Make vs. RTW?

Over the weekend, a friend asked me to go with her to help pick out a swimsuit. Target was our first stop – and ended up being our only stop as we literally went down every aisle. We each spent about $60 and my friend did not get her swimsuit. Part of my purchase were three RTW tops – a cami and two sleeveless tops.

At one point my goal in life was to make every single article of clothing in my closet. With a toddler, that doesn’t seem so feasible anymore. Back when my goal was to make every article of clothing, I also thought that RTW was an evil institution set out to make those of us without the standard shape feel bad about ourselves. I have since discovered many brands of RTW that fit me quite nicely. This includes the three tops I bought at Target.

I think I’m always going to buy camis RTW, even if I decide to make some of my own. I will probably always buy my undergarments RTW, even if I learn how to make my own. Slacks, jeans, skirts, dresses and tops I will probably sew more and buy less. I have resigned myself to the fact that RTW will always be a part of my life – and I’m OK with that now.

I have created a monster

A monster of the best kind, of course! Two of my friends have taken up knitting, largely due to my influence. Not a bad thing, it’s nice to have people to knit with. A couple weeks ago, my friend K *forced* me to take pictures of some of my knitting FOs. Since I have nothing else to share right now, I will share them here.

First up, my very first completed knitting project EVER! When I first decided I wanted to learn how to knit, I bought a couple skeins of some cheapy Wal-Mart yarn to practice with. I got halfway through a cabled scarf and decided I didn’t want to finish it, frogged the whole thing and decided I wanted to make something I would actually wear. It didn’t help that the scarf was REALLY wide (5 6-row cables plus some ribbing). This was back in April. My mom was getting married in June and I wanted a shrug to match the dress I had planned on wearing. Her colors were shades of purple, so off to my LYS I went. This is what I came up with. It’s the Little Lacy Jacket from Blue Sky Alpacas. I made it using Pure in Vivid Viola from SouthWest Trading Company. This yarn is actually pretty neat – it’s a fiber called soysilk and is made from soybean waste. Tres cool, no? Here are a couple shots of the finished product: 

And a closeup of the lace detail:

The second FO I have to show is actually going to be ripped out and re-done. This one is Green Gable made from Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Robin Egg Blue. It’s a really pretty Tiffany blue color. Here is what it looked like before I started ripping it out:

That’s all I have to share today. Life has gotten in the way of my sewing, but I have been planning and knitting.

More later!!

Trying something new

For the past few years, I have been writing the blog Love and Pincushions. Today, I decided it was time for a change. Diet Couture is my attempt at rebuilding my wardrobe from the ground up. Of course, my family and other projects will be chronicled from time to time, since those aspects of my life are part of what allow me to be able to do this. There have been a lot of changes in my life lately, and I think a fresh start on a new blog will follow along with my new-found motivation.

Why do I need to rebuild my wardrobe? The story goes back quite a while. In 2006, just as I was about to get married, I was 50lbs heavier than I am today. Shortly after my husband and I got married, I got pregnant but had a miscarriage. That event prompted me to go back to school and join Weight Watchers. Two years later, I am pregnant with our son Andrew (Drew). Now, Drew is 17 months old, I have 9 classes before I finish my degree and I still do not have an adequate wardrobe of clothes that fit. I have lost the baby weight and then some and I am reaching a point in my life where I am very content and happy with myself. Oh, and did I mention I turned 30 this year? Yes, there have been a lot of changes in my life recently.

My office is fairly casual and I love my jeans as much as the next girl, but I really want a wardrobe of more professional-looking clothes. As the old adage says, “dress for the job you want, not the one you have.” This is the goal of Diet Couture. My husband has blessed me with a sewing room that is now fully stocked, I have a great collection of fabrics, sewing and knitting mojo and a desire to look more stylish and professional than my current wardrobe allows.

I am in the process of putting together a few mini-wardrobe plans and will chronicle those in my next post. Because I have recently discovered how much I LOVE to knit (and a new obsession with yarn and knitting patterns to add to my fabric and sewing pattern collection), most of my wardrobe plans will probably include at least one knitted item.

In the meantime, I leave you with a picture of my son and I.