so i’m a little behind in my year end post… i blame this horrid cold/cough/sinus infection i’ve been battling for the past… forever. christmas day saw me curled up on the couch with Nathan cooking me christmas dinner. hey, it’s not a holiday around here unless i’m sick! sigh… i’m finally getting better (yay!) however, most of the sewing i wanted to squeeze in while Oliver had his siblings home to entertain him just hasn’t happened. grrrrrr!
sewing-wise, 2013 was a pretty good year for me. i made a concerted effort to sew everyday wearable pieces and my efforts paid off tremendously. i worried that blogging about these non-flashy, non-excitement inducing pieces would be a complete snooze fest to the average reader. however, i have been pleasantly surprised to discover that a whole bunch of readers not only share my interests, but also let me know that they find it inspiring. i had no idea this would be the case. in fact, my readership grew at a faster pace than ever, so i guess finding my niche was a good thing. warm fuzzies for all!
i’m just going to do my top 5 hits… so hard to narrow down, but here goes!
minoru jacket—i love this jacket so much… so much that i want to make another in a darker color so i can wear it with everything!
moss mini denim skirt—the moss skirt is a great basic to have in my wardrobe. i’ve used this pattern four times and it is so versatile.
chartreuse thurlows—you all know my love affair with the thurlow pattern, and these shorts are by far my favorite and the most worn. i had no idea they would go with so much in my closet, but they do!
chambray archer—i don’t know how i ever got dressed without this archer. chambray is so awesome! i frequently wear it with my poorly fitting leggings (mmmm so need to make more leggings with a better pattern…), and it always looks great with my patterned skirts, or even tied at the waist over dresses… basically i super love this shirt.
silk blouses—okay, i’m cheating here, but i made these tops at almost the same time, and i love them both. they are comfy, dressy, casual, and generally awesome. must have more!
honorary mention…
hemlock tee—this is probably my most reached for knit top these days. it’s drapey, it has long-but-i-can-still-wash-dishes sleeves, stripes, and so on. i needs to have moar.
i chose these as my top makes because i wear them the most. i also made several dresses this year that fit into my everyday wardrobe, but these are my staples! also, i didn’t include sewing i did for others, because then my list would have been much longer! 🙂
so how about some stats? if you check out my 2013 page (which i’m not done adding to yet…) i have
62 garments/items (some posts have more than one piece)
2 yet to blog
13 not blogged
which gives me a grand total of 77 sewn items.
i’d say that’s a pretty good year. the unblogged things almost always end up on instagram and include a few kid tees, kid pj pants, and the like. i really love instagram for those in-progress shots, unexciting FO’s, and just daily life. in case my blog mis-represents me, i think that gives a better sense of my life. i’ve read enough “i’m really not perfect, i just make it look that way” blog posts to make me think that readers appreciate a real look into life. in that vain vein, i also joined up on twitter. oh hell, i swore i never would, but i finally caved. i’m still working out what my name should be, but as it stands i’m using @lisagnotes. i haven’t set up my page, it’s just a big ‘ol blank, but i’m sure i’ll be addicted in no time!
thanks so much for reading my little corner of teh interwebs, and happy (belated) 2014 to all!
—lisa g.
Wow 77!
So fun to see what you chose as your winners this year!
77 — that’s impressive. Great choices for your top 5. They all look totally RTW! I started a twitter account awhile back. Just can’t get into it…
I am super impressed. I think I only managed 22 items for myself plus about 10-15 kids’ things and gifts! Love those chartreuse shorts.
Oh I really love your Top Five! I want those chartreuse shorts AND that Minoru – guess I will just have to make my own 😉 Also, I totally agree w/ you about how instagram is awesome for the “real life” aspect of things! I feel like it takes the pressure off to blog about every single thing when you can just instagram it! And you get to see everyone in the “real world” – love it! 🙂
This is my favorite Top 5 roundup! I love them all. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 I totally forgot about making up the Thurlows as shorts… I NEED to do this for summer this year,
Oh wow! 77 items! Impressive… The Thurlows as shorts look amazing… Your top 5 are most excellent. They all look fantastic!
77 is amazing! I love your top 5, especially the thurlow as shorts, really cute! That pattern will definitely be on my list for the spring.
I’ve really enjoyed finding your blog this year, we seem to have similar taste in things we make- thought I can get the Moss Mini to work for, and am too scared to try Thurlows! Weird, but yoiu give me confidence it can be done! keep up the great sewing 🙂
thanks! and don’t be scared of the thurlows… it’s a very good “first pair of pants” pattern!
You have been a big inspiration to me this year, since I also discovered last year that I only want to make things I can wear all the time – and I’ve been living vicariously through you a bit since I didn’t get as much sewn this year as I wanted. I would much rather see posts about quick, practical garments than couture multi-month dresses that will be worn once! And yet, so many of your practical makes are also full of RTW details perfectly executed. You’re the master of the easy-hard garment!
i love your comment, thanks! hopefully you can get more sew time in 🙂
77 items?!?! Holy cow!!! I’m so impressed
Ack! Somehow hit enter too early! Anyway, I’m really impressed, both by your output and by the quality of your garments. You made some really great things this year– I LOVE those chartreuse shorts and your Minoru is perfect! Can’t wait to see what you make this year!
thank you!
77 is seriously impressive. And I’m always so impressed by the quality of your work. Looking forward to seeing what you make this year!
Your items seem impeccably made, I am a new follower but look forward to seeing what you make in 2014 🙂
thanks so much! 🙂
I cannot believe you have sewn so extensively with all of the responsibilities of parenting 4 kids. Amazing.
i had no idea it was that much until i added it all up!
You’ve had an absolutely brilliant year! and all your favourites are just gorgeous; beautifully made and very stylish. Here’s to a terrific 2014!
thank you!