One year sewn… Winter Edition

This is the second part of my One Year Sewn series where I go back and look at makes I made a year ago and see if they are washing and wearing well. I hope to make my clothes last and so I am using this as a useful exercise in examining why things maybe didn’t work so well and if I am not wearing them, is there anything I can do to fix that?

The first post I did was this Autumn Edition one where I looked at makes from Sep/Oct/Nov of 2018 and it prompted me to fix a skirt that wasn’t being worn so that’s great!

This post is Dec/Jan/Feb of last year so let’s see what I made…

Ochre London Skirt – this one has been worn loads of times and I have no problems with it. The fabric starts to look a bit fuzzy after a few wears but a wash and an iron always make it look new again. I wish I had put pockets in it though – I thought because it was light and drapey (it’s viscose) I wouldn’t put anything in the pockets BUT I love putting my hands in my pockets so I don’t make this mistake any more!

Stripey Solar sweater, this is the first of two that I made and I wear this one all the time. The stripes are yarn dyed and I think the fabric looks the same today as when I made it. Definite win.

Cotton and Steel Freya, this one is also seeing a lot of wear as it does a great job of winterising other more summery makes (looking at you Burnside bibs). It is fading though and I think I would expect better from expensive jersey (this Cotton & Steel jersey is £25+ pm). Will last 30+ wears but I don’t think I would buy any more of theirs.

SOI Susie Blouse. I think I have only worn this once. I wish I had made a dress with this fabric as I love it but I really didn’t like this pattern, it is my first and only time I’ve used a Sew Over It pattern. I struggled with the fit and I just don’t think it worked in this fabric. Will put in the refashion pile I think.

Swans Kielo was worn a lot in the summer. Definite winner. Fabric still looks good as new. That is all.

Green Metamorphic dress. I love this so much and wear it all the time. I have to keep tidying up the embroidery on the tablecloth side as it does get pulls, but this is worn all the time as it is reversible it is basically two dresses in one. Loved it so much I made another in blue which is also worn a lot.

Narwhal Solar Sweater to match George. This hasn’t been worn loads but I think it is purely because I have started knitting myself jumpers and I don’t reach for this one as much as my striped one above! Note to myself – don’t sew sweatshirts any more!

Blue linen Ellis. I love this dress, it is so beautiful (you cannot see in pictures how glittery the linen is!) I wish I could hang this up and just look at it. BUT, I have only worn this once. Two reasons – the first is the fit – the sleeves are too tight and I find them uncomfortable. I did a full bicep adjustment for my second one but this one needs them removing I think. Second problem is that the glittery linen is a bit scratchy, not too much of a problem in most places but I wish I had used something like a cotton lawn for the neckline facing. I think I would enjoy wearing this dress so much more if I changed that facing around the neck for a softer one. Not giving up on this though as I love it too much! To be refashioned…

This Camden Skirt is my most worn make ever, I wore it throughout the seasons and with so many different tops. It only took one metre of denim and some scraps for lining and I love it. I keep thinking I’d like to make another but I really don’t see the point as I have one that goes with everything!

Well that’s my winter makes from last year. Some of these are worn A LOT so I am really pleased with those. I do have two to refashion though and will update you when those happen! Glad I’ve done this again, I feel like I made less mistakes in this period, hopefully I am on my way to some idea of what I do and don’t wear!

If you would like to share what you made a year ago and tell us why you are wearing it a lot or why it isn’t working, please join in! The hashtag for this project is #OneYearSewn and I would love to read your thoughts on how you feel about garments you made one year ago!