News this morning is rather sad.  Be you royalist or not, the Queen and Prince Philip were a fact in the lives of Canadians and this morning one of those stalwarts, one of those unerpinnings of things we know is gone and it makes me feel a bit sad, mostly for the Queen and her family.  Nations will go on, but for a family it is an loss of someone important and that makes me sad.

Such is life.  No getting away from that.

In sewing news, I am now the proud possessor of decent pants enough to go away from home for a week.  Such a relief.  Later there will be a few more pairs of casual pants and pants that are not black, but this gets me where I needed to be.  

Today I am moving on to tops.  One plain black boxy top with sleeves, and one, and possibly two peasant style blouses before I am done.  I love that look, It may not love me.  I do not care.  Two because I found another piece of fabric that is really perfect for a peasant blouse style.

It was orignally bought for blouses to wear under suit jackets for work.  I debated turning it into a dress but honestly, who am I kidding.  I really don't need a lacy looking dress.  It is too white to wear to a wedding and there will be few of those anyway for the next few years.  All my family has reached the age of between and not yet.  Even as a plain blouse this one felt almost too fancy or not right somehow for who I am now.

But I do need something for better wear.  I don't want to be in that place again where I have to find something decent under severe stress ever again.  But to have a fancy something just in case is not  sensible.  I have to look at how I live and what I do today and where I see me going in the future.  Places that I will go will be the sorts of places that I can wear a nice flowing draping pair of pants to.    A nice embroidered almost lacy looking peasant style top will look really nice and with a tank, or other top under it for a bit more warmth, will look as dressy as I ever really need to be.  With my good chain and one of my lovely pendants, almost fancy even.  But a simple pesant top won't be overdressed in this fabric going out to shop or get groceries or even for Canadian Tire or Peavey Mart.  It probably is the style I loved most in my youth and loved to wear, just this side of hippie.  

The new clothes are lovely.  It is just nice having things that are new even if it is just pants so far but you know what the best thing is?  How much I am learning.  Learning about fit, learning about ease, learning about taking something and just running with it, learning that I am not alone as a above average sized person trying to find something that fits nicely and that my frustrations with ready made are not mine alone.  It is also learning that my body is what it is and that I am okay with it, that I don't need to be other than I am.  It is so very like finding knitting all those years ago and finding a bit of that same expression of self and freedom.  But it is also acknowledging the me who sewed dolls dresses from the time I was allowed to use moms sewing machine (she had a really nice machine) and how much fun making things is.  It is like picking up threads of the past.  

The sewing goes on.

Next week while I am toddler wrangling, I suspect that I won't be able to post.  I am so looking forward to this though.  How I have missed playing with kids and babies.