There’s nothing like waiting until the almost last minute before starting something! That’s pretty much what I tried this month, and it backfired on me! So it’s safe to say that I in no way got that gorgeous jacket make for Daughter No2, in fact, I haven’t even started the pattern. But I will!! I love the lines on it & I think it will look great – when I finally get it started…
I has a lot of grand plans for this year & managed to actually stick with some of them! I do have one awful fail though. Even with the added incentive (threat??) of being in THE JAR, I have not made a shirt for my poor husband. I have drafted a pattern & even toiled it – but with putting our house on the market this year & the general clean-up & hiding of “stuff” that ensued, I lost the toile. Then I got distracted – again! So this is one job I still face & I really must try to get a man’s shirt done in 2014. Just one will do the trick!
So how did I do then? Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow has this great round-up of yearly projects that pretty much all the sewing bloggers are using, & it’s a great idea. I’m just going to do hits & misses from my resolutions list from January, I have too many projects to go through otherwise, & you’ll all be asleep! 🙂 So, from The list I made last year, here are my hits & misses, so to say.
- First of all I was going to use up my stash! I had decided that before buying anything new I had to use 2 pieces from my stash. I think I did ok on this. I made 41 projects using stash fabrics & 18 from new purchases. I also bought fabric for 12 projects that technically don’t count, because they weren’t for any of us, but for my Vintage Belle project. There were another 12 projects that also weren’t counted in this because they were cushions or pincushions & the like. Not “real” sewing! 🙂
- Getting out & about was next on the list. I joined a Photo a Day group on Facebook & decided to get out more, rather than sit in front of my sewing machine all day. I’ve had a great time following all the prompts from the group & am seriously thinking of carrying on next year! I have a folder on my computer full of fabulous photos, some more so than others, and I’ve loved looking at things a little differently. If you think you may want to give it a try, here is the post explaining it all. Have fun!
- Burda Challenge – oh dear, this was a complete fail!!! I made 6 garments from this year’s Burda magazines, 2 of which were from the same pattern. Two other projects I haven’t photographed at all, a pair of trousers from 2/13 & shorts for daughter No2 from the July issue. Those shorts are somewhere in Sardinia…. The other project I made was a dress using just 1m of plaid fabric. This one I am rather proud of!
- The “joining in” resolution has also worked well. I joined Jungle January, Sew for Victory in February, in March & April Kat & I hosted the great “Swap your Stash” project & in April & May I joined the International Craft Swap. Also done was the Burda sew-along (an attempt to show Burda a bit more love this year!), Fall for Cotton, Sew Red October, etc, etc! Since then Kat has made a list of all sorts of sew-alongs, etc on her site. Go & check it out if you’re short on inspiration! Kat has started another project with some fellow sewing conspirators at The Monthly Stitch. You must go & see what happens there, something new every month. A great joining in project has been to become a Sewcialist! This has been great fun & I’m really looking forward to seeing next year’s offerings.
- And I’ve already admitted that my resolution to make a shirt (at least) for the husband has been a fail of the worst sort. Unfortunately, I can’t say I will get cracking & make one for him in January, because that month is looking pretty darned full already!
One thing I decided to do was to keep proper track of my sewing this year. I got a cute notebook from Anne B during the great stash swap & decided to write up every project, where the fabric came from, the date completed, etc. My first project was completed on the 2nd of January & the last one I finished was on the 20th December. ( I have 3 more cut, but I cannot count them as they’re not finished!) “So how many did were there?”, I hear you ask…. Drum roll please…..
**84**
Eighty four sewing projects!!! Phew…Not all of them were garments, or even whole garments! I tried to make sure I had photos etc, but as usual, some slipped the net. If you’d like to see them all, I made a board on Pinterest to keep track. You can also see some of them on my other blog, Vintage Belle.
As far as what I’ll be getting up to next year – I have yet to make that list! I guess that’s what I will be doing tomorrow 🙂 Fingers crossed I will make more time for pattern cutting, & I have a sneaking suspicion Jungle January will be rearing its head once more.. In the mean time, have a great New Year & I’ll see you on the other side!
Free printable poster from Sarah from Compulsive Craftiness. For the download link, visit her blog.
THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS 