It’s that time again! I can’t BELIEVE I’m doing another year-in-review again. This has been an insane year for sewing (being off until April was definitely helpful). It’s going to be hard to narrow it down to three in each category (a completely arbitrary and self-imposed limit), but here goes:

The best:

 

The Burgundy Kalle.   Hands down. I have made many, many since, but somehow this is the top I reach for every single week still. My husband gave me this fabric, so maybe part of it is sentimental, or maybe he just knows my taste better than I do. The weight of the fabric is perfectly light, the colour transcends season and the pattern is pretty and subtle without being the tiniest bit twee.

Runner up:

The Black Nubbly Blackwood. I legitimately wear this two to three times a week. It’s a basic black cardigan BUT has a fun dotted texture. What’s not to love!?

Runner up: 

The Glittery Off-white Mandy Boat Tee. It was a toss-up between this and the blue striped original, but I’m digging this one a little more lately. A boat tee over a tank and some jeggings is pretty much my weekend uniform. This one didn’t get its own dedicated blog post, but it was pretty much the basis for my post about stretching your serger skills. 

The worst:

The Navy and Wine Plaid Archer. I had such high hopes for this top and wore it exactly twice. I took such pains to match the plaids and literally re-cut all the front pieces to get it just right. I forgot, however, what adjustments I had made (ahem, or not made) to the pattern since making it a year earlier and it ended up too short and too tight at the hips. OH. And I put the buttonhole on the wrong side of one cuff. It was just a disaster so I tossed it so I wouldn’t have to look at it in my closet.

Runner up: 

The Black River Top. The one is possibly not fairly placed. I loved this top to literal pieces. It was my first iteration of the River top and I goofed on the neck facing (I wasn’t precise enough with my seam allowances) and had to trim in places to make it work. As a result, some spots frayed and my binding pretty much fell off in places. I will make another one as this was my FAVE top for a while.

Runner up:

The Sasha Trousers. I just chose the wrong fabric. It did not have good recovery and stretched out pretty massively. I’m sorry to say this has scared me off of sewing pants for a while. I know that my extra short American Eagle jeggings never bag out so Imma just stick with what I know.

The Jury is Still Out:

The Reversible Blackwood. This is another one that is surprising. I was so excited about it and did so much testing and researching to really utilize the reversible fabric. Somehow, the colours are too similar to what I already own and the scale is wrong for a cardigan. This should be a staple, but I typically only wear it out of guilt. I still have more fabric, so I feel like I get a do-over.