End of 2016 Wrap Up

I am a little late to the party with my 2016 wrap up post.  I have been in beautiful Golden Bay camping in my caravan with my family since 27th December with limited internet and dwindling mobile data.  The time unplugged though has bought me some time to reflect on what worked and what didn't in 2016.  

If you have been following me for the year you would have noticed that a lot of what I have made has erred on the side of practicality and there have also been a lot of easy projects.  I work 5 days a week so my sewing time is limited to the evenings and sometimes weekends although increasingly this time is taken up with catching up on household chores I don't get time to do during the week.  How inconvenient that work should get in the way of life!  But it is what it is and I try to work around it the best I can.

Working 5 days a week also mean's that my needs predominantly are work related.  The industry I work in requires me to wear business casual, hence a lot of knits.  I also vowed in 2016 to rein in my desire for pretty dresses and make what I really wear.  I also plan to continue this for 2017.

So what would I rate my biggest successes of 2016?  You can usually count my successes by the number of times I repeat a pattern and there have been a few repeats this year.  I made Stylearc Harper Jacket a total of 4 times this year and it will probably be made again in 2017.  This cardigan/jacket I find works equally well in the weekend and for work.

My favourite blouse of the year would have to be McCall's 7284.  I made this blouse a total of 3 times and my silk cotton version is my favourite.  I wouldn't rule out more of these blouses either.

McCall's 6886 has been really popular and I can see why.  I love all 3 of my versions but who can go past stripes!

Swimwear can be a tricky thing to like but I think Closet Case Files Sophie was made for me!  I have been admiring all of the lovely underwired suits and bikinis on the beach for a while now so buying this pattern when it was released was a no brainer.  I made my trial bikini before my Australian holiday and have recently made and am yet to blog my second.

As far as pants go, Stylearc Elle Pants have been my most made trousers of the year.  In total including pairs made for myself, my daughter and my mother, I have made 8 pairs.  Only 3 of these have made it into my wardrobe but because they are so easy to wear, they are on regular rotation.

Honorable mention would also have to go to Papercut Undercover Hoodie.  In total I have made 3 of these and know there will be more in 2017.  These hoodies are the real workhorses in my wardrobe and are among the first things I grab when I get home from work.

My favourite make of the year would have to be the waistcoat for my youngest son for his primary school graduation.  Joel really got enthusiastic about what he wanted to wear so together we had fun creating this outfit.

On a personal note, I lost my father mid way through the year and found sewing very theraputic during this time.  I have also had ongoing hip and knee injuries which are agravated by too much sitting which is quite unfortunate due to the need to do exactly that when sewing.  I will need to find more time for exercise in 2017.  Who knows, now I have a coverstitch machine I may get enthusiastic and start making active wear.  This is not exactly part of my plan for this year but never say never! 

As for the stats for the year, I made a grand total of $1296.88 of me made items for the year.  I don't know how this compares to rtw because well quite frankly I don't care!  One of the things I have realised this year is that just because I can make my own clothes, it doesn't mean I have to.  There have been times especially when time poor that I have bought clothing that actually fits but these times are few and far between.

One thing I do hope to achieve for 2017 is to sew more consciously.  By that, I mean to analyse what I actually do wear and not to make frivolously.  To help me analyse my wardrobe I have downloaded the Stylebook app for my phone and hope to log what I wear and the cost of making/buying it.  It will be interesting to see how this works out for me.

So for 2017 the plan is onwards and upwards.  I have no idea where my sewing journey will take me and am not going to get too carried away making plans.  I make what takes my fancy but this year with a level of consciousness added.  If I can make a serious dent in my exploding stash then that will be a real bonus.