Class of 2012

Ack. End of the year already? I've been doing a stash and pattern stocktake to try and document what I have so I actually know what I have. And whilst I was at it, I thought I'd share who (or more appropriately - 'what') rose to the top of the class, and who just didn't make the grade.

Patterns Owned vs Items Made

Dresses 37 vs 5

Tops 13 vs 8 

Blazers/Jackets 5 vs 2

Coats 5 vs 1

Skirts 8 vs 5

Pants 4 vs 2

Shorts 3 vs 1

Other Patterns 17 vs 0

A total of 24 garments vs 92 patterns - numbers befitting a prolific pattern purchaser rather than the prolific sewist I thought I was! 

After tallying my patterns, I did a fabric stocktake. I now have a spreadsheet with every single piece of fabric I own, it's dimensions and fibre details - which totals 82.6m of fabric, not including scraps and calico. It will be my goal in 2013 to get this as close to 50m as possible! As I was counting and measuring - I noticed something very interesting. The fabric I sew with is the fabric I buy in a physical shop, where I've had the tactile experience before purchasing. Nearly all the fabric I've got left over is from online shopping. Whilst the majority of the fabric I buy is bought with a pattern in mind, it would seem my online purchases are taking longer to materialise into finished garments. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this realisation!

But firstly lets look at the sewing Class of 2013:

THE DUX: V8739 Also known as - The Vogue Suit. Specifically - the jacket. Sure, the matching skirt gets a fair bit of wear too, but I find myself reaching for that jacket without even really thinking whether it be for the office or weekends in jeans. The wool is soft and malleable, the colour suits almost everything I own, and I just find the design generally very flattering on me. I'm tempted to make it again this coming winter just because of that... but I'm not sure on that yet.

MOST POPULAR: C1019 The Appropriately Floral Peony. I've worn this so much recently that I should probably introduce some kind of regulation around wearing vs washing. Meh. This dress rocks. 

DESTINED FOR GREATNESS: F2570 My Baby It's Cold Outside Coat would easily come third in this most-worn-during-2012 contest. The reasons are obvious enough that I won't state them here. Those curved welt pockets nearly did get the better of me though - if only I had seen Sham's tutorial on them before I started out!

THE SILENT ACHIEVER: NL6735 Happy to go about its everyday business without much in the way of accolades, we have the loversandhaters tee. Worn excessively all throughout my South America travels, and pulled out regularly since. It's been around and it knows exactly what went down.

THE SURVIVOR: Pattern Runway's Sweet Shorts Named thus mainly because I spent the entire 6 days in the Galapagos puking my guts up as well as wearing these shorts. Like Amy Blunt said - "I'm just one stomach flu away from my ideal weight". Surely it's perverse that I'm looking at that photo and admiring how flat my stomach is. Maybe one day I'll be free of the pressure to confirm to societies ideal, but I'm not there yet. Baby steps people, baby steps. 

THE HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUTS
So what didn't work, and why? Two things pop into mind - the first being my Caramel Slice Marfy. Don't get me wrong, I love this top. But I chose the wrong fabric for it - IRL the crumple-factor and general stiffness of the stretch cotton I used doesn't suit it. Gah. To rub salt in the wounds, it even photographs beautifully. Shame, because I really love the fagotting and pleats at the front!

The second miss is my Crewel drop Vintage Top. I'm entirely to blame here - a lesson learning in making sure you stay-stitch curved edges so they don't stretch out. You can kinda see it just above the stitching - but the angle in this photo distorts it a little (for the better). Probably doesn't look like much, but it's permanently in my peripheral vision and it annoys the living daylights out of me.

HONOURABLE MENTION
It's gotta be my Anniversaire Amour Dress. I love this dress.

Unfortunately, so did the chocolate cake Mr poppykettle ate at his Christmas party, because he dropped it on me. This precious number is currently at the dry cleaners and I'm too terrified to pick it up to find out whether or not it's made it to the other side, or if Mr poppykettle owes me another pleated skirt.

On that note, what the hell is it with me and food and the clothing I make? You must think I'm some kind of grovelling grot. Not so - we just love our food!

In other exciting news, I'll be moving house in the first week of 2013!! It's super crazy exciting because it means I WILL HAVE A SEWING ROOM. We're going to rent out our unit and become tenants again, and I'm so over the moon I've already bought a proper sewing machine table thing and am currently hunting down a dress form. It's like all my Christmases have come at once :)

And on that note, I'll leave you all be until the New Year. Take Care :)