Continuing with my Very Scientific Review of my Year in Sewing, I thought it would be fun to celebrate the me-mades made before 2018 that I still wear frequently. Part of my handmade wardrobe journey is trying to make garments that last, so it’s a nice mark of success if I continued to wear something for multiple seasons!
Flower print Mesa dress: This was such a quick and easy dress to make, a simple silhouette and I used a fairly neutralish print (that still feels very “me”). When it was very warm last Summer, I reached for this dress constantly. Worn with white sneakers and with my hair in a bun, I had a perfect casual outfit.
Alder shirt: This pattern is for a dress, but I had shortened this version to a normal shirt-length. It’s nothing special on its own, but I love the simplicity of a sleeveless collared shirt underneath a sweater in Fall/Spring. I’d love to remake this in a floaty, sheer fabric (and then make a billion more). (I don’t have any great pictures of this in the wild, but it’s the collared shirt in the above photo, where I’m trying to wrestle my phone away from grabby hands.)
Nettie (with turtleneck) bodysuits: I’ve said it before, I love love love my bodysuits in Winter. I had hacked a turtleneck collar from the Neenah dress onto the Nettie pattern, sewed up two versions, and I still love to wear them either as a layering piece, or on their own with jeans.
Red-checked Neenah: This was the first version I made of this pattern, and I had added sleeve cuffs and a bigger turtleneck. It’s a bit short on its own, but is the perfect length for tights (which makes sense because I wouldn’t otherwise wear such a cozy dress unless I also needed to wear tights).
Grey ribbed Neenah: and then here’s the summer version! Short sleeves and a mock-turtleneck, this is such an easy dress to wear.
Do you still wear older me-mades? If so, what’s your favorite one, and if not, is there a lesson you’ve learned about why you don’t reach for your earlier makes?