Let the list-making begin! My first Top 5 list for the year is my Top 5 favourite or most-worn makes. There are some TNTs on here, as well as clothes that just make me feel happy every time I wear them.
Without further ado, my Top 5 Hits! (In no particular order…)
I made this pattern at least 5 times over the summer, and I like the all… but this one is definitely my favourite. The flounce on the skirt was a bit of an afterthought, but it makes the skirt so much more fun to wear! I’ve got another length of similar fabric in red with black and white flowers, and I’m thinking of doing an exact copy of this dress with it. (If one dress is fun to wear, isn’t another doubly fun? )
I got a bit obsessed with floral on a black background (3 this year, and counting!). This is my favourite though – feel flirty and flattering, and reminds me of a good summer.
This is a dress that has really grown on me! I liked it when I first sewed it almost a year ago… but when I pulled it out of my closet this winter I remembered just how cute it makes me feel. It’s fitted, but not tight, and the length is perfect with leggings and boots. I’ve got polka dot ponte that I’ve been saving for a third Lola, hopefully soon!
Speaking on polkadots… another surprise hit! This is the most basic ITY dress ever (it’s a Lady Skater bodice, altered to be a babydoll shape.) This dress is snug or skimming in all the right places. (I tried to sew another in different fabric, and it had no magical flattering properties! Eeek!) I wear this one a lot in winter.
And finally two basics (yeah, that 6 things in my Top 5 list…) that I couldn’t dress without!
These have been such a hit! They are comfy and stay in place, and get worn all the time.
Did you notice I was wearing leggings with 3 of the 4 dresses in this post? I’ve got at LEAST 12 versions of this pattern, and I wear them tons. I think the Espresso pattern is a stroke of genius – it only took me 8 min or so to connect-the-dots to get my own custom fit pattern. I’m short and round, and RTW leggings never fit right… but these are just perfect and don’t sag or shift through the day!
And there we have it!
It’s no surprise that my Top 6 are all sewn with knits, since comfy and bright is definitely my style. (Last year my hits were all knits too.) I feel like I should also give an honourable mention to the Jalie Raglan top, which I made at least 10 times… but no one shirt stands out as a favourite. Perhaps that what I like about TNTs though – they always turn out well, but every once in a while, you surprise yourself with a really winner!
Crafting A Rainbow 
I love that autumn camino cap dress. Probably my fav of yours, too, and something I’d love to make. 🙂
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Thank you! My Comino Cap fits totally different than the pattern is supposed to (the bodice is supposed to be snug, I think!) but I like how mine ended up! You should definitely give the pattern a go. It’s super simple and doesn’t use much fabric!
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What a fabulous selection! If I had to pick, I think the Polka Dot dress gets my number 1 vote for gorgeous shape and fabric. Pure inspiration for my own New Year’s Resolution to nail the knits! Where in the world do you find such lovely stretch fabric?! I never seem to find anything as lovely as yours.
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The polka dot ITY is from Fabric.com… the black floral Nettie dress is from Wanderlust Fabrics online… and the other two dresses are my local chain store, which has a mix of crap and hidden gems! i totally agree that knits are hard to shop for online, though. Every time I think I’ve figured out tricks for getting the type of fabric I want, I end up with something different instead!
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My fav would be the polka for dress too. The color is gorgeous on you! You inspire me to try more knits!
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It’s funny to look back and see that I almost didn’t post about that polka dot dress in the first place – and here it is, a favourite at the end of the year! that’s what I love about these round-ups: it’s not always the fanciest or best-photographed makes that end up being the best!
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You look really happy wearing all of them, too! I think the polka dot dress is probably my favorite out of those, but the first dress with the ruffle is pretty awesome too.
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That polkadot dress would make a perfect early maternity dress! Come on, make a ruffle-y babydoll for yourself! 😉
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I really like the flounce on your first dress! It didn’t occur to me that 3 of my 4 favourites were knits – that’s an interesting observation!
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Oh – that is interesting that so many of yours are knits! I didn’t notice either! I do find them so satisfying to sew and wear. CLothes that are easy to love!
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My favourite is the spotty dress too. I also cant live without my espresso leggings. I think i have 4 pairs and 2 pairs of jeggings (i added an extra inch all the way round for the jeggings). And ive made 3 pairs for mt family too! 😀
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Oooh, jeggings! I did make one pair of pants from the pattern with stretch twill, but they aren’t quite stretchy enough to trust the seams. Jeggings would be awesome!
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These are all lovely!! Lola is still on my list to make and I totally agree – the Espresso leggings pattern is the bomb!
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Lola is the perfect winter dress! Go make one RIGHT NOW!
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I love the Camino Cap dress, too! The ruffle is the best! I also love your Espresso leggings 🙂
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As it happens, I bought the fabric for two of these dresses in Hamilton! I’ll just *have* to find my way there over the Christmas break! 😉
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Love, love that Comino frill!
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Who knew a frill could be so fun? I need more! 😉
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Gillian, what brand are those cowboy boot sneakers?! I must have, but all Google is giving me are those Adidas ones with the laces. Yours are WAY cooler!
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I will check and see – but they are 3 years old, so who knows. I’d buy another pair if I saw them – they are so comfy, but the soles are wearing out!
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Love that domino cap dress! I think I might have to bite the bullet and make myself some undies. It doesn’t sound fun but I know they will be tailor made and very practical!
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Undies are definitely only something to sew if you really enjoy it. “cause otherwise, why sew something no one will see? Booooring! 😉
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I’m not sure how I missed the Scraptember post, but I need to copy your idea and just have a day dedicated to sewing underwear. Such a good idea!
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It was really nice sewing undies all at once – much faster and made the whole thing feel more like a “real” project! 😉
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These are all great, but my favorite stroke of genius has to be the ruffle on that first dress! Such a cute detail.
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Sounds like you need a ruffle on something! Have you ever made the rufflebutt Archer?
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Ahhhh, these are all so great, but I think the Autumn Comino is my favorite! Love seeing all your bright and pretty makes!
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Thanks! It’s nice to look back and see that I really did make something I love this year… I’m officially at the point where I can’t wear clothes as much as I want to because I have so many I like! 😛
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I love all your dresses Gillian but am blown away by how great those undies look! Went & read that post, I could really do that, production line style! It seems I somehow lost you in my bloglovin & then as top 5 posts started appearing it clicked so I’m glad I have you back! Looks like I missed a lot of gorgeous knit sewing round here.
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I’m glad we found each other again! I had to ditch my tumblr blog in the summer when Bloglovin’ started blocking post from Tumblr users… It was so lonely blogging to no one that I switched over to WordPress! Hard to redirect everyone though. 🙂
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Great list. I think I’m going to have to up my game when it comes to sewing knits…and undies 🙂
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There was a time not so long ago when I didn’t sew knits… but turns out they really fit my sewing style and my lifestyle! Do you like working with knits?
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I’ve made a few things with knits. I like that there isn’t so much fitting needed for them. The main reason I like them is the comfort factor. I’ve got a lot of RTW knit garments so I should make more knits to replace them before they wear out.
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These are all great, Gillian! I must have missed your original post on the polka dot dress, but I really love that one on you! The combination of the dots and babydoll shape are really flattering, and you just look happy wearing it. Congrats on another great year of knits!
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that ruffle bottom dress… you are the queen of knit prints. AND THOSE UNDIES!
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You’ve got such a great wardrobe of knits! 🙂 My personal favorite is the Nettimisu, I love the fabric so much!
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