You may remember that I have been trying to actively look back at clothes I made a year ago in an attempt to evaluate my style, make sure I am not making clothes that I won’t wear and reminding myself to repair or refashion garments that for whatever reason, didn’t work out. I have done an Autumn post and a Winter post so even though it’s a bit late, it’s now time to evaluate what I made in Spring of last year – let’s look at March, April, May 2019!
Henley for hubby – this was a very successful make. It was my first ever button placket – in jersey! It gets worn all the time and the fabric has shown itself to be lovely quality as it is washing and wearing well. The only thing I will say is the wooden buttons definitely weren’t designed to be washed this often and the grain has risen and they feel a bit rough. I have some plastic buttons in my stash that I will replace them with – so this has been a useful exercise already!
Green Peplum Top refashion – I don’t wear this much because the peplum blows up in the wind. I think I will have to have a little trying on session to see what high-waisted things I have that I can pair it with so if it blows up it won’t matter. I love the top though!
Art Gallery Denim Pippi Pinafore – I still absolutely love this! The denim is gorgeous and the buttons are sparkly and I just love it and wear it a lot. No improvements needed!
Blue Metamorphic Dress – this is a dress that is in constant rotation. I wore it over t-shirts in autumn, layered under cropped sweaters in winter and now wearing it as a stand-alone dress in summer. Love this and my green one!
Navy Heyday Dungarees – this garment is probably my most worn garment ever. I wear them all the time and love them so much. I was definitely on a roll last spring! Until…
Navy Arielle Skirt – I joined in with York Sewing Bee last Spring, the challenge was to make a TATB Arielle skirt in six hours. I thought I would make a statement by only using recycled/scrap materials. However, my machine decided it didn’t want to sew this thick corduroy anymore and I had a hell of a time sewing it. In my haste to complete it ‘in time’ I then also sewed the buttons too far away from the placket edge, inadvertently making it way too tight. After the bee, I moved the buttons over but never really fell back in love with it. It feels like an autumn skirt so I will save it to try on again in autumn to see if I can love it again.
Hannah Dress – this one was supposed to be a wearable toile. I absolutely loved the construction and its such an interesting pattern BUT this toile made out of a duvet cover isn’t actually that wearable. It requires a slip underneath to stop it being see through and I just feel like I am in too many layers considering it’s a summer dress. I think this is fine though as it was extremely useful to make a toile of this complex pattern and I learned a lot.
Stripey T-shirts – I made two, I love them both, wear them all the time. The fabric is washing and wearing well. Total winners.
Octopus Top – This one is another fail for me. I love the fabric and I think in pictures it looks amazing but it feels very ‘exposed’ like I am showing a lot of skin and I just don’t feel comfortable wearing it. I think it looks lovely on myself and others but couldn’t get on with how I felt in it. Often when I am trying out a new-to-me style I go into clothes shops and try on a garment that resembles what I want to make, I definitely should have done that in this case.
Lander Pants – I am just not sure on these. I feel like they don’t look right on me but have no real idea why. I think they look amazing on others and I only have one other pair of trousers so these were worn a lot even though I don’t particularly like the shape, I LOVE the fabric though. I think I might shorten them to cropped and I might like them more? Worth a try!
Fluffy Raglan sweater for George – I don’t think I have any pictures of this but I made a thick heavy sweater for my little boy in anticipation for a spring camping trip to France. Not knowing how cold the nights in a tent might be I thought a nice thick jumper would be useful. I made it on the big side and this still fits him now and has seen lots of wear.
I think out of twelve garments I made last spring, eight of them are in regular rotation. I definitely think a 33% failure rate is too high (though one of those was a toile), my making has slowed down a lot so hopefully I have already corrected this but I will try to strive to be more mindful of what I make. My worry is that trying to have fewer fails will stop me being adventurous/trying new patterns. Ultimately, I don’t NEED anything so I am bringing new clothes into the world purely for the pleasure of making which isn’t eco-friendly at all. So I know I need to strive to make things that will be worn for a long time. I will continue to think about this and try to improve…
Please feel free to join in! I know that Pink Coat Club has been writing her One Year Sewn posts and I’ve loved reading them! You can share your #OneYearSewn reviews via Instagram or on your blog. It’s not a sewing challenge and there’s no prizes, its just a fun way to review our own wardrobes and give practical feedback on patterns and fabrics to other makers. I think we’re all a little guilty of claiming that our latest make is our FAVOURITE EVER but I’m excited to hear about what really stands the test of time!
Making and Books 
Love this idea of looking back across the whole year. I find I have usually totally forgotten what I’ve made by the end of the year. Ps. Really drawn to the Heydays – lovely in that jumbo cord!
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