new bathers modelled

new bathers modelled, originally uploaded by Soozs.

Thanks to Ellen here are some photos of me n my new bathers that I can bear to look at! Dry and wet.

before -> after

before -> after, originally uploaded by Soozs.

Another refashion from a classic fat garment to something a bit more stylish.

The photos aren't great, but I raised the shoulders, shortened the sleeves from elbow to mid upper arm and the length from almost ankle to mid-upper calf, added pin tuck detail to front and darts to back.

The whole job took less than an hour, was very quick and easy and has taken a classic sack to a nice dress. Still a little boring though. I may yet do some kind of embellishment on the front...

swim shorts

swim shorts, originally uploaded by Soozs.

So I think the shorts are going to be great. I haven't trialled them in water yet, but they feel great and meet all the criteria I had in mind before I set out. I think a big part of their success is that the lycra I used is really thick and hangs well in the non-cling way. Hemming without a coverstitch machine is a big ordinary, but I'm hoping they will settle with wear.

This lycra is actually inside out - the 'right side' has white dots and while they look cute, I think the shirt has plenty enough going on. But the reverse side has an interesting texture where the dots were printed and change the properties of the fabric.

in the swim of things

I'm so seventies, originally uploaded by Soozs.

I know, I know. Summer time means dealing with swimwear. Few things fill me with dread quite like the annual reality check like no other.

Pass the choc chip cookies while I have a sigh and maybe a cry...

For years I did my best to hide in a black one piece, but it's always been hard to find a suit I liked and which fitted me and didn't squish my boobs down to my navel.

I can't remember when I sewed my first suit, but it was a long time ago and a move motivated by sheer desperation. How hard could it be? I thought to myself and set out with cotton lycra and lots of time. No pattern, just winging it.

Those early suits were really quite OK once I had recut, re-sewed and altered for a day or two. I tried making my own patterns, but since no two pieces of lycra are the same a healthy amount of fiddle is always required.

And then five or so years back I discovered the tankini and I was pretty happy to stay there. Nice boy leg black pants in chlorine resistant lycra and a tank top with an in-built shelf bra. I'm not saying I looked like a model or anything, but they were comfortable and serviceable.

But as the tank began to age and the straps began to loosen, the cleavage got a little deeper than I was comfortable with. In bathers as in most of my clothes I like firmness and any possibility of a wardrobe malfunction does not assist in relaxation.

So the tank remained in circulation, but wasn't really what I wanted. I was also increasingly finding it hard to avoid sunburn and was thinking perhaps it might be time to seek a little more coverage - a rash vest and board shorts were the next additions.

I don't know if it is just me and my shape, or whether this is a universal phenomenon, but I find board shorts really uncomfortable. I like the sun protection, but they seem to be loose and flappy and extremely unflattering at the same time as restrictive and tight whenever you are trying to move.

And the big black rash vest is eminently functional but somehow unsatisfactory too. Hopeless for feeling remotely summery or attractive and when sun isn't a big problem, unnecessary levels of coverage. Plus I really can't get over the need for a dedicated swim bra.

So now I find myself with no less than 5 pieces of swimwear, pretty much all of which are a compromise in some way or another. Now that I am spending a good slab of time living at the beach, swimwear is a daily reality.

Armed with a load of lycras in interesting prints I am setting out to remake the swimwear wardrobe. I'm boldly going away from black because I'm tired of it.

This is the first of the items I had in mind, a short sleeved rash vest. I used the same pattern that I use to make most of my T-shirts. After a trial wear this morning I decided it needs a bit of shortening and I might hem the edges instead of leaving them overlocked, but otherwise a much more pleasant garment to wear than the old rashie.

Next up, some hybrid bike/board shorts. I want something that looks more like regular shorts (ie less clingy), but has the stretch and comfort of lycra. I'm planning on using the jazz pants pattern I used over here.

After that I'm going to make a new tank and perhaps even a one piece just for the hell of it.

So how to you deal with swimwear? Do you make or buy? What kind of swimwear do you like? Where do you get it?

seasonally inappropriate but...

I received an email recently from Annette at Subway Shoe Diffusion, a Melbourne based shoe importer. This coming winter they will be importing a range of reasonably priced boots with sizing for 'athletic' calves. The styles look nice and are really competitively priced. While I know most people are really not at all focused on winter boots right now, I'm mentioning it in case I forget to chase Annette up next year for a list of stockists! Now you can all feel free to remind me...

I also wanted to give all our blog authors and potential authors a giddy up! Come on guys, lets see some content! If you'd like to contribute in any way at all, please drop me a line - soozs[dot]com[at]gmail[dot]com

a lesson in fit

new clothes, originally uploaded by Soozs.

OK so this weekend I went to craft camp and I made a complete shit load of stuff. Woo hoo! (You can read more about the weekend here, and head over to flickr for better looks at the garments in the mosaic).

But aside from the obvious benefit of new gear there were some less expected wins. Firstly I made more than one style of pants in a sitting and that gave me a really good opportunity to think about the more subtle aspects of cut. I also made the same pants in three different fabrics and two different lengths, and that was an interesting exercise too.

And so much sewing time at a stretch made it easier to devote time to some riskier projects, knowing they might not work out, and a because I am in the dead of winter but will be in the heights of summer in just a few weeks I covered a really wide array of fabrics and garment types.

So just a few things really stood out for me like how much more flattering a firmer fabric in a more fitted style is - look at the short sleeve shirt in the second to bottom row on the right or the black tunic vest in the middle row on the left and compare them to the olive over top to the left of the shirt or the stripe top over jeans in the top row.

I also think my fear of pants and skirts in too light colours may be unfounded (second and third rows on left), but my general aversion to small scale prints may be best listened to (though I think the T-shirt to the right of the grey pants is OK - perhaps because it is more fitted?).

A jeans style of cut suits me more than a more conventional pants leg (look back at previous pants here) and lots of layers and pieces in variations of a greyish scale work well for me, though a splash of red does wonders (you can't see it here but I had a red scarf on in most of the shots).

I love the tunic - this was a no pattern experiment and I think it really worked. It is made out of a woven rather than knit cotton spandex two way stretch so it is firm and sits very well but is super comfy too. I started with a quite unstructured box and added in bust, shoulder and back darts and then did the front shaping with rows of fine pin tucks where a conventional front dart would be. I will definitely be making another of these - I want to wear one every day!

All over I feel quite invigorated on the wardrobe front as a result, and I think future sewing will be very influenced by what I've learned. As always I used an array of Ottobre patterns to great effect and continue to be very happy with them.

clothes in limbo

My sister and I have for many years had an informal clothes swap thing going. As our weight goes up and down we've passed stuff back and forth, and I never get rid of anything without passing it by her first.

It's always struck me as a great shame there isn't a way to do this on a bigger scale - I'm sure there are lots of people who have clothes too good to give away that simply don't fit any more - well not now anyway - and why shouldn't someone else be wearing them while they are still fashionable? Of course I send my stuff tot he op shop when neither myself nor my sister wants them, but the plus size thing is so specialised, wouldn't it be good to be able to send them to some special place? I'd quite like to shop there for other people's cast offs too.

So I have been having a fairly major wardrobe sort in the last few days. Very soon I may well be packing all my worldly goods away for a while, and my experience of doing this last time is that when you get home you never even unpack most of it. I am determined this time not to pack away things I don't really want any more.

The first step in this process has been to pull out all the things that have been in storage since 2005 when we went to Thailand. It is nothing short of total disgrace that all this stuff has just been sitting for 4 years. Some of it was stuff I couldn't even fit into back then (pre baby bearing), and a lot of it was the clothing I wore back when I was a hard core corporate worker and fairly dedicated night time party-er.

A couple of things have struck me going through it all - and believe me there is a lot. Firstly is just that - what a complete shit load of stuff I've kept for too long. No less than 7 pairs of jeans, 7 tailored suits (all lined, 6 of them imported Italian wool, 3 of them with pants as well as skirts), a cashmere overcoat, countless blouses, tops, skirts, shorts and dresses.

Some of the clothes I had and wore for a long time, some are relatively new, most of them are in fine condition and eminently wearable. Most of them are made from very nice fabrics - wools, silks, linens, a few lovely spun rayon blouses and almost everything is lined, has nice buttons, pockets and zips.

And almost everything has been made by me. Not the jeans though.

And this kind of surprises me. When I look at it all stacked up in neat piles (waiting for my sister to come and sift through) I realise that an awful lot of work has gone into this collection. A lot of choosing, a lot of money on expensive fabric, a lot of time and attention to detail (all pre child days. Sigh). I feel quite proud if the truth be known.

But the other thing is, despite the way I feel about the things I've made, this is a collection of clothes that belongs to a different life. True, quite a lot of it doesn't fit me anymore, but I know if I set my mind to it I could re-fashion most of it. The fit isn't the primary problem. This is clothing that belongs to a suit and party life, not a school drop off and gardenging life.

And I am thinking what a shame it would be for all this stuff to be lost, when it could really make a big difference to someone. After my sister has had her turn what else could I do with it all?

boots for freakishly large calves

Like many women with larger than average calves the hunt for a winter boot has been exhausting, disappointing and humiliating. I have tried on so many pairs of boots I couldn't zip up that I have resorted to simply wearing trousers all the time.

Over the last few weeks I have had this conversation with many other women, lots of whom are not particularly 'large' but still don't manage with conventional fittings. There has been lots of moaning and frustration. I have one friend who bought lovely and expensive boots and paid lots of money to have them altered. She's happy with the result, but that's a nerve wracking exercise and a bit of a financial risk for many.

But after sewing two really nice skirts last weekend I decided I just couldn't stand it anymore and spent yesterday in a last ditch effort to get me some boots.

It should be said that quite aside from the calves issue, I am pretty fussy about shoes. I walk a lot and I am big - my feet get a real work out and most shoes just aren't up to the challenge. I want style but never at the expense of comfort and durability. I don't like lace ups or overly manish shoes (except elastic sided boots which I wear all the time when not at work), I don't wear heels and almost always I prefer leather. My foot is broad so I prefer squarish toes.

My criteria is long I know, but none of it seems exactly out there to me. Sensible, reasonable, dare I say almost too obvious.

Anyway, here's what I have to say - I found my boots. They are made by Kumfs, a New Zealand brand which makes a really excellent range of shoes for people like me. There are plenty of daggy models in their range I won't pretend otherwise, but more and more I find stuff of theirs I like. Oh and that cowboy spur bit is completely removable! But they make two calf fittings (so sensible - why don't more boot makers do it??), so they fit me very well.

Now all I have to do it find some good larger size footless tights - can anyone give me a tip??

new clothes

new clothes, originally uploaded by Soozs.

I've been on a sewing jag and so very pleased with the lot. So unusual to have a wholly satisfying set of products! I realised when I'd finished that all these patterns are from Ottobre - I am definitely gaining a dependence on that magazine...

The top one is a fine wool knit rib - so fine in fact I think I may need a singlet underneath for modesty! I traced this pattern ages ago but was a bit nervous to make it - given as how I don't like puffy sleeves and all. But a little birdy recommended it and she was soo right. I love this top because it is simple and easy to wear but not boring.

Next another of the yoked skirts I've made a few times before. I slightly narrowed the flare and I love the shape. A stretch denim in oatmeal makes it look very much like linen only more comfy and without wrinkles. The machine embroidery was a breeze and I love it. A lot.

I made this shirt six months ago and I love it in this heavyweight stretch woven cotton too. Love the bold print and crisp line (with added spandex comfort. It will get a work out in the office. I think it will look great with black pants and maybe a black skirt like the one below.

The skirt is the same pattern as the oatmeal one, only a fraction longer and lined. A lovely check linen it goes nicely with both tops andwill be good for the office.

winter approaches, out come the needles

I've just recently finished the Hey, Teach! cardi for myself, and I am really pleased with it. I think I could go for this short sleeve with long sleeve T underneath look.I mostly lack the confidence to knit myself garments beyond hats and scarves, since they so often fit poorly or look wrong in some way or another. It is such a huge investment of time and money I tend to play it safe. But this one has really shifted my attitude.

In part I think it has come from a better range of pattern options out there. As a knitting teenager anything plus size was generally from a men's pattern, with drop shoulders and too long arms. I'm much more skilled at altering patterns now, but so many more patterns come up to an over the 50" bust mark. And more of them have shaping and detailing that makes it a really worthy project.

At the moment I am really interested in lace detailing as a feature and also in 'top down' construction because altering shaping is so easy and with no bulky stiff seams you get a much more flattering fit, plus there's no sewing and pieces to fit together. This free pattern looks good, and quite a few of the projects in Custom Knits really appeal (though the styling with so many photos of slim chicks in undies is a bit off putting).

Have you got a knit garment pattern to recommend? I'd love to get a little list together of great plus size patterns...