Top 5 of 2017: Misses

With all the hits you've already seen, there are bound to be some misses, unfortunately. These are my makes that just didn't quite turn out and that I am the most sad about, lol. 

5. Navy Linen Skirt Refashion - This is a bit of a stretch because it's not exactly a miss, but it definitely gets a bit of a sad trombone. I had great hopes for this skirt - it's a refashion and it's a beautiful linen/rayon fabric - but I hardly ever wear it. It's a lot of fabric to swish around at work, for one (also I close it in my car door when I sit down), plus as much as I like the buttons in general, I don't love them on this skirt. At least I don't love how I am limited as to what I can wear this with by the tan color of the buttons. I think they make the skirt feel more casual and beachy than the rest of my wardrobe. Writing this list actually made me think, "Well duh, why don't you just change the buttons?" Alas, I do not have any that are the right size. I'm hoping I can find some suitable ones at The Sewing Studio this year :) We'll see. Also I thought I was so slick using cheap polyester grosgrain ribbon inside the waistband because I had it on hand, but in reality it is very scratchy on my skin. So I should replace that as well with something softer. Basically I need to refashion my refashion, lol.

4. Red + Daisy Retro Boogie Shirts - These were both technically muslins, but realistically I go into most projects hoping I can wear the result unless I know it will be a hot mess so I make it out of a bed sheet, lol. I loved the style of this shirt, but it shows my religious garments even with me not scrunching the sides of the neckline :/ So this shirt is not wearable. The Daisy version was my next try and I widened the sides of the neck to compensate, but I actually went too far :/ Wouldn't you know? It feels a bit dorky to wear the daisy version, so I never do wear it. These had a happy ending that turned out to be one of my biggest hits this year, but I still wish these had worked out.

3. Hepburn Henley - This was just disappointing to have the fit turn out so badly after so much work. This was my first button placket ever, and I had issues understanding the instructions just from how they were formatted for one. My biggest beef is that I made the exact size that was recommended for my measurements and it turned out so huge in the neck that it was unwearable. I expect things to have a lot of ease in big 4 patterns, but this is an indie company so I was quite surprised - I've never had a sizing issue like this with an indie before. I still like the design of the shirt, but I was so bummed after making this that I was in no mood to pull out the big taped together pattern sheet and trace off all the pieces again in a smaller size. Maybe one day I'll muster up the gumption. I do occasionally wear this shirt because I was able to "refashion" around the neck, but it's not a great fix so this usually doesn't leave the house.

2. Copycat Wild Flower Top - This was another case of issues with an indie pattern company :/ I loved the design and I even had the same fabric used in the sample design, so I jumped in thinking it would be fine. My issue is I guess a personal preference, but I hate that they only gave a 3/8" seam allowance on areas that needed to be hemmed. That would be a nightmare no matter what fabric you picked if you are using a regular sewing machine (like me) with a twin needle, but this fabric made it a particular headache. The fabric wanted to roll, plus it's a thin sweater style knit (is this a hachi knit? I really don't know), so it likes to unravel. Also by the time I finally got the hem around the neckline to work, it was so wide that it exposes my bra unless I'm constantly fiddling with it. This was just really disappointing ESPECIALLY since I made this right after the disappointment of my #3 miss. I was not happy that weekend, that's for sure, lol.

1. Gray Melissa Skirt - This gets #1 mostly because of the disappointment level. I love this skirt in theory, but this was another case of bad fabric. The skirt fits great, but this fabric has zero recovery and bags out quickly when worn. It honestly looks so sloppy and wrinkled that it's kind of embarrassing. So sad because this would've been another that I wore to death without this issue. I've decided to try and get some gabardine to try and make this pattern with to see how it works. I really wish I knew what the fabric is on my brown Melissa skirt because it's still one of my most worn pieces and I can wear it multiple times and it still looks great. This is the one draw back of thrifted fabric, sadly. I want an army of these skirts, but it seems that I am cursed because the last few I've made have had big issues (all from the fabric choice) that make me not wear them. So sad.

So that's it - definitely some lessons learned. Here's hoping I can remember them next year, lol. Did you have any misses this year?

Next up - Highlights!