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Monday, January 6, 2020

A 2019 Look Back

A belated
Happy New Year!

This past year has was a little quiet, blog wise anyway. Last February, I broke my arm in 2 places just above my wrist, and that kinda set the tone for a quiet year. But, all in all, it really was a great year. I found a cousin that I had no idea that I had through Ancestry. She is such a lovely person, and someone that I am very proud to call a cousin. I also reconnected with a family member after 30 years. This brought home to me that no matter how bleak something may appear, never lose hope. 

I've posted more on Instagram than I have on the blog. Not that I am moving exclusively to Instagram, it's just a platform that's been quick and easy. So, to close out 2019, I thought I would share my most liked Instagram posts.

My cargo pants, they have been a favorite. This was a challenge that Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist and I did. Berkley and I do a lot of hiking, and cargo pants have become my favorite go to pant as I can carry my phone, money, credit cards, and I am still completely hands free.      


I took my first ever weaving class at Chicago Weaving School. Loved it! I don't know that it will become something that I will invest a lot of time doing, but I would like to learn and explore more about the craft.


This is an old make,but I posted it as an outfit of the day. The jacket is one that I made from a Kantha quilt that I ordered from India. When I initially made it, I went back and forth about cutting down the collar. I finally elected to just leave it alone. The jacket is a free pattern from Sew News. You can read more about it HERE. My jeans are the Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns. I don't think I will ever purchase another pair of jeans as this pattern is absolutely fabulous.   


This dress was a favorite go to dress this past fall. I began with a t-shirt pattern and then added the rectangle drape. So easy to make. It's from my Fabulous Free Pattern Friday collection. You can find the original post HERE.  


Another favorite. I wore this jacket throughout the holiday season. You can see my post on the making of this jacket HERE


Another Closet Case Patterns favorite, the Ebony T-Shirt and Dress pattern. I have worn the dress with heels, flats, and even tennis shoes! Fun and easy to wear.    


This is one of my favorite outfits for summer. In the top picture on the right, you can see that I am actually wearing 2 layers. The top layer is sheer. I can take off the sheer layer and just wear the underneath layer. The sheer layer can then become a wrap. Perfect combo for traveling. 


A favorite go to pattern for pants is the Barb Pant from Style Arc. I think I may have 4 or 5 pairs of these pants. The t-shirt is another that I have made more times than I can count. It's the Molly Tee from Pattern Union.  


The top that I am wearing was made from vintage tea towels. The pants are linen, and I added a drawstring casing to the side seam for a little added interest. Wore these all summer long. 


The dress below was one that I did for Sew News. It's the Magic Bias Dress from Fashion In Harmony. This is another dress that's easy to throw on. Love it!  


Another Magic Bias Dress. It's also a summer favorite. I didn't shorten this version. It's amazing how different the dress looks in another fabric.


Yet another Closet Case pattern, the Amy Jumpsuit. I had a few fitting issues with the pattern, but all in all, I like it and plan to make it again.


And finally, my favorite make of 2019. Thankfully, I took the class prior to breaking my arm. I used my own watercolor painting that I had printed at Spoonflower for the center panels. The bag pattern is the Poppins Bag from Annie's Two Patterns. You can find all the info HERE.  


I love to laugh. After all, it's good for the soul. I saw this on Facebook and just had to share it! I think that most of us can relate :)


Here's to a fabulous new decade. May it be our best yet!
Rhonda

12 comments:

  1. Happy New Year Rhonda. Wishing you all the best for 2020.

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    1. Happy New Year Vicki. I think you are in Australia if I am not mistaken. I'm praying that the fires will end soon!

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  2. Thank you for starting 2020 with a recap of so many great garments from 2019; I've now spent the afternoon going over all the links, making notes, reading articles & checking out sites that I somehow missed throughout the year -- so many new sites, book, & patterns to explore!! You definitely find the most interesting patterns so thank you for sharing so much with us. Looking forward to your sewing adventures in 2020.

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    1. Oh my, I hope I wasn't too much of a distraction!!! So glad you were able to discover a few new things :)

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  3. Happy New Year! You've completed some great-looking outfits!

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  4. Happy New Year and what a great 2019 you had!

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    1. There was a little bad mixed in with the good, but it's always best to focus on the good. Hope your new year is off to a great start!

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  5. Happy New Year, my friend. A beautiful collection as always. I hope you are successful with your 2020 sewing plans. I had to chuckle when I read the last picture because that was so me with NOT completing many things over the past 5 years.

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    1. Well, it's easy to look at what we didn't complete, and easy to forget all that we did. Sometimes it's just the time for a particular piece to come to life :)

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  6. Oh Rhonda look at all these fabulous makes! I missed the fabric with the lady faces I really wanted it! May I ask what pattern are the cargo pants?

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    1. The pattern that I used for the pants is an out of print pattern, but I did find some one on Ebay,
      https://www.ebay.com/itm/Simplicity-Mini-Skirt-Pants-paper-sewing-pattern-New-Uncut-5102-Size-4-10/184113601969?hash=item2ade069db1:g:hS4AAOSwtfhYncIA
      Here's a link to the post I did on the pants,
      http://rhondabuss.blogspot.com/2019/07/sew-cargo-crazylet-sewing-begin.html
      I did see some of the faces knit fabric at Mood. Not sure if they still have it, but maybe???

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