I’ve been on a healthy living program of my own devising for eight weeks. I’ve lost nine pounds. This is great for my health.

This is not so great for my sewing.

Just when I was getting my dimensions all figured out, they are changing. The wearable muslin skirt I most recently made was a little big in the waist when I made it. An inch, inch and a half, I figured. I few adjustments to the pattern, and it will be fine, so I thought.

Now it is 3 inches too big.

Two weeks into my own healthy living program, work started a 16-week weight loss challenge and I joined up. There are still 10 weeks to go. Having to go into HR and be weighed every four weeks is a great motivator.

Meanwhile, several months ago, I realized how challenging it is to find good apparel fabric. I’ve never been one for a big fabric stash (I prefer to buy for specific projects so I get exactly the correct amount), but now every time I go to JoAnn’s, I look. If I see something I like, I snatch 3 to 4 yards, or the rest of the bolt, if it’s about that much. By this time, I have a nice little stash going.

But I don’t think I should sew anything. Not quite yet. I’m thinking I wait until the weight loss challenge is over, which will be early December. Last December, I made it all the way to January without gaining any weight, so I think whatever weight I am on Dec. 5 is potentially the weight I’ll be for a while.

I realize this is a good problem to have, but I just know the Fancy Damn Sewing Machine misses me.