WARNING: This post contains extremes of self-pity and no pictures.
Until today, I haven’t sewn anything in three weeks. My new job, along with ennui, lack of motivation and fear of woven garments have all combined to make my apartment the center of a sewing black hole.
When I confessed to not “feeling” Butterick 5314, I left out one big secret. One of the main reasons I didn’t want to make the sheath dress was because of my post baby body (read 5 month pregnant looking belly and 30 extra pounds) and I couldn’t see how I could squeeze all that into a sheath dress attractively (no matter how much the % of lycra in the stretch cotton). I was imagining how the dress would look on me (ridiculous was the kindest descriptor with which I could come up). To be even more baldly honest, I have been thinking about buying a corset. Not spanx, but a real corset. One with stays and ties that I could use to cinch all that belly fat in. I have been watching Mad Men and just drowning myself in the fashions of that era and noticing that you have to wear the proper undergarments to really look good in those clothes. I suspect, even if I don’t sew up a vintage pattern, I still need to wear a corset for modern sheath dress. Then I wondered why we don’t wear corsets anymore. Don’t people want to look like they have tiny waists anymore? Sucking in my stomach only decreases my “pregnancy” to about 4 months along.
Long story short, my suspicions were proven tonight. In anticipation of my lesson with Thea tomorrow, I sewed up the muslin for B5314, sz 12, tonight. I first sewed all the darts and then the side seams of the bodice and skirt. I skipped the collar and lining. I did not stitch the bodice to the skirt however.
Well… It was at least a good 2 inches too small all around for both the bodice and skirt. A corset would not have aided me as much as I needed it to do. I must admit to myself now, truly and without denial, that I have reached the tipping point with my weight. Jack will be three in June. I can no longer rest the blame on a pregnancy that is two plus years in the past. I can no longer blame single parent-ness for not being able to exercise. I must become accountable for my atrocious eating habits. Don’t get me wrong, I eat pretty healthfully (except for this week’s ice cream), it’s just the amounts that are embarrassing.
And I must admit that I have to buy this pattern in a more appropriate size for my current body’s state of affairs. I knew going into the muslin process for this dress that the pattern range I bought was too small after I checked the finished measurements. I kept hoping there was the mysterious ease of which everyone always speaks. But no ease for me. I had negative ease and then some.
So my fellow sewing friends, my name is Elizabeth and I need to lose some weight and get back into shape. Not sure how I will do it because last time I checked, I am still a single parent, making exercise difficult to do. And I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I have no, I mean NO, will power to speak of. When they were handing it out people, they gave me the exact opposite of will power.
I’d show you a picture of the B5314 muslin, but I might get arrested for indecency. And not the good kind of indecency.
Tomorrow I will be working on tracing and cutting out my first Burda pattern, the trench coat for the Trench Sew Along, Burda 03/09 #115. There’s still time to join the sew along if you’re interested. Let me know in the comments.
Sew A Beginner 