Welcome! I'm so thrilled you're here! I'm Helene, and this blog is about my sewing, dressmaking, quilting, knitting, and sometimes other craft exploits.
No, it’s not a typo. It’s what my dressmaking life is about. I just keep collecting fabric, and finding patterns for them, or vice versa, but how many actual garments have I made in the last year? That would be a resounding… two. You thought I was going to say “none” didn’t you! But remember my little Liberty blouse? And then I made a pair of pants? I even made a basic block back in November last year. And since then??? Nothing. Nada. Rien. Gornisht. Nothing!
Wondered why at all? Well, possibly not. I’m sure you have other things going on in your life than thinking about why I’m not making clothes for myself. So that was a silly question of course.
However… Let me show you what my sewing table looks like today:
a bit ridiculous, right?
Hmmm. Can you see how many of the piles having clothing patterns on top of them? That would be… seven. And if you count the piles that have more than one garment planned for that pattern, there are in total ten projects piled up there. I’ll go through them for you…
First up, there are the two dresses I’m going to make for my upcoming trip to Israel. I figure they’ll be cool, and light, and will provide coverage when I’ll need it.
the Navy and Pink Dress and the Rakuen Dress
Next, there are the two tunics I want to make.
the Loulouthi Tunic and the Plumbego (picked up this fabric for free) Tunic
Now, there’s the Tamotsu Mitsi Blouse I’m going to make in this divine Liberty print:
spectacular colour, isn't it?
Next, there’s the beautiful things I want to make with the Parson Gray Curious Nature fabrics I bought from Hawthorne Threads:
the Darkwater Skirt
a pretty Ocean Scarf, and a tunic from the Starcomb fabric, but not the one in this picture
Then, there are the gorgeous Ink & Spindle fabrics for these garments…
Ginkgo Skirt
and the Sencha Wrens Blouse
Quite a few things. So what’s holding me up? What am I waiting, waiting, waiting for??? I’m waiting for my weight to drop before I even think of cutting into any of these magnificent fabrics!
O. M. G.
Am I crazy? I don’t know. Maybe. I just think about all the work that goes into making something, and I think about the fabrics that have won my heart, and when I consider thinking about how it all will look on me, I just can’t confront it, and I decide to wait so more, and I go hard at my diet that day, and possibly into the next day as well. And then, by the third day, it’s all over, and I’m back in the doldrums.
so, so, SO frustrating! And I know, it’s completely self-inflicted. It’s not that I’m uninformed, not knowledgeable, ignorant. I know what to do. I just don’t do it. And I blame things like being too tired, or too hot, or the 2-3 glasses of wine I had with dinner that made me throw all caution to the wind and order that dessert, or I blame my peri-menopausal hormones. I’m doing a fine job of maintaining my weight, so that’s good to know for later on. But I’m determined to get on top of this ridiculous, unhealthy, and frankly, embarrassing problem. Thought if I went public, it might help. So I’m cutting out the sugar, cutting out the wheat, keeping to the smaller meals. You know, a palm-sized helping of protein, 2 of salads and/or veggies, only 1/2 palm of rice or muesli, etc etc etc. And I’ll stick to the 1200 calories that My Fitness Pal (iPhone app) tells me I can eat. I’ll do the things I know to do, in order to get the results I want to get. I really do want to wear those lovelies!
Think I’ll go cut the fabric for the quilt I’m making for Moshe. The fabric arrived last week, and it’s absolutely delightful. It has such a soft hand, and it’s masculine without being boring. I think it’ll be a really beautiful quilt. Hope he’ll like it.
divine, aren't they? well done, David Butler!!
Is there room in this predicament for another person? That would be me. I have LOTS of lovely, lovely fabric earmarked for clothing for me … *once* I lose some weight because they will look *much better* on a thinner body.
::sigh:: I find it so difficult to become motivated.
3500 calories = 1 lb of fat. If you eliminate just 500 calories *per day*, at the end of the week, you will have not consumed 3500 calories and will have lost 1 lb. 1 lb may not sound like much, but at the end of the month, that’s 4 lbs. … and that’s better than *gaining* 4 lbs.
Additionally, if you can manage to do light exercise .. like a hour’s walk .. daily, that will increase your metabolism, which will help you lose weight faster. The walk doesn’t even need to be a power walk thing .. just walk 1/2 hour away from your house and 1/2 hour back. You don’t even need to think about strenuous exercise .. heck, when you’re overweight, even that walk is a huge accomplishment!
1200 calories a day is the rock bottom amount a woman should consume. Any lesser amount is detrimental to your health. 1200 calories/day *is* stringent but not impossible. Essentially, that’s (3) 400 calorie meals. At that amount, you WILL lose weight (assuming you don’t have medical issues). You don’t even need to consider “diet” foods. A calorie is a calorie .. your body doesn’t care. So, still with the foods you like but in the proper amounts for a 400 calorie meal. If you’re eating the foods you like, you won’t feel (as much) deprived.
Also, drink LOTS of water, as that will help fill you up and flush undesirables from your body. The downside of so much water? You’re *always* going to the bathroom. ::sigh:: *That* is annoying.
These items are do-able. I’ve done them in the past with success. I could do it again, *if only* I could get my mental state in the right place. Which it isn’t. So, I remain where I am … tubby.
I encourage, cheer and urge you to your success! You go! Rah, rah, rah!
(I’ll just sit here on the sidelines, eat a doughnut and bask in your success. [grin] )