Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Better Fit or Bust

Yesterday was my day off and I spent the entire day doing things I enjoy. I started the day off planning a mini-wardrobe and cut out this Christine Jonson pattern #426,Princess Wrap.

Her patterns go up to a size 22 but I still needed a bit of adjustment to fit my body. Before I started my usual adjustments, I picked up my copy of Threads magazine, May 2009, No.142. It's the fitting issue and ironically it was on the floor by my bed,opened to the article by Louise Cutting ,"Add a Bust Darts".
It features instructions on getting the right bra size. I looked down (way down) at the girls and decided they must be wearing the wrong size. I grabbed my tape measure and followed Louise's measuring instructions and headed out to buy a bra in the right size.
Now I was ready to adjust my pattern for these newly hoisted boobs. I still needed a FBA,but my girls were uplifted,so my measurements was accurate. Here is my new top, the first piece of my mini-wardrobe.

The lightweight knit fabric, is a purchase from Ebbyj Fabrics. This pattern was a breeze to work with. The instructions and illustrations are clear and un-complicated. Most of the construction was done on my serger,which made this a really fast project. I plan on trying several of Christine Jonson's patterns.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

My Maxi,City,Town Dress

I've been seeing all the fabulous maxi dresses,city dresses,and town gowns on all the different blogs and it made me wonder....could I pull this style off? I am 5'5 and quite fluffy. My friend Linda says,"Wear what you like. If you like it you should wear it." I think about her words often when I'm freaking out about my pattern or fabric selection and how it will look on my plus size body,and immediately feel good about what I have chosen.

I wanted something with some coverage and would not give me the maternity look. I choose this pattern. I have made this dress before and found it to be a great fit and fast to put together. No zippers,buttons or elastic. Don't you just love summer sewing?

I added some length and left the back ties off. No other adjustment were needed.
I purchased this cool ,cotton jersey fabric, from my friend Ebony's Etsy store, EbbyJ's Fabrics .
I wore it to work Thursday(with total confidence) and was cool and comfortable all day. I will be making this dress again. Next time, with shorter sleeves.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

I'm A Record Holder

I think I hold the record for "longest time away from blogging"! It seem there is never enough time to do all the things I enjoy...or....maybe I don't use my time wisely. Twenty four hour per day is a generous gift from God that I receive daily. I need to get better at managing my time.
That being said,I not going to waste your time with whining and excuses.
I apologise to my blog friends (readers) for leaving you hanging. Thank you for checking up on me from time to time. I will do better.

I have been sewing lately. I made this cool comfortable dress using Simplicity 3877 and wonderfully soft cotton fabric from my friend Ebony's ,Etsy shop.


This is the second time I've used this pattern. It features a bodice with cup sizes B,C and D,so I didn't have to do a FBA. The pattern calls for side zipper which I decided to leave out after basting the side closed and trying it on first. It pulls over the head just fine. It's perfect for the extremely hot weather here. I will definitely make it again. I need more dresses in my life.