Friday 21 December 2012

The year of the Minx

I noticed a few of the blogs I follow are currently featuring round-ups of their sewing year. It occurred to me it would be a good idea to have a look back at the first year of One Crafty Minx, and review my projects and be realistic about how I feel about them all! So - here we go...

 
1. Even though it was my first attempt, I still love this dress and feel proud of it. It fits well. I have only worn it once, however, as it's not very versatile. I wonder whether I should even out the skirt so it's a straight hem. Or just wear it once a year and accept that.






2. Onesie! There are things that annoy me about this. The body could be longer, and the straps fall off a lot, but basically it's dead cute and I wore it quite a bit in the summer. So this one can stay.









3. This jacket wasn't a raging success. It doesn't fit very well and I think I used the wrong fabric. I have worn it a couple of times but it rarely sees daylight.

4. I like this dress a lot. It was a staple of my summer wardrobe. Having made more jersey items since, I appreciate it's not the best-constructed, but I love wearing it as it's comfy but fun and different, and keeps me cool in the warmer weather.




5. I don't wear this skirt. It's cute in principle, but looks too bulky around the middle. I might try to refashion it as I like the fabric a lot and have a bit spare. Maybe a tunic...



6. Ha! I rarely wear this. I remember wearing it to work one day and just felt a bit silly. It's cute and fun but not really appropriate for anyone over the age of 15.
 
 





7. I have mixed feelings about this waistcoat. In general, I like it, although the bad button spacing still upsets me! It doesn't get worn much because apparently it's "quite casual". Big Minx is the only boy in the world who would deem a waistcoat too casual. He looks cute in it though, so overall a success, I think.
 



8. Colette! The beginning of a love affair that still goes strong. I wore this loads in the summer and it's very cute although a little big, so the back gapes and I therefore tend to wear a shrug with it all the time. Lovely fabric though and always feels girly and swooshy.



9. Peony. More on the love side of a love/hate relationship. I adore the fabric, and mostly it fits well, except the back is baggy and it sticks out at the neck at the top of the zip. So I'm considering trying to take it in at the back. Some darts maybe? I do wear it but feel annoyed.


 


10. Sally is one of my favourites. I've worn her loads, across all seasons. The fabric is great, and I love shirt dresses. My one regret has always been doing the buttonholes horizontally as they pull and gape unattractively. So I'm going to attach a new button placket and do them again. I don't want anything to spoil my enjoyment of an otherwise ideal dress.



11. I always loved the fit and style of this top although spent quite a while feeling shy of the fabric. I've well and truly got over that and this is my go-to weekend top with a blue mini skirt. I plan to make another version soon.



12. Oh, the ceilidh dress! This would keep me awake at night if I weren't such a good sleeper. It's fantastic - great fabric, interesting design, fabulous fit, gets compliments every time I wear it. Except I've stopped wearing it because it's a winter dress but there is no cardigan in the world that can sit nicely over those sleeves! And a top underneath ruins the look. So it sits in my wardrobe causing me heartache. Suggestions on a postcard, please.



13. Nice. I like this waistcoat, it's smart and gets worn a lot which makes me pleased. I arrogantly say "nice waistcoat" whenever I see it on Big Minx. Tee hee. I wondered at first if it was a bit short but apparently it's the style and he's happy with it so that's fine by me!




14. Meh. Worst of the bunch. On the list to try and remedy but it just causes me pain to think about it.




15. I was initially pleased with how I'd saved this potentially disastrous project. I don't wear it that much though as it doesn't really go with anything. Except these trousers which always make me feel awful about myself. I was perusing the spare fabric the other day and wondered if I had enough to make something else as it's such nice fabric. Watch this space.

16. I am mostly pleased with this. It's easy to throw on and looks cute. I ditched the belt and wear a wide cinch belt instead. My only real bug bear is that the shoulders ruck up. I might try removing the stabilising interfacing and see if that helps.

 
17. Another dress that is so nearly perfect but rarely gets worn because of sleeve issues! Again, no cardi in the world. This one will have to wait for the warmer weather. It's gorgeous, though. :-)
 


18. I have pscyhological issues with this dress. If I distance myself from it, I think it looks great, but I can't ever bring myself to wear it. I think I hated how much it frayed when I was making it and that's all i think about when I see it. Trouble. I wonder if I'll get over that?
 

19. Yay! My favourite, hands down. Apart from one very strange day which I'll choose to forget, this dress always looks great and feels great. It's as comfy as anything but looks smart and chic. I think so, anyway. And it pleases me when i look down and see all those little butterflies.
 
20. I'm not sure if I'll ever be 100% convinced about this top. But it's nice enough that I will continue to wear it and hope for the best. I tried it on with my denim mini skirt earlier today and that looked cute. In a 90s kinda way. It was great fun to make, though, and I'll definitely be doing lots more Renfrews.

21. And finally! I love Belladone. She was a treat to make, and I feel demonstrates how much I've learned this year. She fits really well, has trims, looks neat. I'm very proud of her and enjoyed wearing her to two parties this festive season.
 
So, a mixed bag, but overall I think I've learned a lot along the way and will continue to improve next year. The projects are already piled up way in to the next 6 months. I might have to learn to be ruthless and get rid of those ones that cause me emotional distress! My aim for 2013 is to work slower and create better-finished items. Wish me luck!
x
 
 
 
 
 
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8 comments:

  1. Blimey! I hand' t realised you'd made anywhere near as many. You''re not a crafting mind you''re a crafting machine! :-)

    Do you do Icelandic-style jumpers?

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    1. I haven't done so far but they are gorgeous. Rather time consuming unfortunately. x

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  2. Ooh, 18 is my favourite! Very closely followed by 2, 9, 19 and 21. Oh, they're all gorgeous! Well done, what an amazing year's worth of hard work! xx

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    1. Interesting...feel free to take 18 off my hands! Thank you, my staunch supporter. :-) xx

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  3. Cor, you've made loads! I love all the dresses, especially the prom and the last one. Good luck with your 2013 sewing resolution - what will be your first project?

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    1. Thanks love! First up is a Crescent skirt from Sewaholic. x

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  4. Cor, you've made loads! I love all the dresses, especially the prom and the last one. Good luck with your 2013 sewing resolution - what will be your first project?

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  5. Cor, you've made loads! I love all the dresses, especially the prom and the last one. Good luck with your 2013 sewing resolution - what will be your first project?

    ReplyDelete