The Wardrobe Project #1

I posted earlier this month about the inspiration for my wardrobe project- that incredibly flamboyant and most definitely inappropriate orange mermaid skirt.  I used some directions that I found that night online to draft a 6 gore skirt pattern in my size.  Here is a photo of me wearing the skirt!

So let me back up a little bit to the whole psychology of dressing a plus size body.  First, it is a big big deal for me to take and post this photo.  Major self doubt issues abound in my brain.  Lots of anxiety I will find my photo stolen for a this woman is too fat to live webpage or a what was she thinking, wearing that outfit blog post.  On the other side of this argument, when I see others post about sewing for plus sizes, I found photos of large clothes on little mannequins or laid out on the bed or floor less than inspirational.  I put on the skirt for church and a play on Sunday, and stepped out in my back yard to figure out the timer on my camera.

Second, while searching for how to's for plus sized sewing, I found a lot of why's.  On her blog, Barbara Deckert declared plus sized sewing to be social activism.  I guess I see her point, but I did not really set out to make some big social statement.  I remember years ago, another large woman telling me that her mother told her something along the lines of "being well dressed is the best revenge."  I did not feel the need for revenge at the time and I guess I don't now either.  I think the point of both of these was that plus sized people have been offered limited options for clothing, and then belittled for the way they looked and dressed.  Sewing for ourselves open up our options.  I hope to put together one kickbutt wardrobe.  It is a big deal that I now think I deserve one, and should not settle for whatever might work ok from ready to wear.

Ok, let's talk about this skirt:
Pattern: 6 gore skirt, self drafted
Fabric: Weaver's Cloth from JoAnn's (fabric $14.97 on sale)
       I chose this tan to go with a certain shirt, but find it goes with so much more.

Lessons:  Maybe Weaver's cloth is not drapey enough for this pattern. I think it's ok, but that I will like a drapier fabric from this same design.  Also, the treatment I used to finish seams, which I have seen called faux felled seams, made my seams ripple a bit.

The biggest lesson, which I read about in Barbara Deckert's book Sewing for Plus Sizes, is that I should have included elastic in my waistband.  Because I needed to make it plenty roomy in the abdomen for the inevitable spread that happens when I sit, the waist is a little big when I stand.  In the next few days I plan to just sew some elastic into the back of this waistband and see if that helps.