Suddenly popular again!

2012 is well underway, and let me tell you, it's going to be the year of challenges.

Two of my projects just got finished, a jacket for DD#1 and a UFO holiday dress that has been sitting in my sewing cart since December. There are a slew of projects in my queue as well.

Why the sudden increase? Because I'm popular again! Years ago I did lots of sewing for my girls when they were toddlers up to the pre-teen years. Then RTW snobbery hit. Anything that didn't have "Aeropostale" or "Abercrombie & Fitch" was not cool to wear. Label status had taken over their lives.

And now? DD#1 is 20. She is discovering that being unique is special again. I've just finished her jacket, drycleaned some material for a coat for her, and she sent me yet another request for a dress. DD#2 is no different. She's a high school senior who has put in a request for 3 dresses, a suit for an FBLA competition, and at least 2 pairs of jeans. She tried on my jeans, liked them, and is going to pick out some denim for hers. We went to a JoAnn fabrics in Wilkes-Barre, and she couldn't believe the huge stock of denim from which she could pick fabric. Currently I'm on dress 1 of 3 for her.

Which brings me to the fact that 2012 will be the year of sewing challenges. My girls can't just pick a pattern and say, "I want that!" They tell me, I want "this collar" with "that front" among many other design changes. They don't make it easy for me. Like DD#2's current dress. She only likes the top part of the dress. So I have to redesign the bottom 2/3rds.

It has never been easy with them lol. This was DD#1 AND DD#2's latest request:

Both want that dress. See what I mean? It's not just a pattern style I've seen. (The closest I can find is a KS lingerie pattern so maybe I'll use that but I think it had seamed cups.) It's kind of like a bustier, but really a bra in a bustier with a simple skirt piece. I can do this, but it's going to take time. And I'd really like to locate bra cups that would be perfect for this style. If I do a seamed cup, it's going to have to be covered with a stretch fabric. Will look at Bramaker's Supply and Sew Sassy a bit more to mull over what to do. This is a typical request from them. Busy, busy, busy with sewing challenges for 2012.

And our famous family phrase, "What about ME?!?!" Yeah, what about me lol. I'm just hoping to pull off a swimsuit for the PR Swimsuit competition by the end of the month. I love making swimsuits, so I hope there will be time in myschedule to get it done. And speaking of swimsuits, I'll be happy to model them :) . I created my own somewhat healthy eating plan when I was about 25. Ditto with exercise. The problem was my age caught up with my eating plan! When I turned 41 or 42, my waist started growing each year. This year I said enough is enough. My eating plan has changed courtesy of Cassey Ho of http://www.blogilates.com/ and Tosca Reno, author of the Eat Clean book series and http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ . Currently I'm doing Cassey's 12-week Clean Eating challenge and will tweak it when I'm done to Tosca Reno's Eat Clean program.

The results since January 3...I've lost 3.5 inches of my waist, 1.5" off my hips, and an inch of my thighs. 10 lbs of fat has melted off my body, mostly from my troublesome tummy. Admittedly, I'm also a gym enthusiast who regularly pumps iron and does cardio most days of the week so that does help with fat melt. However, Cassey once posted a saying and I believe it: Abs are made in the kitchen, and revealed in the gym. Definitely! She mentioned in one of her posts that a person's physique is 80% diet, 10% exercise, and 10% genetics. Initially, I scoffed at that comment but am eating crow. I have changed nothing about my day, nothing with my gym workouts, except have cleaned up my eating with a new 6 small meal/day plan. It has worked for me. I have abs again :) .

So here I come future swimsuit! I can actually model you proudly :) . That is, if I can actually get time to make you.