Cookin' & Craftin': 2016 Top 5

It's that time of year! Gillian of Crafting a Rainbow is hosting her Top 5 sewing round-up again! Here's my take on it...

I am sticking with the sewing hits, misses and goals this year, with a little bit of added reflection on last year's Top 5 and how they fared throughout the year! If you're interested in seeing all of my makes for 2016 (and wow, there are a lot of them!), have a look here.

2015 Hits Reflection

Did my 2015 stand the test of time? Yes! I think I was pretty accurate with my judgments about my 2015 makes!

My Union St. Tees were worthy of their ranking. The green one was worn to death. Literally to death. Holes, stains. It's done. I wore it probably once a week, at a minimum. But it was great while it lasted! The striped one didn't fare as well, only because it got extremely stretched out from hang drying (I don't have a dryer) and isn't really wearable anymore. Similarly, my Maya tops fared well. My purple Maya got worn a TON and is now faded, but still wearable. The green one was worn slightly less because it felt a bit fancier, but still a good make!

My Appleton dress got worn at basically every major meeting I attended this year and I opted to make another Appleton dress and an Appleton top, if that says anything about how much I liked it. My funfetti Bettine was my go-to weekend dress for a good chunk of the year, although it's a little bit pill-y now because the fabric was cheap, so it gets less wear. Tim wore his batik McCall's 6044 shirt so many times that it faded (I am sensing a theme here) and I made him a new one!

My 2015 surprise hits (jumpsuits, cocoon dress, flare jeans) were all also worn pretty regularly. I think the slits on my Inari are a little high and the armscye a bit off, so I would try to fix that if I made it again. The McCall's 6083 jumpsuit is great and gets more action than you might think- I had to hem it up a bit because I found myself tripping on the hems. I still feel awesome in my Birkin flares- my butt feels amazing. I wore them as often as I could considering how hot it is in Bangkok!

2016 Hits

These were my favorite and/or most worn makes of 2016, in no particular order! And yes, I cheated, again, because there are far more than 5 on the list!

1. T-shirts: Hot Patterns Fast + Fabulous Shirt-tail T and Hey June Santa Fe tops

It's probably no surprise that, living in a place that has year round summer weather, t-shirts are the most frequently worn items I own. And, since I work from home most days, t-shirts are a common choice! These 4 shirts have been on high rotation.

2. Kaleidoscope Cashmerette Appleton: quite possibly my favorite dress so far in my sewing career?! This one has it all: killer fabric, killer fit. Love it.

3. Closet Case Patterns Kelly Anorak: I am really proud of this coat! I loved making it, I love how it looks and I loved wearing it (even though I only got to wear it like 4 times). I'm itching to wear it again ASAP!

4. Jalie 3350 Swimsuits (#1 and #2): These swimsuits are big winners in my book. I love the fit and I feel really comfortable in them, which is a big deal. They feel sturdy and well made and I am proud of them!

5. Style Arc Patterns: 2016 saw my full-on conversion to Style Arc Fan Girl. I made a ton of Style Arc patterns, and, with the exception of playing around to find my ideal size, I am pretty much in love with every Style Arc pattern I've made. I just love their simple, modern, wearable style!

For reference, please see Blaire, Mila, Barb, Ethel, Adeline, Olivia #1 and #2 + 3, Daisy, Elsie #1, Elsie #2, Charlie, and Nina. I couldn't choose just one, so I am nominating the whole pattern company as a 2016 favorite for me!

Honorable Mention: Metallic Kielo (love the fit and fabric, just not likely to wear this one regularly!), Groove Dresses #1 and #2 (love both and wear them all the time!), Cashmerette Harrison Shirt #1 and #2 (love the fit on these!!).

2016 Misses:

Which of my 2016 makes were misses due to fit or fabric issues?

1. Elsa Sweater - The weird fit on the shoulders on this one still needs to be addressed.

2. Pneuma tank- Fabric choice, fabric choice, fabric choice. I think my pink overlay fabric was just too thick- it doesn't hang right and is overly bulky where it connects with the straps.

3. Zeena Dress- I adore the fabric, but feel frumpy in the dress. The tucks are saggy and the neckline too wide.

4. Morgan Jeans- This is purely a size and fabric issue, not a pattern issue. I think I'll go down a size next time I make the Morgan Jeans because this pair is just enormous after 5 minutes of wearing!

5. Hot Patterns Fast and Fabulous Genius Tee- I started sewing this pattern in an emerald green rayon challis and it is currently balled up in the naughty corner, half-finished. The armhole on the non-drapey side is so low you can practically see the waistband of my pants through it and the hem got so stretched out that I couldn't get the hem band on. Arg.

2017 Goals:

What sewing tasks do I want to tackle in 2016?

1. Bras and undies! I've got a kit to make a Watson and I've also got a couple of the Madalynne Simplicity patterns and a handful of other patterns if those go well. We shall see.

2. Sophie Swimsuit! I've got the blue and white striped kit from Closet Case Files and some other cute swimsuit fabric at the ready. I feel like this swimsuit and bra-making go hand-in-hand.

3. More pants and jeans! Many of my most frequently worn bottoms are still RTW. At the Curvy Sewing Collective, we've got a pants-themed month coming up in early 2017 (details coming soon!) that I think this will be a great motivator.