a year of sewing

I don’t think I’ve ever done one of these sewing “year in review” posts before, but I thought it’d be fun to take a quick walk down memory lane with my 2011 sewing projects. It didn’t seem like I made a lot, until I counted 21 things–including leading two sew-alongs! I guess I did more than I thought… hehe!

 

February was the start of the Swing Dress Sew-Along, but I also managed to whip up a few other things in between. I made a variation on the Sewaholic Pendrell blouse, and a beautiful silk teddy using instructions from a 70s lingerie sewing book. This was my first time making lingerie, and I loved the customization and excuse to work with a length of gorgeous silk charmuese!

 

March was a dress-centric month! First up was the Colette Patterns Crepe dress using a beautiful cotton and wool blend challis. (I eventually modified the sleeves in the autumn, since they still bothered me.) I also wrapped up my version of the Swing Dress for the sew-along. I chose a gorgeous, mint green silk print that had a distinct 40s flair, and had a lot of fun wearing it in subsequent months! Finally I finished the month off by participating in a fun, group sewing project on Mena’s blog and making a late 1910s inspired blouse.

April didn’t see a lot of finished sewing projects, but I did manage to whip up a cute 30s hat using Wearing HIstory’s “Sporty Toppers” pattern. I used a remnant of crisp white linen and some vintage ribbon in a bright plaid.

 

In May I first made another version of the scalloped collar blouse I made in February as part of the tutorial I wrote and shared. I love the vintage lawn I chose for the blouse! The Blueberry Fields dress was next on my sewing list. I loved making this dress (using a modern pattern: Simplicity #2209) using a vintage sheet in a beautiful blue floral. I also used a piped facing method to finish the neckline, which I documented in a how-to here. After that, it was something simple and pretty: a half circle skirt with a scalloped waistband. I used a beautiful, drapy rayon for this skirt, and it proved to serve me well throughout the remainder of the year (until it accidently got mixed in the dirty laundry pile and shrunk in the wash… oops!).

 
 

June was a bumper-crop sewing month for me: I managed to whip out five garments! (This probably makes up for the lack of sewing towards the end of the year…) First up was a version of the Colette Patterns Sorbetto top using a pretty print lawn I had saved in my stash for years. I whipped up a dress using the vintage Vogue reprint #8728 in a lightweight cotton knit to wear while traveling early in the month. I loved that dress and wore it to death over the summer. After that were some lightweight shorts using a tried-and-true pattern I drafted and some polka-dot rayon I reclaimed from a thrift store skirt. I then started to get into variations and documenting my process. First up was the denim cowgirl skirt using Colette Patterns Ginger pattern. I showed in a how-to the method for drafting shaped pockets. My last dress of the month was a pink gingham, 50s inspired sundress using a basic pattern and some drafting know-how (I’d show how to do this in July). Fun!

 

July marked the beginning of my sewing slow-down for the year. But I managed to whip up a cute midriff top out of polka dot fabric to beat the Florida heat! I wore that a lot with everything from shorts to longer skirts. I also completed a tutorial (and another dress) on how to alter a basic, fitted pattern into a bateau-neck sundress and shared the steps here.

As August rolled around, my lack of sewing enthusiasm (a combination of the heat and knowing that we would be getting orders for change of duty station any day) waned quite a bit. I only made one skirt–an attempt to jumpstart my sewing a bit. I did love this nautical-themed skirt made from a vintage 70s pattern though. Sadly, life really picked up pace shortly after I made this, and most of my sewing supplies were in boxes and on a truck. But I still had a couple projects left in me…

 

The next couple months the only sewing I did was for the circle skirt sew-along, which resulted in two finished skirts in October. The first was an embroidered and beaded bee skirt, which took quite a lot of time and weighs a ton, but is so fun to wear! (I can’t wait until spring rolls around…) The second is one I dubbed Winter Nights and is made from a glamorous, flocked-type fabric I found in the outerwear section of JoAnns. This is gorgeous, though of late my life sadly has had few occasions that a very full and fancy skirt is appropriate for! I also made my 40s jeans, adapted from Wearing History’s “Smooth Sailing” trousers pattern. I outlined some of the details of my alterations and construction here.

I made one more skirt in December, but I wanted to save that to show y’all later in the week! I can’t believe that I ended up making this many items! I doubt I’ll be as productive this year, as I’m trying to focus more on quality over quantity. Plus my closet space shrunk a lot in our new place, so I have less storage spots to put all these things… hehe! But I’m already itching to delve into something this year, as well as organize another sew-along and loads of more tutorials. Here’s to sewing in 2012!

What are some of your favorite sewing projects from last year? Do share!!!

January 9, 2012 · 48 lovely thoughts
posted in sewing · tags: 2011 sewing, sewing