A Crazy Gypsy year in review

I am ashamed to say that yesterday someone actually had to tell me that tomorrow (today) is New Years Eve. I am not a NYE party animal, in fact, I only have some very very vague plans in place involving seeing a friend. Activities are currently non-existent.

But what a year has it been! In terms of everything! And so, I thought a year in review was in order, for life lesson's sake.

After trawling through my blog and photos, I actually realise that I have made more than 12 successful garments this year - much more than I than I thought I had made!

Descriptions below, starting top left and finishing bottom right.

It all started with the Summer Picnic Dress - an ambitious project given my skills - it was drafted from existing garments and Frankensteined together, made on the bias and with no zipper. I love it, but it is a pain to wriggle in and out of.

A winter favourite was my teal merino dress - whipped together with my overlocker (who hates me, by the way), I love wearing it with a red cardigan. It makes me feel bright and cheery in that colour combo.

I saved a dress that I thought was dull into a gorgeous one with the help of three little buttons. And it has pockets!! I wear this dress plenty now that Summer's here, and I want to make another from the pattern soon.

I still haven't managed to get photos of the black one with poppies printed on! It's a sundress, and every time my photographer is available, it rains. And when he's working, like today, the sun shines. And a sundress needs sunny photos, no?

My favourite pattern of the year was Butterick 6855, first stitched up in some aqua, swirly quilting cotton for the Wellington Bloggers meet-up. I think I have a TNT pattern in here - I have made a second dress (much to Dada Gypsy's confusion - "why would you want two?"), but again, no photos due to the darned above conundrum. I may be presenting you with some awful self timer photos soon, my backlog of unblogged garments is growing exponentially.

I MADE PANTS!! Seriously, I am proud of these, even if the shine has worn off them, and I can see where I went wrong. Given that at the end of 2011 I tried making pants (thinking it would be easy) and failed, these are something for me to be proud of.

I also made a blazer! It was a challenge, and I really ought to have interfaced the loosely woven fabric first, but I made a blazer! It gets worn often, and I love that I lined it in silk. It feels luxurious and warm.

2012 was most certainly the year of the half circle skirt. I think I have found my TNT skirt pattern in this style, and I made 3 skirts - a blue, a white lace, and a green - and one UFO dress with a half circle. It's official, I am in love.

And I cannot forget my day of sweatshop sewing. That red top, and two otheres, made me see that sewing isn't terrifying. I credit this day with my confidence in sewing. Suddenly, the fear left, and I saw that making a garment wasn't as terrifying as I had made it for myself as a beginner. I mean, seriously, what drove me to make that Summer Picnic Dress with so little experience? I should have started with tops a. long. time. ago.

I saved another UFO - my Houndstooth skirt, although it is, sadly, the least worn of my successful projects. Something to do with not owning any tops that go well with it. This lack of top-partner is a problem of many of my skirts, and something I ought to rectify in 2013.

The failures - Summer Spark, two sacks, and a nearly beret.

I also had some slip ups along the way. My Summer Spark dress, for instance, is still unfinished. I made a few sacks. But I learned from those mistakes, and I think that I've come a really long way in what has been an interesting year.

Here's to 2013 and wherever it shall take us! I am looking forward to it!