And now onto the failures for 2018. The good news (for me) is that there weren’t that many – and I checked back through my photo album to see if there were any total wadders I hadn’t posted about – but, nope, I seem to have committed just about everything to online posterity. I will admit there are a few more garments in addition to these five that are in the purgatory stage of wardrobe assessment: I like them (or some aspects of them), but I haven’t worn them. I’m still trying to work out why and I suspect I’m in denial about some of them (i.e. they just don’t look that great), but they may well become outright fails too, in the near future.

Anyway – without further ado:

Colette Penny dress

 

Like many other sewists, I was majorly in love with the model picture where Colette made this dress with THAT peach floral lawn. You know the one right? I actually bought some of it from Fabric Godmother last year and have plans for it this year. It looked amazing!!

However, I made the mistake of using a completely different seersucker fabric which was conceptually an amazing match, but sadly proved to be too stiff for this dress. I also encountered issues with the armhole being drafted much too low for me (this was the final armhole nail in the coffin for winging Seamwork patterns for me. From this point I have checked ALL armhole pattern pieces against ones I know fit me well before making. The new block just doesn’t work for me here.) and the sash being… just a bit weird. It might not have been so weird in a drapier fabric, admittedly.

BHL Rumana coat

I made this for #sewmystyle and it was my first “proper” lined coat. There was a bit of a palaver about the instructions – they were a little lacking for anyone who wasn’t already versed in the art of coatmaking – but I don’t usually get too bothered about those kinds of things and hit YouTube for some tutorial help. The three problems with this coat are that 1) it’s a tad too small for me unfortunately, 2) because of that I’ve never gotten around to finishing the vent properly and cleaning it up, so I really haven’t worn it, and 3) I think it’s a little too “formal” for my lifestyle. I simply don’t have many suitable occasions to wear it.

Nevertheless, this coat was meant as an experimental piece/wearable muslin and so I didn’t use any sort of expensive coat fabric for it (thank goodness). I learnt a lot making it and I’m glad I did so. There are tons of beautiful examples around, so maybe it will work for you!

Closet Case Patterns Ginger jeans

I know, right? Bet you didn’t expect to see the (deservedly) famous Ginger jeans in this list. Buuuttt… the truth is that the low-rise version I made of the original Gingers just isn’t the right fit for me. I love the Cone Mills denim I used and I was pleased with the topstitching/construction. I had a couple of issues with the legs as I wrote up in my original post, but all of my own making. I also put on a bit of weight in the second half of the year which has made the fit even more off. Yadda yadda yadda. Just one of those not-quite-right makes. I’m going to try a different jeans pattern this year for a comparison make and I already have the Megan Nielsen Ash pattern. I quite like the idea of the four different leg styles ready and waiting for a good body fit.

Seamwork Kristin and Heidi

This is a fail because I don’t see myself wearing these very often. Firstly, the shorts are too small for me as per the above mention of last 6 months of eating and not training for a triathlon. The top is unusual and I’m not convinced it does my figure any favours. To be fair though, I made this set because I was thought it was interesting first and foremost, and not necessarily because I thought it was my dream wardrobe outfit. I don’t know if that makes me a wastrel in some people’s eyes, but part of my sewing journey includes making garments to try out new shapes and techniques. I’m the sort of person that likes to know and try things – and this was one of those makes. So it’s only a semi-fail.

Vogue 1395

I really liked the dress on the pattern cover, but I must admit something did make me a little doubtful it would suit me well, although I couldn’t tell you exactly what. I was brave and used this red double gauze that I love, but the fit is off. Of course it looks ok in some carefully-selected pics, but not in others.

As always with Big 4 patterns, I carefully look at reviews on patternreview and try to take some advice from other sewists, but even so, the sizing was off and the shoulders way too wide. I got lots of very useful suggestions as to how to remedy my slippy shoulders issue and I will definitely try some of them out when the warmer weather approaches again, as I really like the fabric.

So there we are – my top 5 fails for 2018. I’ll combine the rest of my 2018 ruminations in one last email soon, but for now – Happy New Year and hope you had a great Christmas!