Ease isn't easy

Lots going around the home front today. Son from DC is in for Easter and has brought home a girl friend from NYC. 


This place is not a lot like NYC.


Driving home from the airport last night she said she wasn't used to so much darkness. Halifax is a port city and the airport used to be near the ocean. Except it was foggy so they moved the airport 45 minutes inland, cleared the trees and created a sort of depression in the landscape where the fog settles. Now even when there is no fog anywhere there is at the airport. So it's a long drive in through the country to get here and to some city lights.


I really, really like this girl. She is a nice, responsible, sensible girl and anyone who has sons knows those don't get brought home too often. Everybody around here, dogs included, are under Mom's Best Behaviour Orders. They know they will be getting The Look if they get out of line. I have done the floors twice and made lemon loaf (2) and my best squares, the chocolate and peanut butter ones that you stand at the counter and eat way past the point where you feel sick doing it.


DH is going out to get lobsters later for lunch.


OK, back to sewing because this is really important.


One of the great/interesting/amazing/surprising things about blogging is that you take pictures of yourself and then look at them before you post.


Pictures allow you to see things you don't through the filter of your own eyes in front of the house's only full length mirror.


Sometimes things don't look as good as you think they did.


One of the things I have noticed is that despite all my flat pattern measurements etc. my clothes have a little more ease than I think I really need. My vintage patterns were 3 sizes smaller than I usually wear and I did lots of additions at the bust/waist/hip but that smaller neckline and shoulders worked just fine.


This has me thinking about the whole thing about how women only concentrate on their "flaws," which in my case is a sort of waistless figure, I have always been straight up and down, and the old prominent rear end, much discussed as a curse of the family I had inherited. My whole life I have kind of dressed to cover that up.


But the thing is when I look at other people I would rather see someone showing a little shape than shapeless, and a generously sized woman IMO with style and a little fit looks about 100% better than someone who is disguising themselves in a tent. I used to work with a tiny woman who felt at "her age" clothes should not be fitted and as a consequence bought everything about two sizes too big. There was an attractive woman drifting around in there I always thought.


I think I should rethink this. I know I should.


I am not sure if I am expressing this well, but what about you?


Do you think you have nailed your own ease requirements down? What are your thoughts on ease in general? What's too tight and what's not too tight?  I would like to know what you think.