The Taming of the Arse

So, you may be asking, how's that whole 'lose weight/eat healthier/ exercise more' thing going?

Well, I'd be lying if I said I was where I had hoped to be by mid July way back when I started this journey on January 1st.  Last we spoke, I had dropped nine pounds and was feeling much better.

Since then, I have had a few set backs.

My professional life was very stressful during April, May and June (let's just say that teachers are often taken for granted by many).  About that time, I noticed that I was becoming a bit obsessed over the whole food thing (not eating disorder level obsession, but rather just a smidgen too focused on every label, calorie and gram - a focus that I can't hope to maintain long term).  So,  I decided to take a step back and reassess my priorities and figure out how to go about getting healthier in a way that I can carry on over the course of my lifetime.  I don't want any quick fixes, but rather long term attitude changes.

Unfortunatley, I became too lackadaisical and my quantity of exercised decreased.  However, my food habits didn't deteriorate completely, so in the end I only gained back two of the nine pounds I had lost.

The last two weeks I have been able recommit myself to a healthier lifestyle and I have been increasing the exercise and cleaning up the eating.  So, I am hoping to shed the last few pounds by the end of the year.  Slow and steady and maintainable is my new mantra.

Skirty Dozen

Here is another of my "Skirty Dozen" dirndl skirts that I have introduced you to previously.

This time the skirt is made from a mauve/dusty rose/rust print rayon fabric from (you guessed it) Fabric Mart.  It has the most interesting splotchy linear print that really has several more colours in it than I listed above.  I really like prints like this - there are so many mix and match possibilities with the other garments in my wardrobe due to all the colours that are present.

I have paired the skirt with a flouncy and ruffly purple sleeveless shell and a dark brown cardigan.  Both the cardigan and the top are purchased items.

My shoes are a comfortable pair of bronze wedge sandals from Clarks (I love Clarks shoes!). I also have these in silver - when I find a good pair of shoes, I often by multiples.  I can't be the only one that does this, right?

This is my typical uniform for work.  It is professional, but not stuffy.  Comfortable, but not sloppy.  And simple to thrown on - skirt, top, cardi - what could be easier?

Memories of a Prom Dress

As many of you know, I chaperone Prom every year and this year* was no exception.  As per my usual, I sewed up a spiffy little dress.  I love attending Prom because it allows me to indulge in my desire for pretty party dresses by providing me with a venue to display said dresses.

This year, I revisited a lovely vintage pattern, Simplicity 3323.  I have made this pattern before, so knew how to put it together quickly (since I was coming down to the wire in terms of timing - why, oh why, do I always leave my Prom dresses to the last minute?).  I also had a list of tweaks to make to the dress that I had jotted down from the first go around.  The bodice was lengthened by 1" and I scooped away a 1/2" of the front armscyces, as the original dress was binding on my arms when I would reach forward.  This solved the really rather annoying straight-jackety feeling.

I chose a bright blue taffeta that had black flocked roses scattered over the fabric.  I had received this fabric as a freebie from Fabric Mart a year or so ago and it had been impatiently aging in my stash ever since.  I am absolutely smitten with this fabric, but I never would have purchased it on my own.  Thank you Fabric Mart's Free Bundle for providing me with interesting and unexpected  textiles! 

Only the bodice is lined (with some black silk dupioni that was left over from another project), as the flocked fabric is not transparent at all and I wanted the dress to be light and airy for a warm day.

I accessorized the distinctly 50s dress with a pair of metallic T-strap heels and a small sparkly pin at the waist.

I received many compliments (from students and staff alike) and I was cool and comfortable all evening.  This dress was a definite winner!

* Prom actually occurred at the beginning of May, so let's pretend it didn't take me two months to post this, mmkay?

Skirty Dozen

I have a backlog of projects to show y'all.  That's probably because I've been MIA for so long.  Hey, what can I say?  I've been busy and to be honest, really rather cranky because of the politics of my job.  But, I don't want to be a Sally-Feel-Sorry-For-Myself, so I'll spare you the gruesome details.  Besides, this is the third week of my summer vacation and I am starting to feel fine.

I have been catching up on a million little projects around the house (cleaning and home dec mainly), so I feel a sense of accomplishment.  Does anyone else feel really virtuous and buoyed up after they clean and organize the house or is that just my neat freakiness talking?  One of these days I'll have to snap a few room pics to share - considering we've been in the new house almost a year now and I have been remiss in not inviting everyone over for a cup of tea (or a glass of wine or a mug of beer - hey, what ever rocks your boat!).

Anyhow, I have another outfit designed around one of my Skirty Dozen to show today.  The skirt fabric is a black/pink/grey rayon woven from Fabric Mart (I bet some of you have this exact fabric in your stash closet right now) that drapes just beautifully.  The top is a sleeveless burgundy shell that has a ribbon swirl design around the neckline and the sweater is a silver metallic fabric.  Both the top and sweater are RTW items.  The shoes are also silver metallic (to tie in with the silver sweater) and my only accessory is a silver Celtic design pin. 

It seems odd to see a long sleeve sweater for those of us suffering in the heat wave in North America right now.  However, I took this photo a couple of months back when it was much cooler outside.

That's all for today - see ya soon!

The Taming of the Arse - Week 14

I am proud to say that I have shaved off a pound this week - for a grand total of nine pounds since New Year's Day.  Not super fast progress by any standard, but I'll take slow progress over no progress any day.

Unfortunately, my eating habits have back slid a bit.  A few too many treats and a bit too much junk food has been consumed lately.  I am still eating mainly healthy meals, however I tend to punctuate them with chocolate far too often these days.  So, it's time to clean up the diet as I go forward.

My hip is still a bit sore, but it is certainly feeling better as of late.  

All in all, a good couple of weeks have just past by - here's hoping to better times ahead!

The Taming of the Arse - Week 12

Twelve weeks or 84 days or 2 016 hours or 120 960 minutes or 7 257 600 seconds...how ever you measure it...how times flies...

Within this span, I have lost eight pounds, built up my strength (upper body, lower body and core) and cleaned up my diet a large bit.  My bum knee (the one I dislocated several years ago) has a broader range of motion and I just generally feel healthier.

Unfortunatley, over the last while I have a had a flare-up of hip pain (which a physiotherapist-turned-teacher friend thinks may be related to my sciatica), which worsens when I do jumping jacks or jogging or the like.  I have been trying to avoid activities that exacerbate the problem, but full-body exercises typically require the use of the hips.  So, I am going to look into stretching and strengthening exercises for this area. 

I have finally started to notice that my clothes are fitting better.  In the past few days, I have been able to wear some pants that have been too small for a while now - cue angels singing.  My body has a tricky habit of building muscle quickly (woo hoo!), but releasing fat slowly (boo hoo!).  It is rather disconcerting to work hard at healthy diet and exercise, only to have newly built muscle push out the existing fat, which results in my dimensions getting larger before they get smaller.  So, feel free to picture me laying on the floor, drumming my heels and screaming, "BUT, I'm supposed to be getting SMALLER!!"  However, it appears that the fat burning has begun in earnest now (cross your fingers please).  Whew!

So, if you have been playing along at home, how goes the battle of the bulge?

Kimono Uno

It is a balmy 27 C (81 F) here today peeps!  Considering the normal average temperature for March in these parts is 6 C (42 F), this is a reason for celebration!  We have been having unseasonably warm weather for the last week and a half.  The sunny, warm days are welcome to stay for as long as they like!

Since the weather was so darned fabulous today, I was feeling like bright colours.  So, I popped on a recent creation, the Diane Kimono Dress from Serendipity Studio.  The addition of some strappy red sandals and a turquoise with coral necklace and I was out the door, ready to enjoy the day.

The fabric was from a free bundle from Fabric Mart - another of the awesome rayon wovens they had a while back.  I must admit that when I first got the fabric I was a bit skeptical.  The colours are not really "my" colours and the bold pattern is a tad loud (okay, it's bloody well screeching).  However, the fabric kept making eyes at me every time I opened the fabric closet.  So, I succumbed to its fibre wiles and used it despite my reservations.  Well, I'm glad I did.  I got a ton of compliments on my dress today, which is a sure fire way of elevating a so-so garment to superstar status!

But, let's talk a bit about the pattern.  The design of this dress is quite simple to put together and so easy to wear.  The pattern gives you many design options - the crossover bodice, with cut-on sleeve, can be paired with a slim skirt, a fuller skirt or a tiered skirt and the garment can be finished with varying widths of hem and sleeve bands.  The torso is nipped in at the waist with a drawstring made of self fabric.

In the pattern envelope, there are several inspiration photos of sample dresses, each made with two or more coordinating fabrics.  However, I decided to stick with the entire dress made from one single fabric - I didn't want to get too fancy on my first go 'round (which I have dubbed my Kimono Uno).  I also settled on using the fuller skirt, combined with 1.5" bands at sleeve and hem.

After some flat pattern measuring, I cut out XS, with no modifications.  This proved to be a good choice and I was fairly pleased with the fit.  My only complaint is with the width and depth of the neckline - for my small frame, the neck is a bit too big for my comfort.  I will be fixing this issue for future dresses.

I have plans to sew up many more Diane Kimono dresses.  This pattern will certainly get a lot of mileage this spring.  It's fast to sew and it provides a ton of style possibilities.  I can't wait to start mixing and matching fabrics and design elements to create some interesting dresses.  So, stay tuned, because my creativity has been unleashed.