2013 Superlatives

MOST WORN

Me: This simple tee made from a pattern created by tracing another tee that I love.  Sometimes it's the simplest things that turn out the best and are loved the most.

O: This quilted coat (made from the Make It Perfect Uptown Girl pattern) got a ton of use throughout the fall and into the early winter (until it got too cold to keep her sufficiently warm).  I realize that it's white and seems totally impractical for a children's coat, but it's fully machine washable and dryable so it was actually super-easy to keep clean.  Definitely a win with this one.

LEAST WORN

Me: Without a doubt, these culottes.  In fact, I never wore them out of the house due to the static cling issue that could not be done away with.  This project was not a total lost cause though, because it helped me resolve some fit issues for my second version of the Tania Culottes that I made shortly after finishing these.  That's right - I made a second pair, only this time in (static free!) rayon challis and I love them.  And yet I never got around to blogging about them.  Oops.

O: Sadly, O's least worn item was the Scirocco dress.  I am in love with the design of this dress but I ended up choosing to make a size that was on the small side and unfortunately she quickly grew out of it.  Fortunately, I happen to have two little girls and I can't wait for the day when it fits C.

FAVORITE PATTERN

Me: My favorite patterns this year have a lot to do with patterns that pushed me beyond my comfort zone and allowed me to make things that I never thought that I could make - like shorts!  The Maritime Shorts pattern definitely held my hand when it came to installing my first fly zipper and it re-ignited my long lost love of shorts.  It's definitely a winner in my book.

Kids: Along those same lines, I always thought that sewing a bathing suit would be way beyond my skill level but the Waikiki Bathing Suit(affiliate link) from Peekaboo Patterns came together super-easy.  So easy in fact that I sewed four this year.  The first two were made from vintage fabric and they came out super-cute but apparently there's a downside to using vintage fabrics, because the fabric definitely didn't hold up very well and the suits kind of looked like crap by the end of our trip to Hawaii.  In the summer I made two new suits with fabric from Girl Charlee and they are holding up perfectly.  And it still makes me smile every time I see the girls in them.

FAVORITE QUILT KNIT

I didn't make any quilts this year (although I did make lots of blocks as part of my Do Good Stitches sewing group), so let's just start a new category this year - favorite knit.  And considering that I only knit one thing this year, the sweater that I knit for O is a clear winner.  I really do love this sweater though, and I happen to think it would be a winner even if it did have some competition.

ALL-TIME FAVORITE FINISHED OBJECT FOR 2013

Definitely the bike jersey that I made for Ben.  I rarely sew for the guy but when I do, I'm always pleasantly surprised at how the projects turn out.  This jersey has gotten a ton wear (I even got to wear it on a couple bike trips) and I'm happy to report that it's holding up great.  Ben has been requesting more handmade items and I just so happened to surprise him on Christmas with another  jersey made from the leftover fabric from this project.  

A close runner-up though is this Saltspring dress made out of gorgeous Valori Wells voile.  There is nothing that I don't love about this dress.  Should the bike jersey not be able to fulfill it's duties as the all-time favorite finished object, the Saltspring dress will gladly take its place as the first runner up. 

Now what's on your list for 2013?

PS - 2012 Superlatives can be found here.