Pear-licious

Image from Blue Girl

I have pear shape. I wouldn't change it for the world, but it has always been difficult to find clothes that fit properly. Alterations to stuff I find in the store irk me. My rationale is if I pay $130 for a pair of pants, they should fit. If I pay $25 for a pair of pants, another $30 for alterations destroys the super great deal. Compounding the problem now is my weight - I'm in regular sizes above my waist and a plus below.

I'm very excited that some clothing companies have decided to design for the pear shape. With the exception of the original Lane Bryant Right Fit, the fit isn't perfect, but it's better than what I've dealt with in the past. (The new Right Fit sucks. Cheaper quality and the sizing doesn't work as well for me.) After my last pair of original Right Fit trouser jeans shredded at the inner thigh, I purchased some Levi's 580s. I'm also a fan of PZI Jeans, but they tend to be low-rise and they run small in the thigh.

That brings me to sewing. Looks like for me to get clothes to fit, they need to be custom-made. I'd have to invest in a tailor or learn how to sew. I took the cheaper route. Although, given the start-up costs and the extra steep learning curve, perhaps I should have chosen the tailor.

My mother was a fashion maven. She could rock both ready-to-wear and work it out at the sewing machine. She made some of my clothes too. My stepmother also sews. One would think that some of this skill would have passed on to me. Nope! Or maybe it's there and I need a lot more coaching and practice. I wish I had taken an interest in sewing earlier like I did with cooking - maybe sewing would also be second nature by now.

I'm frustrated for a couple of reasons. I can't showcase my sense of style because of the lack of clothing that fits and learning to sew is so freaking hard to me. Either I can't figure out the alterations from the beginning or when I think I have them right, the fabric proves me dead wrong. Then there's the actual construction; there's so much to learn with that too. Meanwhile, the fabric and pattern stashes have been growing. I'm semi-delusional; almost every addition has been with the thought, "This one should be easy." Granted, some purchases were based on me thinking, "I know I'll be able to make that one day."

The good news is that I'm determined to stick with this. As I look around the blogosphere and see what other people are doing with patterns and fabric (see my blogroll, Sewing Up a Storm), I'm amazed and encouraged. With time and dedication, I'll get there too one day. In the meantime, please pray for me and provide helpful feedback. As I discover useful stuff, I'll share it with you -- check out My World on Pinterest links.