My Story
I have always loved being outdoors. As a small child my father farmed in the hills just southwest of Yellowstone Park. Every year we went to Yellowstone Park and looked that the amazing features nature had created there. We often took day trips to picnic or fish along one of the many creeks or rivers near our home. Sitting in the dappled shade of the pines and the quakies listening to the water of the river rushing over large stones I fell in love with being in the outdoors.
My father was in charge of making sure that all the irrigation canals that ran out of Fall River were carefully carrying the crops to the valley below. These canals built by homesteaders a hundred years ago were a feat of engineering. They built a damn in the river high above the farm land to divert some of the water into a canal that crawled along the canyon side at a much slower pace than the river at a slight angle to keep the water flowing downward toward the farm land. Each day Dad would “drive the ditch” in his old ford pickup with the running boards on the side. We often got to go along. He drove along the winding dirt road next to the canal checking for leaks and other problems. These canals moved through majestic pines and groves of quaking aspen. We would often see wildlife using these manmade trails to food and water. I loved it. The smells of all the plants, the sound of running water and the beauty of nature had me hooked. I spent as much time outdoors as I could. Winter and summer.
I matured and became a curvy woman about the same time that Twiggy, the model became the rage. It seemed the world worshiped the pencil thin body. Ads saying “If Twiggy loves it so will you!” All the clothing in stores was designed for a stick like figure. I was in trouble. I began to sew many of my own school cloths but outdoor wear was another matter. There were very few outdoor wear companies so the selection was small. At that time almost no one made plus-size clothing for women. It was unheard of that a curvy woman would even want to be active. I couldn’t find any pants for winter or summer that would fit over my calves and hips. I had to buy big heavy jeans and then take in the waist. They were hot in the summer and cold in the winter. There were times I didn’t go out at all rather than suffer through the discomfort of my pants.
Because I couldn’t fit into the clothing offered in the outdoor market at the time, I believed that something was wrong with my body. I just needed to diet and exercise and soon I would be able to wear clothes that fit. I spent years, beating myself up when I failed to change my body enough to wear those wonderful ski pants.
As outdoor wear became more common and many great brands began to boast, plus size outdoor pants or pants for curvy women I would get so excited. I would order pants, try them on, be disappointed and return them. This happened over and over again. I even had the idea that if I ordered pants way too large for me, they would fit my legs and I could take in the waist. Even in the larger sizes they had nothing that addressed larger calves and thighs. I searched the web again and again for pants for large thighed women. I would occasionally find stretch pants or leggings for female athletes but I wasn’t going to wear a legging. I didn’t want to show every curve and bump on my body. I wanted to conceal it.
One day it came to me, “I can’t be the only one with a curvy woman body!” Maybe I should start making pants for women with large thighs. I decided to look into it and talked to people in the retail clothing business. I determined that there was a need. I spent the next year following lead after lead, looking for fabrics and accessories. Working on my ability to measure a woman of any size and then design a pattern followed by making a pair of pants that fit all of her curves. When I finally had the process refined, I found some seamstresses that could sew the pants in their homes. One pair at a time. I started a business, Thunderlicious Apparel and built a website advertising custom pants for curvy women.
I love my custom pants; I wear them everywhere; hiking, biking, work and play. All of my family and friends that have purchased pants love them. They are all sizes; plus size, tall, short, curvy or slim. They all love how it feels to wear custom pants that fit!
So; if you need plus size women’s pants, pants for curvy women or pants for short legs or even pants for long legs you have found the place to be. At, Thunderlicious Apparel we can make custom pants that are size YOU! They will fit you perfectly no matter what you size or shape!
No articles were found.