The Introspective Retrospective Blogger returns

Why, hello there, ill-treated readers. Many apologies for my abrupt and unannounced departure from the blog. In true sneaky-alligator form, we snuck all around the world and back without you even noticing. I have so much to catch-up on now, including Handmade Presents For One and All, but I've enjoyed reading other bloggers end of year round-ups so here goes...

2011 was slightly slower than other years as far as tutes on the blog, with only eight. In my defence, the pin-up bathing suit series was mammoth. There are now a total of 35 tutorials hosted here, but I'm planning many, many more for 2012.

1. Fifteen minute envelope pillow covers 2. Getting another year's wear to a top 3. Strabismus / Amblyopia Patch 4. Viking Hat 5. Playmobil Hock Hack 6. Pin-up Bathing Suit 7. Fabric Hanging Files 8. How to fully line a bodice

A much larger portion of this year was making things in the accessories category, be it for ourselves, friends or customers. This was truly the year of the gadget, not just for us personally with our new Kindles and iPad, but for orders. In the two weeks before Christmas, I sold fifteen Kindle covers alone! It was a bit of a departure for me to move away from kids clothes (as reflected by the very few new patterns released this year), but interesting to see in which ways the business naturally takes itself when I let it.

There was still, however, ample opportunity for making children's clothes for others. This was the first year that I didn't offer a lot of pre-made stock to order and as a result customers chose their own fabrics and styles. Party frocks and hoodies almost exclusively.

I wasn't quite so prolific this year in making clothes for the family, with almost everything made because of necessity (costumes, occasion-wear, summer holiday clothes). Poor Jamie got the short-shrift.

Due largely to the necessity of finding a dress for the big wedding, I spent a lot more time and effort this year on sewing for me. Six dresses and a top comprised The Never-ending Dress Quest, which started with a Sisboom Dress, became increasingly fraught, but culminated in being a finalist in Made by Rae's Spring Top Week. Failing in a way only I know how, I never claimed my prizes. Burnt out on tailoring, I then made some fairly mundane stuff.

So there we go then, the year that was. Personally, it was a hard year with epic internet woes,Maia's patching, and my mother-in-law's accident. There was still time for some fun and games, though, what with becoming reviewer extraordinaire, committing my war with Branson to MSPaint, baking fails, and International Day of Delurking*. Our final year on Earth (according to the Mayans anyway) has started with a bang and the Top Secret News I've been irritating about for ages is ready to be revealed**.

*Incidentally, International Day of Delurking and International Day of Navel-Gazing were two of my favourite days last year. In typical renegade fashion, I did them in April, but today is the official International Day of De-lurking. How coincidental is that? Heaps, I tell you.

**Once I stop moving furniture back and forth around the house in a futile effort to make it bigger.