Clothing Hacker

Top 5 of 2021

Top 5 Hits

1. Summer Dawn, specifically the short tie dye one.
   
   
   


2. Desmond Backpack (unblogged) I made this as a gift for a friend and I really love how it turned out.  The pattern is very well made and can be found here on the Taylor Tailor website and there are also some kits.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Rebecca Page Laura (unblogged) I will be blogging about these makes soon.  I have the post mostly written and just haven't taken the time to clean it up and add photos yet.  But I have really liked the two Lauras I made from rayon challis.
   
   
   

   

   
   
4. Sew Liberated Strata (unblogged) AND
5. Linen Helen's Closet Arden pants (unblogged)I really love this combo and I wore it as often as I could get away with while the weather was warm enough.  
   
   

   

   
   

Top 5 Misses 

1. Jennifer Lauren Bastion Culottes I tested the new expanded sizing for these and I am not fond of the style on me.  The pattern itself is great, but I just don't feel comfortable wearing them because of my large belly.  Looking at the photos, they don't look bad at all, but I have to constantly fiddle with them and I just feel uncomfortable wearing them because of that.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Fehr Trade Surf to Summit. I wanted a rash guard to take on my Mexico trip, so I decided to try the Surf to Summit top that I purchased forever ago when it came out, but haven't made it yet.  I don't hate this top, but it just didn't turn out very well, especially in the collar area, which is right front and center.  I think it was more me than the pattern, so I'm willing to give it another go at some point.  
   
   
   
   
   
3. Rebecca Page Summer Maxi Dress I really don't even know what's going on with this dress.  It just looks and feels frumpy.  It's a pullover dress that probably shouldn't be because the style would look nicer without the ease needed to be able to pull it on.  At some point I might mess with it to improve it.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Rad First Crush tankini top. I couldn't seem to figure out how to make this top come together because the instructions are difficult to understand.  I posted a question and a couple photos to the Rad Patterns facebook page begging for help to no avail.  So, this top went into the scrap pile and I think I will avoid Rad Patterns from now on...
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Smurf outfit I have a pair of yoga pants from Old Navy that I love and they have started to develop little holes.  So I've been looking for a good pattern to try to replace them.  The Designer Stitch Shakti pants have the look I'm after.  I made the size indicated by my measurements, but they are WAAAAY too big.  Plus I think maybe the fabric didn't have enough lycra in it to provide the recovery needed, so they fall off of me.  I also made the Made for Mermaids Rory Raglan from the same fabric and using the curved hem with the kangaroo pocket looks odd and overall the color made my husband tell me I looked like a Smurf. I will give the pants another go, but I'm not sure about the top yet.
   
   
   
   
   

Top 5 Highlights

1. New Aquarium My husband's quarantine hobby was researching and putting together a 75 gallon aquarium.  I get the pleasure of enjoying it with little to no work involved.  Now we have 2 5.5 gallon quarantine tanks for treating sick fish and we are planning a second 75 gallon tank on the other wall.  I'm working on getting some fish themed art for the walls.
   
   
   
   
   
2. I finished a quilt!  My dance instructor and his wife, who is also an instructor at our studio, were expecting their first baby in May.  So I made a quilt.  I used the spinning star block from Connie Kresin then added a yellow border around each block.  I decided to use the 3" version of the block as the cornerstones and I really love that.  I embroidered a square around each of the 3" blocks to mirror the larger blocks.  And I used my Brother PE770 to create a label for the back.   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Cancun trip (Playa del Carmen) I went to Cancun with a friend and a large group of her friends that I didn't know prior to the trip.  It was my first time to Mexico and I had so much fun, even if it was during the middle of a global pandemic.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Thanksgiving with family.  We went to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with my husband's family.  It was great to spend time with family and relax. 
   


5. Christmas in Idaho. We drove to Idaho to meet my daughter's partner's family and crash their Christmas.  I was so nervous beforehand because meeting people is always tough for me, but they made us feel very at home and I had a fantastic time.  It snowed a ton and then we drove home in a snowstorm.

Top 5 Goals