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June 30, 2016

On Making time for Me

I love to wear a dress, actually, I don’t own any trousers, so I only wear dresses, but thats not the point. I have dozens of frocks, and before I began this dressmaking business adventure people would ask me where my dress was from; now, folks ask me if I made the dress I’m wearing…and the answer is almost always, No.
I basically haven’t had the time to grant the luxury of making for myself. As a rule, I struggle to fit the ordinary stuff into my waking hours and making myself dresses feels like an extravagant use of what little time I have outside of motherhood, homemaking and work. This month, I changed my mind.

The thing is, I’ve been putting it off because of my size. Yep, I said it, but bear with me. I feel very strongly about making dresses to make women feel amazing no matter their size, and routinely dissuade brides-to-be from diet plans. The thing is, the reason I can’t hear my own advice, is that I’m living in a postpartum body which has outstayed its welcome. I actually don’t mind my new shape at all, the boobs are good and the middle of me has some definition again, I’m only 2 1/2 inches bigger than before…but all the beautiful dresses I spent years buying don’t damned well fit and they sit in suitcases waiting for me to shrink into them somehow… and my baby turned One already and still they wait.
Now, I’m not lazy, I have what it takes and I’ve done it before; but I’m still recovering from hip, knee, back and pelvis complaints which mean I can’t exercise beyond physio and a little swimming; and I absolutely do not restrict food! So here I am. Bored of the ‘temporary’ wardrobe of my maternity leave, telling myself not to waste time and fabric on myself and feeling sad.
Hmmmm…

Well, June was pretty rammed with behind the scene stuff, the sort of commissions which can’t be shared yet; so I decided to make myself a dress, then another one, and another…! I can’t completely understand how I talked myself out of it so long. I inadvertently chose 3 amazing prints which gave me the epic challenge of pattern matching invisible zips too.
#patternmatchingismysuperpower

Maybe I’ll never get back into the old dresses, maybe I’ll sell them and buy fabric. And cake.
I’m a person rocking 3 ‘standard’ dress sizes across bust, waist and hips on one 5 foot frame, I think its in my best interest to make my own clothes anyway. Don’t get me started on high street sizing!

I can be my own best advertisement.
I have decided it is a worthy investment of special fabrics and pattern adjustment to be able to say, ‘Oh, this? yes, It’s one of mine’
CTx

2 Comments on “On Making time for Me

Anne Tornabene
June 30, 2016 at 10:43 pm

Love your dresses. I never see anything like these in the shops. I’m hanging onto a skirt which I’ll never wear again, too old fashion but loads of material. Have started Slimming World so looking forward to having a dress made one day. Can hope.

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Cathy Thomas
July 1, 2016 at 9:44 am

Thank you so much, Anne, you have always been so supportive of my work, I look forward to making a dress for you one day soon,
Cathy x

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