Top 5 Hits 2015

It's this time of year again! Top 5 is the brainchild of Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow and it's purpose is a look back at our sewing achievements this year. I'm going to start with what I consider my best makes of 2015 to be. Apologies in advance as I could only narrow it down to 9. I'm so proud of all of these makes. 

I'm going from the start of the year chronologically. Watch how much my face changes pre-op and post-op! This 'Joseph Skirt' was a fairly simple make. It's just a basic skirt, but I am pretty proud of the construction in this make. It was lined, and I really made an effort with stripe matching etc. It's been worn many many times this year, probably because as it has every colour in it, it goes with everything! It was a little big to start with, but that actually turned out pretty well because I like to wear it in winter with fairly thick jumpers which you need a bit more ease for.

As with last year, the rest of my favourite makes are from May onwards. My 'Leavers Ball Dress' was an obvious contender. I definitely 'skilled up' for this make. The bodice was the first thing I've draped and I really love the design. There was so much thinking and planning involved working out how I wanted to stripes to look on the bodice, whether I wanted pleats in the skirt to match with the bodice etc. It was probably the most time I'd ever spent on a personal project with draping the bodice and making all of the flowers which is an achievement in itself. It's not perfect, and I wish the finishing on the inside was better but I love the finished garment and can't wait to wear it again.

Next up is another garment made from silk! (What can I say, I've really spoiled myself this year). I had to include my 'Culotte Jumpsuit' because it makes me feel so damn fabulous when I wear it. Enough said.

'My First Quilt' had to make it here because I'd never made anything like it before on that kind of scale. It was really nice to pop upstairs and join a couple of squares together in between revision. It made my uni room look instantly like home. I loved that I could put a penguin, dinosaur, moose and elephant in each corner. It's definitely not perfect, but I love it to bits.

Next up is my 'Whose line is it anyway' top. I love the design of this top, I love the fabric, I love the fit. I just love everything about this top. Because I live in England and it's definitely a top for summer it didn't get a lot of wear, but I'm holding out for a heatwave next year.

I added my 'Sashiko Francoise' to the list because I think it's the biggest transformation I've accomplished from raw materials to a garment. A tablecloth was dyed blue, hours were spent stitching a design onto the fabric, then the whole sewing process of cutting, fitting and sewing together started. There were a lot of processes involved in the make and I love how it turned out.

And now we've come to the 3rd and final silk garment of this roundup. In this 'Silk dress with tuck details' I especially love how luxurious it is. I've worn it to a special occasion and for standard days at uni. I want to get as much wear out of this dress as possible because I love the design, fabric and fit of it. It makes me happy to wear and so why shouldn't I wear it as much as possible.

My second pair of Ginger Jeans are my last hit of the year. Now I'm not in a suit 5 days a week my lifestyle has become a lot more casual and these jeans suit it perfectly. They aren't perfect but I'm getting there!

My 'hits' for this year have been a nice mix of vintage patterns, indie patterns and self drafted patterns which I think is great. I've definitely tried to make an effort with finishing the insides in a nicer way this year and on the whole I think I've achieved that. I'm still not 100% done figuring out my personal style, but all of the above photos are very me, which is a good start!

Thanks for reading,

Lauren xx