2014 Year In Review

I suppose that a year in review for a new blog is kind of odd... But I have been sewing and creating during this time so why not. 2014 has been a year of learning, and of experimenting. It has been a time of figuring out online fabric ordering, resolutely deciding that better quality is definitely worth the extra money, and further deciding what is right for me.

As I am unashamedly nerdy, I made a pie chart -

As you can see, in total I made 38 items. Very few of which were for the long suffering OH!
I will address the failures first. Outright wadder territory goes to one dress (no photos as I took it to the charity shop already.) which I even tried hacking into a skirt but it was just wrong fabric, wrong pattern. It was some kind of knit that reminded me of staticy nighties from my childhood. Just wrong.
Lesser wadders were 3 of the tshirts, one too big (and crudely over locked down to size - its for sleeping in so it is passable), two too small, although I will be holding on to them as they may come in handy later in the year. The undies were also wadders, the woven pair (Amerson undies) looked like a nappy. I am intending to scale the pattern down in size in some areas and have another go, I suspect woven knickers are better suited to the slim (less sumo wrestler). The knit ones just have poor fit, but each pair improved and so learning from them means they weren't a total waste of time.

The remaining items are mostly all in regular use. Other than my current employment having a work uniform, I am usually wearing at least one self made item every day. I will be going through my wardrobe and discussing the annual cull in another post. The misc items include a clutch bag, tote bags, and a mini pouffe to wedge my bedroom door open with (so her ladyship can come snooze on the bed/ be a nuisance at her whim).

I have found some pictures of my outfits in the wild, I don't seek out photos so they are quite random choices!

Some hits and misses, and one off wacky items!

Evidence I have a sense of humour...there is a collection of pics of me and the cat sleeping in the same position, my OH's hilarious hobby....

Surprising favourites included my Ginger Jeans, I pattern tested them, and they have barely been unworn since. I had no idea I would, or even could, look nice in skinny jeans. My pair has a bit of twisting going on because I need to do a full calf adjustment but I can live with it enough to not waste fabric by throwing them out. I will be looking into other jeans patterns towards autumn/winter to try out a new style. Another favourite is my Bruyere rip off inspired blouse. Wearable muslin so was made using cheap polycotton, but ok to wear still. I will eliminate the tiny pleats nearest the button placket because they aren't altogether flattering (and I don't think they are always flattering on the real deal either).

Other than sewing, I also made 2 crochet cardigans, one giant crochet Puppycat, and some WI related projects like Big Knit hats.

Puppycat, Alice for Tea and Tents (I made the body, apron and face), Lincoln WI's Christmas Wreath (Green knitted base by my friend Sarah), and Strawberry fascinator for Tea and Tents

All in all a good year, and many positive lessons learnt for the future. I will be doing a post on my tartan dress, as this was a very valuable learning curve for me, and a frustrating but satisfying result. Maybe a few other things not pictured will get a separate mention too.

I will be posting my 2015 aspirations later on in the week.