Year End Review - Sewing Projects 2008

Happy New Year!

I'm full of hope for a prosperous new year and am grateful for the blessings of God. In November and December I thought about last year's resolution and wondered about how how of it was accomplished in 2008. Well, Lindsay's Year End Review was the first one of several reviews that I read on sewing goals and accomplishments. I was impressed by the testaments of my fellow bloggers and started to put together my own review. I borrowed bits and pieces on formatting from several posts to help me write my review.

My grade on achieving the goals set for 2008 is about C+ as I'm carrying several over into 2009.

*More Challenging Projects - The two most challenging projects were for clients - Vogue 1015 and Vogue 8355. I was pleased with the outcome of both, but at the same time recognized the flaws and areas where I need to refine and/or perfect my skills. Practice makes perfect. The rose belt was inspired by a dress/belt featured in Cadena magazine.



*Quantity over Quality - Hmmm ..., I sewed a lot considering, work and family. I think quality has improved. Last year I tried a few couture techniques and was pleased with the the look and affect of the new skills. I only accepted three commissions and a few alterations in 2008. For that I am pleased and proud of myself for learning how to say, "No, thank you."

I took a look at my Flickr photostream to count the number of garments made in 2008. To my surprised, I sewed 48 articles of clothing and accessories. Here's the breakdown:

Skirts = 1 + (1)
Pants = 8 + (5)
Tops and Blouses = 7
Jackets/Coats = 5
Gown = (1)
Accessories 3
Suits 1 + (1)
Dresses = 14 + (2)

() denotes articles sewn for someone other than myself

Make something from Leather - Researched the techniques and processes, but didn't try it yet.

New Specialized Sewing Machine - Researched - no purchase.

Refine Terms and Conditions for Clients - Written but still not finalized.

*Purchased More Reference Books - I purchased several craft book. Check.

*Organized - Working on it.

*UFO's - I only sewed three. The UFO's have increased by 20 percent. Grrrr!

* denotes On going goal.

Networking/Join Craft Organization
- I was fortunate to participate in two "Meet Up", one in Chicago and the other in Philly. But did not attend any conference or seminar. Still on the list. I did, however, become a member of ASG.

My Favorites 2008

Vogue Divine Details - 8355 Made for Ms. Paulette Bell. I was extremely pleased with the outcome of this suit. And so was Ms. PB.

New Look 6824 - My Birthday Dress. This dress was inspired by the 2008 Lace trend. Love it.

McCall's 5269 - This is a favorite too. The fit and style is just right for me.

McCall's 5466 - Can you tell I like satin. lol. After finishing Ms. PB suit, I didn't have much time to make a dress for myself. We attend the same church and were going to our Pastor's 31st Anniversary dinner. I missed it, stomach flu. But I wore my dress and matching jacket to two other occasions.

Most Worn in 2008

Dresses are my favorite; but because of my "occupation" I tend to wear pants more. All of the VC's Tech groups are in the basement of the administration building (Chicago campus). My group, in particular, gets to travel between the campuses for meeting and presentations. So I made several pairs of pants from V2812, M5710, and M5597 for comfort and ease of wear.

Least Liked 2008

New Look 6561 - This top just didn't work for me. The fit of the underarm, the position of the waist and elastic. I passed this on to my sister.

Simplicity 3673 - I didn't pass this dress on to anyone, and I do wear it to work. Its just not a favorite.

Well, that's it!

Happy Sewing! Enjoy life and learning!
Peace,
C