What were my favourite makes of 2023? For the last few years, I have put together a Top Five post of my faves -- it's a good way to see what worked and why, and what to try next! This year I'm lucky, as I have 6 Top Makes. I was unable to whittle it down any more than that.
Without further ado, here are my fave projects of the last year:
This is my favourite make of the year! I made it last January and enjoyed the challenge. Looking through my stash for matching remnants, using up fave fabrics, finding a good lining and getting the fit right were all challenging in the best way. It's comfortable, colourful, and I feel good wearing it!
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I just finished this one before the end of 2023 but it's a definite favourite. I was pushed to finish it by the deadline for the PatternReview Fitted Blouse contest -- where you can go and vote for this make, until Jan 10 if you are a PR member.
Butterick 5987 (Willi Smith blouse)
I made this in February for the Black History Month Pattern Designer Challenge. I had this 1979 pattern in my stash, and used a fabric I found in the drapery section of the fabric store. It was a perfect marriage and I LOVE this shirt. It goes with a lot in my wardrobe, too.
Antonia Dress by PatternDivision
This is such an easy to make dress -- 3 pieces and a quick sew. But the fit is also great, and the pockets are nice and big. I love this one, and plan to make a solid version, or two.
I made this inspired by the Literary Sewing Circle -- the pattern has been on my list for a few years! I wasn't sure about this profile on me but as it turns out I adore it. Love this dress and the colours are fun also.
I had to include this one as I found it a challenge and was happy with the results. It's such an unusual design that even if the whole thing isn't perfect I still love it. I have to go back and tweak a few things, but I've worn it, enjoyed making it, and am delighted by the idea of it.
The less successful projects this year are ones that I don't like the fit of, or I just haven't worn. There aren't many that I actively dislike, thankfully! Most of my favourites were made as part of challenges and/or sewalongs, which is quite unusual -- the reverse of what usually happens for me. It was a good sewing year!
I also took a look at my year of sewing and found some interesting info :) I made 33 items (most of them shared on the blog). There was a mix of 15 indie, 14 big four, and 4 Burda.
I make most patterns only once, but there were a couple of repeats this year. I made Burda 105-04-2018 for the second time, and repeated Burda 6074 back to back. I made both the top and the dress view of the Liesl & Co. Santa Rosa and I made another Mandy Boat Tee to add to the ones I've made in the past.
And I used Liesl & Co the most for my sewing this year, with 5 makes. Closely followed by a tie between Butterick and Simplicity with 4 each! 7 out of my 33 projects were made with new (or new to me) fabric; all the others were from fabric that had been in my stash for a while. Hoping to use up more of my stash this year!
Most of my sewing this year was enjoyable and I hope to continue making things that I'll enjoy wearing -- it's so much easier to choose projects when you have a good sense of the fabrics and the shapes you will like. I look forward to another year of challenging projects!
