2015 Fabulous Free Pattern Friday Recap

Happy New Year!!!!

My sister-in-law sent this to me;

Today is the first day of a brand new 365 page book....

Write A Good One.

Many of us will take time today to write out our goals or resolutions for the new year, which I think is great. New goals are a wonderful thing to strive for, but what I would recommend is to take a little time and reflect on what you accomplished this past year. So often, the New Year's resolutions, goals that we write out are the same year after year, ultimately causing us to just give up on writing down anything at all. And since they are the same, we feel that we've accomplished nothing at all. So begin the year on a positive note by reflecting. None of us accomplish all that we would like, but I can guarantee that there are many positive things in your life. Did you go to work and provide for your family? Many of you who read this blog sew. Did you make a few new garments? Did you try a new craft? It doesn't matter if you mastered it, if you gave it a try, that's a success. So celebrate what you did, give yourself that pat on the back that you deserve and then look forward and set new goals for this new year.        

I've done a lot of teaching in my life. What I learned early on is that if people have instant success, they are much more likely to continue. For many, they decide that they would like to learn to sew, so off to the store they go. They pick out a pattern which is probably the wrong size since they buy a pattern based on the size they buy in the store and not by their measurements. They then choose a lovely piece of fabric, pay for their purchase, and then dream all the way home of the lovely garment they are going to create. More often than not, they get the garment made, it doesn't fit, they blame themselves and never give it another chance. 

Quite a few years ago, a new mother took a learn to sew class that I was teaching. I showed her how to take a simple rectangle, add elastic to the waist and create a simple skirt. She was absolutely elated! She came back the next week wearing a new skirt and carrying 5 more that she had made. It was then that my desire to spread that great feeling was birthed. It wasn't until I began the blog that I actually had a format to share it. Since 2011, I've been bringing you simple patterns that are made on rectangles, squares, circles and every once in a while, a triangle.

In 2014, I began the Sweeping Rectangles series. I began with the T-shirt pictured on the left below. We then did the skirt and moved on to the dress and added pockets. You can find the T-shirt instructions HERE, The skirt HERE, and the dress HERE.   

I began 2015 by adding the jacket to the series. A friend of mine is in love with this jacket and has made at least 3. Maybe more. Every time I see her, she's wearing a new one! You can find the instructions HERE. The jacket consists of just 3 rectangles.
I love this little neckband with the super cute pompoms. Get the instructions to make one for yourself HERE.

The hat on the left is just 1 simple rectangle. Super fast to make. It's my favorite hat to wear when I'm out for a hike or walking my dogs. The hat on the right is 1 simple rectangle and a circle. You can find the instructions HERE. 

With most of the Fabulous Free Pattern Friday pieces, I give you the instructions and then you draft out the pattern. The beret is a FREE pattern, so just email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com and I'll send you a copy. You can find the instructions HERE.

This past year, I had the honor of showcasing the so chic fold-over clutch made by The Mahogany Stylist. 

She did 2 guest posts for us, one on the simple clutch and then another on adding pockets and a wrist strap. You can find her posts HERE and HERE.  

We all need a great bag. The bag below is super simple to make and you'll never again carry your shoes around in a plastic bag! You can find the post and instructions HERE.    

I ended the 2015 Fabulous Free Pattern Friday posts with this beyond simple gown and shrug. Each begins as a rectangle and each has only 1 seam. You can learn how to make your own HERE.   

I hope that the Fabulous Free Pattern Friday series inspires you to take the plunge and give some simple drafting exercises a try. And if you do, I hope that you'll have the same excitement about your creations as my student did who made a gazillion elastic waist skirts!
Once again, 
Happy New Year!
Rhonda