I recently bought a dress pattern. It’s a very nice dress pattern, Myrtle by Colette Patterns. But here’s the problem: I don’t wear dresses.
I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of person, but occasionally I find myself with a dress pattern, a pile of fabric and notions, and Grandiose Plans to make a dress. “This dress will be different”, I tell myself. “This is the dress I will wear!”
Sewing for me goes something like this: I adjust the pattern to fit my body, which involves much wailing and gnashing of teeth, since I’m three sizes larger on the bottom than on the top. Besides the full bust adjustment, I have to do something for my hips and butt and thighs, so that I essentially take the pattern as a sort of amorphous idea of what the final thing should look like, then chop it into a million pieces and use advanced calculations to put it back together. By that time, I’m sick of the whole thing. And it looks nothing like the ‘pattern’. (I would love to just sew together two bedsheets and call it a ‘dress’, but that hasn’t become a style yet.)
Then I start sewing, which usually involves ripping out and re-sewing some portion at least once. I am impatient at the machine and that is how I work. There are always those last-minute ‘adjustments’ because the machine ate some important piece of the material, or I ripped out a seam and accidentally put a hole in the fabric in an important place, or I just got carried away and sewed something shut that was supposed to stay open. Finally, after much fiddling and tears, I try it on. It usually looks pretty nice. Or, sometimes, it’s an epic failure. But I’ll confine my comments below to the ones that actually turn out.
At last, I hang the dress in my closet. The next time I come across it is during my annual “weeding of the closet” when I donate things I haven’t worn in the past year. That is when I’m honest with myself and I realize I will never wear the dress, so it goes in the donation pile. I’ve done this several times already. I am tired of donating my handiwork to charity and never being able to enjoy it myself. But I don’t like wearing dresses – so why do I keep making them?
I think that part of sewing and doing other crafts is aspirational. I wasn’t buying a pattern to sew a dress. I was buying a pattern to be someone else. To live someone else’s life. Possibly even to have someone else’s body. To be the sort of person who wears dresses, who glides through life wearing heels (sensible ones), accessories, makeup, a stunning hairstyle, etc. I do none of those things in real life; that is not who I am. When I’m honest with myself, I also realize that it’s not who I really want to be, either. It’s like dreaming about being a movie star – it sounds glamorous, but then I realize that I really wouldn’t want to be one.
I know what I like to wear. My wardrobe is entirely made up of pants and knit shirts. My ideal outfit will always be jeans hung low on the hips and a t-shirt that is super soft from lots of wear. (I’m much like the woman in this Carol Rossetti drawing. If you haven’t looked at Carol’s drawings, you really should.)
Source: Carol Rosetti
This is not to say that I will never make a dress again. I once sewed a Renaissance costume (Simplicity 3809) just because I wanted to try something challenging, and it had boning in the vest. I wore it to a few Halloween parties. There’s nothing wrong with sewing whatever it is I want to sew, but I need to be realistic about garments that I’m sewing with the intention of wearing them. This is especially so if you’re not awash in cash to spend on things you will never actually wear. I would never go into a clothing store and buy a dress, because I know I would never wear it. But if I sew it myself, I somehow expect that will magically transform me into a dress-wearing person.
I am sure I am not the only person who has bought a pattern and all the supplies and then realized I was just kidding myself if I thought I’d ever wear it. There are so many dresses featured on sewing sites and blogs, and I just get sucked in to how much fun everyone is having making them. But I know my style, and dresses are not part of it.
We should all sew for our own style, even if it’s not what other people would say is the “right” thing to wear. If I had my druthers, I’d wear most of the oversized flowy stuff in the J.Jill catalog, even though most people would say that’s not ‘right’ for my body. (The main reason I don’t wear their clothes is that they clearly do not cut their clothes for the ‘generous pears’ among us. I would have to buy clothes about four sizes too big to wear it with the same effect as their models, only they don’t actually sell stuff in that size. Not to mention, the shoulders on the shirts would be dropping down to my elbows if I did that.)
Dress the way you want to dress. Wear crop tops. Wear big bold prints. Wear horizontal stripes, if that’s what you want to do. Maybe you’ve been putting off making your dream garment because the Fashion Police would tell you it is all wrong for your body. Well, it’s time to rebel against The Fashion Man and wear what you want to wear. Part of looking good is being confident. I am most confident when I look like I am dressed to do home improvements – wearing that worn-in pair of jeans and the 60’s rock t-shirt with the paint splatters on it. Put me in a dress and I’m so self-conscious and uncomfortable that other people pick up on that vibe and ask me if something is wrong.
I am going to focus my attention on sewing the patterns I’ll really wear in the fabrics I like. I encourage you to do the same.
The upshot to this is that I have a copy of Myrtle that I’d like to give away. To enter the drawing, leave a comment below about a pattern you’ve purchased or a garment you’ve sewn only to realize that you’d never really wear it. (If you haven’t had that experience, leave a comment about a garment you’ve bought only to realize later that you would never wear it.). The giveaway ends on 20th October at midnight EST. Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is for US residents only.
The Curvy Opinions series is about sharing personal experiences and providing honest individual perspectives. The posts will sometimes be controversial and not everyone will agree with them, but they will always be positive! We would love to know what you think in the comments.
Not an entry for the pattern – thankyou for sharing.
Wow ! you could be describing me ! I’m just starting to sew again after about 20 years and fabulous modern knits seduced me into making a couple of dresses, which I promptly donated as people kept asking me ” Are you going somewhere nice? ” when I wore them. Finally I decided to stick with ” my style ” of skirts and shirts / tops, different fabrics creating different looks. A friend says I was conditioned by years of working in a stuffy professional environment.
I only discovered this site a couple of days ago and have been inspired by you all. So empowering to read of others fitting issues regardless of size and I’m loving trying patterns from new to me designers, Style Arc being the latest find.
In RTW, I sometimes get shoes that seemed to fit in the store, but gave me blisters once I wore them for a day or two. Those end up in a closet until I decide to get rid of them.
I love dresses! I want to make and wear dresses all the time. The problem is that after leaving the working world where I wore dresses all the time and moving to a smallish university city for several years, I found I continued to buy and make dresses for the person I was before that big move but wore mostly jeans and t-shirts like the locals. though, I always felt the person I left behind was more authentically me. Just a few weeks ago I moved again to a much more urban area, where I–and my dresses–feel much more at home.
I have the same issue, but honestly the reverse of you, lol. I’ve always been afraid to wear fitted clothes because people would see “my real size”, but now that I’m a bit older and have figured out more of my style I am more confident and comfortable in fitted items. I still would never wear a knit wiggle dress or anything, but I find that when I buy or make a loose top without a defined waist I feel down right uncomfortable. I feel best in a stereo-typically “girly” silhouette. I think as long as you find out what you like and feel best in, that’s all that matters. I’m sure some of what I wear isn’t the “most flattering”, but I like it so I don’t care!
Incidentally I haven’t been able to decide if I would like the Myrtle dress or not, so I haven’t bit the bullet. I’d love the chance to give it a try 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!
I too feel more comfortable in wearing jeans and shirts, but the odd thing is that I rarely make pants for myself and when I did they absolutely never fit so they would be in my stash box undone, or if I actually finished the project I never wore them. I did the exact same things with dresses. I never truly understood how to adjust patterns. I would pick a size make it an expect it to fit! WRONG! The only dress I ever made and wore was my wedding gown! Because I had no other choice! LOL It turned out much better than I expected but of course I only wore it once! HA HA HA. Had I had another choice I would have ditched it! My obsession with making and wearing a pair of pants went so far as to asking a local seamstress to make me a pattern out of muslin that actually fit. She did exactly that, took numerous measurements and made me a pattern…and guess what… I NEVER USED IT! In fact, I ended up throwing it in the donation pile! I think at that point I had simply given up.
I am currently back in the game! I have finished a long time project that has sat undone for a few years. In fact, it started out as a dress but again, I didn’t like it so I cut it off and made it a tunic! I love wearing it! It’s a wee big in the bust area but not enough to make me fidgety. I have also started a dress, Simplicity 1612. This project has had it’s own issues and for a starter-upper after a very long time maybe not the best project choice. I have though, broke through the “pick a pattern size” and actually made some small adjustments hoping the dress will be a better fit. Time will only tell but I have already started a list of possible projects for my next endeavor.
However, my real motivation for wanting to love dresses and this may sound a little odd, but the character from Criminal Minds, Penelope Garcia (PG). I love her, her fashion sense, she’s always in dresses and stiletto heels and she has this air of confidence in her body type, fashion style and the way she would carry herself. I would see her in dresses and think…”I could pull that off!” Just because I’m a plus size girl doesn’t mean I have to wear a tent!
I’ve always loved dresses but I could never find one that felt like “me”. I think that is why jeans were my first choice. However, I am trying to change that, one dress at a time…with a little PG flare! 🙂
I have a similar yet opposite problem. I never wear pants – too constricting. I live in (knit, comfy, non-fancy) dresses, so I’d love to win the pattern! 🙂
I have this problem all the time! Last spring I bought a dress pattern and all the fabric for it (which was, like, 8 yards or something) and made like 3 muslins before finally realizing I would never in a million years want to wear the finished dress. Ever. Whoops!
Oh man, I am the same way about dresses! I have a number of dress patterns that have sat unopened because I’d rather learn to sew what I wear….jeans and cool tops! The problem is, I’m also scared of pants patterns!!! I’ve only tried sewing one and it didn’t have enough room in the rear for my shapely booty so it hangs useless in my closet. I have come to the conclusion, however, that I need to practice getting a good fit on anything I make and also to take more time to get the construction down. I will not give up, I will make great fitting clothes!!
I am just the opposite, I rarely wear pants, I live in dresses. I find jackets extremely constricting and uncomfortable, yet I have an attic full of fabric to make suits…. from as far back as 29 years ago. I am obviously not even going to make those suits, because I have no desire to wear them. These days I make dresses, and some skirts and blouses. I, too, am learning to be true to my style.
, There’s my comment, hehe, could not resist. For me, I would say it is the long maxi dresses I love seeing everyone in them. Bought a pattern I liked made it up and it has sat int the closet till just last weekend. That will most likely be the only time it will ever be worn so into the donation pile. I made my first Colette pattern just this past weekend, the skirt, if they all turn out this nice fitting I think I will have a new go to pattern company. If the Moneta turns out well I was planning on make ing the Myrtle for both my self and my beautiful curvy friend. So we would be glad to enter your give away. I think some of what you are talking about is showing your are maturing and realizing who you truly are.
Thank you very much for your post. It reflects exactly the way I feel. I am pretty sure I will never feel confident enough in dresses to wear them with pride. Instead, I prefer trousers and T Shirts in winter, calf-lenght skirts and T Shirts in summer. I am very practical about my wardrobe – it has to live with me through the day, no matter if I am doing some “colourful” experiments and risk stains or if I have to carry the heavy nitrogen tanks around. My “worst” sewing experiment was a Cambie dress that I needed for a wedding. It was wearable but I definetly looked pregnant in it :D. Even with this nice sateen fabric – wasn’t just me. So thanks – no Myrtle for me please! ; )
On the other hand, I felt today like a rock star wearing just a basic T Shirt with self drafted long sleeves. It was just so.. me 🙂
This struck a nerve with me! I’m guilty of wishful buying, both in the fabric store and the women’s section at the stores. I’m tired of wasting money and just hoping that things will work out. I’m being more conscious of my “honest” body type and also sticking to what makes me happy. That being said, I’m trying to mix it up a little to find new styles to love, for example, mixing a new fabric trend with an existing pattern that I know I already love.
I know I have both sewn and purchased things that I have only worn once or not at all x_x Most recently though, I made a wrap dress out of a really pretty aqua and grey watercolor style floral linen. I loved the fabric, loved the style of dress, but really the two are not compatible. I wore it once and can’t bring myself to wear it again. sigh. I do, however, wear dresses all the time and would love to win this pattern!
I love jackets … I’ve always tried them on and hoped for a good fit or accepted a less than flattering fit, but my body and arms are way different from RTW or sewing patterns proportions. I finally donated all my ill-fitting jackets (but have yet to attempt making one with all the necessary adjustments).
I love the thinking in this commentary where someone makes something that does not work and rebuilds it as something else (dress into top, into skirt). Chopping up patterns is easier than chopping up finished stuff, but if you don’t wear it, chop it. Learn something from it.
I love to sew and I have enough clothes, so mostly I sew for others now. I spent the better part of last week rebuilding and reworking skirts and shorts for a client. It was easy because it was the same damn alteration I do for myself and my curvier bottom. I did something over and over again and I am good at it.
If you like to wear pants, make pants. Buy cheap fabric or old sheets and make pants that almost fit, pin them up so they fit (get someone to help, perhaps a pants fitting party), then take them apart and use them for patterns. Then make them out of stuff that makes you happy, not what you’re supposed to make them from.
Once upon a time, I made a dirndl and matching vest and blouse for a college musical event. ARGH!!! Girls with serious boobs should not emphasize them with a gathered top that sticks out over a tight fitting bodice! Talk about my cup runneth over…
After I quit laughing and wiped the tears from my eyes, I handed the outfit to my roommate on whom it looked lovely. She gave me the fabric she’d bought for her costume and I made something a little more flattering.
I’ve been a pants and jeans (and an occassional long skirt) girl all my life. After a 40 year break, I’ve just renewed my acquaintance with garment sewing this year. I decided I want to wear dresses. I’ve made 4 sew far. Still experimenting with style.
The majority of patterns that ive purchased for $1 at joanns. I usually pick them because they look simple and easy to sew. Only thing is I will maybe get to the point of cutting them out; by then im so bored because im not learning new skills or so confused by the general lack of instructions that I never finish the garment. It’s a bummer and a waste. Impulse buying things because the petson who came with you is bored just is not a good idea ( well at least for me)
Thanks for the opportunity and letting me know I’m not the only one who does this.
Hahaha! I thought it was just me! The ideal wardrobe in my mind and the reality are two different world it seems. I used to sew for myself in my teens and early twenties, then took a long break from that, sewing only special occasion dresses for my little daughter. Now daughter is now 15, and I am looking at sewing for myself once again. And most of the time I feel lost. I admire all handmade outfits in the interwebs, read tutorials for hours, and impulsively buy patterns to make clothes I like on other seamstresses. I decided to make my comeback with Hawthorne about a year ago. There were so many cute versions online that I ordered the pattern and spent the entire weekend in my newly setup sewing room. I worked for hours fine tuning the muslin, cut out my special fabric, and by Sunday evening my dress was mostly finished except for the buttonholes. I tried it on and … it’s been hanging in my closet ever since. I realized that I would never be seen in that dress in public. My mother always wore dresses like that around the house, and I cannot get over the fact that it looks like a house dress to me, ON ME. I never thought that looking at all other versions. For the same reason, I am very hesitant to be a part of the wrap-along, no matter how excited I am to follow everyone else who is taking part. Perhaps I just don’t have it in me to wear dresses like that. Or maybe because I look so much like my mother these days that looking at myself in the mirror triggers all the memories of her wearing a form-hugging dress like that only when she didn’t expect any company. I don’t think dresses in general are out of the question for me, but wrap dresses and button up dresses definitely make me take a step back, think hard and walk away.
I made the Wiksten Tova–which I had looked at COUNTLESS photos of and LOVE– but I conveniently glossed over the photos of it on pears…. and it looks on me like it looks on them. And, let me tell you what, it ain’t purty. Talk about looking like I am wearing a big baggy bag of baggyness! So yeah, that happened. But I do wear dresses that are flattering on me! So thank you for the giveaway!
Great post! (Don’t enter me in the drawing, BTW–I already have the Myrtle pattern.) I wear a little bit of everything–separates, dresses, etc. BUT I’ve found that I really only wear skirts and dresses when the weather is warm. Sure, I can winter-ify them with leggings, boots, and a jacket or cardigan, but honestly, if the weather is that cold, I’d rather just wear jeans and a sweater.
And I’m another one who likes the idea of a pencil skirt more than actually wearing pencil skirts. (I like fuller skirts that don’t restrict my movement as much.) I’m going to give another pencil skirt pattern a shot, though, this fall–hoping that having a godet in back will help with the movement issue.
I bought a RTW neon yellow skirt that goes with nothing and is extremely see through. I’d love to make a Myrtle though!
I have more difficulty with RTW. I bought two rather full skirts a few years ago. They looked cute on the hanger, and I did try them on, but after I had them home I really looked at them on my body and decided they weren’t for me. When I do go shopping I’ll try something on and be thinking the whole time, “This would be great if it were a little shorter here, a little fuller in the hips etc. etc. etc. It’s very frustrating. Then I have to decide if I want to make the necessary alterations. Unless it is a hem that needs shortening, it stays in the store. And that is why I sew. I would like to be included in the give-away.
I love dresses, especially knit dresses. they are why i learned to sew. That said, i have definitely bought some dress patterns that i have regretted. The staple dress pattern was just a total disaster on me, as someone else mentioned above. It was way too shapeless. I’ve only made it once in shirt form and i doubt it will be revisited. I bought the lady skater dress against my better judgement because I wasn’t finding a lot of knit dress patterns at the time, and I still haven’t made it up. I can tell from the shape of the bodice that it is going to require a lot of fitting work and the skirt is way too clingy through the hips for me to feel comfortable in it. Oh well!
I got this girly girly project runway pattern…it looked like a snow white costume. Nope! But the Myrtle looks like something I would buy at the store. I want to win!
I’m new to sewing for myself so I’ve only made a few things which I’ve most worn. However, I have several dresses and skirts that I’ve purchased that languish in my closet since I also wear jeans almost every day. If there’s a tried and true jeans pattern I’d love to hear about it !
When I was a teenager, wedge heels came back in a big way. And they weren’t the cute, simple, summery wedge heels I see and wear today. Maybe it’s just where I grew up, but the girls I went to school with were all wearing the same sorts of gaudy, bauble-covered sorts of wedges that even at the time, I knew I’d never be able to get behind.
And yet, one day as I slunk to the shoe racks after having no success shopping for jeans, I saw, tried on, and bought a pair. And really, to this day I can’t think of a shoe I find uglier–basically puke green moccasins with HIGH, brown plastic wedge heels and bows on the feet. I think it was a mixture of a lot of social pressures plus the dissatisfaction I was feeling when I couldn’t find well-fitting jeans off the rack. I knew I hated them. I knew I’d never wear them. But there they were in my car all the same.
They sat in my closet for years without a single wear. They sat there so long I eventually offered them to my 10-years-younger sister. She declined…
First off, please do not enter me in the drawing. I am a jeans and knit shirt kind of girl myself, so I really don’t need this pattern.
The whole reason I started sewing again was because I was in search of the perfect t-shirt (which I did find). I do sew dresses on occasion, but I know that deep down they won’t get a lot of wear.
I love this! I think we all get too obsessed with how we “should” look and not what we’re comfy in. I want to try making my own pants because, I HATE PANTS. I’m hoping if I still don’t feel happy in pants that I’ve made and fit to myself, I can give up this whole PANTS thing. Personally, I like skirts and dresses, but only if they have pockets. I have a butt and thighs, but a small waist, so pants .. Yeah, not my favorite.
I think that’s part of my joy with sewing. I can make clothes that I like.
Congrats on saying, SCREW THE DRESSES 🙂
I have a pile of tops to pants that fit this category. My first one is a white Grecian embroidered top that my husband gave me in our newlywed days (28 years ago). Now I’m inspired to remake it into a fitted tunic. Adding that to the project list! It all starts with a thoughtful intention doesn’t it.
Thank you for offering your pattern, you can count me in in this drawing. I must admit I am guilty of RTW re-fashions. I brought this cute sundress hoping to copy it and tried it on and hated the way it fit around my chest area, there was no shaping at all but I figures the back made it cute. I think because it had a irregular cut anyway. Well I tried it on again and I’m just a few pounds fuller so I cut it up and keep the bottom portion and turned it into a simple elastic skirt. Which I am going to blog about soon, lol. I understand the need to streamline your pattern shopping too. I only purchase patterns now that will look great on my and I HAVE to like all the views.
A Vogue gatsby 1920’s evening gown. I was like “that would be so perfect for that Gatsby party!”. What Gatsby party! There is no Gatsby party. I don’t know why I thought “I will make it and it will come”. Of course…I could always throw one.
Im a new sewist so im only guilty of the ‘buy stuff ill never wear’- version of this. Recently i foynd out that dresses really suit me and i have been looking for a great pattern since. I have gazed loongingly at myrtle but being afraid it would not look right on me i havent bought it. If i win ill sew it up, post pictures and if i look horrible ill donate the pattern to another giveaway here on the site.
I have made several skirts and tops that I will never wear. I made them before I started learning how to make adjustments. Now I would like to make adjustments to them to see if it will improve them or just make them worse. I enjoy wearing dresses and would like to add more to my wardrobe. T-shirts and jeans are my hang out at home clothes and I have more than enough of them in my closet. Thanks for sharing your experience and this pattern.
My own tried and true style is a v-neck top. With a full bust and broad shoulders, it’s the only neck style that makes me look “normal” proportioned. I love skirts and dresses and wear them often. It’s the jeans I have trouble wearing. I work out at a gym, so my curvy body is also muscular. The legs are often too tight, either the thigh, but especially the calf. I’d love to try that dress pattern out!
I have made a few things that I don’t really wear including the staple dress. I am a size 16/18 and my husband says I look frumpy in it. Although I am thinking of just cutting it shorter so maybe I can make it look better as a “tunic” type top.
I made a lovely jumper out of a soft, suede-like material. It felt like heaven before I cut it out. But I wound up in the exact position you described; tearing out seams, cutting here, adding there. I wore the dress a couple of times but it never looked right. And, unfortunately, due to the many alterations I had to make, I’m sure it never fit anyone at the Goodwill either!
Crop tops have been the item that I buy and never wear. I love the concept but not on me.
I am constantly trying to convince myself I would love to wear pencil skirts. I have several patterns and have a few. I hate them! I love big, gathered skirts and comfy maxis. If that isn’t professional or refined, I don’t care!
Thanks for this post, I totally agree about “wear what make you feel good”!
I’m very much a beginner and have made quite a few garments I’ve never worn but that’s due to me still learning how to make things fit.
I bought 2 mock-wrap tops with lots of gathers around the lower front beginning of the year I thought I’d wear lots and lots as I have a similar dress which looks great. However, these tops are just to long for me and bunch around the tummy. I’ve worn them about twice each. They will eventually go on ebay.
I want to wear leggings and long tops but I just don’t feel comfortable. I have sewn long tops but just don’t wear them because leggings feel like pajamas.
I wear dresses and skirts 5 days a week at least. I would love the Myrtle as I want to sew more knits.
Thank you!
Love this post. I’m a strictly pants and jeans person as well, but have gone through multiple “aspirational” periods where I try to convince myself that I could/should wear a skirt or dress–most of which were born out of insecurity about not being traditionally feminine. Of course, in the handful of times that I’ve put on a skirt or dress, I’ve felt wildly uncomfortable and like I was pretending to be someone else (and doing a really poor job of it). Now I’m focusing on wearing what I like and not apologizing for it or feeling bad about it.
I think my biggest disaster was with the “Poppy Tunic” from the Perfect Pattern Parcel 3. Oh I sewed it beautifully but when I tried it on it looked like a circus tent! I used a chambray weight denim for the main part of the dress so it really wasn’t too heavy but I just don’t think it really should be for someone with a larger bust like mine. Luckily the material was just able to be cut again into a pencil skirt and I now wear it constantly. I love dresses and skirts because of my larger thighs so I would LOVE a copy of the Myrtle pattern.
I haven’t given up yet on the Poppy Tunic, I might try again with a stretch fabric or a very soft draping one. Wish me luck!
One thing that has been empowering to me this year (as I began sewing clothes again) is to find out that EVERYONE has fitting issues – not just plus size or curvy women. We are ALL different and we all have to make adjustments to make patterns fit us. I now look at clothes in a different light, especially all my ill-fitting Ready to Wear items. I have big hips, no way around it and if I buy something to fit them, the rest of the top is off my shoulders and baggy under the arms. Sewing is a way for me to make clothes that fit me and I think when they do, I will feel comfortable in them. Even dresses!!
I feel the same way about skirts. Somehow I am never comfortable in them and/or can’t figure out what to wear on top. I don’t wear dresses too frequently but would like to wear them more often because they seem so easy, like a uniform.
I’ve not made anything that I don’t wear yet – but I’ve bought lots of patterns that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t wear if I made them up as designed. My weakness is more in RTW. I buy dresses that don’t flatter me but that appeal to me when they’re on the hanger, usually the long maxi type dresses. These dresses do nothing for my figure. I’m tall and rectangular with hardly any waist definition, but I have great legs and hiding them really does a disservice to me. I have yet to wear one of these maxi dresses out of the house, but I love looking at them!
Most of the dresses I sew hang in the closet until they are packed up to be given away. I have a large top, a thick waist and narrow hips. I get discouraged when I have to chop up a pattern to make it fit. I recently made my first Moneta and Lady Skater dress. I love these patterns and I was so pleased with the result. Knits are my friend. I wish I would arrive at a few TNT patterns for the basics…a good skirt, top and pants. “Curvy” has been a real blessing. I enjoy hearing the struggles and triumphs of other sewists. Thanks for caring and sharing.
Thank you. I don’t wear dresses or skirts either. There was a time when I did but that time is long past and I have now culled all of the ones I have from my wardrobe. I have not done what you describe but I do get frustrated with this site and others which seem to assume that we all want to sew dresses and skirts. I don’t live exclusively in jeans and t-shirts. I’ve learned a lot from this site and others about FBAs and am putting that learning into practice to make shirts that fit me better (I’ve been sewing for over 40 years but never learned to do adjustments properly) and I’m planning to make some pants.
An ask for the Collective: Do more posts about pants and shirts. Not just activewear but the kinds of pants and shirts we might wear to work. Because not all of us wear dresses and skirts and it’s not just about the shape of our bodies.
I made a super-clingy knit dress, the kind you see in the stores and on the world’s fashionistas. I worked so hard on this dress! Finally, when I put it on, I looked four months pregnant!! I just don’t have the ‘body’ or the desire, really, to wear clingy dresses. Where would I wear something like that – definitely not to work! I have had the Myrtle pattern on my ‘wish’ list for some time, as it looks to be a knit dress I could make – and wear – as it is attractive but not clingy. Thanks for writing this post and thanks so much for the giveaway opportunity!
When I was looking for a wedding dress, I really loved the “fit and flare” type of dresses. I ordered a few to try on. Reality was that I can’t wear those types of dresses. Sigh. I did find a very cute dress though and I’m learning that high waisted dresses (like the one above) fit me better.