I've been enjoying Sewstainability’s One Year Sewn blog series so much that I decided to shamelessly copy it. Each season, Vicky and I look back at the makes we made this time last year and assess what is and isn’t working in our wardrobes.

Here’s what I made last Spring…

Tilly and the Buttons Martha dress (hacked)
Art Gallery quilting cotton from Sew Me Sunshine

I had a bit of a disaster with the skirt on my first Martha and added a self-drafted tiered skirt using lightly gathered rectangles to this version. I found the collar really annoying and later removed it:

Even without the collar, this dress didn't get a lot of wear and I gave it to a charity shop last year. I absolutely LOVE the fabric (a ditsy floral with little bees), but the bodice and sleeves didn't fit very well and I found it quite uncomfortable.

"Frandy" top: TATB Freya top with a Tessuti Fabrics Mandy Boat Tee neckline
Glitter stripe jersey from Sew Me Sunshine

I made this with the leftover fabric from the Freya top I mentioned in my One Year Sewn (Winter) blog post and it's still in my wardrobe (unlike the majority of my makes from this time last year, apparently!) I really like it and the fabric has worn pretty well but it doesn't have much stretch and is quite tight. I often wear it with this skirt because the colours go so well!

Another Frandy top!
Glitter spot jersey from Sew Me Sunshine

This was a re-fashion of a Colette Moneta dress I didn't wear because of the awful neckline and bulky waist. I had to cut it partially on the crossgrain to fit it in so it wasn't a great success. I think this one went to the charity shop too.

French Navy Stellan tee
Selkie Patterns London skirt
Both fabrics from Sew Me Sunshine

I don't have either of these items any more! The tee was totally the wrong shape for me and I gave it to the charity shop, and I gave the skirt to my niece. I'm always drawn to novelty print fabrics but I just don't wear them!

By Hand London Elisalex dress
Moda quilting cotton from Escape and Create

I made this last-minute for the Dressmaker's Ball when my original fabric didn't arrive. I wore it a couple of times, but after doing Elisalex's Bodice Fitting Masterclass, I realised how poorly it fitted me and couldn't look past it. I considered altering it but it needed too many changes and I wasn't totally crazy about the colour on me. I donated it to a charity shop a couple of weeks ago.

Japanese Knot Bag by Indigo Bird Design
Moda quilting cotton from Escape and Create

I made this bag and bow hair clip to wear with the above dress, using a fabric from the same collection. I donated these with the dress, as they look so cute together.

Friday Pattern Company Joan Trousers
Ochre ponte roma from Escape and Create

Hooray! Something that made the cut! I LOVE these trousers but I've worn them so much that the fabric has bobbled horribly and I've actually got some more expensive ponte lined up to make a replacement pair. I've also found that the zig zag stitching that holds the waist elastic in place has snapped in several places. Next time, I'll use a three-step zigzag stitch.

You can read my original blog post about them here.

French Navy Stellan tee
Pink stripe jersey from Like Sew Amazing
Vinyl from Happy Fabric
Labels gifted by Dutch Label Shop but similar available here

This is currently sitting in my mending pile waiting to be hacked into a Hey June Handmade Union St Tee, which looks MUCH better on me than the Stellan.

You can read my original blog post about it here.

AllWell Bucket Bag
Pineapple canvas from Escape and Create (no longer available)

I LOVE this pattern, but this was my pattern-tester version which was a bit of a disaster. This canvas was a bit soft and lightweight for the pattern and I had a nightmare with the eyelets which ripped out on my first use. I made a much more successful version as a gift for my sewing wife Harriet and have been planning to make myself a replacement for ages!

Dress-hack of the Tilly and the Buttons Stella hoodie
THAT lady fabric from New Craft House

Obviously I'm never parting with this: this was the most sought-after fabric of 2019! I wore this loads last Summer/Autumn and a lady on the tube high-fived me because of it (before social distancing, of course). The fabric has faded and bobbled the teensiest big but it still looks great.

You can read my original blog post about it here.

Tee-hack of the Tilly and the Buttons Stella hoodie
Stripe jersey from Escape and Create

I made this shortly after making the dress version, but the sleeves and neckband didn't sit quite as well. For some reason all of my stitching kept coming undone and I repaired it multiple times! I think I eventually gave up and put it in the fabric recycling bin as the fabric went quite bobbly, but I did wear it a lot last Summer.

I have no idea what I'm doing in this photo!

Grainline Studio Farrow dress
Cotton Linen from Sew Me Sunshine

This took me almost all of May to make and I wore it on my birthday at the end of the month. It was a lot of fun to work out how to do the pocket and I'm enormously proud of it! With that said, I actually haven't worn it that much compared to my other Farrows. The cotton linen is quite heavyweight which makes it too warm to wear in the height of summer and it seems a shame to cover it with a cardigan/jacket so it has a pretty small ideal wear-window!

Total makes: 13
Still in wardrobe: 5

I made more items than I did during Winter, but sadly not many of them are still in my wardrobe. I've definitely slowed down my sewing from this time last year and don't feel that I'm churning out as many makes. I've only made three garments so far this year!

Please feel free to join in! You can share your #OneYearSewn reviews via Instagram or on your blog. It's not a sewing challenge and there's no prizes, its just a fun way to review our own wardrobes and give practical feedback on patterns and fabrics to other makers. I think we're all a little guilty of claiming that our latest make is our FAVOURITE EVER but I'm excited to hear about what really stands the test of time!

Thanks so much for reading my blog! While you're here, why not check out my range of sewing-themed gifts, accessories and stationery?

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