Hits and misses of 2013

I am finally getting around joining Gillian in reflecting on my Top 5 of 2013. A little late but our annual beach holiday began earlier than normal and went for longer and I ran out of time to post before we left.

 

2013 was a challenging year for me sewing wise. Returning to work full-time after only working part-time since having kids was sure to cut in on my sewing time. I did manage to sew 51 garments, only 10 less than 2012.  Surprisingly, I did sew more garments for me (and way less for the kids!).

 

Here is a breakdown of garments:

Sewing for kids - 13

Dresses - 9

Skirts -2

Pants and shorts - 5

Tops, tees and jumpers - 8

PJs - 4

Undies -10

Hits

1. Black sheath dress - I finally had an occasion to wear this. It fits perfectly.

 

2. Black white and yellow dress - I received so many compliments when I wore this to the awards ceremony at work, it was wonderful.

 

3. Ponte dress - While not the best quality in fabric, this was my first taste at ponte and I was impressed.

 

4. Green knit dress - love the colour and a step out of my comfort zone style wise.

 

5. Blue knit skorts for my daughter -  it feels good to draft a pattern again.

 

Misses

Oops, there are a number of projects I never got around to blogging about, and some of them belong here!

1. Grey linen shorts - Really fabulous apart from the waistband stretching out during the day.

2. Purple printed tee - this worked out okay, but after a year of not that much use, the fabric is becoming limp.

3. Blue and white PJ top - this is a little too big, the straps fall down constantly and it reveals way too much. It would be relegated to sleepwear if it wasn't already a PJ top. I have realised how much I like knit PJs now.

4. Grainline Tiny Pocket tank - I really like the look of this but it just isn't right for me. The dart was way too low and even after raising it for a second go, the bust area just sits funny on me. Kind of pointy-outy. Besides, it is very low cut and I felt exposed when I trialled it at work. I prefer my Sorbetto pattern for my body. I where this tanks to bed now.

5. Grey wool pants - another photo-less garment. The pattern I used was quite loose. I had to take the side seams in a heap and then the pockets were no longer functional. I wore them once and then gained some weight and they were too tight. Blah.

 

One of my on going goals each year is to use more fabric than I acquire. This year I bought 68.45m, with 68.25m sewn. After cleaning my sewing room, I donated a further 8m of fabric, not including remnants. I sewed 13.5m of fabric from stash, and added back 13.7m. This equates to using approximately 80% of fabric bought being sewn. Last year I converted 47% to completed garments, so maybe I was considering my purchases more carefully in 2013.

 

In 2014 I will be challenging myself to be more organised with my sewing. I made way too many trips to the fabric store to pick up zippers, thread etc mid way through a project. Not only is it a time waste, it gives me an opportunity to procrastinate (of which I am fabulous at) and also tempts me to buy more fabric while at the store.

 

I also find that I can over analyse exactly what pattern I want to use with what fabric. This makes me overwhelmed and again wastes time. While I don't want to end up with lots of duds, I generally go with my first idea anyway, so this year I want to just get on and sew rather than over think the planning process.