My 2019 Sewing Hits and Misses
2019 has probably been my most successful sewing year and it’s easy to pinpoint the reason: I started making a muslin before sewing any garment and this new habit has raised my success rate by probably 90%. Because of this, I also learned to do a full bust adjustment, which alone has solved almost every other fitting issue I thought I had when it comes to dresses and tops. Still, I had a few misses and a few things found their way to the giveaway bag, so I’ll share those too, but first let’s review my hits of 2019! This is not every item I’ve sewn, but they are all my favorites.
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First up, my woven cardigan is in my top five favorites that I sewed this year. It’s a pattern mash-up, which you can read about here, and it got a ton of wear last Summer. I think the fabric is just beautiful and I can’t wait to pull it out again in the Spring. I played with the kimono style in a different fabric first, but I find that I like fitted sleeves on me. The kimono style really widens my upper body.
I have to give some attention to the Ogden Cami, because although I had issues with this pattern and altered the heck out of it to fit me how I wanted, my two versions of it are not only some of my most worn handmade pieces for all seasons, they have by far been the most popular on Instagram. I even blogged about how I found a different cami pattern that was perfect for me, only to realize now that I rarely wear that cami, while I wear the Ogdens constantly. That said, I definitely think the Ogden cami is a go-under piece. It shows too much bra to be worn without something over it and the people sporting their Ogden camis in the Summer with no toppers have likely altered the pattern to get more coverage in the arms.
Here is my black and white checked version. It’s made from a thrifted vintage skirt and is possibly my most worn handmade item this year.
And here is my velvet version, with fabric from Hobby Lobby. This one just feels so good to wear! Read my tips for sewing fabrics with nap right here.
My most sewn pattern this year was definitely New Look 6644. I’ve made five versions so far and three are ones I consider hits, while the other two are misses (although one started as a muslin, so it’s not really a big loss). Here are the hits, which I’ve worn multiple times. This piece is great for layering and I have one more on my cutting table currently. The center one is the one I’ve worn the most, while the green one I’ve worn the least. When I do wear it, though, I wear it with that favorite Ogden Cami, of course! Read more about this pattern here.
I had success with several dresses this year! In the past, I’ve made mostly dresses, but I find that I don’t wear them as much in my everyday life as I did when we lived in Hawaii, so I tried to branch out into more useful items this year. However, I still love sewing dresses and these four are my favorites from 2019.
First, I love this dress I made from a thrifted fabric! It’s the dress that made me realize I’m ready to move away from full skirts to straighter ones. My husband really likes this one too, so it’s a win in every way.
My Easter dress was another favorite. Shamefully, I only wore it on Easter! But, I really love it and am determined to wear it much more this Spring and Summer. This is also the dress that started my muslin journey, and you can read more about why I now make a muslin every single time.
This next dress almost landed in the trash, but I’m glad I gave it another shot! Read more about that here. This is a Jalie pattern and after I pulled it out of the wadder bin and got it to fit right, it got a lot of wear in the hottest months last Summer.
My other favorite dress is my Nutcracker dress! This was my first time using a French Poetry pattern and it was seriously a dream. I don’t sew a lot of Indie patterns, but one thing I love about them is that I learn new techniques, which was definitely true with this pattern. Hop over here to read more about this fantastic pattern. I call this my Nutcracker dress because I wanted to make something specifically to wear to see my girls dance in the Nutcracker. Ideally, I would have used it as my Christmas dress also, but the neckline is just a bit too low for church. It will remain in my wardrobe for special occasions, though, and I will make another version soon with a higher neckline.
My favorite top I sewed this year was New Look 6624. I have a solid black version in the works because this top is such a perfect piece for dressing up or down and I think having a black version in my wardrobe would be a great idea.
A few more favorites: My wide legged cropped pants, my white linen jacket (I got the white linen from a table cloth on clearance at Target!), my blue and white checked shirt (can I have my tan back, please??), and my Burda Style blanket cardigan. Click those links to read more about each item and for pattern links!
I can’t leave out this wrap skirt I made using a thrifted pattern from the 70’s. It’s one of those garments where the fabric and pattern just aligned and turned out beautifully.
Some of the sewn items I’m most proud of this year weren’t for me at all, but for my 14-year-old daughter. I was determined to conquer dancewear this year and I’m happy to say, I did accomplish that. My girls are ballerinas and I’m so proud of this leotard I made my oldest. This new skill led to money-making opportunities this year from the dance community, so the learning time really paid off. Click here for details on this leotard pattern, here for a big list of dancewear sewing patterns, and here for the proper tools for sewing dancewear and activewear.
I was also quite proud of Natalie’s Easter dress. We chose Butterick 5708, from the Butterick Retro collection and I took the time to really perfect both the fit and the technique. It fit her to absolute perfection, she got a ton of wear out of it last Summer, and I’m just really proud of it. It’s one I might keep forever, it feels like kind of an heirloom somehow. I imagine her future daughters oohing and aahing over it someday.
I also made Natalie a new quilt for her bed this year and we both really love how it looks in her room. We chose the fabrics together and used the Warrior Quilt pattern, which is free. You can read details and see more photos right here. For the record, I sew for my other children on occasion also, but they have more casual styles and tend not to ask for specific things like Natalie does, so in case you were wondering, that’s why Natalie is featured in my sewing adventures here more often. Just felt like I should make sure you know I don’t have a favorite child, haha!
Another ensemble that turned out better than I could have imagined is Natalie’s Eliza Doolittle Halloween costume! She’s a huge fan of Audrey Heburn and wanted to replicate this costume from My Fair Lady for Halloween. We then had a fun photo shoot with it and I was just giddy that such a hodge-podge of ideas, patterns and materials turned out looking so much like our inspiration. See all the details on this in this post.
Before I get to what I think are sewing misses this year, these are two items I learned the most from. The first is my sherpa vest. I wore this a ton in the Fall after making it! Less so now in the Winter when I really just need a coat to go outside, but this project really was a learning process in which I conquered some tricky fabrics. Read my tips for sewing with faux sherpa here.
The second learning experience was my recently sewn black pants. I made these for Christmas and they are fabulous! I’ve started learning how to properly fit pants, which is my sewing goal for the coming year. Unfortunately, the fabric I chose for these just isn’t right. They attract static cling and dog hair and they have no give whatsoever, which is what I thought I wanted, but actually just makes them uncomfortable to sit down in. I am going to remake these in a rayon twill, that’s my plan! I do love the lace top I made to go with them, but it needs taken in to fit me better. I overdid the full bust adjustment and it’s just a bit too wide.
Moving onto the misses! There are always items I love at first, but after months go by without wearing them, I realize they’re just not really me. Here are a few of those items from this year.
The blue dress was super cute, flattering and fit great, but the fabric choice just wasn’t right for me. Brushed poly is pretty thin and clingy, so even though you can’t see through it, somehow I felt exposed. The print also looks a little early 2010’s to me, so that’s why I decided to donate it.
The top in the middle is one of my five versions of New Look 6644, but the fabric is a thrifted poly ponte knit and the stripes make me dizzy. I know it’s not a loud fabric by most people’s standards, but somehow it feels “in your face” when I wear it.
The third is actually a great pattern and fit, but again, the fabric makes is uncomfortable. It was on clearance at JoAnn and it felt like really nice fabric, but it’s polyester, so it makes me hot, and it doesn’t have good stretch at all, which made the bust and arms slightly too tight. I’ve used the pattern again with a different knit and it’s much better, so it’s not the pattern, it’s the fabric.
My last two misses are both of these flannel shirts. The purple one was my own fault. I decided to cut the front piece on the bias to add interest, but it affected the fit and the front always feels warped and out of place. The other shirt fits great, but I think the neckline is just too high and makes me look larger. However, it’s super cozy, so I’m not ready to give up on it. I may even put it on today and see how I feel wearing it.
After writing all of that, I feel pretty dang great about my sewing in 2019!! I’m realizing I sew much more interesting things for Summer than for the colder months, but that’s because I really struggle with fashion in colder months, particularly with what to wear on my legs and feet when I wear dresses in the winter. I don’t love the feel of tons of shifty layers, so that’s something maybe I can ponder and find solutions for.
This post has been enlightening to write, it’s pretty eye opening to see which things I actually wear and what I’d like to make more of. I wouldn’t call any of these total fails, because even the misses taught me things, either about sewing or about my style.
I’ll be back Friday to talk about my goals for the new year, both sewing and otherwise!
Cheers :)
P.S. I tend to get questions about the shoes I wear in some of these posts, so here is a crude list:
Black Oxfords — this is a wide width shoe brand!
Don’t stress, make a plan!