That Summary Feeling…

Yes, it’s that time of year again, and I’ve been enjoying everyone else’s summaries and best/worst lists, so I need to buckle up and get on with my own.  I’ve spent a couple of hours listing my posts, doing some numbers, and totting things up, and surprised myself somewhat.

Numbers

I’ve blogged far fewer posts, with sizeable gaps, so I’ve felt more obliged to drop in from time to time to post an ‘I’m still alive’ piece.  74 posts over the year, more than I thought, but a considerable drop down from 2016, ’17, ’18 [186,165,90 posts respectively]

My 5 most-viewed posts were ‘Can Do Kondo’ [400 views], ‘The Lying Bitch That’s My Wardrobe’ [379 views], ‘Da Bomb’ [Bombshell swimsuit, 351 views], ‘Purple Passion Pants’ [ Chelsea pants at 345 views] and ‘Cashmere Coat #5’ [342 views]

I sewed:

26 garments for me, plus one costume for World Book Day.

2 shirts for the missus

1 dog

 

LOTS of costumes for the school play and the LGBT panto:

75 garments from scratch, lots more alterations and re-fashionings

26 hats, masks, odds and sods

AND my school sewing club is thriving, with several kids completing their trousers last term, and itching to start on tops in the New Year.

Not as bad as I thought!

What have I spent?

The costume making got me rummaging through my old patterns, and using lots of them multiple times, which always feels very thrifty.   All the costume making let me use up all sorts of stuff, old zips, buttons, scraps and so on.  It was all fun, very creative and I got to make a transformation dress woohoo!  I’ve still not got rid of the crateful of fabrics I’d sorted out to go to a Facebook destash, but did scavenge some of it out for costume making.  I’ve still been buying goodies, and not got round to doing much with them apart from move them from pile to pile, musing over combos…swings and roundabouts.

What next?

The sewing room is in a HIDEOUS mess…time for one of my deep purges and sort outs I think, hopefully before I go back to work in another week.

Going through the year’s posts reminded me to go and look at the 2019 SWAP rules… I’m not madly inspired, but it’s meant to be a thoughtful process, so even starting late may get me on track.  I’ll have  a ponder and come back to that one.

More for the missus- she adores her white shirts, and has managed to find a little kilt on line which fits her reasonably well, so I can finally get to grips with the beautiful Black Watch tartan wool I got for her YEARS ago, make a pattern from the RTW one, tweak it a little, and make her happy again lol

Something for World Book Day…got to be Gentleman Jack inspired hasn’t it?

Although we haven’t done ANY steampunk meets this year, I may make myself a new corset to suit my thicker girth, and possibly jump on the costume community’s bandwagon of  sewing something inspired by the 20s.  Hmmm another one to ponder.

My wardrobe contents are being well-worn to work of course, and it’s great to have so many co-ordinating garments.  I still need to get some really GOOD trousers though- most of the last year’s attempts have not been worn as much as I would like as there’s something slightly off with all of them dammit.  VERY few items which have not been touched for so long they clearly need to go [and some of the ones I cleared out LAST time are still hanging in the hall, waiting attention.  Oops.]  A separate post will be needed for that too, and a mahoosive cutting out session will be a good way to start me off.

Top 5 makes

The cashmere coat and hat of course

McCall’s 6436 shirts, 2 each for me and the missus {but I’m calling this just one lol] Skulls and trees for  me, both white but different weights for the missus

Another multi-use, New Look 6735 T shirts.  I made SIX of these babies, in all sorts of fabrics.: bees, science chalkboard, stripes and combos of stripes and plain scraps.  Love ’em all

Jennifer Lauren ‘Afternoon Blouse’ in cute otter print cotton- I LOVE this it always makes me smile

Toto!  Pedigree Royal’s ‘Scribble’ in very posh fur with all the trimmings.  Far from perfect, but my first ever effort at something like this, and now happily adopted by my mum and dad, who treat him like he’s alive, lying him down on a cushion at night.  Sigh.  They’re where I get my crazy from, what can I say?

Not so good…

Trousers.  Always trousers.  I’m too impatient to spend sufficient time toiling and re-toiling, and just dash on.  Eventually I get annoyed and do some cobbled fixes on the overlocker to take up the excess [it’s ALWAYS excess, on hips or crotch].  I knew I needed to make plenty of trousers this year, I’ve nearly killed the reliable pair of smart black trousers I made years ago, and wear them at least once a week for work.  I tried the Greenstyle Chelsea flares, and a couple more incarnations of tried and true Style Arc ‘Linda’…and rarely wear any of them unless desperate.  All are too baggy, need constant hoiking up, and annoy me.  All are going to the sewing room this week for some sort of fix.

The bombshell swimsuit sort of worked, but the more I look at the photos, the less happy I am.  I got another pattern, less revealing, and some more swimsuit fabric, so may bash on with that at some point.

The lovely ivory silk satin ‘Victoria’ blouse from Style Arc, so carefully put together with much hand sewing…SPLIT under the arm.  It makes me sad.  The fabric may be too delicate to repair, but I will try at some point.  So sad…

The ultra cosy thick jumper in navy wool/acrylic [Butterick 6248] is SO warm I can’t really wear it…more sads.

Pretty good really!

Right, one more post to write on my final make of the year, back soon!

Happy New Year everyone!