The cardigan has fairly simple lines with front pleats to add fullness and darts for shaping at the shoulder. It, along with a tank top (not this one), are next on my to sew list. For the SWAP, they can count as my "choice" item or as one top and one choice or even as two tops. I have options - LOL!
Normally, I avoid raglan sleeves as they tend to make my shoulders look even narrower. However, with the fuzziness of this knit and the neckband that line will be less obvious and should be okay. I'll try it and see. The dark grey will work in well with my other garments.
Adjusting the pattern, I ended up with double wedges. Nothing like making you feel curvier than ever. Pattern drafting for a size twelve is based on a 36" hip. That won't do. Allowing for 2" ease front and back, I added 4 3/4" to the back and 2 3/4" to the front. I was explaining this process to my husband - how it's based on a nearly equal bust hip scenario and how my hips are WAY wider than my upper bust making me super curvy - and he said, I like curves. LOL - good thing. I HAVE HIPS and I'm okay with them. In fact, I was thinking...
... about that just the other day, about things that used to bother me and don't anymore. In my teens, my nickname was Hognose which was supposedly a merging of my maiden name and my large nose. It bothered me then - a lot - and now, when I look in the mirror, I don't see a big nose. Guess I grew into it.
And my hips? They used to drive me crazy. I felt fatter than fat being all curvy when everyone else was a stick. Now, I think what great curves and I'm so glad I have them. My bust line is improving with age. My waist is smaller than it's been in a long time even if it could be more toned. Could be - with exercise. The only thing that I can think of that sort of bugs me right now is my chubby chicken biceps. They sag at the back like drumsticks. This look could be improved - again with exercise. I'm working on that - NOT - I wear sleeves - VBG. What used to bug you and doesn't any more? Isn't it great to be free of these things? YES YES!
Thanks for all the wonderful compliments on the blouse yesterday. Obviously it's time for me to make forays in new directions. I plan to wear it on Sunday with the denim skirt I made a few weeks ago. I haven't decided on which belt yet.
Unfortunately, no one commented with tips on photography. I was really hoping. Perhaps I'll have to ask some questions at a few blogs because I'll definitely need help before I take the SWAP pictures, both help taking them and help knowing how to put that all together. I'm not trying to win the competition. I'm just using it as a guideline for sewing. Even so, I want to do a good job. Right now, sewing the cardigan.
Have a great day - Myrna
Grateful - We were told to expect an appointment for one of the tests in about a month and Howard is going in today. That's quite quick, almost too quick. It's a bit nerve wracking so we're choosing to be happy and assume it's a cancellation instead of concerned at how urgent did the doctor mark that file that Howard went all the way to the top of the list immediately. Either way, this is good.
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Personal Growth - Earlier in the week, I mentioned the comment made by the psychologist I used to work for about how there wasn't much need for a psychologist in Guatemala. That thought keeps running through my mind. I'm really struggling with food and these allergies. Some days I can handle it and other days I cry and I'm stressed and depressed, wandering around aimlessly, and peering into the fridge hopeful of change.
Instead of interesting and social, food is boring. I don't do bored well. Food has become choiceless, constraining, and filled with struggle especially on occasions when the people I love and would love to go out with go without me. Celebrating and socializing around food has been a big part of my life and now it's gone. Emotions swirl, including my feelings of entitlement to eat what I want to eat when the bottom line is I eat, every day, three meals a day. That's not true for everyone. Why aren't I grateful just to have food? How can I be?
First of all HUGS! You sound like you need one today.
ReplyDeleteI can identify with your feelings about food having been on a much restricted diet in the past. As someone who has had quite severe environmental sesitivities for 16 years, I can sure emphasize with what you are feeling.
You need to mourn the passing of the foodie person you used to be - What you are blogging sure sounds like the mourning process to me. I had to mourn the loss of the person I used to be before my life and activities were restricted by my abilities to be around people and scented/chemically based products. It took over a year of journalling to work through a lot of it - and I became ill quite often just from trying to do what I'd done in the past.
Once I realized I needed to let go of who I used to be and become more accepting of who I was now, it became easier to deal with. I have managed to gain back a lot of ground but still have set backs when exposed to scents/products I react to - I just recently had to resign my part time job due to developing reactions to a product used by a massage therapist working a few doors down from where I worked.
I'm looking at it as an opportunity to return to being a full time artist and trusting that the income I earned at the job will be replaced soon in a much better working environment for me.
Hang in there - you will soon develop some base menus you can live with and even enjoy.
Have another hug ((((((Myrna)))))).
Oh Myrna! I agree that you seem to be grieving your previous life, and that's as it should be. But it's not easy
ReplyDeleteI was diagnosed with multiple food allergies several years ago but found that I had so many allergies that I couldn't even design a rotation diet! Therefore, I eat items which cause me the least severe allergies and avoid those which make me much more sick.
Then I had gastric bypass surgery in 2001 and have reached the point that I eat to live, NOT live to eat! I really eat very little now and feel better than ever, other than my very severe pain (fibromyalgia, arthritis).
Life is a journey, and when something we have enjoyed has to be eliminated, we must travel farther and find other things we love. I do not mean to minimize your feelings, Myrna. What you're going thru is extremely difficult.
Please consider me to be in your corner and praying that you make this transition quickly.
Gail D.
Photo -- make sure there is nothing behind you that looks like it is growing out of your head.
ReplyDeletePhoto -- try not to center the main object of the photo (you). A little to the side or a little up or down makes a picture more interesting and eye attractive.
Photo -- decide if you want a full body shot or a shot of just the clothing item that you are modeling. If several photos of each clothing item are allowed, make sure that one is a combination of two clothing items in a full body shot.
That's all I can think of right now. Have fun being the model in your own photo shoot.
Karen W. in S.W. Ohio