Light breaking through

Hello again,

Between everything that has been going on and simply being stuck on the same chapter for a while, I am having a difficult time getting back into the swing of things.  Hopefully  the little tricks that I came up with will get me past this road block and back on track.  And more importantly, I can keep up with them.

One of the biggest obstacles that I am currently having issues with is my brain.  My brain has a horrible habit of over analysis and winds up making something more difficult than what it actually is.  It has been feeling overwhelmed on where to start even though I need to just dive it and do it.  It is also over-analyzing my sizing issue.  Currently I am approximately a size 18 or more.  Unfortunately in regards to Colette's older patterns, the largest size is an 18.  This includes the Pastille Dress which is the official pattern project for this chapter and is the reason why I picked up the book.

I have been making an effort and putting in a lot of thought on how exactly to begin this upcoming project, that despite all of my issues I am looking forward to.  Considering my sizing dilemma and the fact that I generally prefer flared skirts over pencil & would like to use a pivot alteration to achieve this, I want to take Colette's recommended route of making a workable copy.

And then I was stumped yet again, until I remember my Mother's Light Box.  When I was little she would use it to trace out a scene that she would later cut out and add to other pieces creating a 3d effect.  I knew that this Light Box would be the perfect thing to use for tracing patterns.

The problem that I then came across was this...  it hasn't been used in YEARS, so where is it?  So I then went on a treasure hunt for where it might possibly be.  This was the main thing that I did last week.  I then discovered a large wooden box that was up on its sides.  It had to be it, because, how many large wooden boxes do we have?  So I then worked on getting it out of its spot.  After I had gotten it out, I found out that it was actually a shadow display box.  So in short the opposite of what I was looking for.  Eventually I ran minto my Dad & questioned him about the Light Box location, which he had no idea.  Following this little chit-chat,  I came to a realization & decision.  

Heaven knows how long it will take to find that Light Box.  So I bought myself a Light Box of my own.  It has LED lights that I can adjust, and is among st the largest sizes as far as Light boxes are concerned.  This doesn't include the fact that one of the people who reviewed it, actually purchased it for what I was wanting it for & gave it top ratings.

I have begun to play around with it & I have managed to trace 2 pieces from the Dahlia Pattern by Colette.  This pattern is a newer, beginner level sheath dress than the Pastille pattern that I will be working on.  In short it goes up to size 26.  What I am hoping for in doing this is that it will give me a better base line & and point of reference on how to go about Pastille

Well that was the past 2 weeks of progress, so its a lil long but we made it to the end of this episode.  But before I conclude this weeks episode  I would like to leave a quote from this chapter that I have been stuck in of the Colette Sewing Handbook.  Its something that I need to remind myself, but its also good advice for anyone in my opinion, whether you sew or not:

Being ashamed of your body's shape is unnecessary at best.  At worst, at least in terms of sewing, it undermines your hardwor & your Self -Confidence in wearing your own creations.  Don't fret over the numbers.  Focus on what's really important, making the things that make you happy.

Until next week...