy too, naturally.  I'm still struggling with getting photos of myself in the stuff I make -- I HATE being photographed!  But seeing the garments on me helps me see how I can improve the fit, so I need to try harder.  Plus I know it helps other people who may be considering the same patterns I'm using.  So I'll try to do better ... too bad it's gray and rainy today (and probably tomorrow too).

Hm, so what do I want to sew next year?   I wear skirts a lot so I need to work on making some I love as much as my favorite store-bought ones, many of which have fun pockets or interesting details.   I'd like to make more tops too -- I like my Alma and will make more, and the Renfrew is evergreen as far as I'm concerned!  And finally, dresses -- I would love to make a few more vintage dresses, even if they don't see much wear.  I just love the process.   So, I guess what I want to sew next year is ... everything.  No surprise there.

Anyhow, I hope y'all have had a good 2012, and may 2013 bring you good fortune!  I'll leave you with two skirts I made back in May but failed to blog ... probably because I meant to get pictures of me wearing them.   Well, I think that ship has sailed, so here they are adorning the fence at my old house.  The red one uses the skirt pieces from Butterick 6075.

The olive one is a longer, fuller version of the "New Moon" skirt I have made so many times ... I guess it's a "Full Moon", ha ha.  Unfortunately I think it is gonna get purged from my closet: it's too lumpy at the waist will all those gathers.