OK, enough about cycling. Let’s talk about something less controversial and more fun – Clothes!
I’ve actually been sewing up a storm around here and the fruits of my labors are about to make an appearance here on the website, as soon as I get around to taking photographs. In short, I have managed to sew myself 3 pairs of dress pants in various neutral brownish suitings, one pair of camel colored sailor pants, one pair of fancy gold brocade capris for summer dress up evenings (because we have so many opportunities for those up here in the woods), a pair of dark twill stretch poly rayon jeans (yes – Jeans!), a sleeveless cowl neck top in black, and a refashioned argyle sweater. I also sewed a lovely Diane Von Furstenburg knock off wrap dress in that same black and white floral print I used for my elegant hoodie last summer.
In addition to my sewing, I somehow managed to convince Andy to buy me the Jackie cardigan sweater from J.Crew in navy blue, and today I scored two lovely button up shirts from the Goodwill store in Hooksett, of all places. I usually only shop there for linens to use in sewing projects but the shirts I got were a good fit (only one needs alterations) and they were $4.99 a piece. Judging from the quality of the sewing and fabric, these things must retail for over $70. And, I found not one, not two, but three really nice scarves for wearing with my winter coat. One was a cashmere blend red/black/yellow/blue plaid, one was a charcoal gray and navy plaid in lambswool, and the third was a genuine Dutch National Team/crazy speed skating fan orange and blue striped prize.
So, yeah, clothes. I also discovered several blogs written by short women, for short women, specifically on the topic of clothing. I realize you normal size people don’t get it, but buying clothes is not easy when you are only 4′11″ and weigh under 100 lbs. My site has always been dedicated to the needs of petite cyclists, but these blogs are for when we want to shed the lycra, get off the bike and actually look presentable.
Presenting some of my new favorite blogs:
Alterations Needed: Adventures in XS and 00Petite fashion
And although this blog is not new to me, and certainly not new to my sewing readers, we cannot forget The Selfish Seamstress, who is the exact same size as me. In fact, most of these ladies are the same size as me. The interesting thing about this is that with the exception of Alterations Needed, all of them are Asian. Which has me wondering – if I were to move to Japan or South Korea or the Philippines – would I find clothes that fit me? Why is that I am of European descent but have the dimensions and proportions of the average Asian woman? Is there something in my ancestry that I am unaware of? Because my ancestry is primarily Scottish/Welsh/English, Polish, German, and Swedish…nothing in that lot indicates petite-ness. If anything I should either be a tall amazon or built like livestock, and I am neither. I’d venture a guess that there was a mistake in the delivery room but I look exactly like my grandmother and bear a strong resemblance to my siblings and parents.
But anyway – stay tuned for photos of recent sewing projects and maybe a photo or two of my new bike, which is built and ready to go and sitting in my kitchen because the weather is still not cycling friendly.
March 3rd, 2010 | 
