Fat Not Flat

If it were January, the furnace would be running. It's that cold. Fortunately, on the news last night, the weather map for the rest of the country had considerably improved and showed hot spots. Hopefully some are coming our way. Today - Canada Day - would normally be blistering hot and we'd be slathering on the sun screen and heading for art in the park. LOL - there's no heat and no park visit planned. I'm working today.




Yesterday, I slept in and moved slow. It was a "me" day. I blogged, read, bathed, sorted my clothes closet, ate a late breakfast, and then headed out toward Salmon Arm intending to go to Crazy River Clothing. It was another what was I thinking moment? It was the start of the long weekend and the traffic was crazy. About halfway, there was a long line of cars stopped at an accident scene and after a 30 minute wait we heard that it was quite serious and the road was likely to be closed for four to six hours. I turned around, came home, finished the grey pants, and ....




... cleaned my stash. Now there's seven empty boxes, nothing on the floor, and visible shelf space - YES - YES ! And it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it might be. There were enough obvious discards that I never got to the making radical decisions stage and I've only snuck one piece back in. All is good.




Sorting my stash always reminds me of what's in there and stirs up the possibilities. I found a few pieces that would work well for the Vogue 2988 pants that I just sewed. These are part of my work project so they have to hang in the store for a month. After that, I'll wear them, decide what I think, and if they're as wonderful as I'm anticipating, sew more.




There are only two pattern pieces - the front/back and the waistband facing. There's no side seam. Sizing is controlled by the center front and center back seams and by the darts which worked really well for transitioning between my smaller waist and larger hips and for smoothing over the lumps and bumps down my side. The pattern called for a knit fabric. I read that later and have no idea why. It wasn't necessary, especially as there's an invisible zipper in the back seam.




The pattern envelope doesn't highlight the pants at all. You can't see the top of them. On the pattern pieces, both the top of the pants and the top of the skirt are shaped with an upward curve that is not visible on the photo of the skirt either. I ended up straightening the curve as it was too much for short waisted me and added two extra back and two extra front darts.... which fits lovely... only I have no pictures. After cleaning, I was not in a picture taking state.




Remember my comment last week about waist distribution? After seeing a back image, I was wondering if my waist might be evenly distributed back to front while my hips are larger in the back and smaller in the front. Well... hmm... no. In fact, my waist is smaller in the back and larger in the front. I have been under an illusion. My tummy is actually fat not flat.




Further proof is those front dimples that I get on skirts and pants. I'm not sure why they didn't clue me in before however, this time, sewing the grey pants, they were enough to have me digging out Pants For Real People by Palmer/Pletsch. The diagrams in this book are so helpful. Here's the solution for dimples. I'd already finished the waistband before I read it. I'll use this next time - if those sit-ups I'm contemplating haven't happened and my tummy is no different. I am so unmotivated to exercise. Better fit might motivate me and then again, maybe not.




I created a new set of folders on my computer. The main file is called Sewing Notes and the interior folders are by pattern company. Inside each folder, the notes will be saved by pattern number. I've been hand writing these notes and tucking them into the pattern envelope. Yesterday, it occurred to me that typing would be faster, more readable, more informative, and maintain two copies - one electronic, one print. That's a MUCH better idea.

On Sewn the other day, Elizabeth was comparing sheath and shift dresses and talked about observing a PYT (pretty young thing) wearing a dress she'd like to make. She made a really interesting comment saying ... and then it hit me - I realized why this silhouette looked so good on her body and not as great on mine. She had a much smaller bust, probably inbetween an A to B cup. A shift dress hangs from the shoulders or bust. If your bust is on the large side, you will, inevitably, have a ton of fabric falling from your bust down over your mid section.

While cleaning my stash, I thought about Elizabeth's observation and about the not so lovely pink top and about my realization last fall that I looked better in garments with waist definition. Having a larger bust line is a new (menopausal) thing for me. I spent most of my life as a B cup. Becoming a D cup is a different shift than putting twenty extra pounds on your hips. It X's out a few styles. If I liked the neckline of the pink top, I'd add waist darts for shape. We'll see. Right now, it's a work project. It has to look like the pattern, hang in the store, and then I can decide.

It's not warm but the sun is shining. Time for coffee, blog reading, slow moving, and then work at noon. Have a great weekend.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - Happy 144th birthday Canada. What a wonderful country to live in.