Hi friends, happy Spring (finally!),
Today I’m talking more about my overall larger size. Most of you haven’t met me in person but I’m legitimately a “big person.” I’m almost six feet tall – you know I wear that coveted size 13WW shoe (but I’m fixing that debacle with my own shoe line), and I’m just built, bigger. For a long time, I would tell myself (and this is terrible, I know) that I’m not a “normal” or “real” woman because I’m not built like other people.
It literally took my finding out about lipedema and then realizing just how many of us there are that darn it, I am a real woman and if I’m part of 11% of people, guess what…I’m real, too! Even if, yes, the fashion industry isn’t always sized to fit my needs. It’s them, not me.
It really stinks that the fashion industry, for the most part, hasn’t been able to update their sizing standards to make some things just a little bigger. Have you ever walked into a department store and longed for their beautiful bracelets but not even tried them on because you know they’re not going to fit? Or wanted a particular necklace but it was maybe two inches too short to be comfortable on your neck, so you skipped it? Same. And rings (even at a legit jewelry store)…forget it. And if you wear stretchy bead bracelets or men’s bracelets because that’s all that ‘fit’ it squishes skin out or leaves a mark on your body because they really, in fact, don’t, “fit?” Also, same.
A few years back, my family and I were cruising a lot and we’d discovered this Gold by the Inch chain on cruise ships and I was having custom bracelets made for my larger than 8 inch wrist. (OK I still do that.) But the point is, that’s not the only place I get bracelets now. Now, I make a lot of my own jewelry at home and it’s a super fun hobby. And actually, it’s not that hard.
I go to local craft stores when they’re having a jewelry making supply sale (here they have 1/2 off jewelry making supplies pretty regularly, so making my own jewelry is really cost effective) and buy what are called “findings.” These are the little circles of metal and clasps that connect things together to turn chain into bracelets. Putting the pieces together is as simple as cutting the length of chain I want, and literally taking two little pairs of pliers to gently pull the rings apart, and attaching findings to them to turn the chains into bracelets or necklaces. I can make any length I want…including anklets! Or I buy rolls of a stretchy thread that you literally string beads on, tie off and turn into custom sized bracelets. Another fun thing I do is go to estate sales and garage sales and buy pieces of jewelry with beads or pendants on them that I like, and then I’ll disassemble them and repurpose the pieces to create my own unique pieces.
And now, I will make full sets of something, including earrings or necklaces and have one of a kind pieces. My problem now is that I have SO. Much. Jewelry! A great problem to have! Recently I’ve started making pieces for one occasion and then repurposing the beads or trinkets I’ve attached for another piece. I’m pretty sure I’m going to start tackling some way to make custom rings as well, but that will take a minute longer to figure out.
The other thing I do a lot now is make long chains and then use whatever I want as a pendant. If I can hang it by a wire, every object is open to be turned into a necklace. (I guess it pays to be a little weird to make this work). As I do the jewelry making hobby more, I get a little bit braver with trying to make more complicated pieces and the challenge, honestly, I think has been good for my brain.
I’ve really, totally enjoyed this little hobby, and will begin featuring a limited number of jewelry items that I made or I guess, can make, or that I happened to stumble across already made in larger sizes, here. I might sell a few pieces here and there, but I don’t want to turn into a jewelry factory over here, but what I do care about is that our community stops being left out. Because it’s just so dumb that we can’t have nice things! And making jewelry is fun and simple. We deserve cool stuff!
Who else is into making their own jewelry? Are you also frustrated with this silly thing in the fashion industry? Good grief, more than half of women in the US are over a size 18 so we cannot be the only ones! OK, rant over.
I’m interested in your thoughts!
Susan
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