Dreams Deferred…

When I was 11 I begged my mom for a fit and flare dress like all the girls on tv… all pretty girls. I never thought I was one of those. I was a quiet nerdy girl who didn’t quite fit in… She tried and tried to make me that dress but couldn’t get it to fit my size 10 top, 8 waist, and 14/16 hips. I needed to stick to things made for my shape… and so it began.

Yea this is 2 year old me, not a care in the world…

17 yr old me. By then I learned to hide behind my mask. But In my mind I still wasn’t good enough or thin enough so I decided to hide behind clothes the longer and baggier the better. It took me years and years (and many, many incidents I’ll save for later) to realize that hiding didn’t make me look better or feel better. It fueled my darkness. I finally learned that I deserve to be seen and I deserved to be happy. My girls also fueled my quest for confidence. Sewing allowed me to blossom. Enter the Patterns for Pirates Sweetheart dress… My dream dress! 12 year old me did a little Paula Abdul dance lol! But would it fit??? Well here’s the difference… First knit fabric! This beautiful cherry rayon spandex and black power mesh from Phee Fabrics would do the trick!

Next grading… when I started sewing I used the big three patterns… you know the standard kind. I just could not get them. They were to complicated to me an so hard to fit. But indie patterns gave me just enough umph to give it a go! For this pattern I cut a 1x through the shoulders and 2x bust and waist. The circle skirt is extremely forgiving so I cut the 2x waist as well. The result is a great fitting, fun dress that makes me feel amazing!