The gym is where I go to empty my brain, try to burn a few calories, and attempt to maintain some of the muscle mass that seems to be in a hurry to leave my almost 50 year old body.
But it's tough to do this while everyone around me is shouting into their cell phones, using the weight machines as personal recliners while listening to ipods and texting like mad, or the dreaded "Help me, I'm Talking and I Can't Shut Up!" person who's using the piece of equipment directly in front of me.
I also find it fascinating that the 'I Can't Shut Up' person feels compelled to apply a full applicator of eyeliner and an entire tube of mascara that I guess is supposed to coordinate with her brand new long sleeved shirt, sweat pants, and spanking white tennies, before her excruciating regime of strolling on the treadmill for a half hour.
Some brilliant comments I was subjected to:
Why don't the Haitians take care of themselves (with what I could have asked)?
Nobody better ask her to donate!! And she guesses if she ever needs help, it would be best if she was a European (Wow! Haiti is in Europe?).
Why doesn't anyone want to adopt American babies as there are thousands of them waiting for homes (apparently our streets are teeming with healthy infants)?
The only people who can afford to adopt are pedophiles with good jobs. (?????????)
I will put this experience into the "New Year's Resolution people who show up for a day" file and hope to never see them again!!
So after my shower I jumped back to my Simplicity 2951 dress and it's just deja vu all over again. I really hate to beat a dead horse but I've got a serious problem here. It would appear that I'm not destined to wear a fun Simplicity dress in the way Simplicity intended.
I finished my dress, showed it to Hans, and he asked why I was wearing a sack.
Dear God!!! I've bought simple fun dresses off the rack for years. Why do the ones I make, bag out from my body and hang in a shapeless messes?
Why is this so difficult?
And it brought me right back to this dress. I had to add darts to the back of that one to make it wearable.
So after I put on my latest disaster and having Hans declare it a sack, I ripped the back part of the skirt away from the bodice.
I then smoothed out the gathers and just made two big pleats, each about 3 inches away from the center back seam, and then I stitched them down about 3 1/2 inches from the bodice toward the waist.
Of course this changes the whole concept of the dress. It's supposed to be a flowing kind of dress and the back is now fitted. I haven't even taken a picture of it yet! Maybe I'll take one tomorrow.
So then Hans reminded me that he really liked this Burda dress, and asked why I just don't make it again.
Well, I like it too, but for God's sake I'd like to have more than one successful dress under my belt, and I'd also like one where I can let my gut hang out if I want!!!
Here I am wearing my one success at my 30th class reunion (almost 2 years ago). That's me on the far right and my best friend is in the black dress beside me, and I can't tell you how much fun we had as single divorcee's back in the late 90's.
I think I'll leave it at that.
As a last resort I guess I'll have to post a question on Pattern Review to find out if anyone knows how to fix the issue I seem to be having with a less than fitted type of dress.
Does one do a swayback adjustment on a tent? Does that even make sense? Surely I'm not the only short, curvy person who wants to make a simple dress!
Sunday was a dreary rainy hideous day, and my inability to sew even a simple dress took my whole sewing mojo away so I tried (unsuccessfully) to do my taxes online and Hans (I've mentioned before how smart he is) went into survivor mode and took me to the movies.
I ended up putting in a lot of hours at work this week which is good because I was feeling very sorry for myself and my stupid inability to make a simple dress! Today I picked up the material I need to make a little girl's purse (this fabric) and I'm feeling a bit better because if I do know how to do something, it's sew a purse!
4 comments:
To be honest, I don't think the gathered at the waist skirts are pretty on any adult female. Just my take on it. To me they are too reminscient of a little girl's dress and I don't like the silohuette either. But that's just my take. If you made it in a knit and not a woven cotton, it might hang better. Just a thought. I like that one that Hans likes.
That looks fabulous on you! You look so young and fabulous, almost out of place with those *old* people. Who let their daughter sneak into the reunion picture?
Claire, I told Hans one day that I must have some unresolved issues from my youth as I seem to crave little summer dresses with matching purses! At my age this could end up being a scary sight. Also, I made this dress out of a very drapey synthetic silky (polyester!!) fabric. I guess I'm just not good at fitting myself.
Becki, You're a sweetie! You know when I was in school I was overweight and hated every second of it (and I mean about 40 pounds overweight!).
I like how the silky drapes better than the cotton, it adds fullness. Have you considered adding a tie or some kind of cinching band under the waist?
As for the gym, I used to put my headphones on as soon as I arrived, and not take them off until I got in the shower. Right now I am unemployed and have to stick to the treadmill at home and I know that I am getting spoiled.
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