Sewing and knitting review of 2014 and Top 5 Hits of 2014

Time to start relaxing after the Christmas flurry.  Every year we say we are going to keep it simple, buy in less food, spend less and so on and over the past few years I have improved a lot with that, but there is still a certain degree of stress and anxiety.  So it is lovely in these days between Christmas and New Year  to rest, relax, take stock and, of course, start planning again

I saw a link to Gillian's Top 5 of 2014 on the scruffybadger blog so I thought it might be as good a way as any to evaluate my year.

Sewing wise it was my intention to slow things down a bit and that did happen and the things I did make, I put more effort into improving the fit, finishing items off nicely and generally taking more time over them.

I still made a total of 29 garments:

Quick Summary

For husband: Colette Albion coat

                      Kwik Sew Shirt 3250

For myself:  3 skirts
                    9 jersey tops
                    6 woven top
                    3 jersey dresses
                    4 woven dresses
                    1 coat
                    1 jersey trousers


TOP 5 HITS FROM 2014

I have based my decisions mainly on how much I wore the items (apart from one) as to me that must mean that I like the fit, the fabric is right and it fits into my everyday life perfectly.

So here they are:


1.  Maria Denmark Yasmin Yoke Skirt

Yasmin Yoke skirt

I had wanted a good 'basic' skirt pattern, slightly A-line with pockets and this turned out to be it.  A great pattern and proved itself by me regularly wearing it right from March until now.  Probably also helped by the fact that it is made in a lovely denim fabric, so a great neutral.

2.  Tilly & the Buttons Coco

Well this pattern had to appear as, to date, I have made 5 versions I think.  I love the shape of it, all versions of it are great and can be made in so many different ways with different fabrics, yokes etc.  I also used in my OWOP post.  All versions have been worn loads of times, so to me that makes it a great pattern.

Coco top

Coco dress

3. Liesl & Co Cappuccino dress/top

I was so pleased that this pattern worked for me.  It had sort of replaced/updated the Lisette Portfolio pattern (which I love) but with a slightly different neckline.  It also had instructions for a full bust adjustment which I used with great success.  I have only made the top but have worn it a lot.  Had intended to make a dress version but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Liesl & Co Cappuccino top

4.  Colette Pattern Albion

Well... it's a coat and I did make two of them, so it had to appear here.  I'll be honest, my own version could do with more tweaking, size wise, it's not perfect.  It's really too big in the shoulder region and maybe overall a bit big, therefore probably not that flattering.  However, it is a great pattern and a very warm, cosy coat.  My husband loves his too.

Colette Albion Coat

5.  Victory Patterns Hazel dress

Now this dress hasn't had a lot of day-to-day wear, but as I made it in silky fabric for more special occasions and I loved it for that (think I wore it to 4 'do's') I think it still deserves to be in my Top 5.  It was a bit different for me which is always good, easy to sew and I had intended to make it in a denim or suiting fabric for more everyday type wear and with sleeves - still have to do that.  In general, I have had great wear from the Victory garments I have sewn - The sizing seems to suit my shape.

Victory Hazel dress

 
So this was the nice, easy bit - I think it will be harder to pick the misses.  I suppose looking back through the years photos will help and also if I haven't worn something very much.  Will have to go away and think about that.

My OWOP 2014

So OWOP (One Week One Pattern) is now over and my week of wearing all Coco's (in case any of you don't know - the Tilly & the Buttons pattern).  Whenever I had decided on which pattern to use I looked at the forecast and thought that there was going to be an autumnal nip in the air.  There were very few chilly 'nips' last week and, in fact, it was a beautiful sunny week and I was a little bit warm at times.  Anyway I still enjoyed the challenge and also another Coco top was made mid week, one of the great advantages of the Coco is that it can sewn up pretty quickly.

So here they are:

Day 1 - Saturday

Merino Coco

I love the colour of this Coco top, it is a lightweight merino, made up with the funnel roll neck and cuffs.  As it was a Saturday it went very well with jeans.

Day 2  - Sunday  (and another year older!)

Navy Coco top with Deer & Doe Chardon skirt and ByHandLondon Victoria Blazer.

Sunday was my birthday so had to make an effort!  It was another lovely day and nice pressies and eats.  This Coco top (it is tucked in so probably doesn't look much like the Coco) has been much worn over the summer.  It is a lightweight cotton jersey with no stretch so ideal fabric for the pattern and you can't go wrong with navy.

Day 3 - Monday

Black and white double knit jersey Coco

This was my 'panic make' the week before OWOP.  It is a lightweight doubleknit jersey from minervacrafts, again an ideal fabric for the Coco and very comfortable.

Day 4 - Tuesday

Navy Coco under the Endless summer tunic

Again the very versatile navy Coco worn as an autumn layer under the tunic dress.  I haven't worn the dress with a top under it, might get a few more wears out of it before packing it away.

Day 5 - Wednesday

Merino Coco with Anima pants

A very casual day doing stuff in the garden and housework, very comfy.

Day 6 - Thursday

Lilac Coco, pockets trimmed with Kaffe Fassett ribbon.

This Coco was dreamed up and made during the week, it is made from double knit which is quite a stiff fabric, not sure I really like the 'feel' of it.  Anyway I wore it with my Toast sailor trousers and decided to trim the pockets just to take the plain look off it.

Pocket trim - Kaffe Fassett ribbon.

 Day 7 - Friday

This was the first Coco I made, I think, or was it the merino, not sure. I wish I had got the stripes joined to the red fabric a bit more even.  I was still trying to get used to my overlocker and it was the first time trying it out to make a garment.  Both fabrics are ponte roma jersey.

So there you are, a week of Coco's, 2 dresses and 3 tops, definitely a super pattern and depending on your weight of fabric can be great for all seasons, can be worn casual or dressed up more. The top (especially my navy one) can be worn on it's own, over a blouse or under a dress. It suits my lifestyle so what more do you want.

Coco, I hope I have done you justice.

It's been great doing the OWOP sewing challenge, thank you Jane for organizing.

OWOP 2014 and thoughts of autumn ten-item wardrobe.

As a newcomer to blogging and indeed a relative newcomer to sewing I am partaking in OWOP.  This is a sewing and wardrobe challenge which is being organised this year by Jane from handmadejane.co.uk blog (I think it was originally started by Tilly from Tilly & the Buttons from Sewing Bee fame)  The idea is to show how one pattern can make you wonderful 'pieces' that can be worn regularly in your everyday life.

I (after much deliberation) decided to opt for Tilly's Coco pattern. I have used quite a few patterns several times in my two years of sewing, namely the Lisette portfolio (my first and still a favourite), Merchantandmills dress shirt pattern, Sewaholicpatterns Renfrew top and the the Wiksten tova dress & top.  Most of these were makes before my blogging so no photos but I love all these patterns. In reality, at the time of deciding, I only had made two Coco tops and one dress, so had a little panic as to how these items were going to last me for a week.  Missing the point completely I then proceeded to make another Coco dress.  Don't get me wrong I love my latest Coco dress but, of course, the point of the challenge is to show how many different ways you can wear an item by accessorizing and using your flair and creativity, so even if you only have two versions of a pattern, well - that's your challenge.

Tilly & the Buttons Coco dress.

This challenge comes at a great time for me, firstly because it's the start of a new season, namely autumn, my favourite time of the year and also because I have been trying to follow the dailyconnoisseur ten item wardrobe idea.  I have been trying to live a more minimal type life for a while now and embarked on My summer ten item wardrobe at the beginning of the summer for the first time.  I entered into the idea really in trepidation thinking I wouldn't last a fortnight but it worked amazingly well.  If I'm honest I went over the top with my 'extras', namely lots of t-shirts just in case, but this was really too much, so I now have the confidence to cut down even more.

I really shouldn't make a big deal of this, I mean this is the way my mum dressed in the 70's/80's. People just had less then, what she did have was good quality, a great cut and really suited her and that's really all it's about.  In modern day we are bombarded with so many choices we have forgotten how to have our own individual style and we are very, very excessive!

Anyway, my summer ten item wardrobe was a great success.  The only item I didn't wear much was my Toast sailor style trousers - I just felt a bit self-conscious wearing them at home although I did wear them on holiday. (I will be keeping them for next year though)  Everything else I wore a lot and that was great.  Other benefits were that my wardrobe and bedroom are a lot tidier and easier to manage, I also wasn't that interested in shops or sales and so spent less than normal. Now as a sewist I am also becoming more selective in choosing fabrics and sewing patterns and thinking exactly what suits me and works for my lifestyle.  I wasn't sure if I would last, but I really like this mindset (and that definitely is what it is.) It definitely has an element of 'freeing the mind'

So this coming week will be great for planning my ten item wardrobe for autumn - I'm not sure I will be able to go for only 10 core items (we do have very diverse weather here in Northern Ireland)  but I will certainly make a good attempt.  I would say that at least some of my Coco's will feature. It starts tomorrow (6 September - 12 September) so not too late to start, you can sign up here.

Loving Coco

Part of my sewing resolutions for 2014 was to sew more fitted woven items and less jersey items.  This was partly because last year I sewed a lot of stretchy things and also because I want to try and acquire more practice and skills in techniques like putting in zippers and achieving good fit.  So far I haven't really achieved this... oh well. 

Also it's tricky when patterns are being created by all these great indie pattern designers and let's face it, there is nothing perks you up more than a nice quickly made dress.  And so, I succumbed to Tilly's Coco pattern.

This is yet another one of those patterns that I am likely to return to again and again.  It can either be a dress or a top with a round neck or one with a slight cowl neck.  It really has a lovely overall shape.  Normally I tend to wear more straight styled clothes, but I really like the more A-line almost flared shape of the skirt.  I might have to try the Miette skirt pattern too now.

I had purchased this black and white stripe ponte jersey at my local fabric shop,Craftswoman, thinking of some sort of Breton style top or dress and the girl serving me said that it made her dizzy (this was after she had cut it).  So having seen a lovely red with black and white stripe dress on pinterest I thought that was the way to go whenever Tilly produced her pattern.  I see Tilly also had a similar version just this week (I had already started mine, honest).  I have to add though that I get were the girl in the shop was coming from... it was quite dizzying cutting the fabric out.

As you can see I went for the red bodice as opposed to a red yoke (like Tillys).  I cut the size 6 for the top part of the dress and tapered in to size 5 in the skirt part.  I probably could have taken it in another bit from the hips down but I quite like the flared skirt. It's actually a very balancing shape for someone like me who has broad shoulders.  Now why didn't I think of that before? I could be acquiring more flared skirted things this year. The pattern instructions are A1 (I have the pdf version) and I'm sure the paper pattern is lovely with the coloured photograph instructions too and would be an ideal way to start sewing with knit fabrics.

Spot the new red ballet pumps specially to go with my Coco.

This is the sort of dress you just throw on, a great addition to the spring wardrobe. I might have to look at my hem a bit (seems to dip slightly at the back) but other than that I love it.  I have a non-stretchy merino lined up for the top version.  Then maybe I will get to my fitted woven dress project.

I will leave you with a nice sunset from the kitchen window.