KNITTERS-DELIGHT



10:15 PM

2010 Review...2011 Goals

Debbie Bliss Ribbed Baby Jacket


What a jam-packed year! I have had many ups and downs. While this may have been the toughest and most stressful year of my life, it brought me some fantastic new things including the birth of my beautiful baby girl Nilah Grace as well as a newly purchased condo for us to live in!

Now for my 2010 review of projects....I was nervous to even look back, since I had zero sewing mojo during most of my pregnancy. I did manage to sew enough pre-pregnancy to justify a review as well as knitting a few pieces, even if half of them were for my little one.

Sidar Hooded Raglan Cardigan



Here are the stats:
26 pieces total. That includes 1 baby quilt, 15 dresses, 1 pair of pants, 3 skirts, 1 cat suit, 1 top, 1 knit capelet, 1 knit sweater, and 2 baby sweaters. As far as sewing patterns go I did a mix...

BWOF - 3
Butterick - 6
McCalls - 5
Vogue - 3
Simplicity - 3
New Look - 2

My favorite piece of 2010 was the simple Burda dress, hands down. I felt gorgeous wearing it, modeling in it, and loved the fact that I was able to make it while watching a movie in one short evening.

BWOF 05-2010-105



I have a lot of goals for 2011.

*I plan on losing the rest of my pregnancy weight. While I have lost over 25 pounds, I still have a way to go. Since I'm breastfeeding, I can't really restrict my calories at this point. In one more month, I will be able to go on Medifast, as they have a plan for nursing mothers. It is a slower process, but a safe approach.

* I have read a lot of blogs that discuss Sewing With A Purpose (SWAP). I really like that idea. 2011 will be my year to attempt this. I was reading Tasia's blog and she had a post about dressing for your body type. Well, one trip to Barnes and Noble with my Sister and many books later, I am using my new found knowledge in my SWAP plans. I'm excited at the opportunity to see where this takes me.

* I am excited to try new things when it comes to sewing. After reading Robin's latest post I purchased David Coffin's latest books and DVD for shirt making and pants-making. I really want to improve the quality of what I make over quantity.

* I plan on trying some new independent pattern companies, like Colette's pattern as well as some vintage pieces, such as the 1940s swing dress from Sense and Sensibility. This also goes along with me doing 2 sewalongs that start early 2011.

* As a new mother, I want to learn how to balance work-life, craft-time, and social-time. I want to be the best I can be in all of the areas of my life.

While I have plenty more goals, that's enough for now....I am comfortable being accountable for these goals for the new year. lol. Happy New Year Everyone!

16 comments:

Karin said...

What a gorgeous baby! And the sweaters are nice too. Happy new Year!

Sue said...

Making that beautiful baby was quite an achievement! Look forward to following your blog and crafting/sewing this year!

SEWN said...

Happy new year! Congrats again on your beautiful little girl. As a single parent of 3.5 years, the one bit of advice I can give you is to not be too hard on yourself and to expect too much production in the way of crafting. You have a newborn and they take a lot of time and energy. Just enjoy yourself and her. That's the bottom line. :)

Lori said...

Your daughter is beautiful. Great job on all the sewing and knitting. Happy New Year

Shari said...

Your little girl is beautiful!Love the cute cardi's you knit for her.

Victoria said...

Who needs to sew when you can spend your time making cute sweaters for your little "Doll Baby"---she's just so precious (smile). Joking aside, you've made some marvelous things this year. I always love your choice of prints and how you seem to combine them with the perfect pattern. You've got a great eye. Seems like you've got some great goals for the New Year! Can't wait to see what you do......

Julia said...

Your daughter is beautiful! I am wishing for you a happy, healthy, and safe 2011! I love the little sweaters. I am presently trying to knit a little sweater myself. This is a first attempt at something like this for me.

velosews said...

All the best for the New Year.

Andrea said...

Hey Girl!!!

You know your daughter is too cute. I love the sweaters you made for her. You did pretty good this past year. I can't wait to see what you make this coming year.

Happy New Year!!!

Sheila said...

The sweaters are so cute on your princess... looking forward to your creations in 2011.

jacqueline said...

awwww Nilah looks so cute in the sweater/cardigan you made! she's getting so big!! we can't wait to see her! we miss you and the lil one, and the wife says hi (c:
hi, love, and happy new year to you and the family (c:

Hilary said...

Aaaaah, she is so gorgeous and those little sweaters are so cute!! What a crazy year...I'm impressed by how much you've accomplished and look forward to seeing what you do in 2011! What a great list of goals.

robin said...

Great goals for 2011! I am happy to have inspired you with my post. I also want to focus more on the quality of my work over quantity. SWAP sounds great too. I really should sit down and think about what I need in my wardrobe instead of approaching it willy-nilly.

Happy New Year!

Nik said...

I am in love with the way the dress fits you. I love wearing dresses when I want to feel pretty. It's obvious that this dress does it for you.

And you know I'm in love with the baby knits.

amber said...

Happy New Year! Nilah is just too precious and I love the little sweaters you've made for her. So sweet. :)

TracyKM said...

What a beautiful baby!
I came here from PatternReview cause I'm also a knitter that sews...and I'm thrilled to see you're large busted too so I can get inspiration and pattern ideas from you.
One thing I'd highly recommend you sew (and it's quick and easy), is a sling. Babywearing is GREAT exercise, much better than pushing a stroller because baby becomes part of your mass and gives you more of a weight-bearing impact and more bang for your buck with cardio...and you don't even have to actually "exercise". There are pouches, ring slings, wraps, and mei tais that are super easy to make, tons of free patterns on the internet. Check out www.thebabywearer.com to start. I totally miss babywearing now that my last baby flew past the 35lb limit :(