I’m on London time! Yeehoo! So, so happy to be back this year and I’m already enjoying the things I’ve missed about the UK while my three-year old works on the timezone – yes, Monster Munch crisps, jacket potatoes, Wensleydale cheese and M&S food have all featured in my first 48 hrs home. Forget your fancy dishes – THESE are the sorts of things you miss when you’re abroad. Just about to go out and indulge in a proper greasy spoon brekkie before heading to the Natural History museum with my gorgeous sister. Bliss!!

Speaking of bliss, I have a little time to sum up some of 2018 in clothing terms and I really enjoyed taking part in Gillian’s Top 5 round up series last year. You can read all about the 2018 version over on her blog and I think it’s a very worthwhile bit of reflection. So let’s kick it off with my Top 5 Hits from 2018!

I’m pleased to say I had a decent list to choose from and it was pretty difficult! One of the most important criteria for me is that I actually wear something – and my first pick has been worn tons of times! The Named Alexandria peg leg trousers were one of my simplest makes and they fit right from the pattern pdf. The pleats give them a little something extra and they are very comfy. I have lots more planned and, as they’re for both woven and knit fabrics, they really are super versatile.

My second pick is the Deer and Doe Melilot shirt. I’d had it on my list for a little while and the Sewcialists stripes month was a great opportunity to try it out. I made a second version in Nani Iro double gauze, where I ironed out a few of the fit issues, but I just absolutely love this Kokka striped lawn and I have worn this shirt lots. I think it feels very “me” which is, after all, what I’m aiming towards with my clothes-making.

On that theme, the Tilly and the Buttons Agnes top has been on my list ever since I started sewing because of its similarity to a favourite RTW top I own. As serendipity would have it, my mum had the pattern and donated it to me when she visited recently. I promptly whipped up the gathered-sleeved version and have worn it many times. A winner!

My fourth and fifth choices are two dresses that fit perfectly and have gotten plenty of outings since construction. The first, the Seamwork Adelaide, was a dress I thought would suit me from the line drawing – and it really was a perfect fit after making a small FBA that’s standard for my figure. It gets loads of compliments because of this beautiful linen I used from District Fabric here in WA.

Finally, the Fringe dress from Chalk and Notch. I’ll be honest – had this not been a #sewmystyle challenge garment I wouldn’t have made it. I liked it, but it just didn’t feel like a must-have pattern, despite its rave reviews online. I’m so happy I did though, because it’s very comfy and flattering – and a great lesson in trying something new now and again! It’s also a very versatile pattern. This version is made in a striking rayon challis from Cotton and Steel, but I could imagine another fabric would produce a totally different, yet equally wearable, look.

Okay – those are my personal Top 5 hits! Interestingly, (or not – you be the judge), my Top 5 are quite different from my “most liked” posts on Instagram, otherwise known as #topnine2018. The Fringe dress is the one crossover, but everything else is different and I didn’t even blog about the floor cushion. I will say that all the Instagram favourites were also on my “Top Hits” list for this post, but I think perhaps my criteria were slightly different, as I was looking for things I really wore a lot rather than a wow piece like the Deer and Doe Magnolia dress, which was a great success, but has limited use in my day-to-day life. Or maybe I am deluded about what suits me, haha! Either way, I just thought it was kind of funny. These are the garments in my Top Nine most like posts, in case you’d like further details:

1. Deer and Doe Magnolia dress
2. Closet Case Patterns Kalle crop top
3. Scrap-busting floor cushion
4. In the Folds/Peppermint magazine free jumpsuit
5. Colette Wren dress
6. Chalk and Notch Fringe dress
7. Helen’s Closet Suki Kimono
8. Same as 7.
9. We are Knitters Dill tee

Stay tuned for my much more fun Top 5 fails sometime next week! 🙂