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Slopestyle snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg has won the first gold medal in the Sochi Olympics. Kotsenburg, 20, is from Park City, Utah, and seemed surprised by the whole thing.
He wasn't expected to medal and then he brought out a move he calls the "Holy Crail."
"It's a grab that I invented a couple months ago," said Kotsenberg at a news conference after winning gold. "It's pretty cool to do it here at the first-ever Slopestyle event, because it's just like, kind of like my own flare on the course and I'm definitely into doing creative stuff. And I guess the judges were pretty hyped on that stuff today."
He said his winning run was the best of his life.
"Honestly, it feels like a dream right now," he said. "It's seriously the craziest thing ever... I didn't really like think it would happen."
If you've never heard of Slopestyle before, you probably haven't been following the Winter X Games. The extreme snow sport features rail sliding and big jumps with twists and flips, sort of like half pipe meets skate park. Slopestyle made its Olympic debut at these games, and the finals went off without a hitch, after early controversy over the safety of the course.
The world's best-known snowboarder, Shaun White, dropped out before the competition began citing an injury and concerns about the course. The boarder who in the weeks leading up to the games was favored for gold, Canada's Mark McMorris, won the bronze. He was still recovering from a rib injury suffered in an earlier competition. Silver went to Norway's Staale Sandbech.
Kotsenburg didn't initially qualify for the finals, only making it in after a strong performance in the morning's semi-final rounds. He tweeted: "Whoa how random is this I made finals at the Olympics!!!"
How did he prepare? He skipped last night's Opening Ceremony and stayed in his room with a few friends eating chocolate, chips and onion rings and watching the events on television.
After the American team walked in, he switched off the ceremony and then fell asleep watching the movie Fight Club, which, as he puts it, is all about "getting stoked, you know."
Apparently, it worked.
Kotsenburg looks and sounds a little like Sean Penn's surfer dude character Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and a side-by-side photo is making the rounds on Twitter. Asked about it, Kotsenburg said, "That is sick. I'm so down with that. That is pretty awesome that someone did that. I am stoked to see that."
American Women Dominate in First Hockey Match-Up:
It took less than a minute for the American women's ice hockey team to score a goal. Hilary Knight scored the first of three goals racked up by the American women in their match against Finland. The final score was 3-1 with Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also making goals.
This game is part of the early qualifying round. The women's next match is Monday against Switzerland. Then it's on to Canada, the American women's fiercest rival. The two teams have met numerous times over the past year and know one another well. They've even gotten into a couple of fights on the ice that made them minor YouTube sensations. Unless something unexpected happens (and that's always possible in sports), the gold medal match on February is likely to bring the American and Canadian women together on the ice again.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Friday, February 12, 2010
'Fessing Up: Taking Accurate Measurements
So, things were definitely bigger than my fakey measurements. Surprise, surprise. They put me up a full size larger than I'm used to cutting out in contemporary patterns. But it's okay. It's OKAY. (That's my new mantra.)
Besides wanting to get honest with myself, the other reason I decided to get new measurements now is that I want to test and fit a basic pencil skirt pattern that will hopefully become a TNT ("tried 'n' true") pattern. So, in the scary moments of looking at the measurements, I just reminded myself that these numbers were going to help me make one hot pencil skirt that would feel a million times better than one that pulls across the hips and cuts into my waist.
So this weekend (with my new machine!) I'll be making a muslin of the BurdaStyle Jenny skirt with my own honest-to-god measurements. And I'm excited!
Now, time for you all to 'fess up. I know I'm not the only one guilty of sucking in and pulling when I take my measurements! Perhaps some new measurements are in order for you too?
P.S. One thing that struck me while writing the beginning of this post: I know some feminist blogs try to avoid mentioning any specific body measurements at all, as it can be triggering to those who have dealt with eating disorders. I've chosen to be somewhat frank about my waist measurement here because I think as sewists we can't be so afraid of the numbers that we won't even say them. Perhaps it would be liberating for me to publish the lot of my measurements for the whole damn internet to see! But if you disagree with my tactic, please speak up in the comments.
105 comments:
When I sewed my first garment last year (your dirndl skirt, by the way), I was a little surprised at my waist measurement... 29" with snug measuring tape. I think modern sizing has just totally divorced our minds from our actual size. If my jeans are a 4 or a 6, shouldn't my measurements be smaller too? Ha. My husband always wonders why women's jeans aren't sized like mens jeans and I agree. When I bought my first vintage pattern I was so proud to say I was a 14!
ReplyDeleteI too have been known to take the false measurements especially when trying to loose weight. What is worse, when I look up my size on a pattern and it says I need one size for my chest and waist but one 5 sizes bigger for my hips I always say that it can not be right and cut the smaller pattern. The result is that the outfit looks horrible. I need to cut the hip portion of any outfit much large and just get over it. It will look, feel and fit better.
43-38-52 There I posted my measurements!Great post! Over the past several months I myself have gone with "reality" in regards to measurements. In order to get the perfect fit you need to be realistic with your actual measurements. Nothing worse than making something beautiful and not have it fit because you can't face that the size you are sewing doesn't match what you purchase in RTW. Vanity sizing is the route to a lot of the misgivings one feels when having to purchase or make clothes. I for one get very frustrated with how I can wear a size 13 Aeropostle jean, a size 11 Mudd jean and then go into JC Pennys and have to purchase a size 17. Yikes...any wonder one is a mess when it comes to sizing and being truthful with their measurements. If the fashion industry and manufacturers can't maintain a standard how are we too?
ReplyDelete*ahem* I have been meaning to do a current set of measurements for months now, and just haven't. All I know is roughly where everything fall measurement wise--but not exactly! ;) I think like you, I have a pathological fear of my waist or hips being a bigger number than I perceive they "should" be or even visually appear to be. I know in a way I'm jinxing myself with sewing (and in the long run just making it hard to take up that tape measure and just do it!). I keep making excuses: I just got through the holidays, I haven't been working out enough, I'm a bit puffy from the "monthly fun"... Blah, blah, blah. I guess in a way, this could be like any other fear-based avoidance in life: thinking about it is worse than it is in the end. Sure, my waist will probably not be the trim number I want it to stay at, but it'll give me a healthier view of myself--and improve my sewing. Plus, it'll force me to face the "number monster" and conquer it (hopefully... ;) haha!).
So I think if I have a moment in the next week, I'm going to do a complete update on all my measurements--and be honest about it. ;) Thanks Gertie for the reminder and the courage to come out and post about this--you're a real inspiration! :)
♥ Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:00 AM
I must confess that I take my measurements before every project, practically. But, I take them in centimetres, which mean nothing to me, so it's OK, and I use the Burda sizes, which also mean nothing to me. I've found this a useful tactic. Now I can also take them in inches, but I'm more familiar with the centimetre measures.
ReplyDelete Measurements are just numbers, a starting point for a good fit. What difference does it make if your waist is 28" or 38"? As long as you know it and work with it.
Last time I checked:
36 1/4
28 1/2
41 3/4 (ok that 1/4 is REALLY important to me even though I use 42 in my head)
I really just wish they would stay the same for more than 2 weeks in a row. ;)I have to say I am not sure how to take accurate measurements. Do you need someone to help or can you them yourself. I want to sew for myself and my kids. I also want to knit myself a beautiful cardigan. I am stuck on taking measurements to figure out what size I need. I mostly shop at thrift shops so I know size numbers have no meaning but that also means I have no idea what range to start in.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a lovely 'womanly' figure and would describe you as enviably average. I found an old set of measurements recently - 26" waist! - I did say OLD. But I feel better for reading this because my waist is now 30" and if it looks anything like as good as yours I shall be very happy. So deep breath I am now 38,30,40 and not the 36,28, 38 my brain can't get past. It's like joining MPA (measurements phobic anonymous). Thinking of your previous blog I have no idea if that makes me hourglass, pear or what but hopefully not carrot!
ReplyDelete- FrancesFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:28 AM
I take measurements with each project too - mainly because I can never remember what mine are, but also just to be sure. I'd far rather have the perfect fit and I've made peace with my weird body shape.
Besides, when you've got a garment that fits you perfectly and is flattering, it doesn't really matter what the measurements are. Isn't that why we sew?
I'm on the metric side of the world, but here they are.... 82-69-94. - AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:51 AM
Oh dear! I'm just facing the fact that during my pregnancy I really haven't got a clue as to which measurements I have to follow. Sure, the belly gets larger, I can figure that out, but also the bust measurements, is that taken into account in my contemporary size or should I go a size larger? My RTW size does NOT fit ... And I have a hard time finding cute maternity clothes patterns.
Sorry. I'm rambling sort of off topic here. But body changes can be of the "planned" sort and still be very hard to face and figure out how to adapt to in sewing.
/Anna Vanity sizing does all of us a big disservice. While I am not willing to give out my measurements I will say that I take them fairly frequently and I am honest about them and the clothing I sew tends to fit. But, I am often surprised when I take measurements of very slim women, my dd in particular. She is a size 4 in rtw, which I consider to be a pretty tiny size. She measures 37" in the hip. Doesn't that seem like it would be way to big for a size 4? These tiny sizes really condition us to think that the real numbers we are couldn't possibly be right.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:59 AM
accurate measurements are incredibly important. i always retake my measurements when starting a new project, doesn't matter if it's only been a week. my body fluctuates weight easily (thank you mom, for the genes), and I have learned comfort over looking "fashionable" is the best choice for me. For me, if the clothes are not fit properly or comfortable, then the clothes are wearing ME, and not the other way around, and thus, look *terrible*.
I also engage in the type of work that requires me to be able to move freely in clothes that are forgiving and sturdy, so even dresses and skirts I make have to fit those requirements. Again, I have to choose over comfort and proper fit before fashion ideal. It's the way I live my life. It took me over a decade to figure that out. Frankly, having a husband who encourages that has helped- not having that extra voice would mean I'd still be in clothing I'd have to force myself to wear for whatever misguided reason.
I have learned to get over the numbers. I know there are some people who are bothered by them... I just tell my friends who still are to think of them as the means to understanding your own special proportions. If we did not assign numbers to them, there are people who would still be touchy about size in general. It's as if being perceived as big is some great sin- all of my friends who are considered plus-size dress FAR better than I can. To them, being "big" is not an obstacle to overcome in dressing themselves. They dress to their shape, and their tastes.
And like so many, I do so very much wish that manufacturers would size women's jeans according to proportion and waistband/hip/length measurement, similar to mens clothing. It would save so much grief. I can't tell you how many pairs of jeans I've altered for friends because we are stuffed into a single meaningless number.
I have also found that many many measurements need to be taken, as every person I've sewn clothing for is different- their proportions, that is. there is a distance of 9" between my waist and hip. There is one of 5" for another woman I know, and 11" for her cousin. A simple B-W-H measurement cannot tell me this. I have had to completely alter the exact same pattern to make that garment for each of them. I have found as redundant as it may seem to have that many, it has saved me many headaches, wasted time and fabric, and the outcome is an pleasing and *comfortable* fit.
That being said:
for extra perspective: at one point 5 years ago, I was 35 pounds lighter than today. the difference between my measurements then and now were exactly *1 inch*. For that reason, I've learned not to let the numbers get to me.
<3 Beth I can see where publishing numbers might be somewhat "triggering" for people, because it provides a basis for making comparisons. I confess there is a part of me that reads your post and thinks, "I haven't had a waist under 30 inches since I was prepubescent, which must make me huge." That said, I am still in favor of actually speaking the numbers (I try to make a point of posting the size that I cut on BurdaStyle, too) because I think the more we say them, the less power they have.
I have quite a few measurements after doing my crazy 3D body scan at the apparel department at my school (over 200 measurements, actually!), so I can now say with a pretty scary degree of accuracy what my measurements are: 40.26 bust, 34.47 waist, 39.17 hips. The measurement that I tend to lie to myself about is my waist measurement, which I usually say is the same as my underbust measurement, 32 inches. This is of course something that is totally counterproductive, because I certainly don't intend to wear my pants right under my boobs :)I had the same reality check this week, too. I've been under the wrong impression that my measurements are the same from three years ago, when, in fact, my hips and waist are a good three inches bigger...UGH!
And why, when I wear a size six in everything, is my pattern size a 12? Pattern sizing and clothing size make no sense!i used to never know my measurements. a few years back, when i finally overcame my fear of shopping for vintage clothing online (i was afraid of fit issues) i had to start measuring myself. i was so afraid of things not fitting correctly, that i couldn't even fathom sucking anything in and measuring snugly. :) i was surprised to find that i was smaller in certain places than i thought.
i wonder how long i had been looking at myself in the mirror, thinking i was bigger than i really was? how long had i been buying clothes that were too big for me because i thought i was a larger size.
after realizing my true sizes, i went back to my old wardrobe, began trying things on, and taking a good look at how they fit. i ended up taking much of it in, or deconstructing it completely to make new clothes.
taking my honest to god measurements not only taught me a bit about my body, but it taught me a bit about how i perceive myself.
i disagree with the practice of avoiding measurement talk. anything can become a trigger when someone has suffered something so tragic. i believe it may do us women some good to hear the honest, and true measurements of other real women. no matter how big or small the woman, or the measurements.
30 1/2"
34"Having been raised with centimetres, I find I can divorce myself from inches very easily. I get the size on the envelope that corresponds to my waist measurements and give it no further thought than that. Because my hips have always been at least a couple of sizes larger than my waist, I always go for the fuller skirt version in vintage and tend not to do pencil skirts or wiggle dresses. There's such a differential that I find it really hard to make things fit in both places at once. I now understand a little more about pattern fitting and might want to give it another try though.
What I find far more upsetting is coming across pre-pregnancy clothes that I kept on the grounds that I'd bounce back into shape... Ha! Turns out that wasn't to be (for various reasons that aren't all to do with weak resolve), yet I still cling onto those clothes in the back of my cupboard...Like ejvc, I take my mesurments in a system I'm unfamiliar with (inches! I'm Swedish, so I'm raised in the metric system), so there's no correspondance between the number and reality =) While sewing, I mesure in centimeters, but again manage to disconnect it to reality... Perhaps time to take the mesurments just for taking them? Time to face my insecurity! Thank you Gertie, for the little push! =)
I only feel bad about mesurments when talking about them, when sewing they don't matter. Perhaps because I mesure, make a toille, fit it roughly and then always manages to cut out the pieces with too much seam allowance so I have to take it in... (Huge risk here of taking it in too much =) )
As much as I don't like talking about measurements, I think maybe if they were not such a taboo, we would be more comfortable with them. Last time I checked I was 34-27-39 (no lacking in the hips departement here!), but like I said, I've got to go home and check. And then actually measure in centimeters so I know what those numbers stand for...my measurements change quite drastically throughout the month, which can be troublesome! So I usually add centimetres on to the true measurement (for that day) figuring that it's a lot easier to take a garment in than let out... Here's something weird and also troublesome. I stopped swimming regularly about 6 months ago and while my measurements are almost the same, fullness is now distributed in different places. For example, my back and shoulders are narrower but boobs are bigger, and my hip measurement, while almost the same in terms of fullness, needs to be measured lower than before so I seem to have drooped somewhat! The upshot is that the same clothes look different on me and some just don't fit. I remember being complexed by the numbers as a teenager but as a sewer that's what you have to work with.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 9:55 AM
I take my measurements when I'm ordering clothing online, not as a sewist, and I'm generally pretty honest about those numbers. But what gets me is that sometimes my honest measurements end up getting me garments that are WAY too big. And I'm pretty sure I'm measuring at the right spots, as I've worked with Etsy vendors for custom-made garments before and gotten schooled!
ReplyDelete You always write such perfectly true posts! You're absolutely right about the way we often use a fantasy measurement mediated between what we actually measure and what we would like to measure.
The thing I liked most about your publishing your measurements though was that I realised it makes absolutely no difference to me what you measure. You're an extremely stylish, attractive, well-dressed lady and the numbers are completely irrelevant to that; the comparison between a complete person's look and style and her measurements is like the contrast between the taste of a really good cake and the list of ingredients. One of them is the real deal; one is just a piece of paper! (Or put another way, it's like when we say to guys that it ain't what you got, it's what you do with it that counts!)
Other people's measurements genuinely have no part in forming my opinion of them, so why does it matter to me to lie about the extra half inch on my own waistline? Thank you for making me confront the stupidity of that hangup!- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 9:58 AM
I'd like to take up the comment about triggering eating disorders through comparisons of measurements on sewing blogs.
First of all I confess I have never had an eating disorder or disordered eating and so I could not possibly begin to understand the thoughts or feelings of those who have. So from my non-disordered-but-still-susceptible-to-influence perspective this is what I think.
Us humble blogging/commenting seamstresses are a drop in the media tsunami of idealised figures and bodily comparisons. A woman comes across multiple triggers a day forcing her to examine her body and compare herself with the ideal of the moment. Now you might say therefore why should we add to it by posting our measurements in blog land? This is why:
The subject we are discussing relies heavily on accurate and honest body measurements (as you've explored in your post Gertie), we are always discussing fitting issues wanting to pass on nuggets of gleaned information to others to save them the pain. OK, you don't need to reveal sizes to do this, but, recognising that they are important, surely a sewing forum or blog should be the one place where the actual size doesn't matter and the one environment where body shape is a question of engineering and puzzle solving rather than aesthetics. I suppose that I'm not saying that we should all post our stats but I don't feel as if we should be ashamed of writing in an actual measurement where it would clarify a point, discussion or technical explanation.
Meg. There are such a range in sizes for different patterns (in a vintage pattern I can be an 18 or a 20, a modern one a 16 and others a 12). It all becomes a jumble of numbers and has never bothered me. Sewing makes me happy that I can create something that fits those numbers and be proud of whatever measurements I have at the time. Which is the only part of sewing and being a curvy woman that bothers me. The fluctuation of weight we can go through can make me apprehensive to make a more complicated project. To spend time on something that I may not even fit into by the time it is done is intimidating.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 10:04 AM
Gertie, are you reading my mind? I took new measurements last night so I could sew a skirt this weekend. That and order a bra online...
I've always added to my #'s because people gave me a hard time about my smaller size. Stick girl was one of the names I was called. Lovely friends. I found it easier then to take it in later to adjust the fit of what I sewed. My way of dealing with sizeism if that's a word. Googled it and yes it is, scary!
Why can't we play nice when it comes to people's bodies? We all are different shapes and sizes because we are different people. We deserve to have well fitting clothes and feel good about ourselves.
I still have no idea how to answer "what size are you?"
Damn frenemies!
Love how you are developing this blog girl!
Jennifer - LadylikeFebruary 12, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Great post. And thanks for addressing the fact that actual numbers can be triggering for those of us who have struggled (or continue to) with eating disorders.
While I consciously avoid talking numbers when it comes to weight and RTW sizes, I don't personally find talking measurements to be triggering. I think it's because measurements, as compared to weight and RTW size, are for the most part pretty removed from the public conversations about women's bodies.
As a sewist, I feel that measurements are like fabric yardage - just something I need to know so that I can make a well-fitting garment. Invariably, I make or buy clothing for the size I want to be rather than the size I am. Then I sit around feeling sorry for myself because I don't have anything to wear, eat some chocolate and gain an inch or so. It's insanity! I look back to my younger self and think, "wow! if only I could be that size again", while at the time I was that size I was deeply entrenched in self criticism. What a shame that we keep ourselves in bondage to these arbitrary numbers and possibly...no, most surely miss out on fully experiencing life. Light-hearted self appreciation(not absorption!) is much more flattering than our so-called ideal measurements.
Okay Gertie, you've lit the fire under my 41 inch hips, no more wishful measuring:
43-29-41 5"11.5
Power to the people!:)What a great post! I have been guilty of this in the past but I really had to get over it when I got pregnant and just embrace my figure, otherwise nothing I sew will look good on me. I remember wincing when I looked at an old size 12 pattern sloper I made up early in college 10 years ago --apparently I had a 26" waist back then. And then there's the once perfectly fitted blue wool tweed pencil skirt I sewed up in 2005 that hasn't ACTUALLY fit me in three years but I can't bear to part with.
Before pregnancy I was:
bust: 38"
high bust 33"
waist: 28"
hip: 38"
And now... (23 weeks pregnant)
bust: 42" (yeah, seriously... and growing, too... and FBAs were hard BEFORE)
high bust 34.5"
underbust (my new smallest point, since I have no real waist anymore): 32"
the area formerly known as my waist: 36"
belly at it's biggest circumference: 42"
hips (much lower down than belly, though: 41"
Honestly, I think gaining 22 pounds and so many inches in just a few months has really IMPROVED my body image and self-esteem, because I can't even PRETEND to be close to or cling to those old numbers anymore--fudging just isn't feasible!
Not that pregnancy is required for improved self-image, of course--but looking back at all the times I sucked in my stomach under the tape measure or worried that a particular style of clothing would make me look -- horrors! -- pregnant -- I wish I could feel then the way I do now.
Finally, I'm a bigtime feminist political cartoonist and while I understand that weight numbers and inches can be triggering for some, I do think that just putting them out there can be really freeing and help release the stigma.I take my measurements before every project, for better or for worse. I write them on a scrap of paper with the date and then I pin a piece of my fabric to the paper. I tuck it inside the pattern envelope. This way I have a record of my measurements along with the pattern that I modified to match those measurements.
I like the idea that some day a seamstress will find my pattern stash and be thrilled find my notes and scraps of fabric so she can imagine the dresses I made.
I've found it very reassuring to have honest numbers to refer to as I lose the last bit of baby weight. I feel flabby and huge, but my old measurements prove that I'm not huge. My measurements now are the same as they were a couple of years ago when I was at the high end of my normal range. My hips are wider and my butt in flatter, but the circumference is the same.
36-31-44 with my lovely waist cincher for special occasion 1950's vintage/retro dress projects)
My next big sewing challenge is to get a solid grasp of my vertical measurements. The intervals between B-W-H are just as important to getting a flattering fit as the circumference. Especially for a tallish person like me.They're just numbers ladies. JUST NUMBERS. They have absolutely no impact on how you look at all. Just for the hell of it here are my current measurments:
Weird, right? That's why I sew, so I can still look super hot and amazing even though I have a very odd shape. Isn't that the point of sewing for yourself? To make superior garments that fit you like a glove?
Also, just because you're comfortable in your clothes doesn't mean that you're unfashionable. You can have both. Really. I promise. Take it from the fat girl.I used to do this, then I got tired of sewing clothes that didn't fit! Now I take the right measurements, then I always make sure the garment will fit me. My hip measurement is much larger than the normal, corresponding waist measurement, so I always have to adjust the fit of any skirt so it fits over my big booty! yet still comes in snug at my waist. :)
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 11:22 AM
my measurements fluctuate a bit (thankfully, only by 1/2" or so, but i wear my clothes VERY fitted so sometimes it can be a problem!) so i'm never absolutely sure of my true measurements.
for the most part, though, i am 35-26.5-36. the measurements don't really bother me - they used to, but then i realized that was silly bc although no one can see my measurements, they can definitely tell when my clothes don't fit! - but the sizing does. i wear different sizes at my bust/waist/hip (like everyone else!) and it is annoying to have to figure that out. not to mention, so many pattern companies change around their sizing and the amount of ease in the pattern (which is a Big Deal to me since i wear everything very close-fitted) so my size can vary from a 6 to a 14. i just wish it was more consistent, but eh, what can you do.
anyway, to answer you question, i lied to myself about my measurements once. then i finished the garment and it did not fit and i was sad. never again, y'all. never again. I have the same problem but with opposite results! I don't usually sew from patterns (obviously I'm not a very complicated sewist), but when I do I'm so scared that it will turn out too small that I guesstimate and add inches to that so that I won't be heartbroken when it doesn't fit... And inevitably everything I've ever made with a pattern turns out too big, which is actually equally heartbreaking. I made myself a polka dotty green, black, and gray dress with a great pattern and now I can't wear it. Also can't give it to anyone or alter it without taking the whole thing apart. It's definitely time to retake our measurements and to be proud of the fact that we KNOW them!
ReplyDelete- c]atherineFebruary 12, 2010 at 11:34 AM
Reality in measurements has been hard for me to deal with, and a huge part of why I don't sew for myself anymore. My bust/waist/hip measurements are basically all the same number.
ReplyDelete Great post! As a former costume designer it was sometimes really hard to get actors and dancers to cooperate when taking measurements, though I am guilty of this, too. I even had one disastrous situation where a dancer hadn't told me that she had gained about 10 lbs. since I had taken her measurements. Her pants ended up splitting onstage during a dress rehearsal. So, kidding yourself about measurements can have even more damaging results than just being honest with yourself about it. I always remember this cautionary tale when I'm tempted to fudge my measurements.
ReplyDeleteI also take mine numbers with every project only because my weight can vary + or - ten pounds (!) as I go through my monthly cycle. At least this way I guaranteed to have stuff that'll fit whether I'm PMSing, it's That time, or the two weeks of recovery. It does require honesty and sometimes there's guilt. But you're right Gertie - honesty does lead to better comfort and a more flattering fit!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! During my first garment class over the summer, our instructor made us partner up and take each others measurements to make sure we were getting accurate numbers. While I struggle with the scale and being happy with the number, when it comes to sewing, I really feel like I have to have accurate numbers for my body. Here are the most recent:
34 - 31 - 43
I won't lie and say that it didn't hurt a little that the first skirt I cut out was a size 16 (ah - the horror!), but after seeing how well it fit and the lack of pulling across the hips actually made me look smaller... well, I was pretty damn happy with that size 16 skirt! ;)
The vanity sizing in RTW is doing such a disservice to women. It would be nice everyone could be on the same numbering system and stick to it!What's frustrating for me is that most modern patterns, no matter how cute the girl on the front is, are sized to be baggy, almost. I guess older women are the main pattern purchasers, and they don't like their clothes snug, but I do! Actually, sometimes even on the models the clothes look dumpy and frumpy but I can tell they would be cute if they FIT like retail clothes!! Usually I accept that the pattern says I'm a 14, so I cut out a 12 so it might fit (and I use smaller than-recommended seam allowances), and it's too big so I cut it down to a 10. What's with that?
Maybe I'm out of it but I've never heard of being against being frank about our bodies and the quest for perfection. We can tell what size bloggers are from their photos, so why does it make a difference to list a number?? The important thing is that our clothes fit and make us feel beautiful, no matter that our current size--you got it right there.For anyone that's had trouble taking accurate measurements, I highly recommend the Myotape body tape measure, which you can find for about $5 on amazon. I wrote about it recently on my blog: it locks into place and with a push of a button adjusts the tension for you automatically, so there is no temptation to pull it too tightly. I love it!
ReplyDeleteOh, honey, I certainly have struggled with reconciling what the tape measure says and what I *think* it should say...
But I remind myself that when I take my *real* measurements, I'll be making something that will fit me comfortably, and will look 10x better than something that is too small.
No one looks good when they're trying to fit (as my auntie would say) "10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound sack."
Good luck with the muslin! This weekend will hopefully involve recycling some wool and angora sweaters into new berets and matching mittens for me, and some alterations to some thrift store finds.
Sew on!Like some of the others here - I use a system that doesn't have as much meaning to me - I do my measurements in metric (although I am in Canada, that is probably what I should use, but I am old enough I am used to inches!). I am much more likely to use an accurate measurement this way!
I do agree with the others who said that there is nothing wrong with posting your measurements, as it helps take the sting out.Haha! I love the term 'measurement phobics anonymous': "My name's Carina and I'm a 36-29-41" it's funny when you think about it.
On a serious note: we're all beautiful to someone (and hopefully ourselves!); we're creative, have our own sense of style, and downright fabulous. So who cares that we have spare tyres and bingo wings and thighs that don't look like willow branches - we rock! End of story.
@carina_My Granny made nearly all of her clothes throughout her life. She was a short woman with big boobs and wide hips who felt completely alienated by the popular styles of the 20's and 30's. So she learned to sew and made clothes that fit her properly.
When I was about 12, she was taking my measurements for a pair of pants she was making me and she told me, "Honey, you're gonna be built like me -- short and all hips and boobs. You better learn to sew." Thankfully I took my Granny's advice because she was right. I clock in at 4'11" 44-33-45.
On some level, I think this has helped me accept my measurements as I've never found myself fudging the numbers when I sew. I figure, people don't see the measurements when I wear a finished dress, they see the dress -- and a well-fitting dress is far more flattering than any 6 digits could ever be.Oh: I can measure in centimeters and take the sting out! Why didn't I think of that? I'm torn between attempting radical self-acceptance body-shape-wise (not something I have much success at), and using the sneaky metrics method to avoid triggering self-shaming thoughts in the first place. Ugh. Why can't I just choose to love what I see in the mirror, whatever it is?
As for vanity sizing: 25 years ago I was a size 10 in RTW. Today I'm 30 pounds heavier... and last time I tried on a RTW 10 it was big in the waist!?! WTF!
Jan. 1 measures: 38-32-41 (5'8"). Officially the worst ever, and not where I feel at my best. So, when hubbie got the P90X "extreme home fitness" workout DVDs I decided to try it, too. 17 days in I'm stronger and feeling tighter (and tired! but in a good way); have decided to sew no fitted garments until I'm done, and see how close I am to my "aspirational measurements" on Day 90.- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 2:06 PM
My measurements, fwiw:
High bust: 41
Bust: 43
Waist: 38
Hips: 44
I'm 5'7" or so (depends how straight I stand up).
I wear a size 18, sometimes 16, in RTW.
Have to mention: People used to say someone was "big boned"; I really am big boned! I wear size 11 shoes (talk about stigma!). A friend made me a bracelet once for a present, and she figured if it fit her (she's well padded -- more so than I am) it would fit me. But I couldn't even get it fastened. My hands and wrists are positively bony -- I'm a musician and they are probably the most well-exercised parts of me.
Anyway, no way would I deliberately wear something too tight. My clothes have to be comfortable or I can't think straight. i started sewing clothes because i'm rather small-boned... modern clothes never fit me quite well. it was because i could never find pants that fit both waist and hips (or everything was low slung-eeks!) i often wish i had more curves to fill out clothing and i imagine my bust more than it is and then end up having to take in things! i'm 32-24-33 at 5'.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 2:27 PM
Rachael: I know the whole point of this post is not to judge by numbers, but I just had to say that your numbers make you sound like an absolute goddess, all tall and curvacious!
Lindsey: Ha! Well said.
-Sandra I don't understand the whole numbers phobia that so many women have about their measurements. I just wish I could figure out the right way to measure so that I could get clothes to fit.
With age, my "waist" has migrated! The narrowest part used to be nearer the belly button. Now it's quite a bit higher. So I have a 25 inch "waist", but a middle aged pot belly below that. The pot belly is too high to be part of the hips since the buttocks have drooped. (I'm in my fifties.)
Since I have a long torso, I can use my new waist and look okay, but I have to make sure I don't choose clothes that fit closely below it. But anything with a waistband really rides up when I sit. I wish I knew what kind of patterns to pick and how to measure.The idea of taking your measurements in cm is a good one, not least because it's much more accurate than inches. However, it goes against my feminist ideals rather to hide from the measurements you really have. In the end, no matter how much we enjoy dressing these bodies of ours, they don't really matter. They don't affect who we are. A body is just the chest that the jewels are carried around in. It doesn't affect the value of the treasure :)
My measurements, as of today, are 36, 27, 40, and my height is 5'3". I have a big rounded bum, saddlebags, curvy thighs, broad shoulders, a big ribcage, and a sway back. And that's great, damnit.
That did feel oddly liberating..I'm fairly honest about my measurements - mostly because I used to buy (still would, had I $) lots of vintage on ebay/etsy. My 35.5 - 28.5 - 41(ish) (i'm a juicy little pear...) doesn't mean a thing to me, and I often add to the hips, because my thighs are rather large - mostly when buying/sewing something with a straighter skirt, to avoid thigh bulges, yuck. (Auctually, I tend too add too much to all measurements except my bust, for fear of things not fitting, and then I have to take in the things I sew...)
Also - my waist measures 28.5, but when I buy vintage dresses I fit into a 27-28 waist - what's with that?
I used to get so frustrated/discouraged when I was shopping for clothing, because nothing fit me, ever. Pants? No way. Shirts? I forgot to mention the more important measurements - AA cup, short chested, but without the tiny biceps that tend to go with petite tops.... and my lower half doesn't match my top, (um, can I get this dress in a 4P on top, and a 10 on bottom? didn't think so...)
So all that frustration led to shopping only in thrift/second hand/vintage shops and knowing that I'll have to alter the things I find (which I don't mind when they cost $1, or are one of a kind and amazing) - and learning to sew things from scratch that fit. So I became brutally honest about my real size, and stopped caring about individual numbers. I'm at a point where I'll tell anyone my height/weight/measurements, and I don't care. (almost 5'4", 135lbs)
This is huge for me, because I used to have (still do sometimes - only after going to the mall and being frustrated, though) major body issues. In high school, I was overweight, and only wore boys clothes, the baggiest pants and XL men's t-shirts. I lost 40ish pounds my senior year (yay for going vegan+eating healthy!), and after going off to college/having a job on my feet all day, I eventually got down to 120. Looked great, I liked that size, but I was 19, who stays that size forever? I'm 15 pounds heavier today - but I'm also 5 years older, and unemployed (=too much time being inactive). But I feel great. I'll never be 120 again, and that's ok.
So, yes, specific body measurements are great. I'm not going to adversely compare myself to another woman, because we're not cookie cutter molds - and someone with my exact b/w/h measurements might look much smaller or bigger than me, so what do the numbers really matter as far as comparisons go?
I think the other measurements are almost more important - shoulder width, bust apex, cup size, back waist height, waist-to-hip, biceps, thighs, etc.... that's where I have to make the most adjustments, and I'm infinitely more interested in finding how these measurements compare to others, and knowing how they have to change patterns because of said measurements.
I'd be interested to see your actual measurements, Gertie, and I think you would feel amazingly liberated to post them. Honesty, right?I think it's pretty liberating to put measurements out there. I've been thinking about putting mine in the sidebar of my own blog so people can see how a certain size sweater from a knitting pattern fits with whatever amount of ease. I think being honest with myself about my measurements is extremely helpful to my body image. I'm also tempted to put them out there because I look smaller than I am in photos and I've had people say that I look petite.
40-30-41I recently read an article about crystal renn, her measurements being 38C, 30, 42. I having almost the same measurements (i'm a 34 waist) have found that being the same size as the world's most recognized and respected model has just reenforced my perception that woman of any size can look great in all clothing, just by wearing the right size and not trying to squeeze into that size 10 just to say we are wearing one.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that numbers mean very little to me when it comes to questions of size. Fit is the most important thing when sewing one's own clothes, and cheating will only get you clothes that don't fit properly.
Having said that, RTW clothes are doing a disservice to women these days. I think we are all staring at the size labels and measuring tapes from the wrong perspective. It is not that we ought to fit into a piece of clothing with a certain size tag, it is the other way around. Our bodies should come first, the clothes second.Inspiring post and comments! I'm going to take my measurements tonight (I actually had a dream about making the dirndl skirt on your site, I figure it's a sign).
Totally as an aside: Gertie, where is that image at the top of the post from? It looks SO Familiar to me... is it from the Readers Digest sewing book? My parents had all those RD how-to books and I remember poring over them for HOURS when I was a kid.I'm actually surprised to see that you haven't been using your "real" measurements. Your garments seem to fit you really well. I am a 32" waist. I have had three kids and some things never shrink, but the number doesn't really bother me. I guess my jean size means more to me than my actual measurement. Most non sewers wouldn't know what a woman with a 32" waist vs a woman with a 29" waist looks like. I've never taken false measurements out of fear that my garment won't fit and I won't wear it. But, it usually turns out a little big even when I do take accurate measurements, which is fine b/c it feels good to have to "take it in"!
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 3:34 PM
I'll admit to needing to remeasure myself too. I've lost all of my pregnancy weight and everything that I have been altering for seems a bit off as parts of my body are swimming in fabric now and others probably need a little extra.
ReplyDelete I'm really bad when it comes to measuring, because I don't believe in the contemporary tables and chart! Haha! That's ironic isn't it? Well, I guess when I started sewing I was really following the measure chart and ended up a size 14 (European size 44) and the made up garment was way to big. As I become a better seamstress, I realized that say for instance, BWOF patterns aren't made for people wanting a snug fit, but for those preferring a loose fit. What that means, is that pattern measuring should be done on the pattern itself and compared to your own numbers. The reality is that if you want a great fit on your garment, your numbers are crucial. BUT, if you get a great fit, no-one will think of the numbers, because you'll look so much better! Maybe I'm obsessed with the garment's fit but I'm not very good with tissue fitting and measuring, and find the contemporary pattern's charts harassing mostly because they don't work for me. According to BWOF my bust and waist is a size 10, hip size 12, back length 4/6 and back width near 18! But if I use Vogue patterns it would be bust=14, waist and hip=16! My conclusions are: The measurements themselves are crucial, because sizing charts doesn't help! And a good fit is dependent on measuring directly on the pattern! Without talking about the measurements, the fit won't be any good!
ReplyDeleteI just took my measurements again (49-42-45, at 5'10.5"). Clearly I am top-heavy, and that has brought me so much irritation, frustration, and unwelcome attention. And, of course, if it fits on top, it doesn't fit on the bottom, and vice versa. I love dresses, but I tend toward separates because it's easier to make them fit, at least in RTW.
Ironically, as I was in the midst of reading these comments and thinking, "you know, it IS just a number, no one is going to know what size pattern you used if you don't tell them, very few people can measure the human form with their eyes," and so on, an acquaintance made a comment (elsewhere) that strongly implied I was a "wide woman." And I got offended and angry, so I guess some part of me still buys into the numbers game.
As I've gotten more into sewing, though, I've been more aware of things like vanity sizing and the Merona (Target) brand fitting my lower half at size 16, but other brands fitting me at 18. Well, clearly I am still the same person and the same shape in either brand of jeans (and I've actually started buying men's jeans because they fit better, although there I take a 38-30, so maybe they've started vanity sizing too).
So what does a size number really mean? Not much. It's somewhat easier to deal with in patterns, but there is still some assumption of the female form having a waist 6" smaller than your bust, and hips 3" wider than your bust, but about 10" wider than your waist. I haven't done the actual math, but I don't see, at a casual glance, any numbers here that look like that. Which is actually nice, because it makes me realize that women are shaped like themselves, not usually like any dress form.
So part of me thinks it's ridiculous to worry too much about numbers, but part of me does not care to be referred to as fat. So I guess some days are better than others and even when I think I've surpassed the pointlessness of assigning meaning to our physical measurements, I usually haven't. But it gives me something to aspire to.I finally had to bite the bullet and own up to my numbers (measurements). I call it owning the numbers. Even though I am not pleased with the numbers, until I decide to do what it takes to change them it is what it is. I need clothing now and since I've started using my correct numbers, my clothes fit better and look better. My measurements tell me that my body is a rectangular (lol).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sewing quite yet but I when I buy vintage online (with only measurements to guide me, as sizes are so different now), I do go aspirational. Like some of those size 6 suit skirts dresses with itty bity waistlines? I bit the bullet, pull on the tighest pair of control top hose I have, and hike it up basically to just under the rib cage. I suffer for the retro fashions sometime, but I really should be less aspirational.
ReplyDeleteI, too, suck in my waist and squeeze the tape measure as tight as possible. I like thinking I'm this lovely little hourglass; I am curvy, but more in soft, rounded way than the sharply angular waistlines illustrated on vintage patterns.
I generally wear an 8, but sometimes a 10 or even a 6 depending on how the garment is cut. My measurements are:
39" 29" 40"- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 4:26 PM
Great post! I always thought I took accurate measurements, but like you I sucked in when taking that waist measurement. After a few failures with pants and skirts I now do it correctly, to ease my backwards thinking I used centimeters for the first few garments and now I can do inches and it doesn't hurt.
My current measurements are Bust 41.5, Waist 33 Hips 37.5
As you can see I wear 2 different sizes and the big 4 patterns event the multi size patterns require me to buy 2 patterns. I use Burda and many indy patterns.
Thanks for the encouraging post!
Annette Is it just me or do your body image posts get tons, tons of comments? I'm glad you're writing about it.
I've been a member of many sewing communities and I've noticed that the older the sewer gets, the more likely they use their real measurements and have success with their finished garments. I tend to see a bit more vanity sizing stuff in twentysomethings than fortysomethings. The younger women can go on and on and on about sizes and numbers and the older, more experiences sewists just sew their stuff up in the correct size with the correct alterations. (Oh and I'm 33, by the way). But! This is just anecdotal and observational and I've often wondered. Take it for what it's worth. Part of it may be vanity, or not accepting oneself... maybe some of it is becoming a more experienced seamstress. I dunno.
As for "fessing up": I'm a 44", 35", 43". Number are just numbers, as far as I'm concerned.
I think I'm not pulling the tape measure tight enough around my waist - or something. I always end up with very lose waistbands. And my waist is a couple sizes larger than my high bust and hip measurements. Perhaps I should make a straight size based on hips - even though my waist is not 10" smaller than my hips and even the thought of wearing a too-tight waist is like, ugh.
Thanks for a good post!About putting actual numbers/measurements in your blog...I think it's great. As a recovered anorexic wanting to share my story with others, I've thought a lot about whether or not to include numbers. I've realized that, looking back, I was going to do disordered things and have disordered thoughts whether or not someone included numbers in what I was reading. So, really, it doesn't matter either way (sort of unfortunately).
I'm glad you're promoting body positivity and getting real with yourself too! I've found it's way better to have something actually FIT than fudge the measurements a little. In fact, if I make a garment too small, I end up feeling larger.When I was actively losing baby weight, I sucked in and pulled tight. Then when beautiful skirt/dress/etc didn't fit like a dream, it was my next motivation. It worked really well for me. Now I take my measurements with a snug tape, but not suck in and pull tight. The companies work on the assumption you'll pull it snug (hard for bustlines not to pull too tight... everything is so smooshy..)
38, 27, 39. Bigger than I used to be, especially on the hips. Oh freakin' well.
BTW, are you doing ok Gertie? There's just so many posts lately on body image, I hope you're feeling ok about yourself.34-26-39!
Gertie, we love you and your measurements. My dad used to say to me "No one knows what the size says inside the dress, or what your waist size is. They only see how well the garment fits you." And he is right! Measurements are meaningless except to make the garment fit you perfectly- and make you look great of course!- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 8:02 PM
I don't really get hung up on my figure measurements too much, but I do fudge my height.
I like to tell myself that I'm 5'7". I wish I were 5'8", but that would be stretching the truth just a little too much.
In the interest of conformity (!) my measurements are:
32-33"depending on the week
And I'm really 5'6".
Garnet I took up sewing after hating it as a kid only because I'm 5'6" and 31.5-26-33. Skinny. This I don't mind, but sewing sure helps me adjust my RTW clothes to fit and I hate baggy clothes that swallow up my small frame. Sewing from patterns is scary sometimes if they don't put in how much ease. I wish all patterns had that!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if anyone else does this, but I tend to overestimate when I take measurements - you can always make something, but you can't make it bigger.
Plus, it makes me feel really good about myself when I can say 'Oh! I made it too big!'
I do like that the Burda sizes are completely divorced from anything I "know" in my head from ready to wear. Not that ready to wear sizing means anything at all. I can go to Banana and have a pair of size 12 pants fit too small, and yet in another style, I swim in a 12....
I recently told an ex coworker my weight, and she was shocked. Her exact words were "I would have guessed 20 lbs less". My response was that it's because I wear clothes that FIT. If it means that I go to the store, try on 10 pairs of jeans and still leave empty handed because nothing is fitting right, then that's the way it is (for a while I was a size 10 1/2 - everything was either too small or to big!)
Fudging the measurements and making something too small does you no good. Too tight clothes only accentuate everything that you want to hide.
42-37-41 at 5'5" (with a high bust, a long torso, a pot belly, and monstrous 17" calves....)Oh, Gertie, I wish you had posted this about a week ago! I just finished a pencil skirt and, of course, when I went to try it on it was snug, or maybe even a little...tight. My skirt would be great for photos where I am standing still! As soon as I start walking, it starts a journey of its own, creeping up in a most unladylike way ;)
I plan this weekend to take my real measurements. Or maybe I will wait until Monday. Or next week. ;)- AnonymousFebruary 12, 2010 at 11:57 PM
You know, I went through this same phase once. I took my waist measurement with abs tightened, first thing in the morning. It took several failed skirts and dresses that I had to give away because the waist was too small to stop and take some accurate measurements. On a slightly different note, I sew primarily from vintage patterns, and I find that they fit very well. However, with modern Big 4 patterns and RTW, the fit is obscenely off. I'm usually swimming in McCalls sizes, and according to the store that sells my favorite jeans, my waist is actually a full four inches smaller. What gives?
ReplyDelete I'm actually never quite sure how to measure my bust accurately. When I inhale, it expands by several inches. Do I use the smaller or the larger of the two measurements? When I use the larger of the two, I look lost in the too-large outfit. On the other hand, I don't want to appear to be busting (pun intended) out of my outfit if I use the smaller number. Quite aside form vanity, does anybody have a suggestion for how to address this problem?
ReplyDeleteI do need to take new measurements. I recently gained about ten pounds.(all in my butt and thighs it seems) The only measurement I have that is up to date is my bust. THAT didn't change with my weight gain. Oh no, I couldn't get bigger there. Still 32". Sigh.
I really have no idea now what my waist and hips are. My body has change proportion so drastically!I like things snugger in the waist than my true measurement. Mostly skirts and high waisted pants. This is partly because when I use my true waist measurement or the standard "with ease" waist band, things slip down and I get roll-over on the waist band, which is neither comfortable nor attractive.
So yeah. I take my waist measure, and subtract 2" for my waist bands. It works for me!Firstly, thank you for recognising that it might be triggering to start talking numbers. For my part, I actually find it affirming (now, anyway - at my 41.5kg worst, I can't say how I'd have reacted) to look at you and say, she has a 30" waist, and she looks great (you do!), so obviously there is nothing fat or scary or hideous about a waist measurement over 22", so get a grip!
I am and have always been honest with myself about my measurements; my sin is to taunt myself with them. Currently I am 39-29-41, and on bad days do tend to compare that unfavourably with my smallest since puberty, 36-22-28 (I have solid, Teutonic bones).
Honestly though, I'd feel better about my body if fashion, RTW or pattern-wise, didn't make it so difficult to get a good fit.I thought I'd add this P.S to my original post as I think it demonstrates how silly we (I) can be sometimes about sizes. I live in the UK, when I go to the USA because of the different sizing system I drop 2 dress sizes (RTW) the minute I get off the plane. When I try things on yes I do get a buzz when I see the label - how pathetic is that! I am not smaller. They are exactly the same measurements just different numbers on the label.
On the down side I go up two shoe sizes at the same time, that dosn't seem to bother me so much though.I too have the phobic fear of the waist hitting the big 3-0.
I have the same problem some other commentors mentioned--the measurments don't stay that constant. Right now they're around 39-29-39, but who knows what they'll be next week.
Also, that "hourglass" definition as being a 13'' difference?? Crazy talk. I'll happily keep thinking of myself as an hourglass, thank you *very* much!I think publishing your measurements is a liberating thing. For me, I find people are always shocked when they find out how much I weigh (as in they think I weigh 115 lbs!). Most people aren't aware that the number of a dress size, pattern size, or even weight doesn't really have anything to do with what a person looks like. It's all individual and has to do with how your body is constructed. However, Hollywood messes that up with every starlet's publicist saying they're a size two and 110 lbs! I'm 34-28-38 and 138 lbs, size 8 retail, and 12 pattern. So there!
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 13, 2010 at 10:12 PM
Took my measurements recently just out of curiosity: 34-33-37. My bust and hips could fit smalls. My waist is like an extra large according to fitting charts, but I can usually squeeze into a medium pant. It's so bizarre. Even at my skinniest, I never had that nice hourglass figure. Sigh.
ReplyDelete It's interesting, I live in the metric system and with the burda sizes (that's germany) but I know exactly what you mean: my bust circumference is 98cm (always, doesn't matter if I lose or gain weight). So I'm pretty sure I'm a 42. The sizes in RTW lately tend to go down (like a M or 38/40 would fit!) and with burda I would have to go 1 size up (44). But as I'm sewing I know I have to use an FBA to fit my boobs and that I have to take a 40.
The only measurement I try to fake is my belly measurement: shouldn't be more than 90 cm for health reasons and I desperately try to make it below ;o)
Ok, there is a problem with my waist: it's quite high, higher than I care to sit anything anyway, so I just go for a bigger size in patterns there. Sometimes the biggest there is and taking it in later. (Should figure that out, shouldn't I?)The interesting thing about sewing for me is that it has totally released me from fear of sizes or measurements. I usually work from the actual measurements on the pattern and cut that size. My measurements are in this range as I seem to fluctuate a little from week to week. Sadly, my hips stay the same so sometimes I am more of a rectangle than others.
34 - 36 inches
28 - 29 inches
39 1/2 inchesI seem to over estimate (liek Binky) with my measurements and semem to always have to down size things I make - even though I stick to my measurements - I guess I am afraid of cutting the fabric too snug and not being able to wear what I have just spent hours making....+ I got caught out a fair amount in the last few years with buying vintage online - going by my actual measurements things should ahve fit - but when I go to put them on they dont.. so now I tend to buy with a little extra room around the bust just incase (as I can alway take it in a bit)...
PS Gertie I too have a fear of my waist rising above 30inches - but well I just have to face facts that its not getting any smaller no matter what I do!I take measurements every so often... then proceed to ignore them! On the basis that I've started going to the gym and I like to wear things snug on the waist, I always buy skirts an inch or two (sometimes more!) smaller on the waist
Tuppence Ha'pennyOk so I always thought I was an hourglass figures until I took proper measurements for the first time in 8 years and I turn out to be a 'Pear'(apparently)- 40 - 37-47 - and yet I feel like my large cup size makes me more curvy than this implies. I like to think of myself as an hourglass anyway, it sounds far sexier than pear or apple or grapefruit or whatever they use! Anyway, taking accurate measurements has given me the push I needed to lose some weight - 38-32-44 here I come (measurements from some years ago)!
Love your blog anyway Gertie, it's so refreshing to have people talk about this stuff in an intelligent and non judgemental way.I'm currently making the Jenny dress! I will definitely be checking back to see how your project comes out. And yes, it's okay! (I was telling myself that a lot too when I was figuring out what size to make!) With all the time and energy it takes to sew one's own clothes, they better fit when they're done. Good luck on your skirt!
ReplyDelete- AnonymousFebruary 24, 2010 at 11:00 PM
So glad to find other women with block figures like mine. Which is something like 44, 40, 44. Which according to bought patterns make me a 22, 26, 24, or the other way round. Always have been three different pattern sizes and dont I long for the days when it was 16, 20, 18? I've never had a waist. My mum had a waist, should have like to inherit that instead of her nose!
ReplyDelete Hah, I found this old post while going back through your blog trying to find your measurements - I want to make the Sencha blouse, but I have had a retro-thirties shape from middle school onwards (all my measurements are always within three inches of each other, no matter which side of 30 or 40 those measurements fall on) and I keep trying patterns that look good on hourglasses and pears and being disappointed because I don't go in at the middle or very far out at the ends. No wiggle dresses for me! So yes, I kind of wish more people were upfront about their measurements, because especially when sewing vintage it's hugely helpful to know if I'm looking at something that would look awesome on my pear-shaped sister, my apple-shaped friend, or my own gracefully rectangular self.
ReplyDeleteHah ha, and then I read your rant one entry before on apples, pears, bananas, and what kinds of clothes they're supposed to wear. I think in my family we have two basic figure types, so hourglasses and blocks come up in conversation a lot: one figure type goes out in the bra and basically stays that shape the whole way down, and the other starts at the bottom by going way out at the hips and then way in and stays in the whole way up. So two types, two groups of women trying to dress themselves, and the ever-present question "yes, but do you need a concave waist/a convex busom to wear that?".
ReplyDeleteI just started reading your post and I think that women put way too much stock in numbers and fruit comparisons. I'm really glad I started sewing early before I could become wrapped up in it. It's frustrating watching my friends freak out when I try to show them what pattern size they need to buy. It isn't till the project is done that they finally realize that it's just a number and that is only if I'm lucky.

subset: commoncrawl


text: When Martin's and Chris' Creature Power Suits unexpectedly get jammed in Proboscis monkey mode and the top monkey of the troop is injured protecting a youngster from a crocodile, the Kratt brothers find themselves stepping into the injured monkey's role. While Aviva nurses the monkey back to health, Chris and Martin must keep the troop together and soon discover the important communication function of the proboscis monkeys strangest feature - his huge, droopy, bulbous nose! They uncover some of the different methods animals utilize to communicate important information to each other.


text:
Author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates has been awarded the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle.
The prize, which recognizes the winner's dedication to book culture, was presented to Oates at a ceremony held in New York City on March 11.
Oates, who has taught at Princeton since 1978, is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor in the Humanities and professor of creative writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts. She has written some of the most enduring works in modern American fiction, including the national best-sellers "We Were the Mulvaneys" and "Blonde."
In a nearly 50-year writing career, she has published more than 70 novels, short stories, literary criticism, essays, poetry volumes and plays. She has won the National Book Award, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, the Common Wealth Award for Distinguished Service in Literature and the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement.
The Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award is named for the first president of the National Book Critics Circle, a nonprofit organization consisting of more than 600 active book reviewers. The award previously has been given to renowned publishers, critics and authors including Studs Terkel, Richard Howard, Pauline Kael, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Leslie Fiedler.


text:
Staching Trough The Snow T-Shirt, Hoodie, Sweater, Ladie Tee, Vneck, Bellaflowy, Kids Shirt, Unisex and Tank Top, T-shirt
Preshrunk 100% cotton jersey knit, Blended cotton/polyester in antique, heather, neon, and safety colors.
Seamless double needle 7/8″ collar.
Taped neck and shoulders.
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In A World Full Of Grinches Be A Griswold Christmas Sweater Version2 – After approximately 2 weeks you will receive the item.


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The majesty of her voice could accomplish in one song what a preacher couldnt do in a two-hour sermon. She was Mahalia Jackson and her legacy is brought to life in Tom Stolzs Mahalia! A Gospel Musical, a no-souls barred tribute to the legendary singer, now playing at MetroStage.
Born the granddaughter of slaves in New Orleans in 1911, Jackson left for Chicago at the age of 16 with the dream of becoming a nurse. But it was her voice that carried her beyond the barriers of the Jim Crow South to become what many still consider to be the worlds greatest gospel singer of all time.
In Stolzs musical biography, the focus is on Jacksons commitment to her faith, her music and her close association with the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A civil rights pioneer in her own right, Jackson sang for those who walked in Montgomery and was the powerful musical preface to Kings I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin has built a solid reputation for MetroStage as the place to see superb musical biopics Alberta Hunter (Cookin at the Cookery), Sammy Davis Jr. (Cool Papas Party) and Pearl Bailey (Pearl Bailey By Request) to name a few. But Mahalia!, which garnered awards when it first premiered here in 2004, soars to new heights and raises the roof of the converted lumber warehouse.
The original cast of three Bernadine Mitchell, S. Renee Clark and William Hubbard all brilliantly reprise their roles. Mitchell takes on the role of the incomparable Jackson, while Clark and Hubbard each play a number of characters from Jacksons life.
Clark is commanding as Jacksons devout Aunt Duke, the woman charged with raising Jackson after her mothers death when she was just 6 years old. But it is as Jacksons longtime collaborator and accompanist Mildred Falls where Clarks talents as both actor and musician are in full force.
An award-winning musical director and conductor, Clark fiercely tackles the challenging and syncopated keyboard rhythms of Jacksons trademark style while adding her own soulful voice to several musical arrangements.
Hubbard, nominated for a Helen Hayes Award as Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in the original production, is back and more engaging than ever. He smoothly transitions between several characters but is most commanding in his stirring portrayal of King, his voice resonating throughout the theatre with the strains of Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
But it is the vibrant power of Mitchells performance, which earned the coveted Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actress in 2004, that leaves the audience mesmerized. Emulating Jacksons rich contralto voice, Mitchell crafts a musical journey that compels frequent swaying and handclapping to more than 20 of the gospel legends signature songs.
Mitchell brings Jacksons blues-infused gospel sound to life in songs like Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, Move on Up a Little Higher and Take my Hand, Precious Lord.
Her voice remains rich and forceful as she completely inhabits the role of Jackson in a radiant
performance of a woman on fire with passion for her faith and her art.
An artist without peer, Jackson liked to say that gospel music was good news in bad times and under the direction of 12-time Helen Hayes Award-winner Thomas W. Jones II, the intersection of race, religion and music elevates Mahalia! beyond mere entertainment.
There is a great history being told here, said Hopkins House president Glen Hopkins after seeing the show. It reintroduces something wonderful to a new generation. People need to see this.
Mahalia! is not just the story of Jacksons life but of an era that defined and shaped the civil rights movement. It is an uplifting, exhilarating evening filled with joy and bursting with song. Young and old, black and white it is a musical that defies description and is a must-see, must-hear, must-experience show for all ages.
Live theatre is one of the greatest gifts we can give to a community, Griffin said after Sunday nights performance. And the gift these performers give to the audience each night is priceless.
Mahalia! A Gospel Musical is playing now through March 14 at MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St. For tickets or more information, call 703-548-9044 or visit www.metrostage.org.


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Tiger head illustrations and clipart images
— Browse 1585 Tiger head graphics from our huge library of free vector, and 3D illustrations in PNG, SVG, and GIF formats. They all come on transparent backgrounds for easy use. Download to turn creative ideas into engaging pictures. Also, check out our top styles in 3D , Animated, and Trendy.


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A list of the House races for which Democrats have asked broadcasters and cable companies to reserve $44 million in ad time provides a revealing look at the shape of the midterm election landscape this fall.
Take the 6th Congressional District of Massachusetts, for example. The DCCC has allocated about $1.4 million to help Rep. John Tierney hang onto that seat. The nine-term congressman, whose district is located northeast of Boston, has been dogged by ethics issues; he narrowly won re-election in 2012 with 48.3 percent of the vote in a three-way race. It's a Democratic-oriented district, but more politically marginal than the typical Massachusetts district. Democrats are also spending in California's 26th Congressional District, represented by first-term Rep. Julia Brownley. The DCCC has allocated $950,000 for cable TV campaign ads on Brownley's behalf from late September to Election Day. Brownley beat her Republican rival by just 5.4 percentage points, but ran behind Obama's winning performance there. That has emboldened Republicans who see her seat as a potential pickup, despite the Democratic voter registration edge.
Take Minnesota's 7th Congressional District, represented by 12-termer Rep. Collin Peterson. One of the few remaining moderate Blue Dog Democrats, Peterson won 60.4 percent of the vote in 2012 — in a district where Mitt Romney won comfortably by 10 percentage points. If this turns out to be a really bad year for Democrats, Peterson could be in serious trouble. So the DCCC plans to spend $1.5. million on TV advertising to hold the mostly rural district, which runs nearly the entire western length of the state. Democratic Rep. John Barrow, who represents Georgia's 12th Congressional District — another seat where Romney won by a comfortable 11-point margin — is a similar case. He's a perennial GOP target because of the conservative orientation of his district; the DCCC plans to plow nearly $1.2 million into TV ads.
Tea Party favorites like Michigan's Tim Walberg and Justin Amash, and Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican who represents the state's 4th Congressional District, are in this category. One of the most caustic critics of an immigration overhaul, King's defeat would probably go a long way to consoling progressives, even if Democrats fail to regain House control — which seems all but certain. So the DCCC plans to spend $670,000 on TV ads in their effort to defeat him. King, in his sixth term, won his last election by 8 points, however, beating Christie Vilsack, wife of Obama's agriculture secretary and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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The City of Malton. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MenuCity MapFind Location Route Finder World View
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This Urban Dead resource was created by members of the Laser Squad Nemesis community. Data by Fuzzywinker Output by Fletch Optimized for FireFox. Hosted by the CDF. |
Sorry for the recent down-time, dudes - I didn't realise so many people still used it! I've updated the code, so there shouldn't be any more problems and the map should stay on-line for another five years (at least). :) If you notice any bugs or want to suggest improvements, you can contact me at udmap at aypok dot co dot uk.


text: "Monsters, Inc." is set in Monstropolis, a thriving company town where monsters of all shapes and sizes reside. Sulley and his wisecracking best friend Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the largest scream-processing factory. The main power source in the monster world is the collected screams of human children-and at Monsters, Inc., an elite team of scarers is responsible for gathering those precious natural resources. Believed by monsters to be toxic, children are strictly forbidden from entering Monstropolis. But when a little girl named Boo accidentally follows Sulley back into his world, he finds his career in jeopardy and his life in utter chaos. So pals Mike and Sulley plot to rectify the mistake and return Boo to her home. But when the trio encounters an unexpected series of complications, they become embroiled in a cover-up catapulting them into a mystery beyond their wildest dreams.


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How fun! Congrats to all 50 winners! I just realized that I didn't ask Ashley (the sweet Teeccino elf behind this giveaway) if she was OK with me posting her email address here for all to see. So you can email me your mailing address and I will happily forward it to Teeccino so they can send you the goods. I promise not to sell your info to the devil.
The list of lucky winners:
Nichole, Maggie, Robynrawr, Cartercam, Denise, Animal-Friendly, Aimee, Jane, AJP, Patricia, Crash, Suzanna, Kim g., Vegyogini, SF Bay Area, Carissa, Lori, Andrea, Susan@sweetimaginations, AmyL, Corrin Radd, Heather, Kristen, Brenda W., Elaine, Angela DiGiovanni, Diane, baxtersmom396, jackie-, nape80, Ricki, Tory, Katie, Brewed Bohemian, kmm22, Danielle, HeyitsBeth, Edmontonjb, Dolmadez, Krystle Rose, Claire, Amanda, Tiffany Miller, Cadry, Heather, Theuglyquip, Morgan, Michele (you sure you WANT? You didn't quite make that clear! :P), Katy Spring, Hyperwink, and Maggie.
You can email your name and address info to wingitvegan (at) gmail (dot) com. Enjoy!
Now I'm feeling awkward about publishing a foodless post. How'bout some date-sweetened ice cream?
Date-sweetened ice cream with chopped carob chips.
I had to take new pictures! The ones I showed you before were horrid! :D
Date-Sweetened Vanilla Ice Cream 4 oz pitted dates (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup water 1 14 oz can of full fat coconut milk, cold 2 tsp vanilla extract 1. In a small pot or sauce pan, combine the dates and the water and bring to a boil. 2. Remove from heat and let the dates soak, covered, for 15 minutes. 3. Pour the coconut milk into your blender, add the vanilla and the dates along with their water. Blend until smooth. 4. Transfer the blended mixture into a bowl (with a spout, you'll thank me later!) using a fine mesh strainer to catch little bits of date that might have been left unblended. Refrigerate for an hour or until cold. 5. Once cold, use a fine mesh strainer again (I'm really not happy about tiny bits of date in my smooth ice cream) to pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. It takes my awesome Cuisinart about 30 minutes to churn this bad boy. NOTES: This is plenty sweet for my taste, but if you like a sweeter ice cream you can always add some maple syrup. Add some chunky goods when the ice cream maker is done churning! Chocolate or carob chips, nuts, fruit... I always have a can or two of coconut milk in the fridge, that way if I need to make a quick ice cream or whipped cream I don't have to wait for the milk to chill. If you're making this ice cream with room temperature coconut milk, the ice cream mixture will probably need to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours instead of just one. Keep it in the freezer (O rly?) and take it out a few minutes before serving. It will be way to hard to scoop straight out of the freezer! One of these days I'm going to buy some vodka and I'm going to add a little splash to my ice creams just to see what happens. It shouldn't freeze so hard if it has some vodka in it, right? |


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A rainy sunrise with lifting fog with reflections of the mountain in this calm lake and a little of alpenglow at dawn.
Photos are printed on Fujicolor Crystal Archive DP II Professional Paper or Kodak Professional Endura Metallic Paper. (70 years colourfast) Actual products will not display any border, watermark or logo. Click here to see an example of the sharp detail in my prints. Pay via the well-known, fast and secure payment system PayPal. You can pay with Credit Card or Bank Transfer without having a Paypal account. Please allow 1-3 weeks for production and delivery time.
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Cars & cycle path in Montreal, Quebec – April 2011 – James Schwartz / The Urban Country
Imagine you could work 500 hours less every year. That works out to be an extra 12.5 weeks of vacation. Alternatively, imagine you got paid for an extra 500 hours of work each year, without having to work those extra 500 hours. That would work out to be an extra $11,000 every year for an average American making $22 per hour.
500 hours a year – or 2 hours each day – is roughly the equivalent to what the average American worker will work in order to pay for their cars (the average is between 1.46 hour/day and 2.90 hours/day depending on which data is used).
- Lloyd Alter from Treehugger checks our math (external)
- Americans Work 3.84 Minutes Each Day To Pay For Their Bicycles
This is a substantial amount of time and cost in order to have the "freedom", or as I like to call it "imprisonment" of automobile ownership.
Furthermore, Americans on average sit in their cars for 48 minutes each day, and commuters in larger cities spend far more than this in their cars commuting to work. Here in Toronto, the average round trip commute time is 80 minutes – the worst among 19 cities studied last year (the study includes transit riders as well as motorists).
The United States has the highest rate of car ownership in the world, at 779 motor vehicles for every 1,000 man, woman and child. At 563 motor vehicles per 1,000 people, Canada has a 38% lower rate of car ownership than the United States – and Canada's rate of car ownership is nothing to boast about.
Across the Pacific, China had only 128 motor vehicles for every 1,000 people as of 2008. Even at this very low rate of ownership, by 2010 we saw a 100KM traffic jam just outside of Beijing due to China's massive population. Clearly there isn't enough space to accommodate automobiles in the long run.
A recent article on Grist suggests that the UK might have reached the point of "peak cars", and car ownership may be in fact declining. With rising gas prices, increasing urbanization, bicycles reclaiming urban space, and car-sharing services like Zipcar or Autoshare, it wouldn't be surprising to see a shift toward declining automobile ownership.
Automobiles no longer represent the freedom that they used to symbolize. Motorists are angry from sitting in traffic congestion, and they are furious over rising gas prices. But instead of complaining, motorists can take action.
A recent article in the Economist covers in fair detail America's traffic congestion woes, but fails to offer any pragmatic solutions to reducing traffic congestion beyond investing in more reliable and faster rail service. There isn't a single mention of bicycles being used as a tool to improve congestion, even though the article compares commute times in the Netherlands to America. The Netherlands of course has invested far less in automobile infrastructure, and more in bicycle and rail infrastructure.
Perhaps the article could have also mentioned that 61.7% of all trips in America are 5 miles (8km) or less – an easy distance to use a bicycle. Despite the fact that most trips are within bicycling range, people don't use bicycles because we have invested in infrastructure that solely accommodates motor vehicles. Infrastructure that is frankly – as the Economist points out – falling apart.
At the very least, bicycles can be combined with rail to reduce our dependency on automobiles and oil.
The Economist touches on a very relevant point however: States are not incented to provide alternate means of transportation, because they lose federal funding if their citizens drive less:
"The federal government is responsible for only a quarter of total transport spending, but the way it allocates funding shapes the way things are done at the state and local levels. Unfortunately, it tends not to reward the prudent, thanks to formulas that govern over 70% of federal investment. Petrol-tax revenues, for instance, are returned to the states according to the miles of highway they contain, the distances their residents drive, and the fuel they burn. The system is awash with perverse incentives. A state using road-pricing to limit travel and congestion would be punished for its efforts with reduced funding, whereas one that built highways it could not afford to maintain would receive a larger allocation."
Politicians always think big, and America has built a system of freeways and roads that can no longer be properly maintained. With the high cost of maintaining an obscene amount of automobile infrastructure, now is the time to invest in re-shaping this infrastructure to better accommodate bicycles.
"Oma Fiets" by Richard Masoner / RateMyVelo.com
Besides investing in reshaping our streets to accommodate bicycles, another way the government can help provide incentives for people to become less reliant on automobiles is to encourage people to live closer to work.
A pilot program in Washington DC is doing just that. Citizens can receive up to $12,000 for moving closer to work or public transit. The program is called Live Near Your Work, and will match up to $6,000 in benefits that businesses will offer their employees to move closer to work.
If going car-free and saving up to $11,000 a year isn't enough of an incentive, then getting $12,000 from an employer and the City of Washington DC would be the icing on the cake. The initial pilot program has a fund of $200,000 to hand out in its initial phase. But the model will provide a great incentive for other cities to invest in reducing their own traffic congestion through positive incentives.
If the money isn't enough of an incentive, then perhaps the freedom of not being stuck in traffic congestion while gaining a healthy dose of exercise is.
James D. Schwartz is the editor of The Urban Country. You can contact James at email@example.com.
Related Articles:
- The World Has Changed. So Can You. (Apr 2011)
- Americans Work 3.84 Minutes Each Day To Pay For Their Bicycles (May 2011)
- Stick It To The Oil Companies (Apr 2011)
- Barriers to Cycling: Debunking the Myths (Nov 2009)
- A Celebration of People on Bicycles in New York City (March 2011)


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Pelle is in need of a new suit. He decides to shear his lamb and gets the wool carded, spun, dyed, woven and made into a fine new suit. He only accomplishes this by exchanging his labor for the skills of his relatives and friends. Ages 4 - 9. Hardcover, full-color pictures, 8x11 inches.
Elsa Beskow (1874-1953), an author and illustrator of children's books, was perhaps the best known of all Swedish children's book artists. Her books are continually reprinted, and many are classics. She also illustrated ABC books and songbooks for Swedish schools.


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In the mergers and acquisitions world, retrade is an ugly word. It refers to any unanticipated adverse modification to the previously agreed to terms and conditions of a transaction, most frequently in the purchase price. While not as common as in the past, such actions by buyers definitely do occur and they not only aggravate sellers, but also can jeopardize the closing of a deal.
There are times when buyers are justified in seeking an adjustment, as in the case of a discovery that certain deal fundamentals are not supportable under the scrutiny of the buyer's due diligence. For example, a client of ours discovered that its target (which lacked a sophisticated financial staff) was unaware of its true profit margins, with some significant customers actually selling at negative margins. To its credit, when the seller was faced with this issue, it agreed that an adjustment to the pricing was necessary and appropriate.
Other times, however, buyers may seek to utilize perceived leverage in a transaction to drive the letter of intent (LOI) price down, hiding behind whatever diligence facts it can muster. In past cycles, this was, in fact, a much more common practice.
Years ago, a distressed client of ours negotiated a significant transaction with one of the largest private equity groups in the country for an attractive price. Shortly before the closing, the potential buyer delivered a detailed letter, citing numerous issues it had identified in due diligence and assigning a dollar value to each one. The claims totaled nearly 20% of the original purchase price.
Fortunately, the group's reputation had preceded it and our client was ready to respond. It was able to dispense with many of the "issues" as being basic business risk or by providing supplementary information to alleviate the concern. The deal moved forward and closed with a price adjustment that was far more modest than the proposed downgrade, yet still acceptable to seller.
If you are thinking about bringing your business to market soon, there are things you can do to prevent facing this unpleasant predicament:
Be prepared, be very prepared. The fastest way to have the deal value decreased is to have an inadequate response to the buyer's due diligence request. Problems always arise in due diligence. Businesses that can proactively answer buyers' questions present themselves as stronger operations and are in a better position to withstand an attempted retrade. To prepare properly, we strongly encourage clients anticipating going to market to have our firm conduct a mock diligence drill as though we were buyer's counsel. This can identify issues and get them solved or mitigated before the buyer is even identified.
LOI protections. Another key area is drafting a very tight letter of intent. Provisions need to be included to make the buyer face a significant consequence, such as loss of exclusivity, if it even requests an adjustment. This should limit the request to only the most serious claims.
Be ready to walk away. It can be very hard, at the eleventh hour of a lengthy deal process, to turn your back on a significant payday, even if it is being reduced. If, however, the proceeds are not going to yield what you really must get out of the deal, you may need to walk away and begin again. If you are not in a position to do that, you may not be able to withstand the buyer's challenge.
Thankfully, retrades are not part of every transaction, but prudent sellers need to be ready, willing and able to deal with them. Guided by strong counsel and a high-quality deal team, your business can be.
Originally published in Crain's Cleveland Business


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WASHINGTON—Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings released the following statements today after President Barack Obama's address in Cairo, Egypt.
"President Barack Obama's speech today took an historic step in attempting to bridge the enormous, dangerous gulf of misunderstanding between the United States and the Muslim world. His intention, to reach out an open and peaceful hand to the Muslim community, is necessary and worthy. As the United States unambiguously renews its commitment to human rights – not as a personal belief of any political leader or simply an Administration policy, but as an obligation of our country towards international law and universal principles – I will continue to press President Obama and his administration to unabashedly press for the cause of human rights in the countries he visits, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and other countries in the region," Chairman Cardin said.
"The President's remarks calling for broader respect for women in the Middle East were commendable and send a supportive message to Muslim women who envision a life of greater opportunity for themselves. As the leading members of the Helsinki Commission, we have worked to make the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe more inclusive of Muslim nations. We will convey the President's message to the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation through our engagement with the OSCE and work to ensure that countries, like Egypt and other Mediterranean Partners, are committed to living up to international economic, security and human rights standards," Co-Chairman Hastings said.


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3T Ionic 25 LTD Seatpost
Ionic is a seatpost design featuring the sophisticated and robust, 3T–exclusive DiffLock seat clamp. Ionic–25 places the seat clamp assembly 25mm behind the seatpost's centerline. This gives athletes the option of a more rearward position on today's shorter framesets. The splined alloy DiffLock coupling is a highly accurate method of setting saddle angle, needing only lightweight clamping by side-mounted bolts. It is especially useful for fine adjustment of saddle setback, which can be done without impacting saddle angle. The Ionic–25 Ltd is a monocoque in high-modulus carbon fiber, finished in UD Gloss Black.
- Monocoque high modulus carbon-fiber seatpost
- Alloy Difflock seat clamp fits only saddles with 7mm round-section rails
Part Numbers
Option | UPC | MPN | Store SKU |
Black / 31.6mm / 350mm / 25mm | 04897055273246 | 3008BXAQ38H | 210000003755 |