Vitamin D is for Day Gown.

Wow, this post is all over the place. :)

Hallelujah, I’m working on a new regency gown. It’s about time. I’ve been very low-key and tired lately.

I received a phone-call from my Doctor’s office last week to follow up on my latest blood work, and it turns out my Vitamin D levels are ‘Dangerously Low’.

I had no idea Vitamin D was so crucial. It turns out a Vitamin D deficiency has profound effects ranging from depression and fatigue to gastro-intestinal issues, to bone-density problems. My calcium levels must have been fine, because they didn’t say a word about that, instead my Doctor focused on the fact that I’ve been so morose and exhausted all the time.

He put me on a six-week mega-Vitamin-D program, where I take a pill once a week where I get a mega-dose of Vitamin D (50,000 IU), and on top of that I have to take 2,000 IU on a daily basis. Someone told me I could get whatever I need just from standing outside in direct sunlight for twenty minutes a day. I’m not sure if I believe that.

You see, we apparently get Vitamin D from the sun. Being part-vampire and Hungarian, the sun and I are not compatible. My pasty skin will fry up like crispy chicken even with the smallest exposure—even on cool days. Heck, I sunburn on overcast days. I also get sun-sickness very quickly. So if it’s sunny out, I tend to retreat into the cave that is my house or I find the nearest shady spot and I don’t move. It might as well be death-rays instead of sunrays raining down from the sky as far as I’m concerned. I suppose a good consequence of my sun-aversion is that I do have pretty nice skin for someone who’s pushing 40.

I digress, I’ve been on this program for almost two weeks and maybe it’s psychological, but I feel like there’s a difference already. Last night, instead of setting the DVR for Fringe, providing the requisite ‘rumbling’ time with the dogs, and practically passing out after supper, I actually focused on the project of a plain muslin regency gown for my coworker.

I’m using a pattern that sort of scares me. It’s called RH837 (Reconstructing History Regency ‘Morning’ Gown). I don’t know why I’m using this pattern, I’m just going to give it a fair shot. I think that it has been drafted without being tested…. None of the pieces fit together the way they should so I’ve had to modify a few things as I go along. Here's a little movie--a gripping documentary of my progress... LOL.

[[UPDATE 4/15/10 ~ I added a post that talks about this gown and how it's been modified since--and shows pictures of Sherry in the finished gown.]]

Oh, and sorry about the weirdness levels of the office special I drew above. I don’t know what possessed me, he came out a bit creepy, didn’t he? He looks like he wants to kick someone’s butt. Maybe he's just a reflection of my own innate desire to exact some butt-kickery on the world. :)