2014's top 5, part 3: Reflections and Goals

 

Finishing up my series today, with what I've learned this year and what I'd like to accomplish next year.

Reflections: 
1. I am not the fastest of makers. This is especially true when it comes to knitting, but it's true for sewing as well. I looked back at last year's reflections, and this was actually the first thing on my list then, too! I think the difference this year is that I'm more ok with it. Looking at my top 5 makes for this year, aside from the Tiramisu dress, everything on there was projects that required more thought and detail-- welt pockets, underlinings, linings, bound seams, etc. But they ended up fitting really well and getting a lot of use. Yes, I know two of them are coats, but still.

2. That being said, I've also learned that I really like having a quick "palate-cleanser" project between the more detailed stuff. Usually some kind of knit project.

3. I feel like I've kind of rediscovered how much fun refashioning clothes can be this year. I didn't really do any last year, but I've definitely picked up on that more this year. I've ended up wearing these zipper leg jeans quite a bit, as well as my Amy Pond shirt. (Generally minus the tally marks, though.) I've definitely been doing more of that lately, since I'm literally running out of things to wear! So I've been maternifying unwanted pants. Since one pair I'd had since college wasn't fitting so great anymore anyway, and the others were pants that my mom was getting rid of, it's been gratifying to be able to get some much-needed maternity pants into my wardrobe for just the cost of a half-yard of black knit.

4. The Wardrobe Architect project was really an invaluable process for me to go through. Even though I was trying to buy less fabric overall anyway, and I'm pretty sure I succeeded, I feel like what I bought will mostly fit in well with my existing wardrobe. It's also easier to weed out some of the new patterns now, since I have a better idea of what I actually like the look of on me. Of course, this is all subject to change now, since I also have no idea what sort of a waistline I'll have when this whole pregnancy thing is over!

5. I've actually developed some self-control on adding to the stashes. Though I sort of fell off the wagon at actually tracking pieces of stash used up before buying more, as stated in my Stash Diet pledge, I did a good job of sticking to my plan! Aside from pieces of fabric that my mom gave me because she didn't want them, almost everything I bought this entire year fell into one of three categories: a) Fabric I bought on vacation, b) Fabric I bought because I needed it for a specific project and I literally did not have anything else that would work (i.e. Thinsulate for my coat, yellow knit for the minion costume, etc) c) Stuff I would categorize as the "extenuating life circumstances" exception--mainly buying a few pieces specifically to make things for the baby, or the 3 things I've bought specifically for maternity clothes. I also didn't buy much yarn at all this year--I think the one skein I bought in Paris may have been it--and I didn't really buy many new patterns this year, either. Maybe 6 total, and 3 of those were ones I won in a Pattern Review drawing because my Robson coat randomly got picked when they were highlighting Sewaholic. So yay me?

Maybe not. I just looked at the numbers, and I actually added 10 more yards to the fabric stash than I started with at the beginning of the year! But it does look like I used about 70 yards overall this year, and I'm already in the process of using up those baby-related fabrics. So not too bad.

Goals:
If you had asked me this three months ago, I probably would have said "learn to make bras and/or undies". I don't think that's going to be happening this year, lol! Especially the former. So here's what I think will be the best things for me to focus on for 2015...

1. Finish a capsule wardrobe that will get me through the first half of the year. I've quietly been working on this anyway, between my most recent makes and things I've bought. I'm attempting to use the Wardrobe Architect principles for this, and I do have a definite palette emerging. But I definitely need more clothes, since I didn't have too many things in my wardrobe already to get me started. That's definitely a downside to favoring styles that are more fitted at the waist! So once I sort out what I need to survive/see if I get any fabric for Christmas (a safe bet, knowing my mom), I'm going to see if I can sort out a decent plan of attack.

2. On a related note, I need to work on my pattern hacking skills. I've noticed that there really aren't that many good maternity-specific patterns out there. I have managed to acquire Megan Nielsen's wrap top pattern, also this pattern that can double as a maternity and a nursing top. The latter sounds like a really good use of my precious sewing time. But aside from that, I really haven't found anything that looks interesting to me, so I guess I'll have to create my own. I've got my Renfrew hack to keep tweaking, and I did pull out several other patterns from my stash that looks like they might be useable for this purpose. If I can figure out how to do a couple of other things that will be good for both pregnancy and nursing, great.

3. Get as much sewing for "Hobbit" (what I've been calling the baby while we don't know the gender) done as possible, before June. Obviously, though I may sew a few outfits, I'm not going to make every little piece of clothing. They'll get too small too fast. But I will need to do some things like curtains for the nursery, and I have some bibs that I'm already working on (which will hopefully be done by the end of December, since I'm using them for The Monthly Stitch's current theme). I have a piece of printed suedecloth that has stumped me for a couple of years on what to use it for, but I think it would make an excellent gender-neutral diaper bag. And my mom and I are planning on working together over the winter to make cloth diapers. I know it'll be a lot of laundry, but it's cheaper to make cloth diapers than buy them, and it'll definitely be cheaper in the long run than buying all disposables. More money saved means more money to spend on fabric, right? I still need to get most of the supplies for that, but I did get some of the waterproof outer fabric already. Because there was one yard left on the website and it has TARDISes on it. Seriously. I couldn't pass it up.

4. Since basically everything I'm going to be able to sew for myself for awhile is knits anyway, I might as well work on things like finishing techniques and getting my serger tension right. Right?

5. I think probably the biggest goal for after Hobbit comes will be finding time to make things. I know it'll be a challenge, and probably impossible for at least the first month while I'm a sleep-deprived zombie cow. (Not the best time to work on a hobby that involves sharp cutting/pinning implements, I'm guessing.) And I do also need to prioritize music time, since I do plan to continue teaching lessons. I've been following Cindy's blog with a lot of interest lately, given that she recently had a baby herself, and I think what jumped out at me the most is the idea of doing one thing a day that lasts, since so much of caring for a newborn is laundry and feeding and changing over and over again. Practicing music can also feel repetitive and like it's never done, since you spend so much time working on the same passage or the same piece for days or weeks in a row. So hopefully I can find a way to make that happen. Even if it's just sewing one seam, or knitting one row, or sticking just one picture in a photo pocket. I guess it's a good thing I've gotten more ok with being slow, right?

Top 5's of 2013, part 2: Goals

Since I didn't actually use this format last year, I'm going to pick the more sewing-relevant goals from last year's list, and deal with the rest later. 

In 2013, I wanted to....

1. ...finish my wedding dress, obviously. Definitely a check! 
2. ..find a way to work craftiness in on a more daily basis. I had mixed success on this one. Having my own permanent creative space in the new place definitely helped! And I've found that knitting and even scrapbooking, to some extent, make pretty good projects for when I'm hanging out with Doug and watching tv. Sewing has been a little harder to work in than I'd hoped, since I'm still trying to get control of my work schedule and longer commutes. So I think this one will be an ongoing goal as I try to keep working on a better work/social time/housework/personal time balance.
3. ..sew a few basics--or cake, if you will--that will help tie various parts of my wardrobe together. Somewhat successful. I did make pants, which is big. And a few other more basic pieces that ended up being pretty good wardrobe additions. But this one is ongoing as well, I think.
4. ...IF time permits, try another mini-wardrobe. I did manage to put together a pretty decent wardrobe for my honeymoon, though I only sewed two new things for it. Not quite what I meant, but oh well.
5. On the blogging front, I really would like to make some changes around here--a new blog design, if I can figure out how, and most definitely improving my photographs. I did make a new blog header, which I think is pretty nice! The photography....well, that still needs work. Part of the issue is that my new house doesn't really have a good outdoor spot for photos--I'm in a middle townhouse, our front yard faces all the other houses, and our backyard overlooks one of the busiest highways in the state! Especially in the summer, as it's the main route to the beaches. (The yard is basically a big doggy toilet, anyway.) Part of the issue is that by the time I get home from work, the natural light is often gone. And, though he puts in a valiant effort, Doug doesn't really like using my SLR camera. I think that I'm going to have to invest in a remote one of these days. 

Top 5 2014 Sewing Goals:

I'm mostly trying to avoid calling out specific projects this time, due to my complaints in the last post about time management issues. I don't want to plan a whole bunch of things and then not get to them, like I did this year. And I also want to allow myself some flexibility to participate in sewalongs as they come up, or try out new patterns that excite me! So here goes...

1. Create more cohesion in my wardrobe. This goes back to sewing those basics. For instance, I still plan on making those other Thurlows I didn't get to this year! But this also encompasses being more mindful in my fabric choices, and trying to choose things that can go with things I already have. Especially when it comes to prints, because you know I'll never give them up. They're just so much more fun to shop for! I also seem to have an ongoing idea that I need to develop my "style", so this ties into that, too.
2. Beef up my cold-weather wardrobe. This carries over to knitting as well, tbh. But this is a huge one, because once again, I found myself bored with all of my clothing choices by November! This isn't to say that I won't sew anything for the warmer months, especially the things I already have fabric and patterns for, but the fall and winter months are honestly the bigger need. (And the bigger challenge, given my extreme wool issues.) This also includes a needed new winter coat, since my current one is getting shabbier by the week. I'm pleased to say that I did purchase some non-wool fabric (even though it was another scenario of them running out of fabric and me having to substitute and pay more money, grr!), so now I just need to get some Thinsulate and I'm good to go.
3. Branch out. I'm reluctant to set a specific goal here, since who knows what fraction of what bounces around in my head will actually make it to the machine. But, as stated in the last top 5 post, I have several new-to-me pattern companies to try out that I already have patterns from. I have a couple of patterns in styles different from what I usually wear, like the Archer--way looser than I usually wear--and Espresso leggings--aside from under my jeans when I'm stuck on outside register, I haven't worn leggings pretty much ever.  I've had the thought of trying to sew some underwear, since I always have knit scraps that aren't big enough for much else, and I hate throwing away potentially useful fabric. Or maybe trying new colors--who knows where this will take me?
4. Start refashioning again. I didn't consciously choose to stop doing it. But I barely did any in 2012, and unless you count my dyeing experiments from about a month ago, and a bag I remade for a friend and didn't blog, or the sweater I'm currently knitting from another sweater I'd unraveled, I did absolutely none this year. I have a giant bin full of clothes to chop up and use for projects, and I need to start dealing with that. And I think it's good for me to have that creative challenge every so often, of working within those constraints. Some of my most interesting projects have come from those! 
5. Use up some of my more challenging stashed fabrics. After all, there has to be some way I can incorporate organza or brocade into my everyday life, right? And the more on-hand things I use up, the easier it will be for me to justify buying more fabrics to help me with #1 and #2 in particular.

 There's other things I can think of, like working on my fitting and pattern alteration skills. But these are things that I can and should incorporate into nearly every project anyway, right? What goals or plans do you have in mind for the upcoming year?

2010 in review...

Drat....my plan to work on the Anthro-inspired shirt didn't work out very well at all. I got it all cut out and started sewing it together...but then my serger broke. Again. So it's in the shop. Again. (A different one than the first time--this time I took it back to the place where I bought it. It's the timing issue again-- I broke 2 needles in about 10 minutes just trying to sew a basic side seam:. And this was only maybe the third time I've really used it since the last repair, since a lot of what I've spent my time on in the last few months have been serger-less jackets with a ton of Hong Kong seams and serger-less pattern testing. I hope the fix takes this time.... I got something like 7 pieces of fabric for Christmas, and 6 of them are knits!

But to take my mind off of that...time for the annual year-end roundup! Let's see how I did this year...  

7 Things I hoped to accomplish in 2010 (revisited):

1. I'd like to give myself a little bit of a style makeover, or at least give it a kick in the pants to make it fun again. Along those lines, I'd also like to start making more of a conscious effort to make sure I have things that will go with other things. The crafting translation is that I'll need to either make or acquire (preferably make) some basics that will help to tie some of my beloved funky prints in better.


I think I mostly succeeded in this one, thanks to my little personal style project that I spent the first several months of the year on. Self-Stitched September was a big help too, since it forced me to think about the entire outfit. Still feel like my winter wardrobe needs a colorful kick in the pants, because it's only the end of December and I'm already tired of most of the things I've been wearing, but oh well.. (I hear there's going to be another monthly challenge in May or March or one of those M months...it would be interesting to try this again in a different season.) As for making basics, I did manage to make some things in solid colors, like a couple of knit tops and a basic black skirt. So that's something.

2. I'd like to sew at least 4 Burda mag patterns this year. That gives me an average of one every 3 months...not unreasonable, right?


Let's see: 1 (and a half), 2, 3, 4. And a half, because technically I sewed most of this last year but I fixed it this year. Either way, I win!

3. I'd like to make a significant dent in getting caught up on my scrapbooks.   

Once again, pretty much a fail. Considering I haven't really touched anything having to do with it in at least 6 months. I blame the jewelry.

4. I'd like to continue with trying to use more of my stash than I buy new, for fabric, paper and beads.


I can't really say I used up paper, but I didn't buy more. And I did give a pretty big stack away via Freecycle. I definitely used up some beads this time. Fabric....I did use up some pieces that had been sitting in my stash for quite some time. But I did definitely buy some things. Several of which I used right away, but a few that had leftovers. And I recently got another stack of fabric, but it was free. So I probably broke even on this one.

5.  I'd like to finish getting this room put together, including the sewing projects for it. Preferably sooner rather than later.

My room's still not completely done--there's still some details, like I need to finish a dresser (still), and hang a couple of things on the walls. Which I should probably at least do the latter, because I've been in here over a year now and that doesn't require being outside where it's cold like the dresser would.  But I did do an ottoman, finish a quilt, make several curtains, and the pillows. Overall a success.

6. I'd like to continue working on learning how to alter and fit patterns. My specific goal for this one is to apply what I learned in last year's skirt-making class to make both a skirt from my master pattern, and a well-fitting skirt from applying those principles to a new pattern.


Well, I didn't get to the skirt this year. Still in the queue. The jeans class was probably the biggest distraction on that. But it does count as fitting work!

7. I'd like to try at least one craft technique that I haven't before. (At this point, I'm thinking screenprinting, since I have a gift project in mind that practically requires it, and there's no way I'm getting to that before the end of this year!)

Success! (I also played around with wire wrapping, which I hadn't really done before, for a couple of pairs of earrings that were for the craft show.)

What I'd like to do in 2011:

Rather than post numbers, I'm just going to go by category this time.


Sewing: I'd like to continue working on fitting--now that I'm armed with Donna 2.0, the two new fitting books I also got for Christmas, and a lot more practice at muslin making! My goal, I think, will be to learn the basic alterations I need to make a well-fitting skirt (because it's the easiest and I've already started) and shirt. Supermega bonus points if I finally succeed on the jeans that I've been trying to make, oh, since I started this blog.

Thanks to a few of the blogs I started following this year (particularly Gertie's, Tasia's and Sunni's), I'm finding that I'm getting a lot more interested in things like finishing techniques and other more "couture" touches. So this is something I'd like to play around with more as well. I guess that I'm beginning to venture more into the quality over quantity school of clothes sewing. I know I'll learn a bit, at least, thanks to the Little Black Dress class coming up in January.

Another major point for me is organization. Because let's face it, I'm the stereotypical crafty pack rat slob. I'm going to be realistic here and say that I just want to get my fabric and patterns reorganized in order to enable me to effectively use up a good chunk of my stash (since that's a perpetual goal of mine). But it would be nice if I could also get myself to the point where my sewing space is organized enough that I'm not constantly doing things like setting down my scissors or seam ripper and then losing them!

Last thing in this category: I want to get back into the reconstruction end of things a little more. I feel like I kind of got away from it this past year, but it's a fun and completely different challenge to start with a garment instead of a flat piece of fabric and a pattern. I like the looser approach to it, and I feel like I've learned some useful skills from it. The idea of the Wardrobe Refashion Wednesdays was fun, but not very realistic with how my schedule's turned out. But I do have a fairly decent-sized stash of clothes that are either intended for recons or already torn up for that, so I want to play with that along with my actual fabric. I'm going to set myself a goal of one reconstruction a month, because sometimes those can be really quick projects and they would still count.

Jewelry: I guess the big thing here is figuring out whether this little Etsy shop thing is going to work out! But I do want to continue chipping away at the bead stash, and playing around with some new techniques. The craft fair stuff got me playing a little more with wirework instead of just stringing, and I'd like to continue along those lines, I think.

Scrapbook: Honestly, at this point I'm thinking that I need to either find a way to better integrate this into my crafty life, or just let it go. I'm reluctant to just give up on this, because when I do work on it, I enjoy it. And I like being able to look back at the old ones and relive the memories that way--it's kind of therapeutic sometimes, especially when I get into my "everything about being single sucks" moods and then I can go back and look at the fun times again. But it seems like every new year, I make a goal to catch up on it some, and every year, I get to the end and have barely done a thing. So I need to evaluate this. At this point, even something as simple as doing the photo layouts on a page with the captions would do-- I don't have to do the pages all fancy all the time. Must think about this.

And finally, the tally for this year:

Sewn stuff:
Tops: 11 (3 reconstructed)
Cardigan sweaters: 2 (both sewn, 1 reconstructed)
Jackets: 2 (though you'll only see one on here, since BurdaStyle has the other and it won't be seen until next fall)
Skirts: 2 (1 reconstructed)
Dresses: 3 (2 reconstructed)
No pants, unless you count two attempts at muslining jeans...
PJs: 1 set
Total garments:  20 (I thought I did a lot less than last year, but I glanced at last year's and I was only 3 garments less.)
Bags: 2
Home decor stuff: 1 quilt, 3 sets of curtains, an ottoman recover, 4 pillows
Gifts: Apron, TARDIS tissue box cover, 6 baby bibs

Scrapbook stuff: I could only find pics of 3 pages on here. But I'm sure I must have worked on more than that--probably somewhere in the 6-10 range.

I think jewelry wins for this year, thanks to the craft fair. Between that (which I did tally up before the day of) and the stuff I made for myself (which was mostly the Elements series) or for friends, it was somewhere in the vicinity of 42 necklaces, 56-60 pairs of earrings, and 12 bracelets. And since it won't fit anywhere in any other category, I'm going to say those 4 embellished crochet hooks go here too.

As for favorites, I think my favorite sewn-from scratch is a toss-up between the Ayden shirt and the flowery jacket. Favorite recon, hands-down, is that Indian tunic top.  And going by the jewelry not made for the craft fair, I think I liked the "Air"element jewelry the most.

And that pretty much wraps it up....happy crafty new year, everyone!

A 2009 Retrospective

You know I had to do it. ;-) I'm really not feeling like this past year was a very good one for me in terms of craftiness, so let's just write this post off as self-therapy.

1. 7 Things I hoped to accomplish in 2009 (revisited):

1. I think it might be interesting to try to sew one of those mini-wardrobes-- like the SWAP-type thing. (Though not for a contest for sure!) I'm dreaming very much of summer clothes as a result of this thought...

Even though I didn't complete it, being a pair of shorts and about half a shirt shy of my original plan, and even though the pieces didn't go together as well as I'd hoped, I did do this. So check.

2. I'm going to say that jeans-making goal again. I still need them. Even more so, since I ended up wearing holes in several of my older pairs as a result of my part-time job. (All the ones that remotely fit me in the first place.... go fig.)

Again, check. The fact that they didn't survive more than five wearings tops is irrelevant.

3. At least START that jewelry organizer I've needed for years!

I did start it-- I only did one page, but that still counts. Even though I'm probably not going to end up finishing it--if the Etsy seller I've been talking to comes through, I should have a new way of organizing those necklaces that will be a lot less labor-intensive for me!

4. Finish the grad school-era scrapbooks. If I have time to get caught up past that, great. But since 2009 will mark year 4 since I graduated, it's time! Especially since I probably only have something like 10-15 spreads left between the two of them...

I don't think I quite managed this one, seeing as how I really haven't touched my scrapbook since, oh, February or so. But I did get a pretty good dent made in them during that last binge, so I think I'm something like 5 away from wrapping it up.

5. Fine-tune my organization plan to get caught up on these scrapbooks faster!

Now that I did do. I made a little checklist thing I could just print out, and have them on a little binder ring-type thing so I can see what I've pulled paper for, sketch layouts if I'm inspired to, etc. And my box thingy that I got at some scrapbook supply party last winter is a big help there.

6. Continue crafting more for others, either as gifts or as some kind of volunteerism for worthy causes.

I did do a fair number of gifts this year. And Susannah's wedding was definitely a huge undertaking for someone else!

7. And I guess I should probably add make a sweater that I like on the new sweater machine!

That was a fail. Especially seeing as how I could never get the machine working right anyway. I really should try to sell that on eBay or something so I can recoup some of my losses.

7 Things I hope to accomplish in 2010:

You mean other than get my crafting mojo back? :P

1. As already stated, I'd like to give myself a little bit of a style makeover, or at least give it a kick in the pants to make it fun again. Along those lines, I'd also like to start making more of a conscious effort to make sure I have things that will go with other things. The crafting translation is that I'll need to either make or acquire (preferably make) some basics that will help to tie some of my beloved funky prints in better.

2. I'd like to sew at least 4 Burda mag patterns this year. That gives me an average of one every 3 months...not unreasonable, right?

3. I'd like to make a significant dent in getting caught up on my scrapbooks. I know this will be a challenge, since NOTHING from 2009 got done at all, and I still have a pretty good chunk of 2008 to do. And, if I were to be honest, stuff dating back to my earlier teenage years that needs to get put in something sometime, if I count transferring my pictures from the Jamaica trip I took between 8th and 9th grade out of that old-school magnetic album... (Thus the reason I'm not setting numbers... I have no idea at this point what constitutes a "significant dent".)

4. I'd like to continue with trying to use more of my stash than I buy new, for fabric, paper and beads. (I think I did pretty well with the fabric, at least, this past year--the bulk of what I bought was stuff for my room, which was an unforeseen project at the beginning of the year.)

5. While I'm on that, I'd like to finish getting this room put together, including the sewing projects for it. Preferably sooner rather than later.

6. I'd like to continue working on learning how to alter and fit patterns. My specific goal for this one is to apply what I learned in last year's skirt-making class to make both a skirt from my master pattern, and a well-fitting skirt from applying those principles to a new pattern.

7. I'd like to try at least one craft technique that I haven't before. (At this point, I'm thinking screenprinting, since I have a gift project in mind that practically requires it, and there's no way I'm getting to that before the end of this year!)

Part 2: The Numbers

Home decor: hutch, 2 window shade recons, computer desk, computer chair (total: 4)

Bags and pouches: Dice bag, drawstring bag for gypsy costume, watercolor brush roll, weekender bag, daisy chain purse, (total: 5)

Clothing (new): the brown crappy dress, velvet wrap (fail), hippie top, sunflower skirt, sea flowers top, sea flowers dress, ill-fated jeans, bamboo skirt, BWOF painter blouse, 3 bridesmaid shrugs, starry night skirt, the Edoras top, princess pjs, (total: 15)

Clothing (recon): the gypsy costume (which is actually 4 recons), daisy pjs, Easter dress and cardi, lotus hoodie, (total: 8)

Clothing (embellishment): One beaded wedding dress and a ribbon-trimmed veil

Unfinished in-process: ivory tank for summer wardrobe, the Easter shrug that didn't work with the dress, a denim skirt recon (unfinished because I think it needs a dye job to work)

Jewelry: Gryffindor earrings, palm tree necklace recon, bone earrings, daisy beachy necklace/earrings, 5 sets of jewelry for Susannah's wedding + her mom's earrings, the two necklaces I gave my mom for Christmas (total: 12, not counting one as-of-yet undisclosed project.)

Scrapbook pages: July 4, 29 layouts at Tracey's, (total: 30)

Other: Car seat covers, 2 toddler capes, Kaylee the Kangaroo, (total: 4)

Favorite sewn-from-scratch project: I think the starry night skirt. It fits well, and I love the fabric. So glad I went with the teal underneath the black sheer, it adds so much depth!
Favorite reconstructed sewing project: Probably the gypsy costume--beyond that, there weren't really any recons I was overly excited about this year, but that was a lot of fun to make.
Least favorite sewing project: Hands down, the dress I wore to my brother's wedding. That was just a totally miserable crafting experience.
Favorite jewelry project: Probably the dragonfly necklace I made for my mom for Christmas.
Least favorite jewelry project: The necklaces I made for Susannah's wedding. (Best pic I have of that is the one of her wearing it, sorry for no close-ups.) It's not that I didn't like the way they looked, but the combination of those beads and the jump rings made them annoyingly difficult to put together, and even the day of the wedding they kept falling apart somewhat-- it's a good thing I brought my pliers with me, because we did have some pre-wedding issues with that!
Favorite non-jewelry accessory: The Daisy Chain purse. It's just really hard for me to make things from Amy Butler fabric that I don't like.
I didn't really have a non-favorite non-jewelry accessory, so let's just skip ahead to...Favorite scrapbook layout: The "Music Builds Tour" one. (The bubble tea one was a close second.) Both of these were really all about the paper being freaking awesome. I'm definitely more of a paper than embellishment girl. Although I did branch out a bit on these, making cardboard embellishments for the bubble tea and the photo collage for the concert one. So I think that's a big part of it.

Ok, that wraps it up for 2009...wishing you all a happy and crafty new year!

A 2008 Retrospective

First, the current stuff: the party is now officially not a costume party anymore. *sigh* Guess I'll just have to hope for a Halloween party this year. On a happier note, I did get a lot done yesterday-- made a cover for my 2009 day planner (it's a hardback book that I got at the store because of the fun printed cover, but it was already getting a bit beat up in my bag and I wanted to add a pen holder because pens get lost in my bag very easily. So I made it from clear vinyl.) And I also made 7 ornaments for Saturday's Christmas party as take-home favors for my friends. Today I went to Joanns' and got some fabric that was on sale and was just screaming cute spring/summer top, and my big splurge item-- a knitting machine! I'd been contemplating one for awhile-- it's well-established that I don't have the patience or skill for knitting (or crocheting, for that matter-- too hard on my carpal-tunnel-prone hands). But I love sweaters, since I get cold easily, and I get frustrated with how hard it is to find sweaters that I like that I can actually wear, since my skin is highly sensitive to wool. Seriously-- all I have to do is touch a ball of wool-blend yarn, and I get this prickly feeling that takes at least half an hour to go away. And if I actually wear the stuff, watch out. And I also get frustrated with how hard it is to find sweater knits so I can sew my own. So I figure I can either try to knit an actual sweater on this thing, or just make sweater fabric and sew my own. Gotta go with my strengths here. So we'll see how this endeavor goes!

Ok, on to the main topic. Last New Year's Eve, I did a year-in-review post for my crafty endeavors, mostly out of curiosity to see what I had accomplished. And I decided it would be fun to do it again to compare. (Besides, I've been seeing lots of year-in-review posts on the sewing blogs as of late... just delayed so I could get my end-of-year cramming in!)

Part 1: 7 Things I'm hoping to accomplish in 2008 (revisited)
1. Finally learn how to make jeans that fit!
Didn't get this one done. However, I will consider starting to learn how to do a fly-front zipper as part of the pantsuit a step in this direction. As well as actually getting a pair of pants to fit!

2. Get better at working with knit fabrics.
I think I did fulfill this goal-- the serger helped immensely!

3. Use up some of my stash.
Well, I didn't refrain from buying fabric. (I'm not sure that's possible for me.) But I did manage to use up a few pieces I'd had, as well as make some things out of leftover scraps!

4. Finish the two scrapbooks from my grad school years, the Chile album and the road trip album.
Partially done, since I essentially finished the road trip album this week. And I think I may have done a couple layouts of the grad school ones-- didn't touch Chile this year at all that I can remember. I got a bit sidetracked by stuff like making an entire bachelorette scrapbook for Julie. And being a bridesmaid. And sewing. And, you know, work and stuff.

5. Even though I didn't sign up again [for Wardrobe Refashion], I still want to sew as much of my wardrobe as possible instead of buying things new.
Now this one I did! Particularly since I did end up resigning at WR for the past 6 months-- and haven't fallen off the wagon once!

6. Try a project from this book that I got for Christmas.
Didn't do that either. Though we did use it as designs considered for Susannah's wedding jewelry...

7. Though it's not crafty, persay, I do also want to work on my cooking skills a little. In particular, I want to learn how to make those Chinese pork dumplings, and how to better cook without recipes.
Well, I didn't get the Chinese dumplings down. But I did try several new recipes this year!

Part 2: The Numbers

Sewing:
Clothing items sewn (new): 16
Clothing items sewn (reconstructed): 8
Bags or bag-like things: 7
Other sewn accessories: 4
Household stuff (pillows, blankets, etc.): 7
Baby stuff: 1

Everything else:
Articles of jewelry: 31
Scrapbook layouts : 19 2-page spreads, 58 single pages (in Julie's scrapbook)
Cards: 2
Artist Trading Cards (ATC's): 4
Christmas Ornaments: 15
Book cover for my 2009 planner (which I finished yesterday): 1

Items given away: (Since one of my hopes for this year was to make more things for people other than myself.) ~15 (counting Julie's scrapbook as one item)

Favorite sewn-from-scratch project: the green and gray dress. So comfortable, love the fabric, and the serger made it sew up like a dream!
Favorite reconstructed sewing project: The Doolittle Blouse. I had a lot of fun figuring it out, and ended up wearing it a lot!
Least favorite sewing project: The paisley mandarin jacket. It's not that I don't like it, persay... I just don't like it with anything actually in my wardrobe. So I've never worn it. Unfortunately, it's not the only thing I haven't worn that I sewed this year... I never got a chance to test out the hiking skirt, and though I really like the look of the chevron blouse, by the time I got it done, it was too cold for me to wear it.
Favorite jewelry project: The autumn leaf set-- it's the one I've ended up wearing the most. Despite the propensity of the necklace pendant to fall off on occasion. (Need to fix it again, actually...) And I don't really have a least favorite of these.
Favorite non-jewelry accessory: The dragonfly wallet. It's cute, it's recycled, and it's seriously the best wallet layout I've ever had, purchased or hand-crafted.
Least favorite non-jewelry accessory: The leather Diana bag-- not because of the look, but I'm still not happy with the craftsmanship. I'm using it right now, and I'm seriously afraid that the strap is just going to rip out one of these days. But with all the leather-sewing problems I had, I have no idea what to do about it! (Incidentally, I also discovered by accident that I never actually sewed the lining in the bottom shut... oops.) On the positive side, though, I do like the actual style of the bag, and would be quite happy to sew it again. With easier materials to work with.

Part 3: What I've learned/goals for 2009

Even though it seems like my craft output is rather down in some areas (though much higher in some others), I do feel like I accomplished a lot.

1. I made pants that fit!
2. Tried some crafts new to me, like ATCs (a big deal, since I really hadn't done any art since I dropped that as a major in favor of turning my music minor into a major) and card-making.
3. I did make more gifts this year.
4. I learned how to really use a serger.
5. I'm becoming much better about "greening" up my crafting-- using stuff on hand, using recycled materials when I can or trying to recycle/use up the leftover scraps.

Goals/possibilities for 2009:

1. I think it might be interesting to try to sew one of those mini-wardrobes-- like the SWAP-type thing. (Though not for a contest for sure!) I'm dreaming very much of summer clothes as a result of this thought...
   
2. I'm going to say that jeans-making goal again. I still need them. Even more so, since I ended up wearing holes in several of my older pairs as a result of my part-time job. (All the ones that remotely fit me in the first place.... go fig.)
   
3. At least START that jewelry organizer I've needed for years!
4. Finish the grad school-era scrapbooks. If I have time to get caught up past that, great. But since 2009 will mark year 4 since I graduated, it's time! Especially since I probably only have something like 10-15 spreads left between the two of them...
5. Fine-tune my organization plan to get caught up on these scrapbooks faster!
6. Continue crafting more for others, either as gifts or as some kind of volunteerism for worthy causes.
7. And I guess I should probably add make a sweater that I like on the new sweater machine!