Wearing my Pink Silk top

This past Saturday while running errands (that includes a trip to the local Licensing office to get us WA'ized) I finally wore my silk charmeuse Vogue 1170 top. If you follow my blog you will realize that while I sew my own clothes quite a bit, and wear a me-made everyday, I very rarely am photographed in them. 

 Finally pictured here in my me-made blouse, with a h&m pink cotton tank top.

 I wore them over my newly thrifted blue jeans, carried my black leather jacket (soft, purchased ages ago at a consignment shop in IA). Errmm, yeah and I wore my black Crocs purchased when nothing else fit at the peak of my pregnancy! It's a tad too roomy now, but so comfy :( Kept rescuing it from the thrash...

I don't think I have many photos of me that I like - I know I am not photogenic. Many of my photos have weird facial expressions (coz I am very expressive, hehe, accentuated with maniacal hand-waving and so on). In high school, some people called me "queen of facial expressions", but let me tell you that in Malay it's not posh sounding: ratu memek! Ugghh... :) Lucky for me that I love my wedding photos taken by a very very talented friend who happened to be into photography (of the artistic kind) among other stuff. Thanks to her I have a collection of lovely wedding photos, mostly captured candidly with very few pose-y ones. :) I'd like to share some of that to show what a Malay wedding looks like (what I wore), but that will be in a different post some other day.

My lifelong problem with having my photos taken worsened of course post-baby. Instead of shrinking like most people do, I not only retained but also gained over the 2 years of motherhood. The first to show is around my face, which is how it has always been since my youth. But now unfortunately, I also carry my weight as you can see in my tummy.

There was the longest of time when doctors and myself were concerned with hernia, so scans were done earlier this year/late last year (i think?) and at that time it's determined that I don't (have hernia, so I don't require a surgery) but I do have a very very thinned out abdominal muscle, and my inner bits are mainly being held together by padding of fat. Thick ones of course, or else in my mind (can't shake off the visual impact of seeing the scan) everything in my tummy that the doctors shoved around when I had my C-sect with the Bean, will pour out! Drama drama, I know.

Maybe there is hope yet with sit ups to strengthen the muscle? I tried to do some but only managed to get my neck hurt so far :) The last doctor I saw said that maybe losing weight will help, but just a bit. So I might have to live with it and adjust accordingly.

Anyways, when I look back at the photo (I actually warmify the photo), the color and the shine is not that bad on my skin as I initially complained. And since the photo was taken outside our door at the start of our errand-running day, my face was still matte and not shiny ;) I still stand by my earlier opinion that this silk charmeuse at this light color being unkind to my extra bits, tho. Upon further scrutiny of the above photo, I feel that the extra inches that I added to the middle seam of my bias cut top causes the fabric pooling on the mid-section unflatteringly. Talk about inviting people's eyes to the spot I wanted to conceal! I should eliminate that addition if making another one. Plus, the length of the front is fine, but the back is too short somehow... 

It is also evident in the photo that the cut of my jeans is not suitable for me. Say muffin top in the worse way... Maybe a thicker waist band will smooth things better? Now this is the tricky part. While my mid section carries my weight, my hips and legs don't. So what am I? An apple? A diamond? Not sure there. So what will be the best way to dress? I am not even sure where my actual waist is now. What's most comfortable from the sides (and I imagine where my waist used to be) is also where my tummy is the biggest. But RTW jeans/pants are lower than that. (And I am also short waisted). If I use my smallest circumference as my waist, it will sit over my tummy 3 inches under my bust... Don't our waist stay the same place despite body shape changes? I'm confused.

SO there. These are the things I must consider when sewing (and dressing). Don't mind you I still love my roomy tunics and tops (and will sew more of them), but as I delve into more sewing I want to also be better at understanding what is flattering proportions and what is not.

One thing that is better is the finishing on the CB seam:

Before: Ugly HK seam finishing

After: neat turn over and stitch

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Other than refinish the inside of the blouse above, this past week I've been re-hemming the hubby's work pants, altered a thrifted merino wool men's sweater to fit me (I have 2 more waiting in the queue), and a Vogue 1247 top inspired by Carolyn's Clementine. It's almost done... Initially planned to be the top to wear with my very first skirt to go to Faye's Carnival, however that is not to be the case...