How I wore it…

I wore one of the dresses I made out and about yesterday, and I was really pleased with the fit and the construction (for a beginner seamstress anyway). 

I paired the dress with my Dillard’s boots, an old GAP sweater, and a bright teal headband that I just got at Forever 21 for $1.50.  I think that the key to wearing handmade pieces out in the real world is to accessorize them with wardrobe staples so that they blend in rather than stand out as a home-made item. 

I also wanted to share the beginnings of my next project. Here it is all pinned together on my dress form.  I got this fabric on Amazon, and I am so so happy with it.  My sister said that the fabric gave the dress a 60’s or 70’s feel, which I like since I am very drawn to retro-inspired pieces.  It was described on-line as “Asian inspired” which I can also see.  It is cotton (just like all of the other material I have chosen to use) but it is a little softer than the other fabrics I have worked with so far.  I am trying to add a lining to the top, but it is giving me a bit of trouble.  Here’s hoping that this project doesn’t fall through, because I really want the fully completed dress that I see in my imagination to become a reality that lives in my closet! 

I made another dress!

 This is fully completed dress number two.  This one is lined in the top.  I am totally impressed with myself right now.  Let's just hope that they don't completely fall apart when I try to wash them, but they seem sturdy enough!

New glasses!

I just wanted to share a few more photos of my new glasses because I love them!  I am not super good at accessorizing (today I kind of nailed it though), and usually just grab whatever earrings are closest to me in the morning and go, but I really love the way that a pair of glasses can frame the face and be an easy go-to accessory (not to mention the fact that they help me see).  I actually really love my old glasses too.  I am going to keep them around as they are black, smaller, and can serve as my fancy dress glasses.  It’s fun to be able to switch it up from time to time!  

While I’m at it, I might as well show off these really cool earrings that my sister Rachel got me for Christmas, and this beautiful scarf my friend Jenn got me a long long time ago. 

I think the earrings are from Forever 21, but I’m not sure.  I love how they aren’t huge, but they still have a really big personality! 

The scarf is just really classic and pretty.  It is the perfect scarf to wear on a warm spring day like today.  :)

I made a dress!!!!

Technically, I made two skirts and two dresses, but the first skirt was way too small, and the first dress ripped up the back and had some other issues that made it a little off, but it was great practice for the real thing!  

I am so excited!  I have a lot of plans for future sewing projects.  I feel like making my own clothes is a great way for me to express my love of fashion in a new way.  

Here is the skirt!  I even put a zipper in the side.  :)

 

And here is the dress!  It looks awful on the inside, but the outside looks pretty good in my opinion.  :)

I added the zippers by hand, as I am completely baffled by anything more advanced that a seam stitch on my sewing machine.  :P

The patterns that I used were from The Colettrie Sewing Handbook, which I got from Modcloth, but you can also purchase it here: http://www.coletterie.com/. All of the new patterns that I have are from this site, and they also give a lot of good tips (and even some free on-line patterns!) for seamstresses.  It is a great resource for someone like me who is trying to re-learn how to sew (after 12 or more years without sewing) using only books and the internet.  

I am very proud of myself, and I hope to pick up more and more skills as I go along.  I'll be sure to post my progress here for anyone who is interested.  :)

Happy Easter!

Here I am having the most productive day cleaning, pulling weeds and cooking for friends, and I am enjoying every minute of it!  I just wanted to take a moment and show off my Easter outfit before I spill ham and potatoes all over it.  

Modcloth dress, Urban Outfitters shoes 

I also wanted to show off my new birthday headband from my friend Jenn and my new glasses!  

Okay, that is all I have for you today.  Time to get back to work!  Happy Easter.  :)

Representing Yourself Through Fashion

What you wear can truly have a huge impact on how your body is represented.  While I know how to dress for my body type, I am not into disguising my body or trying to mold it into something it is not.  Nothing riles me up more than a magazine article (and there are countess examples) that tells a girl with a big bust how to minimize, while telling a girl with a smaller bust how to enhance.  On the next page, you can read about how the woman with the round hips can hide them and the woman with a "boyish shape" can add padding.  Huh? Just who do they think looks okay in these scenarios?  Should the goal always be to just figure out how to be what you are not and strive for that?  It is ridiculousness!

Still, it is true that there is some flexibility in how you can represent your body type with what you wear without giving up your sense of style.  And there are some pieces that are just plain unflattering for one particular body type or another.

This dress is from a very expensive English brand Lowie.  It is a really cool brand because they use ethical business practices and strive to use materials that do not hurt the environment.  I got my dress on super sale from Modcloth!

At the St. James Tea Room in Albuquerque with my husband.  

As you can see, this dress completely emphasizes my curves.  The neckline, the thick material, and the dresses high waist, all add to this effect.  I think that this dress has a playful feel, and it is really unique.

This dress is a great contrast.  These photos were taken the very next day and I think that my body looks very different!  This dress was a great Target find, and is a go-to little black dress.  It can also be dressed down very easily because it is made of a stretchy jersey-like material.

I think that this dress minimizes both my bust and my hips without completely hiding them. It is a much more subtle dress as well. To me, this is a much sexier dress than the Lowie dress, but it is also much more muted and laid back.

I think that both dresses do a good job of representing "me", but they also allow for some diversity in my wardrobe and allow me to show two diffident sides of myself.  

Another good lesson that I have learned is that you don't always have to believe what the media is telling you is right for you.  You should experiment for yourself, and never be afraid to try something style wise that appeals to you.  For example, I didn't try skinny jeans for years because I thought they were only for stick thin girls.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  Find the right pair and they can beautifully accentuate a curvy behind and shapely calves.  Who knew?

Personally, I know how to dress my body type in the most flattering way (that I like), and what does and not work on me.  Still, sometimes I throw all of that out the window and wear clothes that I just like, even if they aren't technically the most flattering (hello baby doll style tops that are oh so comfy, but just might inspire someone to ask when you are due).  Sometimes fashion can just for you, and the whole world doesn't have to like it for it to be right!  If you feel confident, you will look good 9 times out of 10.

The question is, how do you want to be represented in your clothes?  Whether you know it or not, you are already doing this.  Choosing clothes that either hide you or show the world who you are.  I say, have fun, and be whoever you want to be!

My handsome husband, drinking tea with me on Valentines day.  Doesn't he dress well too?  :)

Loving Myself Through Fashion

I like shoes, but I have never really been a "shoe girl".  I think that the appeal of a great pair of shoes for many women is that they will fit you no matter your size, or how you feel about your body that day (not so true of boot's, as I have learned as my body changes).

But my love of fashion comes from a desire to figure out what will look best on my own body type, and figuring out what clothes just feel like "me".  The challenge of figuring out what will work best is half the fun!

I have Crohns disease, which is a disease that makes it impossible for me to stay at just one size for long, which can be a frustrating challenge.  But it has also given me a unique glimpse into several different body types, and helped me to learn to accept my body no matter what.  When I am very sick, I can get very thin, which is not natural for me and so not my ideal shape.  It can make me feel like I am in someone else's body (not to mention the fact that I am sick, so I'm not too happy with what my body is doing to me in the first place!).  When I am at my peak of remission, I can pack on the pounds quickly, which is sometimes hard to deal with emotionally as well.  For six months almost two years ago today, I also had to have an ostomy, Which presented a whole new world of fashion challenges to say the least!  Every time I have a new body challenge, I have to go though a process of learning to accept the "new" me.  I choose to do this through fashion!

No matter my size, I feel it is important for me to represent myself through the clothes that I wear, as a way of helping me re-learn how to accept myself and also to re-learn how to still look like me, without always being able to look right in the same clothes I used to wear at a smaller or bigger size.

One of my goals in life is to spreed the message that woman should love themselves at any size, so I need to be sure to work towards always practicing what I preach and love myself.  We are not body's with souls, we are souls with bodies!  Feeling comfortable in my skin sometimes starts with being comfortable in my clothes, which is why I feel that it is important for me to find pieces that fit beautifully, and never believe that the shape of my body can keep me from being my own lovely self.

I am proud to represent that rare breed of woman who actually likes herself! Now my goal is to show every woman that I love that they are beautiful too, and worth love no matter what the tag in their jeans says.

Me in a Anthropology dress my lovely friend Kimmi gave me.  Photo by Jeremy Osborn.