The sincerest form of flattery

A few weeks ago a coworker said about this dress, "Great color!"  Today, I saw her wearing this dress.  You can also get one, it's on sale for 30% off full price at J. Crew.  No, I did not gloat!  I praised her on her good taste.  After all, I was wearing my dress too today.  We were dress twins.

A little retrospective

All the sewing recaps that I've seen in blogland have made me think a little bit about my sewing (and blogging.)  My blogging has really dropped off in the last year or two, as has my sewing.  I don't feel that same desperate, "I need this right now" that I used to feel when I first started sewing. I don't have a lot of clothes, but am pretty happy with what I have.  I am OK with a project taking a few weeks, and (shockingly) have picked up a bit of a muslin habit.  Almost everything I've sewn, I've worn regularly.  I've worn this pair of wool doubleknit pants to death.  I mean, it would be obscene if I didn't wear black underwear when I wear these pants.  That's what I mean when I've Worn Them To Death.

Black skinnies in doubleknit wool.  They go with everything.

There are several things I've sewn that I have never worn or only worn once or twice.  Some have not made it to this blog (and I want to get better at recording what I sew, but time is always escaping me!)  I think that sewing is now more about the process, and I've really slowed down for quality rather than rushing through.

I really enjoyed making this Vivienne Westwood inspired vest, but never wore it aside from the blog post.  I have, however, worn the jeans in the photo so much that I didn't realize that they had once been so dark.  It may be time to make a new pair!

Not sure why I am making this face.  I really like this top and wish I could find a reason to wear it!

On the flip side, I hated sewing this and I hate wearing it.  Why did it have to photograph so well?  It looks great, but is so uncomfortable to wear because there is no stretch and I cut it slightly off grain.  So it doesn't move at all with you, and kind of twists around you as you're wearing it.  Double negative, as far as I'm concerned.  After one wear, the seams are ripping the fabric apart and I just admire it hanging in my closet.  I can't tell whether I admire the fabric, my stubborn will to finish such a fussy project, or the want for this to have worked out.

These top tops may have been flops for me.  But while I've learned that it's fun to sew unique items, I get the most wear out of serial projects.  Over the last year I've finessed my button down shirt pattern until it fits just as I want it to, and am on the lookout for a new pant pattern that will work.  While I thought that the skinnies (see the black pair above) would be my forever go-to, I've learned that it requires a very stretchy fabric to work.   I made this pair of turquoise pants from the same pattern and only wore them a handful of times because the fabric was too unforgiving to wear in such a narrow cut.

Right now I am working on another pair of black doubleknit pants (this pair is bootcut, but I am thinking to make another skinny pair before my favorites completely die), and after that will be a robe (by request) for Lee.  I'm not sure what else is on my docket for the year, sewingwise.  I probably need to sew some new basics, but who really wants to do that?  I bought a lot of dress weight cottons last summer, with the idea of making lots of sundresses (I think you know how that worked ou!) so maybe I will get on it this year...