I remember adverts for playtex corsets, when I was a little girl. They used to flatten your midriff bulge. Well, though I’ve only lost a stone my shape has definitely changed. A large part of my midriff bulge has disappeared and I don’t intend to go looking for it.
The downside is last year pre Christmas I knitted myself an aran jacket. It fitted me perfectly, even sleeve length. That’s always a problem as if you’re short and fat sleeves are always too long. Well now the jacket comes further down my legs and is much looser. But, horror of horrors, the sleeves now come halfway down my hands. The downside being that I will have to knit myself another aran soon. The upside being it will be in a smaller size. Every cloud has a silver lining

I remember those ads as well! Great that the BSD is a much better solution though – so pleased mine has almost completely disappeared now, things fit better and look better and I can get into some clothes that I love, that have been hanging in the wardrobe for years, waiting for me to get into them again. Only kept the classics, so they’re still current enough to wear now.

I have a big bag to take to the charity Dress for Success today – lots still with labels on! And another one for a general charity shop. And a pile of too big bras for Oxfam.
(for anyone with old bras to get rid of, most charities will simply sell them as ‘rag’ Oxfam have a project for them to be resold in Senegal, and there’s also a charity called “Smalls for all” that accepts ‘gently worn’ bras which still have a lot of good wear in them.)

I pulled a large suitcase and a couple of boxes from my storage unit a week or so ago – half of it going to charity shops – either too big now, or a style I can’t imagine why I ever thought I’d wear – or weird cuts that fit in some places, but not others.
One pair of new unworn trousers – still a bit too small but I’ll get there! – have been munched by a moth, so I need to investigate invisible darning or patching.

I’ve seen a lot of people about in one piece boiler suits recently, so back in fashion – I have a vintage Donna Karan one somewhere!

Janrng – three-quarter sleeves are the way to go!