Hits, misses and reflections on 2014, goals for 2015

Hello all and a very happy new year. I know it's been a while so a massive thanks to anyone who's still dropping by. Life got very hectic and although I have actually been sewing and knitting quite a lot, I have not had time to photograph and blog.

I have sewn, knitted or refashioned a total of 31 garments this year, 21 have made it to the blog. 11 Dresses, 3 skirts, 10 tops, 1 pair sports leggings, 1 pair shorts, 5 accessories and lots of UFOs.  It was really interesting doing this list as it surprised me what it was I had sewn, particularly as I was also thinking about my hits and misses.  

I found thinking about my hits and misses quite difficult as the more I sew, the more I learn and the more critical I become of my earlier makes. Also I have been a very lax blogger and lots of my items have not been blogged about (particularly the misses). 

Misses:

Woven tops: This is the area I have had the most difficulty in when trying to create a handmade wardrobe. I made a couple of Mccalls 6604 which wound up in my scrap pile.  Also the Portrait blouse from Gerties book for better sewing which was a fitting disaster and never made it to the blog. On the other hand I have made a couple of renfews and a plantain which I love and wear a lot. However, I purchased the Archer pattern in the Black Friday sales and received the Mathilde pattern for Christmas so maybe 2015 will be the year I finally achieve a woven top that fits and that I can wear with pride and comfort. 

Although I've taken part in several sewing challenges this year and they have been some of the highlights of my year.  I pledged to make 4 items in the Vintage sewing pledge but have only made 1.  

I have had a lot of misses that never made it to the blog, I made quite a few items which either haven't been finished or once I finished them have been thrown in the scrap pile instantly as I haven't like them.

Hits/highlights:

I was really surprised when doing the count of what it was I had made this year that I had only made 3 skirts.  I probably wear separates most as they work well for work and for casual days.  Definitely my most worn item this year has been this skirt.  It's my most professional looking item and it gets worn at least once a week.  Luckily I have another of these cut out and started so there will hopefully be another in my life soon.

A few of the things I'm most proud of this year are the refashions that I did.  

Kilt refashion

Lady skater jumper refashion

Refashioned holiday shorts

And especially my Galaxy dress 

I wore this all the time through the summer and won me a prize in Repurpose, reuse, refashion August, hosted by Sew Amy Sew

I took part in Me Made May this year and it was one of the highlights of the year.  I loved being part of something with the rest of the sewing community and it really helped me to see what it is that I wear most.

OWOP! I loved taking part in this for the first time.  It really pushed me to make the most use of of my TNT lady skater pattern 

My favourite item I've made this year was my second Flora:

Actually the area I think I've made the most progress in this year is knitting.  From my first basic scarves that I made this time last year, I have made a jumper, hat, cabled scarves and a shawl.  Obviously none of these made it to the blog but some of them may soon.

  

Highlights and reflections

2014 was a year of real highs and lows and life got much busier and crazier.  Sewing really helps me have some time to myself and to de-stress but I realised I was putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself with the blog.  The pressure was causing me to sew in a way that is out of line with my other ideals.  So expect to see a bit less of me around here, or at least a bi less of finished object posts.

From participating in Me made may, I realised that I wear separates most of the time and I would like for more of these to be handmade.  I need to think a bit more about what it is I actually wear and how the handmade items will fit into my wardrobe. My boyfriend pointed out to me that before all big occasions I'm really stressed out as I'm trying to get a dress finished.  I am determined not to do this (or at least to allow more time to do it) in 2015 as it leads to some silly mistakes.

It's ok to get rid of stuff I don't like/wear even if I made it. I have items in my wardrobe that I don't wear or when I do I feel uncomfortable.  These items need to go!  Anyone with any ideas about what to do with all these scraps, please let me know. 

Goals for 2015:

I really enjoyed the refashions I did this year and was pleased with how they turned out.  Also it is important to me not to contribute to the textile industry waste and with my frantic sewing, I make a lot of mistakes and create waste.  Also as part of this, when I'm making things from new fabric, I should focus on using quality fabric as they last better.  I have a few items which I made from cheap fabrics and because I wear them a lot, they have become worn out very fast.  

I would like to make myself a pair trousers this year.  I have the bhl Holly jumpsuit pattern and like version 3 for my first trouser dabbling.

Focus on separates!  I have several skirts cut out and ready to go, in fact skirts have been my most common UFOs this year.  I need to sew them up as I'm excited about the idea of them, just for some reason I haven't wanted to sew them up (probably a new shiny dress got in the way).  As I said above, I want to create a woven top that I'm happy with.

Be involved in some sewing challenges this year.  Taking part in sewing challenges have been real highlights of my year and I would like to do this again this year.

Happy 2015 to you all.