2011 Review

2011 has been a strange year. I moved house twice and got divorced. I spent quality time with my parents, and built a new relationship with my mum and dad as an adult. I moved to a new town where I knew a few people from work slightly, but no-one else. I lived on my own for the first time ever, and also holidayed alone. I went camping with my parents and nieces. I've taken up hillwalking, made some new friends and started volunteering with the young people at church. There were also a lot of changes at work during the year - a change of boss and working a lot more with staff in India.
There have been some tough days, but I've had two friends who were particularly supportive at the low points and I made it through.

Oh but wait this is a sewing blog ROFL!

This year I've hardly been on Pattern Review but have enjoyed the community at Stitchers Guild very much. Thank you all. I follow a number of blogs and use the side bar as my blog reader. I get lots of ideas and inspiration from this online sewing community.

This year for the first time since 2006 I have not really managed to sew myself a co-ordinated collection. I didn't enter SWAP 2011, and haven't really completed a 6PAC. I'm not beating myself up about this, but am going to really go for SWAP 2012.

I have done some sewing this year though :-)

Before I moved to my parents last Jan I made a faux shearling jacket - this may have been at the very end of December..... I've not worn it yet and it still needs the fur hooks sewing on - maybe Monday before I go back to work.

February and March I didn't sew anything. In April I made some cushion covers for cushions to put on an old sofa my parents were going to give me for my own little rented place.
May I moved into my new home and unpacked. My blog followers got to 100, I thought about a giveaway but never quite followed through (sorry).
In June I made a top - but without the overlocker so doesn't quite have the inside finish I prefer.

July I didn't sew. In August I started sewing for Autumn. The theme was orange, brown and cream. I made 3 knit tops, a cardigan, a hat and some mittens. No bottoms though so a bit of a cheat as a collection goes.

I had planned to sew more pieces in this colourway but it didn't really pan out. In September I made the cardigan on the right. I went on holiday and turned it into a fabric buying spree!
In November I switched focus to Christmas party type clothes, plus made leggings. The pieces don't really work as a wardrobe, but I did another collection board anyway.

The dress on the right and the red furry jacket were sewn in early December but did not get worn as something about them is just too much.
After Christmas I came back from my parents and had a few mad sewing days making cushions and covers for bean slabs.

And then two new knit tops, which work in with the Autumn Collection.

My plans for 2012 include the SWAP on Stitchers Guild, making my home dec scraps into useful things and selling them at the church community centre craft fayres, and something of a wardrobe edit.
I hope you'll continue to tune in to Ruthie's Sewing Adventures in 2012!!