Review of 2021 knitting and sewing and thoughts for 2022

For reference, I wrote about my knitting and sewing plans for 2021 here - a few of them actually happened!  

I'll start off with last year's knitting - won't take long as I didn't knit much at all - the mojo left me and despite being in the middle of winter it hasn't really returned (although as I write, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the temperature feels more like March than what I would expect in January).  I'm currently knitting a cardigan which I started in February last year and abandoned probably in March / April, but I'm more than half way through the body and I think I'll wear it when it's finished so I'm going to persevere!

The two things I did finish were a cardigan and a tea cosy.

I was more productive on the sewing front, making a McCalls 7948 in January, but then nothing more  until the Easter weekend.

I sorted out some fabric / pattern matches at the time, and of the nine patterns I've made up six of them, although not all with the initially paired fabrics.  I also cut out and tacked together a seventh (New Look 6352) but abandoned it and turned the fabric into a McCalls 7948 instead because the style turned out to be completely wrong for my body shape.  I could have faffed about and put some long darts in the back to take out all the excess fabric at the waist, but given that it was billed as an 'easy one hour' pattern that was my expectation, and I couldn't be bothered.

So then I made an Anna Allen Demeter top, which I made as a fitting toile before embarking on the dress.  Over the course of the year I then made six sleeveless versions, all in linen. 

I've been on a bit of a linen trip actually, because I also made another five patterns up in it.

Me Made May pushed me to make another McCalls 7969, alter a dress I'd made seven years ago which no longer fitted, and make a Tessuti patterns Lisa and the first of four Peppermint Bardon dresses.

I also made a ByHandLondon Hannah, a Wiksten Shift dress, two more McCalls 7948, a vintage Simplicity 5921 and a Style Arc Montana midi.

For 2022

I've decided to just go with the flow this year - no plans, just knit and sew what I feel like at the time.  I don't intend to buy any yarn or fabric, but make use of what I've already got.  It remains to be seen whether that happens...

Rose pink linen Montana

This is a Style Arc Montana dress, made in rose linen from Fabric Godmother which I started sewing in August and finished in September.

I tried the bodice on before I attached the skirt and it looked OK, but once I'd finished the dress the armholes didn't have much leeway in them, so I cut triangular gussets on the bias, unpicked the side seam and inserted them by hand.  It was a bit of a faff, because I'd completely finished the dress (all seams overlocked), but definitely worth it because it's improved the fit significantly.  I do like this pattern, so I'll modify the armholes before I make it again.

And finally!...Now I'm all caught up with this year's knitting and sewing. 

Two more McCalls 7948 dresses

These are both the same, the first is made with fabric I bought a few years ago (I think it's a Kaffe Fassett-designed print?) I love the colours in it.

And the second is fabric which I think I bought last year, or possibly in 2019, with the intention of making it up in a 1930s / 1940s pattern, but it's quilting cotton (as is the blue chrysanths fabric) and I decided it probably wouldn't hang properly - not enough drape - so it's become this.

For both of these I modified the bodice which is now a mish-mash of sizes from 8 (armholes) to 14 (shoulders).  I also lowered the neckline and adjusted the seam allowances at the armholes and neck for bias binding rather than facing.  I may have done this for the blue and yellow striped version as well, I can't remember now!  Both of these dresses also have Bardon pockets and the skirt is 6" longer than the given pattern pieces.

Purple gingham vintage Simplicity 5921

This dress is a wearable toile - I'm going to make another version of this with shorter skirt, deeper frill and long sleeves (possibly more than one version...), but I wanted to get the yoke and armhole fit right before making one with sleeves.  I bought this gingham in John Lewis originally intending to made a shirtdress with it but never did, so it's turned into this.

This pattern was published in 1983, but there are several similar contemporary patterns - what goes around comes around!

Blue and yellow striped McCalls 7948

This started out in June as a New Look 6352, however when I tacked the sides and shoulders together for a quick try-on it was obvious that I'm not the right shape for this pattern.  The armhole shape needed changing and darting, and so did the back of the dress, there was a lot of spare fabric just being there looking surplus.  I couldn't be bothered with all this, the pattern envelope does say the dress can be made in an hour, so I already had expectations!  Fortunately I had more of this fabric and in July I came back to it and changed it.

I cut two rectangular skirt pieces from the dress I'd already cut out, a McCalls 7948 bodice (using modifications I'd previously made to this pattern), Demeter pockets and additional pieces of fabric to piece into the side of the skirt.  With the remaining fabric I cut a frill, so all in all I used the full 3.2m of this quilting cotton, which I'd had in my fabric stash for a good few years.

I do like the end result, I just wish it had only taken an hour! 

Powder pink linen Wiksten Shift dress

This is a Wiksten Shift dress which I finished at the end of June.  The length is midway between the short and long dress versions (short dress + 12cm).

I didn't cut a waist tie, but I did add inseam pockets rather than use the patch pockets that came with the pattern (I used Bardon pockets because they were to hand).  I've actually placed them a bit low, but they're useable, so I'm not going to move them!  Made with Powder Pink linen from LinenOholic - I love this colour.

This took 2.3m and is very easy to wear, either on its own, or with a long sleeved t-shirt and leggings underneath in cooler weather.

Gingham Hannah

My next dress is a Hannah, from By Hand London.  I liked this when they first issued it, but at that time they had stopped producing paper patterns and it was only available as a pdf.  Fast forward to this year when they made a paper version - yay!

This is made from cotton gingham from Minerva, which I bought last year.

The bodice should really cross the other way, but that is my fault for misreading the pattern instructions.  I also made the waist ties with a narrower hem than the pattern gives, so they are a bit wider.

I really like this and will definitely make it again, although possible a bit longer.