Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Weird Stuff that comes in your mailbox
Something is happening out there (cue scary music). I got my Burda World of Fashion magazine in the mail (well, it probably came while I was in Florida and the munchkins at USPS held it with the rest of the mail) and as I always do, I opened it up and....hmmm...now THIS is very interesting. (and if you want to see the current issue, go to www.burdamode.com and click on magazines - it's right there) Burda WOF is a great bargain - for about $5 a month, you get about 30 sewing patterns in a range of sizes, including PLUS. Now, this is a German magazine, folks, so PLUS is ..well, it's PLUS..which means that this stuff is designed for big and tall women(cue Flight of the Valkyries). Which has been a major disappointment for me, since I am..well, I'm not tall. What is interesting about this month's offering is that they are not only offering the standard petite outfit(which they always do now that they have nixed the petite magazine that they always did), but also a whole flock of patterns for what they are calling Plus Petite - yep - the size range goes all the way.......to bust of 48.25 inches, waist of 41 inches and hips of 50.5 inches. Holy Hannah. There is: A terrific crepe paneled dress with godets (if you like, no godets if you don't), several jackets, a terrific paneled skirt. All designed by someone named Josefine Martin which has a German (wouldn't you know?) clothing company called Petite Fashion. Lovely, lovely stuff. But, as those of us who are short (plus sized or not) know, the whole trick for those of us who are on the "height challenged" side is that being short comes with all sorts of other length and width issues which do not lend themselves to wearing plus sized clothing. The major item is (cur scary music again), the shoulders. No matter what size you are, if you can get the thing to fit in the shoulders, you have a half-way decent shot at looking good in the clothing. The problem with most clothing if you have a bit more on the bust or hip side is that, in order to comfortably cover those measurements, you end up with shoulders that hang over, which does absolutely NOTHING for your shape. And, in some things, will absolutely make you look like a T-Rex in terms of having short arms(ahem, the major offender in this area is the dreaded golf shirt which seems to have been embraced by so many companies as "business casual" or "trade show uniforms" - on women, if you fit the bust, the sleeve hangs down the arm and it's just ..well, it's dreadful). Now, if you are bigger than that, it's not so much of an issue, really, if you do some work on the "make yourself a muslin"side of things. Cut out the pattern pieces in the biggest size they have in something like...well, I like waxed paper..cheap. Take the difference of YOUR measurements and the measurements of the pattern and count how many seams you've got -- for the dress, it's eight in the front and eight in the back. So, let's say the difference between you and the pattern measurements in the front is 8 inches. 8 divided by 8 is one inch increase on each side. Add a half an inch on each side for the seam itself. So, tape extensions on each side of 1.5 inches, cut it out of muslin and sew it up. Do the same with the back. Don't be afraid to ask a sewing buddy to help you with the measuring. Pin it up and try it on. Use a marker to make any notes and changes, take it apart and sew it up again..and wa-la...you have a dress that fits you and you look terrific.
So, bravo to Burda WOF for throwing us in the short and wide group a whole wardrobe of patterns (well, no slacks, ok..but perhaps another time?) to work from, including a darling dress....I'm planning to make that dress out of ..well, I'll have to do some stash diving to come up with something pretty for that...chiffon...crepe...rayon....light weight knit...mmmm...spring can't come soon enough.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Belated New Year's Resolutions Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
I was reading Ozlem's latest and this weird thought came into my head. I tried to make a comment (I have no idea why it did not seem to "take"), but the thought is something that I think is important.
One of my resolutions this year is to clean out my closet. OK, big whoop. My mom died a year ago and I cleaned about five or six closets..in addition to an attic, a basement, a garage, and the rest of the house. I had to order so many dumpsters that I asked the rubbish haulers if they did a monthly subscription plan. I spoke to them so often that they knew who it was without my having to say my name. So, cleaning, culling, getting rid of, passing on, etc. is now something I can do without too much of a pang. But, this is a different sort of cleaning. I just came back from a visit with my husband's fam in Florida and in a conversation with one of my sisters in law, I realized that we all have much, too much stuff. Why is is that my husband's collection of clothing (now, I admit this does not include sweaters, underwear and knit sport shirts - those occupy his chest of drawers) takes up about 25% of the closet space...and my stuff takes up everything else? Mostly, it's because he only has in his closet what he actually wears. He owns several suits, some sportcoats, some nice pants, shirts and ties. He rotates his stuff so that he's wearing everyone once a week..maybe once every two weeks. He pays good money for his clothing and they last 3-5 years. On a per wearing basis, even with dry cleaning, his clothing costs are pretty low. Now, I know 99% of women reading this would say, "Well, sure, he can do this. Woman can't do that..we need a larger wardrobe than that." OK..I'll go along with that a little bit - let's say women need three times as many items as men do so that things get switched around more often. And I won't include thing like "the little black dress" and stuff like that, since those are real specialty items and men have those too (yep, my husband owns a tux since he needs one twice a year and the thing paid for itself after about three wearings in terms of saving on rentals). I don't have three times the items my husband has..I have about ten times what he has. I love to shop. No one loves it more than I do. I was raised by a woman whose favorite words were "clearance rack" and "75 % off". So, I know where I'm coming from here. I have lots and lots of stuff. What do I wear? Black, blue and brown skirts and slacks, jackets and tops, a couple of dresses that go with all of it. If I took all of the stuff out of there that I don't wear, I could fit my wardrobe on that one side also. Why don't I wear the stuff that I fell in love with in the store and which were such bargains at the time? Well, I tend to cling to stuff that no longer fits. Like a lot of women with "inches issues", I do tend to live in the "lose the weight someday" thing. Since I'm over 50 -- it hit me recently that I've got some delusion issues going on. I can lift weights all I want to and walk and bike all I want to ... but folks, that spare tire and I had better learn to like one another a whole lot because it is NOT going to go on vacation and never come back. That is the way of it. Another thing is that I think a lot of women (and not just on the plus sized side of the aisle, either) have this idea that they "don't deserve" to spend more than $xxx on a particular thing. I have a problem with shoes - I can't spend more than about $40 on shoes. Good shoes cost a lot of money. All I can do is hope for a sale so that I don't spend any more than $40. My problem. A good man's dress suit can cost several hundred dollars in wool or wool blend. My grip on my checkbook doesn't loosen up unless the price tag says less than $125.00. Don't ask me why, but it doesn't. It doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I sew. Making a good suit takes a lot of investment, not only in the cloth but also the lining, the buttons, the shoulders, the inner construction. If you don't want the thing made by some 12 year old chained to a sewing machine in the far East, this is going to cost real money. And, if it's a good suit, it is worth it. But I can't give myself permission to spend that sort of money. The other part of this is the combination of 'won't spend more than xxx" and "lose the weight someday" - so you end up buying up cheap garbage made out of polyester knit or whatever because you figure that it's not worth it to buy clothing that looks good, wears well, lasts, makes you look like a million, makes you happy...but which requires some investment.
Let's get honest with ourselves here, folks. We can wish for self-discipline; we can work hard; we can even get more healthy. But let's be honest -- unless you go out and get your stomach stapled (and that is horrifically dangerous and is a short term measure on a long term issue), you need to look at yourself lovingly in the mirror and say, "Damn, this IS the best I'm going to be." Stop indulging yourself in wishful fantasy thinking. At that point, then, you can replace the garbage in your closet with well-chosen things that you know you are going to wear to work and play. Pants and skirts in dark colors; tops to change out; some jackets. A special dress. Great shoes. Get rid of the crap. Rotate this stuff through - if you wear everything once a week, you will have saved a pot of money that you can use to invest in more well made clothing.
Invest in yourself - invest in well made clothing. If retailers don't have what you need and want (hey, I'd like to see a great wool or wool blend women's wardrober in plus sizes..how about THAT), save up your shekels and find a dressmaker to make it for you. You are worth it - and instead of standing in front of the closet on a daily basis trying to figure out what you are going to wear that day or out that evening, you will be all set.
Invest in Quality. You are worth every penny.
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Friday, December 22, 2006
Let's put all of this into perspective Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
When it comes down starving yourself to death, it does all come down to the numbers.
The Brazilian model who recently died was 5'7" tall and weighed 88 pounds. That's a BMI of 13.8. The governments in Mardrid and Italy have set the bar (and actually, the Italians, bless them, have added the requirement of a doctor's health certificate) at 18.5. For the little girl who is now dead of starvation-related disease, that would have meant a weight of 120 pounds. That's 32 pounds, folks. Thirty-two pounds.
The human body cannot survive without proper nutrition. It is said that Ana Carolina Reston was feeding her body with apples and tomatoes. A little carbohydrate, some very nice vitamins and minerals, a little sodium, a lot of water and fiber, and no protein. I'm sure her digestive system ran like clockwork. But when you eat so little and you eat no protein, your body starts to eat itself. It's impossible to live like that, which is what happened to that very sad young lady.
There is a tremendous amount of pressure to achieve some sort of image - has been for a very long time. But the human body has evolved over thousands of years to need things that in order to currently succeed in the current incarnation of the modeling world, must be avoided -- food combined with exercise. In order to be healthy and strong - we need protein and fiber and vitamins and minerals and water and carbohydrates of various sorts. And rest. And fresh air. And fun. And movement. And joy. If we don't have this, our muscles, including our hearts, will start to shrink because our bodies are going to get the nutrients it needs from someplace.
So, remember to love your body every day -- treat it as if your body were a favorite pet who you loved and cherished. You'd get your pet the best food your could afford and feed it right - yes? And you'd take it out for exercise and fresh air and play with it, right? And you'd take your pet to the vet for any care or shots that your pet needed, right? Because you love your pet and want your pet to be there for you forever. Give yourself a kiss today and treat your body to a good meal and a nice walk outside.
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Monday, December 18, 2006
Hey, That's My Color! Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
Now, I realize that, ahem, when a lot of folks currently active on the internet were watching Mr. Rogers, there was this flurry of commercialization of "color science" stuff out there. Women were running around "getting their colors done" or asking people, "What's your season?" Ah yes, winters can wear white, black and red...falls and springs had to be content with rusts and browns and apricots (what's not to love about that?). Of course, this was also during the heyday of big shoulders, big hair, big jackets, big skirts, something refered to as "the wedge dress" and dropped waists being worn by females over the age of 10. Not the most enlightened of fashion eras, though I see (God help us) that big tops and leggings seem to have slithered out from their fashion Siberia to haunt us again (though now, they seem to be making this very odd appearance underneath dresses...haven't you girls heard of hose? If you are less than "height gifted" leggings are a curse. But I digress. The whole "know your colors" thing sort of drifted into the background...I doubt that you have many sales ladies telling you, "Oh, that's YOUR color" when you are trying on things now (actually, I don't know that there are many sales folks out there who can even tell you what colors certain items come in or what is in stock in the store..but that is another digression).
Although you may have to scrounge around in the bins at used book stores, finding one of those color science books is a pretty good deal and it might help you a lot in making clothing choices. A lot of us buy stuff because a) that is what is being touted and b) that is what is being offered on the racks at our local emporia. And that can sometimes not work in our favor. No matter what is going on, for example, if you are buying a coat, or a suit, or pants, or a sweater...you are going to find it in certain basic colors no matter what year you are purchasing that item. If you want a black suit, you can find it. Ditto on the black pants, black dress or black sweater. You might not be able to necessarily find it with the neckline you want (hey, who came up with this idea that sweaters should have a v neck that goes down to your waistline?), but black is something you will always find. Manufacturers know they can always sell black (if only to the women in New York City who seem to wear it as a four-season uniform - it can be 100 degrees out there, but you will always find New Yorkers on the street in black..they are oblivious and impervious to the heat). But, what do you do if you can't wear black, or that funky greyish brown that they many times send out (bad choice..if you can't wear black, greyish brown is going to do even less for you, trust me..I KNOW).
Sometimes, it really IS better to know how to sew - pattern manufactuers, large and small, really cater to fashion these days and there are wonderful internet fabric sites out there, so once you know the colors that make your eyes pop and your smile sparkle, you can probably find a pattern for what you want to make and the stuff to make it with.
And that is when fashion becomes fun, trust me.
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Saturday, December 09, 2006
The rythm is gonna getcha Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
Knitting is getting very very funky -- I think we can thank Deb Stoller and "Stitch and Bitch" for that. But sometimes, underneath the funk is some terrific technical stuff. But, I'm going to get the "beef" stuff out of the way: Over the past 5 years, there have been a lot (a lot) of knitting books that have been cranked out, most of which were meant to take advantage of the wave of interest in knitting from, ahem, young people.
Some publishers obviously got the idea that if you somehow had the connotation that this book was associated in some way with celebrities who might have knitted something for the book, or are appearing in knitted somethings in the book or who once met the author in her yarn store or something..that it would have an audience. And, in many cases, they were right; I'm sure there there are a lot of people out there who got curious about knitting by seeing pictures of Julia whatshername knitting a hat, or saw a book of scarves designed and perhaps knitted by some celebrities. Some of those folks started with scarves and have moved on (which is a very good thing for the craft yarn business, I must say).And, some of those people decided that they had enough scarves and didn't want to knit anymore. Sorry about that. But my big beef with a lot of those books is that they were long on celebrity, long on using very expensive yarns that, conveniently enough,. were being sold by the author, and darned short on technique and fitting. I even recall a book where the sweater sizing stopped at...a 32" bustline. Now, everyone out there, raise your hands if you have a 32" bustline. Oh, no takers? Gosh, I'm surprised..I thought every woman over the age of 10 had a 32" bustline. And in sweaters, that means that the finished measurement of the sweater itself, at the fullest part of the bust, is 32". Oh, yes, you in the back..you say you have a 32" bustline? Oh, you don't have a bust yet - you're 9 years old and your chest is 32". Ah, I see. The last time I saw statistics on this, the average size of the bust of American women is a 36C - which means that the fullest part of the bust is NOT 32". It's this sort of thing that is very discouraging to new knitters.
The biggest, hairy-est issue for knitters moving from scarves to something you actually put on is the whole issue of fit. Fitting knitted stuff to a body with parts that actually stick out in places IS easier than fitting sewn, woven fabrics - there is a lot more give. But still, if you have a big bust and don't want that cardi to ride up in the front, you need some engineering on that thing and you need to know how to make a gauge swatch. Where to go for help?
Best book for THAT issue (whether you wear a 34 C or a 44XYZ) is "Big Girl Knits" by Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer (the Knitty.com people), published by Potter Craft. I don't know if it's out in paperback, but save your pennies and get it or go halve-sies with a friend or borrow it from your local library. Even if you wear clothing in the, ahem, single digits, the entire first half of the book is a treasure for you, too. Everyone has something that gives them "tsuris"(heartburn), whether it is big bust, no bust, stomach, broad shoulders, muscular arms, a shelf in the back or what have you. This book shows you how to design and modify patterns to take your stuff and rock it out when you make a sweater. No more wadders for you! Which is why it is so worth it - no more wasted money on yarn ..no more wasted time. The second half contains some amazing, funky, and even for a slightly elderly lady like me, eminently wearable sweaters, skirts, jackets and accessories. 'nuff said.
Now, having skewered any knitting book that is "celebrity related", I'm going to stab myself in the back here and give a big shout out to Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark for "Knit 2 Together" (published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang -- sounds like the modern version of Winkin, Blinkin and Nod). The major difference between this and any of the other "celebrity related" knitting books that have come under my fingers (and I fully admit that I have not seen them all) is that Tracey Ullman knits. She knits a lot. She knits clothing that her children actually wear (an endorsement if ever I saw one). She knits weird stuff like funky structured purses that look like old fashioned doctor's bags. So, as far as I'm concerned, she's earned a spot in a knitting book - she knits, she talks about knitting and technique and knitting adventures..and she is hilarious. Mel Clark teaches knitting and designs sweaters (for the dreaded Landsend....God, the horror, the horror) and oh, yeah, she owns a yarn and knitting store in Santa Monica. This book is crammed with technique and terrific pictures. The selection of patterns has everything from too-cute mouse toys complete with their own wardrobes to knitted suits, luggage, very funky baby stuff and a gym slip(I kid you not. Unlike the gym suits we had to wear 30 years ago, British girls and obviously girls from former UK colonies like New Zealand from whence Mel Clark hales, got to wear extremely cute little dresses called gym slips). My first project out of this book is called "Pea Pod Cardigan" and is a wonderful vintagey short sleeved cardi with actual pea pod motifs knitted right in. Just a lovely thing.

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Thursday, November 30, 2006
No Burnooses, Please Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
For someone of my, ahem, age, THE most amazing thing about the whole "over size 12 fashion scene" these days is that people who don't want to put down their money at LB or Catherine's (which was originally called, for those of you with a historic bent, Catherine's Stout Shop) DON'T HAVE TO. Thirty years ago, those were the choices and by and large, if you wanted LB you had to to go the major metros to get one. Malls as we know them today did not exist. The ubiquitization of retail like GAP, Old Navy, LB, Victoria's Secret had not occurred.
If you were plus sized, your choice was to either go to a big city, deal with the paltry section in your local department store (and in my town growing up, that section was one rack, period, and all the dresses were old lady styles with little lace collars, in such exciting colors as black and navy blue), learn to sew or have your clothes made. Yep, in those days (soon after we abandoned beating our clothes on rocks next to the local stream), there were these creatures called dressmakers who people would go to with patterns (or, if you were lucky, without - really skilled dressmakers in my town could whip you up something from a magazine picture..woohoo).
Although there is still a long way to go before every plus sized woman can shop with her size 10 buddies, in the same section of the same store (that would be heaven, eh?), what has really changed for the better is the breadth of selection. We may not have the same stuff in our size ranges right next to the Missy section, but we have some just excellent stores and sites (some have one, some another and some both). For those folks out there who are dispairing of ever finding just the right blue jeans with just the right rise - I'd like to remind you that not too many years ago, the whole issue of jeans in plus sizes at all was a totally moot discussion. For women looking for cool and sexy undies - well, ladies, they are out there. Just check the various fat fashion blogs and sites. There is amazing stuff out there. Gorgeous sexy dresses, tops and bottoms. tights in amazing colors. It's just dizzying. And, the vendors really do want your money, bless them. they've figured out the business model - make plus size women age appropriate fashion and by gum, they will open up their wallets and start waving the plastic around. Mind boggling, but true.
Now, the department store folks have a long way to go. These guys are so hooked into the "sales per square foot" model that they really seem to have genuine problems just getting the stuff out and on display in a reasonable and attractive fashion. To them, many times, plus sized fashion is sort of this afterthought that they have to cram into some space, some where. Big mistake. And for those folks, the idea of giving out business sized cards that read, "If you'd had clothing my size, this would have been my credit card" is a great idea - though at the store level, especially with the continuing consolidation of stores (Macy's anyone?), it may not be as effective as it could be. At the store level, all they can sell is what is shipped down to them.
So, that leaves us with our friends. People like Junonia, the ever stalwart LB, Igigi, Kiyonna, B&L, Torrid, and so on. It's always good to support your friends.
Now, if we could just get them to recognize that there are these creatures called petite plus sizes.....
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
You never know when you are going to get the call
Ozlem posted this wonderful, "meaty" blog today showing two models from the catwalk who, because of the lack of coverage in terms of what they were being asked to model, were exposing their skeletal structure to an astonishing degree. I have to say skeletal, because they did not have much in the way of musculature to speak of, but had amazing bones. Rib cages that go on forever. Femurs and tibias everywhere you looked. And all I saw, because I'm old enough that this sort of thing was still being shown in America's high school history classrooms as an object lesson in human depravity (they were still teaching about human depravity in those days because we were still watching Nazi movies on the tv on Saturday nights), the photos taken by the photographers from the Army liberating groups of the dead and dying at Bergen-Belsen ...these two young girls are just a couple of steps away from the striped pajama uniforms and vacant stares of the concentration camp survivors.
Only, because of pressure from working in that world, they chose to do this to themselves. And, because they ARE young, they do not understand what they have already done to themselves and what the consequences of this are: nerve damage, early cardiac disease and failure, kidney issues, bone issues. It's not just people who are diagnosed as being anorexic who are "dying to be thin" - these girls are the walking dead already.
Eat well. Eat wisely. That means protein and fat and vegetables and fruits and grains. Get some fresh air and sunshine. Play. You need to be strong in a world that beats us up so much.
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Wednesday, November 01, 2006
The thing that drives me crazy is...
One of the true wonders of the Internet (and for those of us of, ahem, a certain age, we can remember the world B. I. -- Before Internet) are sites like Knitty.com and MagKnits.com, which really and truly cater to THE YOUNGER KNITTER. You know who you are - the people who picked up "Stitch and Bitch" (in all of its incarnations), have heroes(hey, Franklin) and heroines (hey..oh, there are too many to mention) among the bloggerati, and have picked up knitting as if it were in the air or something.
I'm sure there are some knitters with some grey hairs who are just a little bit ..weirded out by this. They've been slogging through Vogue Knitters magazine and Knitters magazine and even Interweave Knits for years and years..dutifully cranking out the knits. Welded to those patterns because THAT is the way it gets done, people..that IS the way it gets done. I learned to knit that way and that is certainly the way my Mom knit. The only type of sweater she did NOT use a pattern for was a feather and fan thing that she had tattooed on her brain from knitting it in the bomb shelters in the UK during the war. She could turn out one of those tops with duct tape over her eyes, I think. But in general, she needed a pattern, even for a simple cardi. Don't ask about gauge. I never, ever saw her swatch anything. She knew that if she had xx yarn and yy needles, she'd knit to the gauge on the pattern. Sort of limiting really, but she certainly turned out some terrific sweaters, that looked exactly like the picture in the magazine. Amazing.
On the other hand, I sort of got out of that a while ago when I started spinning. Even if you are an incredibly even spinner, handspun yarn just does NOT perform on the needles like machine yarn does. It can really have a little bit of a mind of its own, which means that a) you won't be making a sweater that looks anything like what you are seeing in a magazine, or even a book on using handspun, like "Handspun, Handknit", and b)you've got to be a little bit flexible and let the yarn have its head in terms of giving you the object of your affection at the end of the road.
So, I learned how to swatch so that I could make sweaters that actually fit someone. And that, as Martha would say(does she still say this, even post-jail time?)is a good thing. Knitting is a lot more fun when you end up with something that actually fits and looks pretty much like you wanted it to. Then, you can actually become a sweater designer. Woohoo. That's the true fun - when you can come up with just what you want - even if it's a picture from a book from the 1940s or a costume from a movie. You, your measuring tape and a calculator can do just about anything. Swatching..what America's having for dinner.
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Sunday, October 29, 2006
Ah, the pressure to rip things out Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
One of the truly wonderful things about knitting is that if you make a mistake, you can rip it down to that point and just continue on. Or, if you are truly clever and nimble, if it's just a "purl instead of knit" issue, you can just get to that point over the mistake and drop the stitch (oh, horrors) and do it up correctly, one. stitch. at. a. time.
On the other hand, though, there is that pressure, knowing that if you get to the end, or to some major point in the project (like, when you are ready to start the sleeves or something like that) and you lay out the pieces or the project as it now stands and...oh my God, that looks, just ...mmmm...well, the best word I can think of in polite company is "dreadful" -- well, there is that pressure that you KNOW that you have that ability to pull the whole mess down...all the way down to the status of balls or skeins or what have you. And you've put in all that time and effort. And the Puritanical or "good little girl or boy" part of you is telling you, "You know, if you rip the whole mess down, you can re-do it; or do something completely different and avoid this design issue, or whatever. But it is a waste to turn it into a "wadder" and throw it back into a bag at the back of the closet." And, if you have singleness of purpose...or a tough stomach..or something like that, you undo that last stitch and start "frogging" the poor thing and that is that.
Much better than sewing, I might add, where there are limited means of rescuing major design or measurement errors - I think the only one I can think of that works really well in terms of things just not fitting right is putting in gussets in the sides or under the armpits...and hoping people think this is some sort of clever, traditional Scandinavian or Afghani design element that you picked up from a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum and not the fact that you did not measure yourself correctly in the first place. Sewing does have a much, much higher risk of producing "wadders" than knitting does. My only other method of "wadder avoidance" is making a muslin. Now, I know there are a lot of people out there, experienced sewists, who can just take up a pattern, do up all the measurements, cut it out, sew it up and by golly, it fits and looks incredible.
Not me. I've got big boobs in the front and the start of a stomach as well and we will NOT talk about the bumper that is taking the place of my rearend. But, with roundish things that stick out like those, the chances of my being able to just run something up (short of a feed sack measured on the largest measurement I've got), are in the "slim to none" range. So, I use Gale Griggs Hazan's technique of considering the front half of me as a separate creature from the back half of me ("Front, meet back..Back, meet Front"), creating totally separate muslin halves to fit each part, and trying to get them to achieve detente at the side seams. Which works quite well, actually, as long as I am a good little person and do not cut any corners on the measurement issues. But sometimes, it just doesn't work. I was making a halter-top dress for my daughter - who is well endowed (as we used to say back in the day) and no matter what I did on the measurement side, it just did not work. So, I threw it out and started draping right on her, pinning things right to her bra. And THAT is what worked.
Got to be flexible.
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
My waistline is in here, somewhere Current mood: contemplative Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping
One of the great things about being able to sew your own clothing is that you can customize the fit. And if you are not built like a tongue depressor, fitting can sometimes be a challenge. And the continuum of challenge (from merely "a little too long" to "high hip" to "my front is an entirely different size than my back") can be a real mind-blower. But, getting fit to work for you can be an incredible challenge, if you have to work by yourself. I tend to make a lot of clothing for my daughters(who are both height-challenged like me) and that works well because I'm working "on" them - but to work on myself is pretty tough. I think I'm going to have to ask my DH to help me make myself a "duct tape sewing dummy" -- I've heard they are terrific to work on and I think having one would make my sewing experience a lot more fun.