Monday, February 2, 2015

In Which Our Heroine Valiantly Tries to Get It Together — January Recap

So January didn't go so well. I have patterns, fabric, and everything I need for my HSM Foundations challenge, but a few days into the new year, I hit a rough patch and slid into some depression. All I could manage was to go to work, do laundry for work clothes, and sleep (hahahahaha... I didn't sleep well at all). The stress in my personal life and at work was very overwhelming and I had no energy to do anything extra. I haven't even opened the shipment of fabric for my February challenge. Last week on my two days off, I spent literally 48 hours in bed except for brief necessary periods. I just wanted to lay in bed and listen to sad music. Then, once I started feeling "better" last weekend (stuffing down my emotions and shutting stuff out just so I can try to get some things done), our clothes dryer broke. So there went my plans for the fabric that needed prepped. There is absolutely no way to air dry 10 yards of muslin inside the house in winter ESPECIALLY with pets!

/deep breath

So, the dryer was finally fixed yesterday, so I'm going to do some sewing this week. I really think starting slow, with a simple Victorian chemise, is the best thing for my emotional level right now. I may make some split drawers as well, but I'm not going to rush myself on them. I need to get back into the Zen of sewing without forcing myself.

And now for something completely different!

Lately, my wardrobe has been mostly work uniforms and stuff that is... dated, to say the least. So I decided to spruce up my wardrobe and find some sort of cohesive, adult style. I find people whose style I like and I look for similar things. (If you're curious, I settled on a combination of the Duchess of Cambridge and Gemma Teller from "Sons of Anarchy". Hush, it works!)

BUT

I also get really bad anxiety. I don't like crowded places, public places, people in general. So I have fallen in love with online shopping. What I'm getting at, why I'm posting this on my sewing blog, is how useful it has been to know my measurements so I can buy online and be sure of fit. I really think everyone should know their measurements and how to take them. It has really cut down on the hassle of guessing which size I am. I can just look at the sizing chart on the website, know if I can size up or down if necessary due to the fabric being a stretchy knit or not.

When it comes to sewing, having your measurements is even more important. As anyone who has used a commercial pattern will tell you, the pattern sizes DO NOT correspond to store dress sizes! I am blogging here in size 8 trousers, but by my measurements, Simplicity patterns put me at a size 14. Different parts of the body can fall under different sizes. You can be petite on top with petite/average legs and petite in the rise of your trousers (I am). I can tell you from experience, no one wants to recut a pattern that was sized wrong. Sometimes you draft your own patterns and need accurate measurements. The pattern generators at the Elizabethan Costume Page flawlessly draft patterns based on measurements. If you have awkward proportions like me, learning to tailor to those measurements is pretty much required.

So whether you sew or shop online, know your measurements, know how to take accurate measurements, and keep track of changes if need be. It will save you a lot of time, energy, frustration, and work.