I started sewing 10 years ago. Back then everything in my life revolved around going to rockabilly shows. At these shows I always felt like Aunt Bee while everyone else was Betty Page. Although I really just wanted to be Ann Margaret. My problem was I weighed something around 200 lbs.
There is this inherent belief in the fashion industry (I've seen some slight changes, although always fetishized) that fat women do not feel the need to be attractive, sexy or desirable. We want to bake cookies and pet our cats (literally, this is not a pun). I love fashion, but this is where we part ways. I'm sure every person out there knows a fat woman (no I'm not afraid that word, fat fat fat) who is sexy, attractive and desirable. So do the leaders of the fashion world only know thin people? Are all the fat people in the fashion industry in abusive fat-hating/self loathing relationships ala Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley?
This oversight (or more accurately, shunning) of fat people (men and women both folks!) pushed me away from the fashion industry and into sewing. Luckily at the time I was living in Portland, Oregon which has amazing fabric stores and my friend Julie who is a patient albeit completely ocd sewing teacher.
I started with Butterick's Vintage patterns and they are still some of my favorites. After my first dress I was hooked.
Julie and I at Green Bay Weekender...look at all those shoes and ignore the weird pucker in my dress.
Wow did I have hair.
So anyhow, this is where I am going with this. Nearly two years ago I moved for work to Colombia, South America. I did not bring my sewing machine. So I for my stay here I have not been sewing. A few weeks ago I went ahead and bought one as I can't live anymore without one. I tried knitting (more portable) but it's just not for me. Anyhow this week I tried Grosgrain's Frock by Friday. I was unsuccessful. I was patient (except with figuring out the buttonhole on my new machine) and when I went to fit...catastrophe. Without a body form I could not begin to fit. Why after all this time had I lost my ability to fit even a little....I had lost 75lbs. My body is no longer what it was, in more ways than I could imagine. If you're interested this is my weight loss story on my ex-pat blog.
So now my next task is to get the bf to help me make a duct tape body form. We have a long weekend here coming up. I think I'll be needing all those days.
But I had to make something...other than the geeked chicken even though I'm not much into being crafty craft I decided to make Noodlehead's Gathered Clutch but I consider mine more of a pouch because I didn't put the credit card holders and divider. It's cute; I think I'll put makeup in it or maybe pencils for class.
I don't think I'll live in crafty world, but I definitely will become a regular visitor.