2018 Hits and Misses

I always love seeing people’s end of year recaps of their sewing, and enjoy looking back on my sewing year too. It’s so interesting to me to see what actually got some real wardrobe love and what didn’t. I had some awesome sewing wins this year, but also lost my #sewjo something fierce this fall. I talked about it more fully here. And now I’m grateful that it’s mostly come back, but I’ve had some surprising realizations on where my 2019 sewing wants to head. I’ll talk more about that in my upcoming Make Nine 2018 recap/2019 plans post.

Without further ado, here are the things that gave me all the heart eyes, and the ones that fell totally flat in 2018.

Hits

Ginger jeans – I made jeans. Like, real, honest-to-god jeans. That fit absolutely as well as my rtw ones I love. I took a class with Lauren Taylor from Lladybird, and it was so fantastic. I’m really excited to make a few more pairs this year. (Better photos to come when I can reluctantly peel them of my body for 4 seconds)

Lander shorts – I learned this year that lime green and coral are basically neutrals in my wardrobe. My two pairs of Lander shorts go with almost every summer shirt I wear. They make my legs look crazy long, cover all my bits fully and appropriately, and have incredibly useful pockets. Plus you get to hammer SO many buttons, and that is so fun. I was so disappointed to put these away for summer.

Kielo wrap dress – I love everything about this dress, except the lack of places to wear it. It’s glamorous and different and super flattering, I need one in every color. I profess my unexpected love for this dress at length here.

Striped Agnes dress hack – Honestly, this is the first piece of clothing that goes in any suitcase I ever pack. It’s the most universally versatile thing I own, and what I reach for first if there’s ever ANY question about what to wear. Somehow, barring black tie, this dress fits the dress code for nearly every occasion. I showed the 3 main ways I style this magic dress (and how I jump between a couple of different looks, just with accessories that fit in my purse) here.

Honorable mentions – my many pairs of Avery Leggings, this sweet sundress, and this amazing cape.

Misses

Midway bomber – now I’m not sure this one fully counts as a miss as I have every intention of remaking it in the right size, with a more stable lining fabric. But I made this one in an XS and apparently should have made the XXS, as I feel like this is swimming on me. I also didn’t do the zipper installation quite right, and the super stretchy lining (somewhat unsurprisingly) stretched out while doing the zipper. So now the top part of one side of the zipper pulls weirdly. All in all, it’s enough to make me not want to wear it, but I definitely have plans for a do over. Maybe even before the end of January.

Rumi dress – whoa did I dislike this one. I tried really hard to rock it, but I just never felt comfortable. Wrong fabric-pattern pairing. I think swing dresses need something way drapier. This one went to my cousin, who is exactly my size, but at the time was about 6 months pregnant. Which is about how this dress made me feel. You can read about the whole thing in more detail here.

Nottingham top – I tested this pattern for Kennis of Itch to Stich. And while the pattern is beautifully drafted and came together really smoothly, it just didn’t feel like my style. I don’t tend to like hardly any bulk around my waistline, and the knot, while cute, sits at exactly the widest part of me. This shirt was so flattering on so many other ladies in the tester group though, so this one I just chalk up to personal style preference. Itch to stitch is almost always perfectly in line with my aesthetic and while this one wasn’t for me, practically everything else she makes is.

Watson Bra– this is another not-quite miss. I LOVED sewing this. But it’s a little overly snug. I think part of this is putting the wrong elastic on the bottom. I think I should have put the fold over elastic there. But I also did power mesh in the band, and I think it made this a bit firmer than I’d like for a lounging bra. For the next one I’ll add foam cups for a bit of shaping and support.

So there it is, my 2018 sewing hits and misses. All in all, a pretty great year of sewing. I’m hoping to be more considered and thoughtful with my makes in 2019 (I mean, how many Agnes tees does one person need, really?). Did you have a major sewing win this year? Or a huge, sad/hilarious flop?

 

 

3 Replies to “2018 Hits and Misses”

  1. Ah, I love seeing these compilation-posts 😀 Isn’t it possible to just adapt the cute bomber to a smaller size, instead of having to start all over?

    I guess my major fail was the Erin-skirt of Sew Over It (you actually gave me inspiration for it!). I had problems lining up the buttons/buttonholes properly, and as a result it became tighter and tighter and not comfortable at all 🙁 My wins were the multiple Moneta-dresses I made I guess. Now I think of it; I really made a lot of garments last year and it’s hard to choose a favorite!

    1. I think I’d have to seam rip so many different parts to take both the lining and the shell in, and the Liverpool knit is a PAIN to seam rip. And with the zip too I think it would honestly just be faster to make a new one.

      And oh no Erin skirt! That one is definitely weird and hard to fit because you can’t really try it on until the end. Love your moneta dress wins! That’s a fun pattern for sure!

  2. My big win (as in the thing you open your dresser to peek at and touch with one fingertip like it’s a sleeping kitten because you feel so much pride and wonder) was rigid jeans (denim is so satisfying!). My flops were many. XD Those Lander shorts are awesome!! You’re going to be happy if coral is your jam, too, it’s 2019’s color of the year!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.