Tranformation with a capital T

I've become quite enamored with Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt, which I checked out from the library but now must actually purchase. I ran my first test projects by raiding my stack of "too baggy but maybe still OK for gardening" T-shirts. I also plucked two nearly new Old Navy Perfect Fit Ts for good measure (I bought them last year while losing weight and they fit me properly for about two nanoseconds before failing to be my perfect fit).

My first guinea pig was a turquoise heather ONPF T, which I transformed into the stegosaurus T (number 33 in the book, "tying game"). All it required was cutting off the sleeves, hem and neck, making one vertical cut all the way up center back, then making a series of 3-inch horizontal cuts 1+ inches apart on both sides of the center cut, then tie a bunch of knots and you're in business.

My pink ONPF T got a different treatment (number 19 in the book, "fermez la ruche"). I started by (again) saying "bye-bye" to sleeves, neck and hem. Then, I stitched new side seams 1" from the existing seam. That extra seam allowance became casings for drawstrings made from the few inches of T I cut from the bottom. Cute! A detail photo of the ruching is on my Flickr page.

When I lived in Belltown and had a P-Patch (community garden) plot, I bought a P-Patch T-shirt because I liked the color and graphics. What I didn't like was that it was a man's-style T. Now that it was even baggier than ever, I never wore it. But now, minus mannish sleeves and too-long hem, plus two new side seams to nip it in, I think I will wear it quite a lot (it's number 14, "classic punk"). I gave a similar treatment to a really baggy white V-neck (keeping the original) neck, but felt it was to utilitarian to bother photographing.

Next up: Let's see how many items of clothing I can make from a super-soft thick brushed cotton long-sleeve T of Js in a great color of red that surprisingly has barely faded (J bought it back when he still tended to wear his shirts and sweaters on the big side; now that he wears sleeker clothing , he's purging his closet). I'm aiming for a little skirt, legwarmers, hat and arm warmers.

I (heart) refashioning

Being out of town last weekend put a crimp in my refashioning activities, but I managed to finish a pair of arm warmers made from a beloved black- and white-striped T-shirt that had an unfortunate stain on the front. I have enough scraps left to make some sort of headband, when I get around to that. My Wardrobe Refashion pledge is really keeping me motivated, I'll tell ya.

I also whipped up a olive green panne velvet skirt that's great over yoga pants for bellydance class, or as one element in a tribal fusion-style costume. The velvet wasn't a color I usually choose (it looked slightly different online), but it looks vibrant against black, and the price was right: $3 for the one yard when the previous owners of denverfabrics.com were clearing out inventory to make way for new owners last fall. I have additional photos on my Flickr page, including some with the skirt layered under similar skirts made of black burnout velvet and gray/silver fishnet. There are also two fuzzy photos of the costume I made for the Fremont Arts Council Winter Solstice Feast (where I bellydanced with burning candles and managed to not spill wax or break the snifters holding the candles...whoo-hoo!).

The skirts are my approximation of the Rosehips skirts made by Rose Harden, formerly of the troupe Ultra Gypsy. I'm a committed DIYer and have no ethical problem copying other people's designs for myself (never to sell!), but I like to give credit, especially when the designer is a one-woman operation.

Back to the books

Even though I've reached a number on the scale that I can totally live with, I've decided it's time to buckle down and really clean up my eating. I don't care if I lose another pound, but I can tell where I have muscle and where I still have excess body fat. I do care about gaining the former and losing the latter.

One important tool that helped me kick almost 50 pounds to the curb last year was The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person. It's not a diet; rather, it works with any eating plan you choose (healthy, please).

Some of the daily assignments made me think "duh, I already know this," but let me tell you, there were many that made me open my eyes and see the light bulb going off over my head. Finally I got it: hunger is NOT an emergency and mindless eating is bad, bad, BAD!

Some things in the book were totally new and revolutionary to me. Others were nothing new, but something about the way they were explained finally broke through my mental barriers. I formed some great, healthy new habits and didn't feel much pain doing it.

However, I've noticed in the last month or so that I'm slipping into that sense of complacency that comes once the weight is lost. That feeling that I don't have to watch what I eat so carefully. Fortunately, this time I was prepared for it. That feeling came around every time I've lost weight in the past, why would this time be any different. What is different, is I've got Dr. Beck's book on my side. I probably won't work through every daily exercise (six weeks worth), but I will review the ones that I know are sticking points.

The only women's fitness magazine I regularly enjoy is Oxygen. While I don't like all the ads for fat-burning supplements and whatnot, Oxygen is heavy on the fitness and nutrition content, light on beauty and fashion (which I get from Vogue, thank you very much). Well, Oxygen wouldn't be Oxygen without regular contributing editor Tosca Reno, who has a small list of books to her name, including two recent books on clean eating. I just added one title, The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook: Great-Tasting Recipes That Keep you Lean, to my personal cookbook library (which I really need to inventory one of these days...).

I started cooking from it last night, preparing the Crock-Pot Porridge. It was nice to have a hot breakfast ready and waiting for me after my morning workout. Adding unsweetened applesauce instead of brown sugar will take a little getting used to, but it was tasty. And totally healthy. Tonight's dinner will be Country Style Beef Soup, which I picked mainly because I can use one of the packages of soup bones from the 100 pounds of grass-fed steer we have in our freezer. Oddly, I've had a hard time finding recipes that call for beef soup bones. I can also use up the rest of the cubed butternut squash in the freezer, as well as one pack of the frozen edamame from Costco and a few of the turnips still braving the cold in my garden.

Really, this is one of the few cookbooks from which I will probably make every single recipe. I'll just have to be a bit sneaky with the tofu recipes (sorry, J!).

Anticipation is making me wait...for spring

I am so ready for spring. And not just because Mother Nature is cackling as she sends temperatures in Seattle plunging again. It’s because I placed my annual spring seed order with Territorial Seeds this week. I can’t wait for them to arrive (My preeeecioussss...).

Of course, in planning my order, I ran smack dab into one of my most tormenting addictions: heirloom winter squash seeds. I thought I had it licked, but I guess my change in location was just a temporary salve.

You see, my previous house (about an hour north of Seattle) was on a half-acre lot. We had a HUGE vegetable garden. With all the space in the world for whatever my little seed-planting soul desired. Couple that with the fact that I think most vegetables are as pretty as they are edible, and you can see how I got led into temptation.

Winter squash wasn’t my only trouble. Summer squash was tough, too. And do you have any idea how many pretty heirloom pole beans there are? Do you? Then there were the lettuces: oak leaf, ruffled leaf, tongue-shaped leaf, butter head, speckled…the list REALLY goes on and on.

One thing about lettuces, pole beans and summer squash is that they don’t take up TOO much room. You can’t say that about winter squash. Boy, can those babies sprawl! So beautiful, too. In fact, almost too beautiful to actually eat… . (Don’t even get J started on this point. Boy, do I still hear about it!)

When we moved to Seattle’s urban core and had only small community garden plots to call our own, sheer space constraints pushed any thoughts of planting winter squash off the table. The space situation isn’t a whole lot better with the veggie plot that takes up most of the plantable area in our current back garden…but there’s a new twist to the plot this year. (Accidental pun alert: story plot…garden plot.)

When we turned our front yard from a sloping lawn to a leveled-off, retaining wall encased garden last year, most of the trees and shrubs we planted were small, to save on $ (since plants do grow, often faster than you know). So we have lots of bare space right now. Space where winter squash vines could quite happily meander.

Yes, when I realized this, I did have to be careful not to hyperventilate.

I felt pretty good, limiting myself to only four varieties of winter squash + one pumpkin, but J made me remove one from my online shopping cart [sniff]. The one I am most excited about, my non-negotiable, is Marina di Chioggia. This squash first crossed my radar years ago, but it became a must-have when I read Barbara Kingsolver’s account of encountering it in its natural habitat (Italy) in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.”

I’m also pretty pleased with my pumpkin pick, Fairytale. I’ll also be planting some Small Sugar pumpkin seeds I already have.

2008 is going to be my best vegetable garden year ever (well, to date). With a smaller urban yard, and no guerilla gardening to be done this year (digging ditches, removing sod, putting in a side yard where once there was driveway), I can focus on my vegetable babies. Hey, spring! Hurry the heck up, will ya?

What I'm reading

One of my must-read sections in the Sunday New York Times is the Sunday Book Review (runner up to Sunday Style, fyi). Each week, I get, if nothing else, a sort of Cliff's Notes version of books that are interesting, but I know I'll never read. Most weeks yield at least a few candidates for my "To Read" list. On a good week, I'll discover one for my "To Read A.S.A.P." list.

Tom Perrotta's "The Abstinence Teacher" swiftly made that list. Of course, with the NY Times practically hitting me over the head with it (great review plus author articles/interviews in two other sections the same week), how could it not?

If you're not familiar with Mr. Perrotta, he wrote the "Little Children: A Novel," as well as the screenplay for the fabulous movie adaptation. He also wrote the novel "Election," from which the hilarious movie was made. I'm about one-third through "Abstinence" and one of the things I'm enjoying immensely (as I did with "Little Children") is how human his characters are. You may not agree with their opinions, or even their actions, but their humanity shines through. No character is perfect; no character is irredeemable. Each has their hopes, dreams and desires and is trying to live life the best way they can, stumbling a little or a lot along the way. And aren't we all?

Also, Perrotta's characters aren't caricatures. Sometimes, you think you're seeing a caricature, but then you're shown another side, and you realize that, as in life, first impressions aren't always accurate impressions. This depth of characterization is especially effective when dealing with topics as polarizing as the those in "Abstinence": Sex ed vs. abstinence ed; evangelical Christianity vs. everyone else.

I just finished reading another find from Book Review, this time from an ad (yes, sometimes it is OK to judge a book by it's cover). "New Moon" is the second book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Thumbnail series sketch: Teenage girl (Isabella Swan) moves to Forks, Washington to live with her police chief father and falls in love with a teenage vampire (Edward Cullen). Complications ensue. I won't say more about that, because it would involve spoilers.

I'm not an across-the-board fan of the vampire fiction genre. That said, Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" was one of the best books I read last year, and I've recommended it to several people who read and loved it as much as I did. What I enjoy so much about the Twilight books is similar to what I enjoy about Harry Potter: vicariously reliving teen angst through the experiences of intelligent fictional characters who are placed in an environment that is on one hand pure fantasy and on the other hand totally normal.

A movie version of the first book, "Twilight," is in the works. Ironically, the actor cast to play the dreamy teen vamp is Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory in two of the HP movies.

Leapin' leopards, part 1

This weekend I finished my first few projects for my Wardrobe Refashion pledge. Two are in the photo at right. The leopard-print fleece jacket is from Butterick retro pattern 4928. I purchased the fabric last fall on sale at fabric.com. I opted to not line the jacket, since the fleece feels so cozy. The fabric cost $14.60, and I still have some sizable scraps left to use on some other small projects (an ear-protecting headband, for example). Thread was the only other cost.

Also pictured are a pair of flat-front denim trousers that I had all-but-finished three months ago. I finally finished hemming them and tacking down the waistband lining. The dark stretch denim was a steal at $1.95 a yard from fabric.com (yes, I do love them very much). Including zipper, thread and bias tape, these cost me maybe $6 to make.

I also finished refashioning a light gray, slightly metallic lightweight sweater set I bought at Goodwill for $5. I shortened the thin straps on the shell by 4 inches, making it look less like a strappy tank, more like a sleeveless square-necked shell. I took in the too-big cardigan along the sleeve and side seams to make it fit a little closer. Photos of that project, along with a front view and pattern envelope view of the leopard jacket are posted on my Flickr page.

Up next: I have a whole slew of Goodwill purchase that have refashioning written all over them. Plus, I just got a book on T-shirt refashioning from the library, so I have many T's that should be looking very different, very soon.

Ready, set...garden!

I bet you didn't know it, but today was the first day of my gardening season. It was the first weekend day of 2008 with no rain, so J and I jumped on the chance to do a little tidying around the old homestead.

It's amazing what a difference plucking up the kazillion tiny weeds that were growing JUST TO SPITE ME and laying down a layer of Zoo Doo can do to make the garden look almost springtime fresh.

We got enough Doo out of the plastic-covered pile on our driveway to actually reclaim a few feet for, you know, parking. I planted the last 240 of the, again, kazillion flower bulbs I bought last fall. Better late than never. They were tiny bulbs so the planting went fast, thank god, because my fingers were half frozen (maybe that was my just punishment for being so neglectful to them).

I trimmed back last year's now-dead top growth on the coreopsis, veronica and echinacea (but not on the foxgloves...I swear those things don't know it's winter). J cut back the canes in the fall raspberry bed and I started cleaning up the strawberry bed...until we called it a day for early cocktail hour. Can't work TOO hard, now.

Full disclosure

I shun most (ahem) reality shows, as I feel they are as addictive and unhealthy as any drug. So it was a big decision for me to start watching the new season of “The Biggest Loser.” I don’t really know why I decided to watch; it just felt like a natural thing to do. I don’t regret that decision, because, let me tell ya, it’s been a kick in the pants. I’ve never walked in the shoes of these contestants, but I’ve been close. Too close.

May 2003: Weight 224 pounds. At a height of 5-feet-7, that translates to a body mass index of 35.1. Otherwise known as obese. My intentions to “do something” about those excess pounds meant little until I truly had an “enough is enough” moment. I join Gold’s Gym. Five mornings a week I lift weights and power through 45-60 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I clean up my eating habits a bit, too. 40 pounds slip off. At 184 pounds, my BMI is 28.8. Straddling the fine line between obese and overweight.

March 2004: I move away from the ‘burbs and the gym, to the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle. I use my apartment building’s gym sporadically, walk our golden retriever daily, and manage to keep off most of those 40 pounds (in spite of nine months in pastry school).

October 2006. In a moment of stupidity, I do a bang up job of breaking my left ankle in our house of six months. My orthopedic surgeon informs me that during my recovery (six weeks on crutches, then six more in a walking cast) I will gain weight and lose fitness. How ironic that I was once again “gearing up” to lose weight when my little accident occurred.

Losing fitness I couldn’t argue about (I mean, I couldn’t even MOVE much). But I was NOT going to gain a bunch of weight. My OS said that his patients think they will just eat less to compensate for their decreased physical activity but end up eating more…because they have nothing else to do.

At this point let me mention that my crutches and I did not get along. At all. During that six weeks, I only left the house for doctor’s appointments and for Thanksgiving (I telecommuted). I developed a revolving set of muscle and joint pains from hauling myself up and down the stairs (on my butt, mind you).

What a blessing in disguise. If you can’t cope with crutches, you really can’t cope with carrying anything while on crutches. Including food. That helped prevent my weight from ballooning. I also realized if I was having that hard of a time getting around, what would happen if a similar situation occurred 10 years down the road?

I believe now, more than ever, that most people won’t make a serious change in their life unless they hit some kind of rock bottom. My rock bottom came in two phases: 2003, and 2006, when I literally hit the bottom of the stairs!

I made a serious plan. I started eating better immediately (with help from J, since I wasn’t up to cooking). I began exercising as soon and as much as I could. I installed a basic home gym in the basement (well, J did the heavy lifting). I read diet and nutrition books to help build an eating plan designed for both health and weight loss. I studied up on the psychology of eating and weight loss. I was ready.

February 2007: Less than a month out of my walking cast, I buy a scale. 192 pounds. Back to obese. I clock the mileage on what I thought was a “long” walk. Just over two miles. Not long enough. Not even close. I decide to walk a half-marathon in November. I choose a training plan from Walking Magazine The Complete Guide To Walking: for Health, Fitness, and Weight Loss. My mileage increases weekly (peaking at 30 miles/week). I steadily lose weight (about 1.5 pounds per week average).

January 2008: I have been in the 143-145 range for the last three months. BMI of 22.6, mid-range in the “normal weight” category. My doctor tells me not to lose more weight (which I think is insane, but more on this later…)

The funny thing is that, for me, losing the weight wasn’t hard. Sure, sometimes it’s hard to find the time or motivation to exercise, sometimes it’s hard to say no to free office donuts. But I never starved myself, never worked out to the point of exhaustion. I never worked hard at the weight loss. I worked smart. I worked steadily. I wish I had done it sooner, but I don’t dwell on that, because this time I know it is for keeps. It’s not just about looking better in clothes. It’s about being as fit and healthy as I can possibly be.

Business as usual

This is the first week in about a month and a half when my fitness routine is running like clockwork. Honestly, it feels great. I was pretty good about keeping up with workouts in the month leading up to the holidays, but let's be frank, there was some slippage.

In case you're curious, here's a basic rundown of my weekly exercise schedule.

Monday
5:30 a.m.: Rachel Brice's Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance OR yoga on my own
Noon: Casual 2-mile walk
5:30 p.m.: Weight training (legs, lower back, abs)

Tuesday
5:30 a.m.: Bellydance for Beginners with Suhaila: Fitness Fusion Pilates and weight training (Deltoids, trapezius, biceps, triceps. I skip abs, because the DVD has an abs segment.)
Noon: 4-mile training walk
5 p.m.: Bellydance - Tribal Fusion NYC OR Tribal Fusion Bellydance with Sharon Kihara

Wednesday
5:30 a.m.: Rachel Brice's Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance or yoga on my own
Noon: Casual 2-mile walk
Evening: Bellydance class du jour

Thursday
5:30 a.m.: Bellydance for Beginners with Suhaila: Fitness Fusion Buns and weight training (chest, back, rear deltoids, abs)
Noon: 4-mile training walk
5 p.m.: Contemporary Bellydance and Yoga Conditioning with Ariellah OR Rachel Brice: Bellydance Arms and Posture

Friday
5:30 a.m.: Rachel Brice's Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations & Drills for Bellydance or yoga on my own
Noon: Casual 2-mile walk
5:30 p.m.: Weight training (legs, lower back, abs)

Saturday
5+ mile training walk
Weight training (deltoids, trapezius, biceps, triceps, abs)

Sunday
4-mile training walk
Weight training (chest, back, rear deltoids, abs)

Extras
I usually fit in at least one additional DVD from my bellydance library in the course of the weekend.

I too want some U2

You would think that having seen U2 live in concernt four times and owning all of their DVDs (including the DVD of their July 4, 1987 Paris concert from the extra-special edition box set of the remastered "The Joshua Tree" [thanks J...I mean Santa]) would be enough. Well, you would be wrong.

Wardrobe Refashion Pledge

Seeing as I have amassed such a stash of lovely fabric that I can't even fit it in a steamer trunk (yes, I have an ancient steamer trunk in my sewing/yoga/bellydance room, so I mean this literally), it seems prudent to actually turn the fabric into wearable apparel. How fortunate that I tripped across a blog that offers the motivation to toss myself off the retail/consumer treadmill and onto the road of creative clothing expression, aka refashioning. To that end, I gladly take this pledge:

I, Kate, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 6 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate or recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings!

As an addendum to this pledge, I vow not to purchase any new fabric, unless I need it to complete a project for which I have the other materials needed. I also vow to limit my trips to Goodwill or other thrift stores to one per calendar month for the duration of this pledge.

Note: In case you're curious, the Wardrobe Refashion pledge does allow for the purchase of new shoes and undergarments, although pledgers are encouraged to take a stab at making those themselves, too!

This pledge technically took effect January 1. I'll have you know that it was quite difficult to not walk into Banana Republic yesterday to check out their sale. But I abstained, like a good little refashionista. Yay me!