I thought I’d finish 2019 on the blog with a few of my best (and worst) sewing adventures of the year!
Let’s kick this off by pretending that someone out there actually cares about my opinions and offer up my TOP PICK for the best indie sewing pattern of 2019…
Indie sewing pattern of the year
For me, that honour belongs to the Zadie Jumpsuit by Paper Theory Patterns. I loooove my version so much.
And I love even more all the amazing versions I’ve seen this year by plenty of other sewists!
And while I’ve only sewn one Zadie Jumpsuit myself so far, that’s definitely because I’m suffering from a lack of sewing focus. They are soooo many great options and ideas for the Zadie jumpsuit out there that I can’t decide what to do for my next version!
There does need to be a long-sleeved version in my life at some point fairly soon though!
So, what do you think?
Am I right here?
Is the Zadie Jumpsuit the stand-out indie sewing pattern of the year?
And now for a few random meaningless other sewing pattern awards, just for fun.
Best pockets of 2019 go too…
The Fiore Skirt by Closet Case Patterns. Ohh the curves on this one!! You can read more about my take on the pattern over here!
Close runner up in this category has to be the Sienna Maker Jacket. Huuuge patch pockets, inside pockets, sleeve pockets!! Definitely the garment to be wearing if you’re ever ship wrecked on an uninhabited island.
So, it seems, that in 2019, Closet Case is competing only with itself in the pockets category!
And in the category of ‘best unexpected new player taking the sewing world by storm‘, I’ve gotta give it to Fibre Mood magazine.
All those addictive midi-length dresses don’t lie!
What, you reckon I’m getting too specific in my categories?
Finally, most awesome sleeve goes to the Adrienne Blouse by Friday Pattern Company. Cuz these sleeves just make me feel like a happy pirate wench.
BTW, I totally realize that some of these patterns/brands are not necessarily new in 2019, but I sewed them in 2019 and since this is an entirely subjective, meaningless list of my own personal opinions, I decided not to be too strict on criteria for inclusion!!
Alright guys, over to you. Any increasingly bizarre and specific categories of indie pattern sewing prizes you would like to see awarded in 2019?
Hit me up in the comments.
Best use of elastic? Most creative waist tie? Most ingeniously hidden closure? Best zero waste pattern? What have you sewn that deserves special recognition??
Alright, time to put my own sewing in the spotlight, so let’s move on to my personal sewing highlights (and lowlights) for the year!
Colour Block Madness
Some of my personal favourite makes of the year were all about colour-blocking.
I mean, seriously, is there anything better than amazing fabric in colour-block form!! It’s kind of become my “go-to” sewing choice because I feel like it’s often a way to combine the maturity and practicality of solids with the splash of colour and uniqueness that I still crave when going to the effort of making my damn clothes myself!
The above colour block success stories are the Fibre Mood Emilia Dress, the Saraste Shirt Dress from Breaking the Pattern, DP Studio Le 403 skirt and the Bondi Dress by Tessuti Patterns.
But, some of my worst sewing moments of the year were also when those colour block visions just somehow didn’t work out…
So yeah, this Ruska Knot Dress and this Ravine Dress just didn’t quite come out the way I imagined!! I’m channelling Spiderman in the first one and, for the second one, it seems my main style influence was probably the costume I had to wear in my second grade nativity play as Mother Mary. Yeah, I know, the things you can force unsuspecting 7 year old to do!
All of which goes to show that there is a fine line between inspired creativity and a Spiderman costume.
So it’s 2019: year of colour block, with a few colour shocks!
Sewing highlights
In terms of not just output but experiences and growing as a sewist, 2019 has had some highlights for me.
One of my favorite sewing experiences of the year was definitely my Jasika Blazer by Closet Case Patterns. I followed along with the online class and I really learned a lot.
Upping your sewing skills and moving out of your comfort zone can really bring you a new level of confidence and, while I’m the first to often embrace the need for simpler projects, it’s really rewarding to go in for some slow sewing and skill building sometimes!
I was also lucky enough to engage in some ultimate sewing self-care this year by travelling to London to do the Jeans Master Class with Heather Lou. Not only was it aah-mazing to spend a weekend all alone concentrating on my passion (I may have come home with a suitcase full of fabric), but it was especially wonderful to meet like-minded sewists and chat pattern and fabrics for two whole days.
If you don’t know other sewists in your everyday life, it’s rare to have the chance to just chat to people who simply get it! Who get you!! And sewists are also just so damn nice!!! It felt like everyone went from total strangers to fast friends in a matter of minutes.
The entire experience definitely reminded me of the importance of nurturing our passions and giving ourselves time to indulge in them!
Also, speaking of Closet Case, I was ridiculously chuffed this year to be featured in a sewist spotlight over on their blog: it’s gonna be tough to beat that in 2020!!!
Now, leaving aside new experiences and boundary pushing – sometimes it’s all just about the garment. So, I’ve been scrolling through the blog trying to decide what are, simply put, my favourite garments that I sewed this year?
The winners, in no particular order, were probably my Megan Nielsen Tania Culottes, my Sapporo Coat and my Tea House Dress.
Again, amazing fabric doesn’t lie, right????
Sewing lowlights
Well, in real life, I’ve had a bit of challenging year and when I’m stressed, well, chocolate comes to comfort me.
While the introduction of sewing into my life has made me far more comfortable in my body and confident that I can adorn it with beautiful fabric and garments, whatever my size, I was pretty bummed to discover that I’m too ‘big’. to fit into the ‘regular’ Burda Style size range.
Which made these trousers something of a bittersweet sewing experience! My first and probably last Burda Style Pattern!!
Since I sewed these trousers, By Hand London have released their Jackie Trousers which look phenomenal – if only they had been around earlier in the year to save me from the Burda!!
Oh, and while on the topic of bad pants, what was I thinking with this split front Rae Pants??? And the fabric that I wasted here was soooo perfect!
On what planet are these split front pants practical? I cycle to work for goodness sake!
At least I know that I can return to this pattern in the future in its non-split variety.
Sometimes risks work out and sometimes you end up with cold knees! Life lessons for 2019!
And, finally, just to round out the lowlights, you may have recently seen that I can’t sew velvet to save my life.
Yep, merry frickin’ Christmas.
Tis the season for ridiculously sloppy velvet work!!
NOT indie pattern of the year!
Alright, alright, since I’ve opened up with my worst makes of the year, I’m going to go all the way and share my opinion of the most over-rated indie pattern releases of the year. Only amongst the ones I’ve sewn, of course!
Cuz remember what I said before – this is a meaningless subjective list of personal opinions.
Basically what I’m thinking about here is, in 2019, what patterns did I buy and then regret the moment I sewed them!
Luckily, the list is pretty short.
The Deer and Doe Sirocco Jumpsuit was not a good fit on my body at all.
I wore it a few times and felt ridiculously self-conscious before binning it. Life is too short to wear clothes that, in my mind at least, accentuate my belly, don’t flatter my legs and don’t actually provide decent coverage at the bust.
Sometimes, it’s just not your pattern, right?
Next up, I was not at all impressed by the Demeter Dress by Anna Allen Clothing.
After trying it on, I felt supremely disappointed with myself for not having simply hacked something so simple from patterns I already owned. Plus, for something so simple, I still had to mess around with the bodice fit to make it wearable for me.
Last on my not-a-fan list is one that pains me a bit to say it. Because I actually adore my version of this dress. But, I’m really not that sure that it was actually worth the investment in the pattern, again, due to the supreme simplicity of the design in question. It’s the Wiksten shift dress.
I know, I know, controversial inclusion.
And part of me still loves it. But the other part of me keeps wondering if it is overrated and I’ve simply been swayed by the power of the buzz!!!
2019, over and out!
Well, I think it’s probably about time to draw this exercise in narcissism to an end.
And speaking of ends, this will be the final blog post of the year.
Because, well, the world doesn’t actually care whether I blog every single week or not, whereas my family greatly care about the extra little time with me that they get as a result of me not writing a blog post in the week of Christmas.
When no-one will read it anyway!
(Although, who am I kidding, I’ll probably use the extra time of not writing a blog post to sew!)
So see you for more sewing adventures next year and I hope that your own year in sewing has been a good one!!
BTW I’ve found the process of preparing this tongue-in-cheek examination of how I both totally sucked and completely rocked in 2019 a blast, so feel free to pipe up in the comments with your own bests and worsts for the year!!!
Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.
Loved reading this. I totally agree that some buzzy new patterns are basically just simple shapes with a slight variation. I’m trying to not buy any patterns now unless they stand out a lot and offer something new! Xx
I think that’s definitely the way to go. I just find it soooo hard not to fall for the pretty photos on IG. Instead of telling myself “it’s just one little pattern”, I need to tell myself “go through the 100 you already own, I’m sure you’ll find what you need…”
This is probably the first sewing blog post I have actually read this year… and maybe ever… and I thoroughly enjoyed your honesty and your opinions!!! Thanks!!! I think my favourite makes this year were self drafted and it was really about having awesome fabric! my fave makes from indie patterns have been ‘the intrepid boiler suit’ by Alice and co, the ‘burnside bibs’ by sewhouseseven and the ‘pooze pouch’ by maeve makes!!!
I totally agree that fabric often makes the project for me! Those are some great pattern choices. The burnside bibs are high on my list for early in 2020, so hope to be joining you in that club soon!
Thanks for sharing your highs and lows of 2019. It’s refreshing to hear the honesty. I have really enjoyed seeing your makes on Instagram. You have made some great things and your commitment to sewing is just fab!
Awww thanks! Trying to keep it honest – it’s the interest of all the sewing community that we feel able to speak freely!
Absolutely loved this post – pure fun to read and I love your writing style. Really hope you continue to blog for years 🙂
Thanks! I have fun writing them so I’m glad that comes through!!
“Because, well, the world doesn’t actually care whether I blog every single week or not” – actually… as a long-time lurker, I wanted to let you know that yours is my favourite sewing blog in all the webosphere! There have been an embarrassing number of times when I’ve found a great indie pattern but hesitated on buying it because you haven’t reviewed it yet. You’ve got a great talent for shining a spotlight on exactly the pitfalls I’d tumble headfirst into when following a new pattern. Thank you for taking the time to write and document your projects, you’ve been so helpful for my sewing journey! 🙂
Thanks for coming out of lurking to leave a comment – maybe the nicest comment I’ve ever received because this is EXACTLY why I do the blog! So glad to know it’s helpful and I’ll be back with new pitfalls and mistakes to share in the new year!!
I just want to say, thank you for your Rae pants review!! I was highly skeptical of the front-slit, and was not quite convinced by all the rave reviews I’ve seen online. I don’t doubt that people genuinely loved their makes, I just didn’t think they shared my aesthetic. Not to mention, I’m a sewing beginner and I am working through the book as part of my learning process. You totally saved me from wasting some good fabrics making a pair of pants I’d never wear. Now I’ve decided to change the slit (if I keep it), sew the pockets first, and really just take my time and be thoughtful about the construction.
We’re now in Europe for Christmas, I’m glad you mentioned Fibre Mood magazine, I’ll definitely pick one up to try.
Thank you again for sharing your makes and thoughts. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you too – enjoy your trip! Glad my learning process that thigh- high split pants aren’t the right style choice for me might be useful to you! I do plan on making them again without the split one day!
Your three patterns that you listed as overrated I had as my three I would love to try but knew wouldn’t work on me! And your reasons for not loving them tie in perfectly with my hesitation. All of your makes are creatively inspiring, whether or not you consider them to be wins and I have a definite case of sewing inspo!
That’s exactly why it’s good when we all share our views – helps people make informed decisions! Hope you find some sewing time around Christmas!!
This is my first read of your blog and it was quite enjoyable. I’ll definitely be back! As for some of your disappointments, I actually love your color-blocked Ruska (Must be my 5 year old’s love for Spider-Man is really rubbing off…). And I totally hear you on the Wiksten Shift. It is indeed an expensive pattern with a simple shape that could likely be hacked or even self-drafted. That said, I really love my linen version, which saved me from the awfully hot and humid Washington, DC summer. To each her own!
Thanks for reading! One person’s failure can definitely be the favourite pattern of someone else – no doubt! That’s part of the joy of our community!! And despite my hesitations, I’ll probably also make a linen wiksten next summer!!
Great roundup! I think your disappointment with the Wiksten shift is due to fabric color choice. I bet if you overdye it to something like a dark navy you might change your mind. The look is good on you!
I really enjoy your blog!! And the 2019 creative pattern awards. I’ve personally tried really hard this year to resist buying a pattern because of the beautiful versions popping up on IG. It’s a challenge! *i want all the patterns* That being said I did finally purchase the Cielo top by CCP and Persephone pants… we shall see how those sew up. I think the top will be in the running for best sleeve!
Indeed! I’ve eyed that one off just for the sleeves but so far resisted! Looking forward to seeing your version. And the Persephone Pants are a good investment – at least in my opinion as an owner of 5 pairs!
I love this roundup. About the Zadie I wholeheartedly agree— I’ve made six (not all for myself and I’m a supremely selfish sewist). CCP reigns supreme with me once again: Kalle! Pietra pockets and can’t wait to make Sienna! Thanks for all you share, reading about and seeing your makes is a pleasure. Finally, I kinda like your velvet top. Don’t be so hard on yourself !!!
Six zadies! You’re a woman after my own heart! Speaking of 6, I think that’s about how many kalles I’ve made and, ummm, all of those were for me! Looking forward to sharing more sewing misadventures next year! And trust me, the velvet monster somehow looks kind of possible in photos but not in real life!!
I know people keep kidding about reading blogs, but please continue… yours have been a new fave this year! Appreciate your honesty and wit. Zadie’s been in my queue and am dying to make one. Anyway, thank you for sharing your adventures!
Thanks for joining along for the adventure!!
One option for best in category for me was undies. I sewed 5 different patterns and the winner was the Friskie Knickers by SUAT due to good coverage, not too high in the back and no wedgie! A close second was the Julia by Jalie Patterns. Interestingly enough the worst were also done by SUAT. I don’t count the boxers cos although I love them they’re not an every day undie to my way of thinking.
I have to say I loved your Adrienne blouse, it was my favourite of the items you showed on this post, though that colourblocked skirt was a very close second. Not into jumpsuits; I just look at them and immediately need to go to the loo!
Haha! That old jumpsuit dilemma. I only dream of undies without wedgies – not sure I’ve ever worn any!!! I’ve thought of doing an undie sewing adventure but it seems like it will be such an expedition to find the right pattern for your body. So far, haven’t had the stamina and remain resigned to wedgieville!
A great read. My favourite make of yours was the Jasika blazer, I think you hit it out of the park with your first tailoring effort. Love the bold colour and it is just great.
Merry Christmas, looking forward to your posts in 2020.
Thanks Julie!! Same to you – hope your Christmas involves some sewing somewhere!!
Beautifully done! I’m so in love with your DP color block skirt! I also really like your accidental Mother Mary Ravine dress.
In regards to overrated patterns, I also struggle with these super simple designs like the Wiksten Shift. I recently bought the Tilly Indigo dress after waffling about it for months. I could definitely have hacked something I already have to get a similar result, but I came to the conclusion that I probably wouldn’t end up doing that (at least in the near future anyway) so I just paid for it. It’s probably not best sewing practices, but it’s what I decided 🤷🏻♀️.
Thanks! You make a very good point. When it comes to hacking, I’m also likely to spend months telling myself I could hack x or y without actually doing it! Plus if I hack myself, I will make a muslin (so more fabric needed) whereas I will usually skip this if I buy a pattern. So overall, maybe the occasional hype pattern isn’t the worst thing to get sucked into!
Thank you for taking the time to share your highs & lows of 2019. I love that you show both the successes and the failures. I am new to sewing and it really gives me confidence to see that even experienced sewists get it wrong sometimes…isn’t this how we lear afterall?
I find you blog/IG feed very helpful as I have a very similar body shape to you and I like to see what might suit my shape. Plus, I love that you experiment and often add an interesting twist to your clothes.
Thanks for this comment! It reflects exactly why I do this blog – to encourage and support other sewists and to contribute to the wonderful ethos of our sewing community that there is plenty of room for all body types! I’m so glad to know that it’s useful and serving its purpose. And don’t worry, I’m sure I will have plenty more failures we can all learn from in the future!!
Hey, I read blogs at Christmas (hooray for down time, and also for giving this introvert something to sneak off and do for five quiet minutes at a time!). It looks like you rocked a pretty excellent sewing year! I like ‘best pockets’ as a category – I have some candidates for a category you could call ‘best comeback’, a.k.a. which pattern I thought was going to be a disaster while sewing, but turned out to be awesome while wearing. Also, sadly, ‘worst comeback’, which are projects that seemed like disasters…and were! 😀
Haha best comeback is a perfect category. My tea house dress was like that. I was feeling “meh” about it the whole time until I saw my blog photos and was like “ummm, actually, this dress is awesome!”! Have a great Christmas with sufficient introvert downtime to enable you to recharge!
Great post, thank you for sharing! You’ve had tons of great makes this year and I’ve enjoyed finding your blog and following along. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2020!
Huge thank you for blogging and IGing, you’re very inspiring and one of my favourite reads. Though as a mum who also works I don’t know how you find time [shakes head in amazement]. Wishing you a fantastic new year with hopefully much less stress,
Just discovered your blog today (via a Pietra pants post) and this post was so helpful! Great to know how your whole sewing year turned out. I found your colour blocking section especially interesting; I find myself never drawn to wearing prints but I think maybe I should test out colour blocking now as it looks like a great way to add more colour without being too busy. I personally like your Ruska knot dress with the red tights! Take care xx
Great, glad you discovered me – welcome aboard and thanks for taking the time to comment! Definitely give some colour blocking a try but careful, it can be addictive!