The Pending Potential Of My Stash

Have you ever had a favorite outfit that you've worn over and over and then put it on one morning only to look in the mirror and ask yourself what was I thinking? I can remember numerous experiences like that over the years. I'm intrigued by how as we evolve some things change and some things remain the same. No matter what I am somewhat vain, my hair is important, I love panty hose, and would opt to wear high heels if possible. Throw in some big, multi pieced, piece of jewelry and I'm really happy.

Kathie wrote - I do have a question, however. I've noticed that you typically wear very dark hose and wonder if perhaps it's the way they photograph (as pretty much opaque) or if there is a specific reason you wear such a dark color even with your warm season clothing.

That's certainly a frustrating element of the Internet - that what I see and what you see and what is truly reality differs monitor to monitor. Most likely, they are photographing darker although I tend to wear light tights in winter which would be opaque but not thick and lighter pantyhose in summer. I wore that outfit Sunday and the temperature was winter-ish which meant these were the only appropriate pantyhose in my drawer. I need to re-stock and particularly in skin tone. The only "nude" color I had looked like a really bad, sprayed on tan. NOT.

Pantyhose are an interesting discussion. Some women would never wear them and some - like myself - would always wear them. If I'm wearing a longer skirt, I will go with bare legs however, if I'm wearing a shorter skirt, I prefer to wear panty hose because of varicose veins. I also like the suck me in and smooth me out aspect of control tops and especially love the new high waisted pantyhose that come right to your bra band. They smooth everything out only they're not at all practical in hot summer weather which is why I tend to wear longer skirts in summer and shorter ones in winter.

Clio wrote - My eyes are bigger, too. So, to enable me to spend more time on the creative/unique projects, I've basically stopped sewing basics and started taking any RTW alterations to a seamstress rather than doing any hemming, etc myself.

I have such trouble finding RTW that works for me that I'm not sure how doable this suggestion is HOWEVER - I'm giving it a LOT of thought. I don't particularly like shopping but this sounds like a plan that could work even for the short term to get me over the hurdle until the point where I'm better balanced in terms of sewing wants and sewing needs. Thanks.

Mel wrote - ... Funny about the skirt comment... I was just idly thinking that while the Friday skirt was cute and I liked it, I ADORE this purple one on you. Somehow the scale is wrong between the top and the floaty skirt... I also think the scale is wrong between the black belt and the skirt.... Perhaps different shoes... The top is bright and cheerful and demands something that shows it off versus being worn to "go with the skirt".

There was a LOT more to Mel's comment so please go back and read the whole thing to know what all she said and what I'm responding too.

Yesterday's outfit gives me more shape than Friday's. You're right that different shoes would have been a better choice. Unfortunately, I was on the way to work and those cement floors and eight hour shifts don't let me wear the heels I love. I've spent the last six months since starting work attempting to find comfortable and fashionable shoes. It's a journey.

The feedback on the proportions and the style/color was very interesting. I appreciated it. In real life, you may have had a different impression as the color of the t-shirt and the color in the skirt match perfectly and the t-shirt is a light-weight rayon blend. It must look heavier in the photo than it actually is.

My goal with the bright top and darker bottom was to bring the eyes up toward my face and minimize my hips. I didn't realize until I looked at the pictures again how much the belt was cutting the look. Without it and with higher shoes, the proportions would have been better and the outfit would have come across differently. PLUS if the skirt was smaller and actually hugged my frame.

I've worn long floaty skirts for YEARS. It's only recently that I've started to wear shorter, fitted skirts. In fact, I was surprised by how many I've had to photograph over the past few weeks. The only thing frustrating with this fitted style is my fluctuating waist. I'm still trying to figure that out as I started sewing shorter fitted styles about the same time that I gave up on dieting and began to enjoy my curvy figure. Since then I've lost weight and gained some back and could stand to lose a bit more but it's not bothering me like it used to. I just want to dress my body to it's best advantage AND sew clothes that are fun. Isn't it fabulous that sewing gives us that option?

Corinne wrote - Like most of us in middle age, I found myself at a cross-roads as well. Transition times leave us with many more questions than answers. I always felt that by the time I reached this age I would have most things figured out. I would be able to define things as black and white. Guess what? Everything is gray. Really.

Yes. I know what you mean. One friend emailed me privately and said that she thought I was trying to put myself into too small a box. On one hand, I disagree because I know what I'm yearning for. On the other, I think she's right. While I might feel my wardrobe is boring and doesn't reflect me, I also know that I have a really good grasp of what I like and am drawn to and that I simply need to move in that direction combining complimentary styles with gorgeous fabrics and texture and detail and visual interest to make those shapes more interesting. OH... and I could use a few more sewing hours in each day and a million more bucks in my bank account.




Sewing Vogue 8392 has been another opportunity to ask myself what was I thinking. I started out making the white view with the three ruffles. Really? Big ruffles like these are so not me. All I can think is that I wanted something challenging and different that would intrigue the customers at work. HOWEVER...




... the fabric was a nightmare. When I stitched the side seam, it shrank an inch. In order to maintain the length, I had to pin the seam to, and stitch through, tissue paper and then pull the paper out which required a short stitch length. Four times for the side seams. Four times for the shoulder seams. Because I sewed French seams. The fabric kept shrinking and skewing. I abandoned the project when neither the rolled hem on the serger nor tissue and the sewing machine could make the hems of the ruffles look decent. At that point, I knew I couldn't honestly recommend the fabric to a customer anyway so...




... I switched to sewing the yellow view out of the silk noil in my stash. There's still a huge bolt of this at the store so it's a doable choice for an alternative project fabric. That said, I have a feeling that I'll get the finished top on and hate it even though I love the fabric. Now that I've taken two steps back, the style doesn't feel vintage-y wonderful, it feels prissy contained. It'll be interesting to see if I can pull it of when it's finished.

The horrible original fabric and how much I love silk noil led to my intention to ruthlessly purge my stash some time soon. I've been aware that it's too big for quite a while - too big as in overwhelmingly big and preventing me from accomplishing. I wasn't sure how to downsize but now... anything floaty see through, anything hugely polyester, anything not really me is going to go until all that's left is room to breathe and a lot of excitement over the pending potential of my stash. YES YES

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - feedback and compliments. THANK YOU!