Refashioning for weight gain 4: 9 Ways to refashion a too-tight dress
12.18.2019
In my last few posts I’ve talked about how refashioning can support our commitment to change our clothes to fit our bodies, not the other way around. I’ve also explored how challenging it can be to let go of the control we desire when a project doesn’t go as we hoped, and how a sewing practice can help us learn to listen to our own voices and priorities when making decisions. If, despite my mixed results, you feel inspired to try to refashion something that’s too small for you, I am here to share some advice from the process I learned along the way.
Get Started with Intention
You’re about to spend the day handling a tangible reminder that your body has changed, maybe in ways that aren’t your first choice. Take time to set yourself up to feel good in your body and lay the foundation for the process to feel as spacious and positive as possible.
Start with comfort. I don’t know about you, but I know that for me, feeling physical discomfort can turn quickly into negative thoughts about my body. If that’s true for you, it’s a good idea to start your refashioning sessions with some movement that helps you feel comfortable in your body. If that’s stretching, a walk, or some cozy time with a pet, getting your body comfy will make it a whole lot easier to spend the day presently engaging with the ways it’s changed.
Feed yourself. Part of making sure you’re comfortable and in a peaceful relationship (or at least a brief détente) with your body is not being hungry. If spending the next few hours attuned to having gained weight might put strain on your relationship to food, shore yourself up by eating well and maybe even set aside some snacks for yourself for while you’re working.
Affirming media. If there’s a lot of negativity in your own self-talk, that’s ok. There are lots of affirming voices to listen to while you work. I curated a big list of podcasts for myself about fashion, fat positivity, and intuitive eating to whisper sweet affirmations and shout feminist rage into my ears. Take a listen to my selections, or set yourself up with whatever soundtrack is going to help you stay rooted to a positive relationship with your body while you’re handling your too-tight clothes.
Leave room for lots of possibilities
Abundant materials. One thing that really helped me was having a large supply of materials to work with. I made sure to buy some extra yardage and choose materials that would be easy to get more of, rather than picking highly specialized or expensive stuff I would feel precious and uptight about using. Knowing I had enough fabric and notions to try a few things and have space to improvise helped me stay out of a restrictive mindset.
Relaxed expectations about the outcome. With refashioning you’re especially likely to run into unforeseen hurdles, so it’s best to have a relaxed attitude about what the final product might look like. Here are a bunch of ideas you might start out with, there are so many possibilities for refashioning depending on what garment, how much material you have, and your style. Once you get started the best thing you can do is embrace a spirit of improvisation and let the constraints of material, time and ability inform your decisions, rather than resisting them.
Here are some ideas to get you started!
Remember, you’re giving your garment a bonus life. Before you cut into or begin unpicking a garment you really love, it’s good to make sure you’re ready to risk it. Remember, you already can’t wear this garment now because it doesn’t fit. Remember, you’re doing this because you don’t want to hang onto clothes that encourage you to deprive and restrict your body. Make sure you’re ready to let go of this garment if the refashion doesn’t go how you hoped. You’re refashioning it to give it a meaningful afterlife, but first make sure you’re ready to pull the plug.
If you read all this and you’re ready to refashion something of your own, I hope you find it as meaningful as I do, whatever the outcome the sewing fates have in store for you.