2018 -The Final Analysis.

Another year done and dusted.
In 2018 I sewed ( and blogged ) a bit less than previous years but I am finishing on a high . Over the Christmas and New Years period I managed to wangle 10 days off altogether which meant I finished two projects ( and a book too ) - a slippery , frustrating silk satin blouse and a coffee table runner ( my one and only  UFO from 12 months ago - yay ) .

I made a total of 38 items for myself ( and three for my daughters) . These consist of
Tops / Shirts - 10
Cardigans/ vests etc - 5
Pants - 2
Dresses - 4
Skirts - 2
Nightwear - 4
Underwear
 Camisoles - 3
 Underpants - 7
Handbags - 1

My most successful item was my navy Burda pants . Navy work pants are a staple for me as I tend to wear mainly separates and they match with most of my tops . The pants were comfortable to wear and easy to care for and I am happy to report the fabric is holding up well so far.

My favourite piece I made though was my silk top . The fabric is so pretty and feels lovely to wear . Honestly the photos do not do justice to the colours and as well does not show up the floral jacquard weave.

But I also loved my liberty shirt , ditsy navy shirt and comfy dresses I sewed up.

I made four things which were failures for various reasons.

My Burda jumper - fabric looks great but was terrible to sew . The pattern  from Burda WOF August 1993 is good though and when I find more appropriate knit I will try it again.

My Burda Jacket  ( from June 2012 ) - this is too short for my liking . The fabric was just scraps but I did  buy the zip especially for this project which meant a trip to Spotlight 50 minutes away so more of a time loss than fabric and money .

My Vogue handbag - too small to be useful and I did not like the way the lining and top of the bag were constructed. I love the fabric I used in this and  luckily I still have some more to have another  go at making another handbag. A disappointment for sure and I admit I expect better from Vogue and especially a designer pattern . The pattern is Vogue 8407 , a Marcy Tilton design. I have just realised I did not blog this project.
This pattern could work if I enlarged the pattern and changed how it is made - perhaps something for the future ??

My Anne Klein Vogue Blouse  ( vogue 1294 )  . I loved the sewing process of making my blouse but did not like the end result. The fabric is a wrinkly rayon so ironing the flounce was a PITA . Also I just prefer simpler clothes so this blouse was donated to the op shop.














Overall I spent only just over $222 on my sewing projects. My most expensive piece was  the Style Arc Blakeley jeans at $39.95. Since I am given fabric and use scraps and re-use patterns and salvage zips and buttons often my clothes cost nothing to very little  but my time to make. I find that incredibly satisfying and it also means if I accidently wreck my clothes it doesn`t really matter .
Apart from sewing I purchased 8 items of clothing ( all from the op shop ) which were mainly cardigans and pants . I don`t buy many clothes  but enough that I can never participate in the RTW fast .

Over the years I have been trying to slowly decrease the size of my wardrobe and this year 11 less items came in than went out which is a consistent pattern over the last few years . I can not throw away clothing purely to satisfy a decluttering bug - they need to be stained or holey or not right to go out.
Another goal has been to use my fabric stash and try not to buy much and I succeeded in having 10 metres less than the beginning of the year . Reducing my wardrobe and my stash are slow , longer term projects and this and continuing to use my unused patterns will continue on into 2019.

Happy New Year to all .