However, there is a difficulty using a yoga band on clothing for plus sizes. Although the bigger sizes in many pattern types assume that being bigger means you are just a bigger version of a size 8, that is rarely the case. Plus sized women often have fat deposits that contribute to their size. This may be on the hips, thighs, backside or in my case my stomach. These deposits just don’t behave like a toned stomach or pregnant belly. They are not firm, they are soft. This causes all sorts of problems with the fitting of clothing, including yoga bands. You will take a waist measurement, but find the finished waistband will be too loose, or gapey at the back. I discovered this recently when purchasing a custom made yoga band skirt from Crafty Mamas. Sending my measurements off, I received a beautifully made skirt, that while it stayed up, did not feel very secure. Go for a tighter waistline, and the fabric pulls in, cutting unattractively and pulling up the pants/skirt fabric in the process.

The solution I found in RTW clothing. After my sister purchased a beautifully soft and comfy pair of cotton/lycra lounge pants from Target, I started looking around for a pair for myself. Of course I couldn’t find anything similar in plus ranges, but I did chance across a similar pair of size 18′s in the regular range, and I took a chance that they would fit. They don’t fold down like a traditional yoga waistband, but the waistband is wide, and curved, providing a similar amount of firm hold that a yoga band does. The difference is the insertion of a length of elastic in the top stitching line. This provided the security to hold up the weight of the pants, stretched enough to hold firmly to the tummy, without the extra bulk of gathered fabric.

And so to find a pattern. Not always an easy thing. But found it I did. KwikSew 3384. Yes I know its a pants pattern, but this is my wearable muslin, and mostly I was experimenting with the waistband, to see if it suited my body shape. I didn’t have enough fabric for pants, so I folded in the crotch, cut the front on the fold, and made myself an A-line skirt instead.

I can’t believe how well this has gone. I expected the hipline to cut in, or the waistband to be too tight, but neither happened. And best of all, I got a maxi skirt, not exactly what I was aiming for, but a pleasant surprise. I can’t wait to try this as a pair of lounge pants, or better still, in some slinky for evening wear!

So I decided to bake. First, a regular bread dough. I decided to experiment, making one loaf for my lunches for the week, and the other loaf, I rolled out flat’ish, then spread with some caramelised onion relish (that is it at the front). I will cut it for tonights dinner, so looking forward to that.

Then I decided to have a go at a sweet bread dough. I have tried the cinnebuns recipe, and frankly, was seriously underwhelmed. Too sickly sweet and fatty. This one, I went with my regular bread dough, cut in some butter and some extra sugar, and then for the filling I used a mixture of pie apples and brown sugar. It tastes quite good, but the recipe will need some tweaking to be perfected.
Proving:

Baked:

Place the water, milk and sugar into a jug, and microwave until just warm.
Sprinkle yeast over the surface and gently stir into the water mix
Cover with Cling wrap and leave to stand for approx 15-20 mins. yeast will be “activated” by the sugars and become frothy (warning, will not smell good … think stinky armpits)
Mix the rest of the dry ingredients together (sift if you have nothing better to do … I never bother)
Mix the water/yeast mix into the dry ingredients, until the mix develops into a firm ball (add water if too dry, flour if too wet …. little bits at a time but be patient as often mixing will fix an apparent imbalance of ingredients)
**** I use my Kenwood with a dough hook to knead my bread but this is not essential *****
Knead vigorously for 8-10 minutes until dough is stretchy and elastic.
Spray the inside of the mixing bowl with oil.
Place the dough in the bowl, turn over to coat with the oil, and then cover the bowl with cling wrap.
Leave the dough until it doubles in size. (this can be between 30mins to and hour – depending on how warm your kitchen is). This is called “proving”.
turn the dough out of the bowl, and knead gently. this is called “knocking down”.
Form into a log, and place into a bread tin (line the tin if it has been used for anything other than bread) or place in a round lump on a flat tray (to make a cob shape)
cover lightly with a tea towel and allow to prove for approx 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190-200 degrees C.
Bake the bread until it sounds hollow when tapped on the base.

Firstly a definition: A “born again” is somebody who for one reason or another, either got off, or were never on… the god/non smoking/parenting/amway train ….. but then magically “discovered” it at a later point in their lives. Convinced that this life choice was the turning point in their lives, which they not only invented, but they are privy to some sort of secret code, that they feel a deep and desperate need to inflict on you, usually unasked for. This heartfelt advice is usually a judgement of you wrapped up in supposed concern.

**** Disclaimer: please be aware I am talking about “born agains” here. Regular christians, normal old non-smokers, your average granny traveller, and most parents are perfectly sensible. I can’t vouch for amway salespeople …. they are a weird bunch.*****

Today I encountered a born again fitness trainer. This is a person that not only decided that she might do a bit of exercise to be healthy, but then embarked on some sort of “life transformation” (code for training apparently), so that she can be better qualified to guilt others into exercising too. After discussing my recent brush with excruciating pain (aka gall bladder removal), she announced that in 6 weeks she would be a qualified trainer, and then she would make a point of catching up with me. She then went on to say that there is no fat genes, and everyone just needs to ………….. (insert fanatical babble here, I zoned out).

What is it that makes a born again think that they can inflict their judgement on others? At no point did I say that I was interested in having a personal trainer, nor did I ask for assistance to lose weight. Yes I am quite aware that based on society expectations I should be doing something, but at no point did I say that I wanted her help. As far as I am concerned she said that I was fat, and that only she could cure me. and the best part? apparently I had no say in that decision.

We shall see …….

I am not a great shape for these sorts of dresses. I know that, its been proven time and time again. But I found this gorgeous fabric. Linen/spandex …. a fabric I don’t usually wear. In a big muted floral print, something I almost always don’t wear either. But I have been stretching a lot of my boundaries lately, so why not this one.

Next is pattern choice ….. Ottobre – Sleeveless dress. A straight up and down shift, not a design I usually wear, but this pattern range has been refreshingly diverse with its plus sized designs, so I thought I would give it a go.

But …. I made my first mistake. First rule of sewing a new design (especially with special fabric) … MAKE A MUSLIN! (a test of the design). I didn’t, cutting my fabric. I conveniently forgot that I need at least 10cm on the waist and hips for a comfortable fit. I get away with it in knits, but not so wovens.

I finished the dress, to a spectacular standard, but its on gertie because of one very important thing, it won’t go on me.
*insert tantrum here*

You guessed it, too tight across the hips and bum. To me it was a classic, learner sewist mistake, and I took some quality time to beat myself up about it. I debated what to do. The “throw it in the corner” approach was getting heavy voting. Cut the bottom half off and make a top out of it? An online friend suggested godets. In the end, I decided on inserting two piped panels down the side.

Of course, solving one problem exacerbated another. The underarm already poked out unattractively, and adding another inch of fabric to it made it worse. Its not an elegant solution, but I decided to just stitch a dart into the side seam, pulling in the underarm. Its not perfect, but since I won’t be wearing this dress without a bolero, it won’t matter all that much.

The finished outfit:

Its more a spring/summer outfit than winter. Still, I stuck with it, when I could have thrown it away and wasted some really quite beautiful fabric. Its a win …. not a perfect win, but a win none-the-less.

Apparently that requires him to have a target set up right next to our house, and to “thunk” arrows for hours every day.

I am really …. *twitch* …. really *twitch* ….. not enjoying it!

So, since the work shirt that the rest of the staff wear has a light blue panel down the sides, I figured I would slice it up the side and insert my own light blue panel, but taper it so it gives me more room around the middle. The panel is about 2 inches under the arm and down the side bust, but tapers out to just over 5 inches from about the waist down, giving me comfort room. I did the panels in two pieces, to match the style of the regular uniform, and also to make it easier to coverstitch it down.

So first …. the recipe.

Datcat’s Pikelets

1 cup of self raising flour, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup milk, 1 egg,  1 tbsp butter (melted).

1.  mix together dry ingredients
2.  mix together wet ingredients
3.  mix together wet and dry ingredients  (wow this is complex huh?)
4.  mix well until smooth
5.  allow to stand for at least 20 minutes
6.  drop tablespoonfuls ont a greased pan.  wait for bubbles, turn and cook other side
7.  remove to a plate
8.  eat with jam and cream (optional)

I am not Pioneer Woman, so I didn’t photograph the ingredients, but I tend to think my readers are sensible, intelligent types …. who can read a recipe.  Here is the mixed batter …. you may not see them, but the tiny flecks aren’t fly poo, they are vanilla seeds.  My new love is vanilla bean paste …. gorgeous stuff.

This adorable thing is a Bessemer Pikelet Pan. Those holes ensure that my pikelets are uniform, and therefore I look like a legend.

And this is my groovy baby pastry brush. Made of silicon, doesn’t melt onto the pan, can go in the dishwasher.

Basting the pan with melted butter is not necessary but oh so yummy. I am good and don’t do this for every lot of pikelets, otherwise it would not be very healthy.

Testing the pan …. this is to be sure the heat is high enough, and how the batter goes, as results can vary. This one usually ends up a bit doughy, but who cares, since I usually eat it before it gets a chance to cool down

Time to start cooking. Fill the holes to approximately 2/3rd’s full, or drop a tablespoonful onto a greased pan. That spoon I am using is my chocolate making spoon, but it measures out the perfect amount.

Once bubbles appear (only a few, not the whole surface), turn and cook the other side.

While each batch is cooking, indulge in your favourite addiction …. this is mine. My world would end if I didn’t have this

Pile the cooked pikelets high on a plate. You will notice the ones that are speckled, and some that are a uniform colour. The speckled ones are when I have basted the pan with butter, the plain are what you get with the non-stick surface.

Serve to a waiting ravenous crowd. Serve with your choice of topping. For my daughter, thats drowning them in maple syrup and eat them with a knife and fork. Hubby and son are more traditional, with butter and honey, jam or golden syrup.

BTW: That enormous pile is a result of me doubling the recipe, and there were still none for my lunchbox. *sigh*

As I have said before, this year is the year of sewing for me.  To that end I sent almost all my baby fabrics to my sister (sigh .. and then promptly bought more).  In particular, I pared my nappy fabrics down to a single container, as I am pretty much over the things now.  I have committed myself to making a new set of “ninny jocks” as N#1 calls them, hence the purchase of new kids fabric.   But, this top for me has been waiting to be finished, and I decided that I had to stop procrastinating, and I wasn’t allowed to sew the jocks until the top was finished.    Pattern is the Ottobre 02/2010 – Design 11. Journal -Tunic and Dress combination.

First the dress (fabric Baby Pink California Knit – from CraftyMamas) – a very simple design, except Ottobre seem to be in love with using lastin (clear elastic) for just about everything.  After unpicking my first attempt, I gave up and went back to gathering the way I have been for the last 20 or so years.  The neckline and armholes were supposed to have the same elastic to support them, but I used my new cover stitch machine to bind them.

Next the tunic (fabric Toptex Sheer Euro knit – from CraftyMamas) – Again a simple design, and except for the fixation with lastin, very easy to make. EXCEPT if you are trying to use a sheer, slippery fabric for it. I couldn’t coverstitch, as the fabric just couldn’t take the tension, no matter how I fiddled. Same goes for zig zag on the regular machine. Overlocking was ok, but tended to ripple. So the neckline especially, needed support. I grabbed some of the sew in interfacing that I use for tracing, and overlocked that on the edge, turning up for the hem, and then trim back the interfacing to the seam line. This produced a very neat finish, with no stretching out. The neckline feels firm and secure, and sits great against my torso …. so a win there.

The front of the neckline is a hemmed finish, but the back is faced. The technique to put them together is one I used ages ago, and I was dubious about it, but the finished result was great.

Next, gathering the bodice to the skirt panels. Here again, Ottobre wanted to use lastin, but I learnt my lesson ages ago, and just ran a couple of gathering stitches. I think you get a much more even result, certainly it is much easier to control the look of the finished product.

And finally the finished product. I was concerned that the shoulder seams were further back on my shoulders than expected, until I went and had a look at the magazine, and that is actually the way it was designed rather than a mistake of mine. That was a relief. The pale pink under the sheer makes the fabric look a bit muted which isn’t a bad thing. The design is quite flattering for a big person, and the use of an A-line skirt panel rather than a gathered rectangle lends a bit of elegance that is often lacking in plus sized clothing. This is an item that I will definitely be wearing.