2021 Year End Review

I thought I’d finish out the year with a little roundup of everything I made this year. I made quite a bit this last year, especially considering I was out of commission for so long with my ankle injury. Tomorrow is my one year mark from my ankle fracture which really disrupted and changed my goals this year! I blogged about 21 makes and sewed up quite a few more, probably 35 pieces altogether. Just in the last week post Christmas I’ve made another 4 pieces which are all nearing completion.

Here’s my makes from this past year:

2021 Makes| 1-7

• 1940’s Haslam Skirt with Thorn Embroidery with Cream Tank (unblogged) (pocket embroidery pattern in Etsy Shop)
• Simplicity 5688 with Floral Embroidery and Turtleneck (pocket embroidery pattern in Etsy Shop)
• Yarn Dyed Stripe Self Drafted Pants
• Halloween Black Widow Two Tone Leggings
• Rib Knit Cream 3/4 Sleeve Top
• Floral Matching Two Piece Set
• Haslam Floral 1930’s Slip

The first two images show my new skirts with my Embroidery pattern designs (both available in my Etsy Shop) that I just love! I wore the cream skirt last week with a white tee. It’s so easy to wear and comfy. I wore the Floral embroidered look on Thanksgiving and love the whole look.

My yarn dyed pants are my most worn make of the year. I wear these all the time! The fabric is so soft and drapey and I love a good stripe.

I just fixed up my Black Widow leggings yesterday. I hadn’t finished the hem when I wore them on Halloween and they needed to be thinned out a bit since they were a bit too loose. Next up is my cream rib tee, which I actually haven’t worn much because it’s been so warm this fall and winter. But I do like the cut of this tee and the wide hem band.

My matching floral look is a real fav. I wear the skirt quite a bit with a navy tee. It’s nice and light and comfy. The tank has also just been fixed. It was cut a bit too large so I took it in at center back and will get a ton of wear from it in the spring. I’m trying to keep this make in good shape as I’m planning on bringing this make on our Greece trip to mix and match.

Last up is one of my favorite makes of the year- my yellow floral Haslam slip! I was so pleasantly surprised by this make. It was meant to be a muslin but I wore this so much during the spring. I need a few more! Simple to throw on and look good. Plus I was so happy to find a yellow that looks nice on me. It’s a color I’ve never worn before.

2021 Makes| 8-17

• 1950’s Seahorse Embroidered Beach Jacket McCall’s 1524
• Vintage Beach Set, V5257 and M6634
• Swiss Dot Blouse V2 + V1
• Madeira One Seam Tank
• Entredeux Linen Blouse
• McCall’s 2481 80’s Stripe Dress
• Lac Dyed Wrap Skirt
• McCall 6634 Blouse
• Simplicity 5688 Jumpsuit (Unblogged from MMM)

The first two looks got me back into my embroidery practice. I worked on the seahorse embroidery on this vintage Beach Jacket while recovering from my fracture before I could walk. This jacket kept me sane when I was pretty much bedridden those first few weeks. I even worked on a Pusheen cross stitch my daughter had gotten last Christmas that she brought to the hospital for me to keep busy. These looks aren’t very practical but were such fun to work on. I did wear the shorts pretty regularly over the summer.

The Swiss Dot Blouse was originally made with my ASG group last fall and I updated it this Spring to make it a bit more wearable. It was really pretty with the billowing sleeves but a bit too dramatic for my lifestyle. Next up are my two lace insertion tanks. I did a presentation on Lace Insertion techniques using the sewing machine for my ASG group over Zoom and made these up as samples. I love these techniques and will definitely revisit these next spring. Both of these patterns are self drafted and I love the seam lines.

Next are two fails- My Lac skirt and 80’s Stripe Dress. The skirt just doesn’t work with my color palette and I just don’t love it. I love the color though. Something about the fabric I used makes it look a bit too hippie for my style. The dress was pretty- but just not me.

This yellow blouse on the other hand was a huge hit for Spring. It looks a bit weird if untied- A bit too boxy- but tied up is really cute. This is made in the same fabric as my slip and I just love the curved gathered arm seam.

And last a really fun make- Simplicity 5688 Jumpsuit in a pink floral. This is a 70’s pattern that my mom made in a yellow ditzy print back in the day that I still have and wear. I don’t know how much I’ll wear this unless I make the matching skirt to wear with it but it was so fun to make up!

2021 Makes| 18-21

• Orange Poppies Tank
• Cactus Sandhill Sling
• Railroad Denim Trouser
• French Twill Button Tab Pant

Here are my makes from the beginning of last year. I love my orange poppies. This was a simple v-neck tank I made up with a gathered back yoke. I bought more of this fabric and can’t wait to make something else in this gorgeous print!

Next is my sandhill sling. I followed Noodlehead sew along to make this up and love how it turned out. I love her bag patterns. I’m definitely a beginner at bag making but her patterns make it easy.

Next are my Railroad Denim Trousers that I had made right after Christmas last year. I just redid these- I must have lost a lot of weight since then since I had to remove about 2″ at the waist. I also fixed my belt tabs and added buttonholes and little orange buttons which are so cute! I’ll blog this make again to show the repairs. These are so fab now! Last one of my most worn pants of the year- my French Twill Button Tab Pants. These are really simple but the buttons make them special. This is one of my favorite fabrics to work with. I’m actually planning on dyeing some of this yardage later today.

Looking Back….

I made a ton of Vintage looks, spanning from the 20’s to the 70’s. I’ve been loving experimenting with drafting up vintage 40’s Haslam designs as well as quite a few Vintage McCall and Vogue patterns. My injury made me slow down and reevaluate my goals. I had been contemplating going back to school for patternmaking since I love drafting but was having a hard time with Covid finding any programs that would work well for me and my family. Slowing down and not being able to use my machines for a few months reinvigorated my love of embroidery. I hadn’t done much since having children other than a few embroidered pockets on my makes. I’ve been embroidering since I was a teenager and through college but really saw no real life application use of that skill.

Having to step back and slow down really inspired my embroidery practice. I started with some Vintage embroidery patterns and then started designing my own. I spent a few months learning graphic design programs focusing on Adobe Illustrator and Indesign and upping my photoshop skills that I used working for my sister as a photo retoucher. Starting a new business involves so much more than just designing lovely patterns. Writing instructions, illustrating my stitches, and sampling is so time consuming, but I enjoy every minute of it! Head over to Etsy to view my patterns- Everything is 20% off in my shop until January First.

Hope you’re all enjoying some time with Family and friends as 2021 comes to a close. My kiddos are off for the rest of this week and then I’ll be back to work designing more embroidery patterns for my shop. Enjoy the Season and have a wonderful and happy New Year!

Happy Sewing!