Favourite Makes of 2024

I thought I would pop back in and reflect on the top ten list for twenty twenty-four.  

Oh my goodness, Vogue 8909 is such a great pattern!  I made these back in May.  This is the second pair I've made from this pattern.  And I wear these a lot.  It's comfortable to kick around in and I can even dress them up a bit with a nice top to go out and run errands.  They are made with a navy cotton French terry.  

This top has saved me from abrasion wounds in the underarm region while wearing a scoliosis back brace.  It has extra padding in the underarm region.  It was made with out-of-print (OOP) Kwik Sew 2899 and a yellow cotton French terry.  It will have to go down as my favourite makes just on comfort level.  It entered the wardrobe rotation in the end of October and even though I have had this for a short time it quickly became one of the most important pieces in the 2024 wardrobe.  

Is there anything better than wool pieces for survival during a prairie winter?  I do tend to live in ski-pants while outdoors in the winter but sometimes you want to show up at church in something that doesn't make noise when you walk.  I am saving this outfit for such occasions.  The top was made with Sew House Seven's Toaster sweater pattern.  The pull-on skirt is OOP Butterick 5790.  Both pieces were made in October.  

Here is another October make and another Sew House Seven Toaster sweater in merino wool.  It ended up being a wearable toile as I was playing around with an oversized version.  It has since shrunk a bit--an intentional shrinkage and fits much better.   

Oh my goodness, I wish I kept this top!  I made this cotton French terry top with OOP Butterick 5790 back in October when I was much heavier.  Since then I lost quite a bit of weight, although there is more to lose, I am sure that this would fit me today.  This top made it to the favourite list because this was nostalgic sewing.  Back in the day, when I first had a copy of OOP Butterick 5790, this was a favourite pattern and item to wear.  Even though I never got to wear this version of the top, it was fun to revisit this pattern at the time.  

This is a lovely Katherine Tilton design, Butterick 6784.  I made this dress back in April after dreaming of a second version in a cotton for the hot summer that promised to come.  I did wear this dress often during the warmer months, it's comfortable and I adored the print.  It reminds me of the decorative tiles I saw many moons ago in the Azores.  

This wool jacket was a labour of love.  It was made with OOP Vogue 2571.  If you come across this pattern, it is one that I would recommend.  I love that I found some beautiful vintage real wool fabrics at Winnipeg Sews that was unmatched to the wool blend or polyester faux-wool fabrics found in today's retail landscape.  This jacket is unbelievably warm and kept me warm on days that the wind chill hit minus forty-two. I was thrilled that I found leather toggles online before the postal strike.  There is nothing close to the quality of these toggles in the local retail stores here.  I completed this project during the summer before the cold weather arrived.  Just one sad note about this project, Winnipeg Sews, the business that I found this lovely fabric, closed this month.  It is sad to see another resource disappear.  

This butterfly print top was made back in June shortly after I received the scoliosis back brace and was searching for tops that could be worn over the brace.  There was some extra ease added to the back to help it fit over the additional bulk.  The pattern is a much-cherished Katherine Tilton design, OOP Butterick 5891.  

This is another gifted make, a wool winter coat made back in April.  My heart wasn't into making this at the time and it was a real struggle to get it done.  I guess it made the favourite list because of the fabric.  It's made with a beautiful wool find from Winnipeg Sews.  It turned out well , maybe because I've made so many coats (this is the fifth version) using OOP Vogue 8934.  Previous practice helped in getting it done.  

Well, there are my top ten makes of 2024.  Happy New Year! and wishing you joyful sewing in the upcoming year!  

What Was I Thinking in 2024?

Hello, it's been awhile.  

Boas Festas (Happy Holidays) to those celebrating the season.  I haven't been sewing, still taking a break.  I thought I would pop in with a look back at some of 2024's sewing bloopers.  

I started off 2024 with this top which ended up being gifted.  It was way, way too roomy in the bust and arms.  I have hips so I was okay in that region.  I don't know what I was thinking after all the reading all the reviews that recommended going down a size or two with Vogue 9330.

What was I thinking when I drafted this foam cover?  Good grief!  The first sewing blooper of the season was this self-drafted foam cover.  

Another project, Vogue 2000, that I started out making for myself but ended up gifting because it didn't fit.  What was I thinking when I decided to cut my good fabric without sewing a toile first?  

What was thinking when I made this denim gardening apron without pockets?  And why did I make it so long?  Maybe if I remove some of the length and make a pocket I might get more use from this next gardening season.  The pattern was from Tessuti patterns.  

What was I thinking when I made these sleeves so short?  I tried to use this make as a pajama top but I found that my arms were always cold.  And then I just stopped reaching for this top.  And this cotton knit fabric was too heavy for this Closet Core pattern.    

What was I thinking when I made these barrel leg pants for my short petite sized legs?  The pattern used was vintage and out-of-print (OOP) McCall's MP349.  

What was I thinking when I made this dress?  Oh yes, I wanted to use up the last of the nautical print fabric but there wasn't enough to make another top.  But it didn't turn out as I envisioned the project.  It looked like a nineties throwback and not at all my style.  Made with SD Patterns.  

 

What was I thinking?  I really wanted to make a caftan and that it might be something I could wear over the scoliosis back brace.  In reality the armhole openings were so big that it didn't hide the brace.  Even though it didn't get worn as intended, I did enjoy wearing the caftan at home.  The pattern used for this project was McCall's 8516.  

What was I thinking when I thought that a cotton sateen version of the Closet Core top designed for knits would be a good idea?   I thought that it could be worn under the scoliosis back brace  

What was I thinking when I broke my 2024 promise to sew no more polyester?  This was my last sewing project of 2024 and I never wore it.  It quickly ended up in the donation bin.  Made with a satin back polyester crepe and OOP Vogue 1730, a pattern designed for knits.  Everything about this project was just wrong. 

Happy Sewing!