Top Five of 2024!

 

I'm back to blogging after a little holiday break. It was a lovely relaxing time to eat and doze and perhaps even sew a bit ;) But to cap off the year, and start a new one, I wanted to look back over my 2024 sewing and see what I liked about it. 

What were my favourite makes of 2024? For the last few years, I have put together a Top Five post of my faves -- it's a good way to see what worked and why, and what to try next! 

Without further ado, here are my fave projects of the last year: 

Butterick 6655 - this is my favourite piece. The fit is great, the fabric is really comfy as well as being a print I love, and the colour means it goes with everything. This is the second time I've made this pattern and I love both versions. 

Simplicity 9601 - this is one I also love - it's a 90s pattern and made from an upcycled duvet. The colour is amazing and it turned out to fit me well. Love it. I would use this again.

Oxford Dress by Treize Coquelicot - I made this for the Spring Literary Sewing Circle project, and it turns out that I really like this pattern! I used some stash fabric and it just worked beautifully. Cool and comfy, I've worn this a lot. 

Butterick 6727 - this was one I made as part of the Fabricville Blogger program, but I really enjoyed this cotton fabric. It was great to sew with and the pattern suited the print well. Such a cute and colourful one. 

Factory Dress Top by Merchant & Mills - this is one of those projects that I had in mind long before I made it. I think that the print and the silhouette work together very well here. Also a repeat of a pattern I've made before. 

And one little bonus fave, the bag I made in a workshop with my Garment Guild! It was fun and I used fabric from other participants as the lining, which was extra nice. 

The less successful projects of the year were ones that I ended up not liking the fit of (no matter how I try, I just don't like flowy oversize things!) or that I just chose the wrong fabric for. Only a few duds, not too bad. 

I also took a look at my year of sewing and compiled some interesting stats. I made 21 items (most of them shared on the blog).  That's quite a few less than in previous years. There was a mix of 9 indie, 5 big four, and 6 Burda. And I made one patternless project, the bag above!

I don't usually repeat patterns but this year I did make frequent second or third versions of patterns I've used before, with 2 of them ending up in my best 5! The patterns I used for another go round were Butterick 6655, Factory Dress Top by Merchant & Mills, Style 4037, the Style Arc Lacey Dress, and Burda 115-11-2018. Fully a quarter of my projects this year were repeat patterns, a record for me, I think. 

And I used Burda the most in my sewing this year, with 6 patterns coming from magazines or envelope patterns. Then Butterick with 2, and everything else was one each from varied companies. 14 of my projects were made with stash fabric, and 7 were made with new to me fabric either bought or received as blogger partner projects. But I bought much more fabric than I used this year (some fabulous thrift store finds) so I've got to get busy sewing down the stash in 2025. 

I had a lot of sewing slumps in 2024, and sort of let most of my original plans go by the wayside. I'm hoping to get back on track this year, and be able to both plan and execute my ideas, whether those are wardrobe pieces for me, for others, or art pieces that I'd like to complete. Looking forward to being more efficient and motivated this year! 

Top Five of 2023!

 What were my favourite makes of 2023? For the last few years, I have put together a Top Five post of my faves -- it's a good way to see what worked and why, and what to try next! This year I'm lucky, as I have 6 Top Makes. I was unable to whittle it down any more than that. 

Without further ado, here are my fave projects of the last year: 

Yanaka Jacket by Liesl & Co

This is my favourite make of the year! I made it last January and enjoyed the challenge. Looking through my stash for matching remnants, using up fave fabrics, finding a good lining and getting the fit right were all challenging in the best way. It's comfortable, colourful, and I feel good wearing it! 

Hot Pink Burda 105-04-2018

I just finished this one before the end of 2023 but it's a definite favourite. I was pushed to finish it by the deadline for the PatternReview Fitted Blouse contest -- where you can go and vote for this make, until Jan 10 if you are a PR member. 

Butterick 5987 (Willi Smith blouse)

I made this in February for the Black History Month Pattern Designer Challenge. I had this 1979 pattern in my stash, and used a fabric I found in the drapery section of the fabric store. It was a perfect marriage and I LOVE this shirt. It goes with a lot in my wardrobe, too. 

Antonia Dress by PatternDivision 

This is such an easy to make dress -- 3 pieces and a quick sew. But the fit is also great, and the pockets are nice and big. I love this one, and plan to make a solid version, or two. 

Talulah Dress

I made this inspired by the Literary Sewing Circle -- the pattern has been on my list for a few years! I wasn't sure about this profile on me but as it turns out I adore it. Love this dress and the colours are fun also. 

I AM Barbara 

I had to include this one as I found it a challenge and was happy with the results. It's such an unusual design that even if the whole thing isn't perfect I still love it. I have to go back and tweak a few things, but I've worn it, enjoyed making it, and am delighted by the idea of it. 

The less successful projects this year are ones that I don't like the fit of, or I just haven't worn. There aren't many that I actively dislike, thankfully! Most of my favourites were made as part of challenges and/or sewalongs, which is quite unusual -- the reverse of what usually happens for me. It was a good sewing year!

I also took a look at my year of sewing and found some interesting info :) I made 33 items (most of them shared on the blog).  There was a mix of 15 indie, 14 big four, and 4 Burda. 

I make most patterns only once, but there were a couple of repeats this year. I made Burda 105-04-2018 for the second time, and repeated Burda 6074 back to back. I made both the top and the dress view of the Liesl & Co. Santa Rosa and I made another Mandy Boat Tee to add to the ones I've made in the past. 

And I used Liesl & Co the most for my sewing this year, with 5 makes. Closely followed by a tie between Butterick and Simplicity with 4 each! 7 out of my 33 projects were made with new (or new to me) fabric; all the others were from fabric that had been in my stash for a while. Hoping to use up more of my stash this year! 

Most of my sewing this year was enjoyable and I hope to continue making things that I'll enjoy wearing -- it's so much easier to choose projects when you have a good sense of the fabrics and the shapes you will like. I look forward to another year of challenging projects!