Top 5 favourite (clothing) makes of 2012

Many of you already know that Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow is organsing a great end of year sewing reflection..I've joined up as I thought it would be interrsting to reflect on my sewing.I was going to wait until after Christmas to start on these posts, but like Gillian, have started a bit earlier so I can fit them in amongst all the other Christmas things going on.  First category is my Top 5 favourite makes of 2012.  I'm limiting this to my clothing makes as I might want to bring out a best of the rest later on.. !?

Number 5:  

Salme pussy bow dress

This dress is worn to work just about every week.  I love it because it's Liberty of London print, it's my first lined dress and it has a pussy bow.  Say no more.  Yes, yes, the fit isn't exactly right ... the waist could be shorter but at the end of the day, this is a winner.  The pattern is by Salme patterns which unlike some of the other independent pattern makers haven't quite got their style thing going on yet, but have some really fun things amongst their range including the playsuit, which I know I'm going to get a lot of wear out of in the Summer months. The playsuit I made is down in my honourable mentions.

Number 4:

The Brocade Skirt

I made this skirt back in July.  I blogged about here.  This is the first, would you believe, pattern I ever made from one of the big companies.  It is McCalls 5591 and I do plan to make many more if I could just stop finding other patterns I want to make.  I love wearing this skirst with the stripey top as in the picture, but also love wearing it with my ornithology top.  Again, this is on high rotation for work and with different shoes can transform itself into an edgy skirt for going out in.

Number 3

Drape Drape Cardigan

Against all the odds, this is one of my favourites from 2012.  I made it in August when I was trying to focus on making clothes with buttons.  And there are many buttons! It is from the very cool Japanese pattern book "She has a Mannish Style" and I must say that it was one of the 'funnest' things I've made.  I just love those patterns that are the strangest shapes that seem to com together.  I had a lot of 'comments' about the fabric I used for this cardi - none of them good.. but I like the end result, have had lots of positive comments about it and found it a great Winter piece. 

Number 2

Paper Cut Patterns Pleated Pants

I made these pants way too big, took them in and although they are still a bit big I LOVE THEM.  I'm so proud of them as they have a zipper and are also far more complicated than anything I had done previously.  The pattern is great, the material is great. I wear them at least once a week - they go with heaps of tops.  Winner!  I will definitely make another pair - a size smaller (unless I over indulge at Christmas).

Number 1

Deer and Doe, 

la Veste Pavot in Pink Linen

Best make of the year, worst hair in a photo!

Great pattern, fabulous colour, buttons and an uncharacteristic slow and steady sewing pace, all go to make this coat my favourite make of 2012.  I am usually such a speedy and impatient sewer, but I really took my time with this coat. I wear it quite alot and every time it makes me feel great.  Unfortunately I haven't found loads of different ways to wear it yet, but I probably haven't put my mind to it enough.  Also, I wish now that I had known about bound button holes before I made it, as I think the button holes is the only thing that is letting the coat down. Having said that, overall, I'm extremely proud of this one!  Whenever my mum sees me in this coat she always says "You've come ahead in leaps and bounds"!

Honorable Mentions:

• The Liberty Salme PlaySuit - I am praying for a hot summer so that this gets a lot of wears.
• Megan Nielson Banksia Top 
• All my Liberty of London blouses, but especially this one.  It was the first time I had put a collar on this shirt and I think it turned out so great.

Next up - top 5 SEWING FAILS of 2012!

FINISHED! Salme Pussy Bow Dress

This morning (just in time to start KCWC tomorrow) I finished the Salme Pussy Bow Dress in Liberty of London Viola B.
I used this tutorial to add a lining to it - because it's Frocktober and adding a lining to a dress was my self improvement project.  I also added some pockets because frankly a dress needs pockets!! I  left the collar the same size all around rather than have it smaller at the back - I like an even collar at the back (there was also a bit of laziness and a bit of confusion with the pattern thrown in).
So the verdict:

The pattern: I'm pretty happy with the Salme pattern and given it was the first print at home pattern I've made it was easy to put together and a bit easier than tracing.  The pattern didn't have a seam allowance which is fine for me as I'm used to sewing Japanese patterns.  The instructions probably could have been a little bit better put together (format definitely - although this might have been about saving paper and content - especially around adding the collar on) but for good sewers you probably wouldn't have needed the help with the collar that I did.  I'll definitely buy another of their patterns and I'm itching to buy the playsuit pattern)
The tutorial on putting lining on was helpful, although for the arm holes I understitched the dress and lining to the lining rather than topstitched (I think this gives a nicer finish?) and I felt a bit lost about how to put the collar on (there is a theme here!) but in the end it all worked out.  I didn't baste the skirt and lining together like the tutorial said which was a big mistake because later I was trying to line the two up when adding the elastic and ended up basting it anyway.
The sizing: In term of sizing I took the size of my waist rather than hips and bust, but I probably could have gone with the lower size as I feel that the arm holes a bit gapey and the length of the bodice isn't quite right - but otherwise a looser fit is nice to wear.
Overall I'll be wearing this dress on Tuesday to work (yay for another long weekend here!) and feeling pretty money in it.