Aftermarket Alterations in my 60s

Even the backpack needs alterations

My sewing journey began with making my doll's clothes with remnants from the table at Pacific Iron as a 7 year old. My first work on human clothes was hemming pants. I am 5'2" and all pants are too long.

I did some garment sewing in elementary and middle school (I sewed my first pants suit for 5th grade when they let us wear pants to school, I made a couple A-line dresses: all of this from double knit polyester)

There has been more, but in-between all those projects has been a lot of altering. Letting it out, taking it in, making it longer, so much making it shorter.

Lately I have been rehemming all my tshirts so they can either hang out and look acceptable to me, or tuck in and not have an extra roll around my extra roll.

Oh, and I have gotten bigger, for emotional and old lady issues.

The sewing activities that fascinate me now are remodels. I enjoy going back into old work and finding ways to make it more wearable. Hemming the tshirts has been one activity, moving tags from the itchy places is another. Replacing zippers in coats (why was I installing 28 inch zippers when a 24 was reachable for my stubby little arms?). I still put pockets into things that didn't start out with pockets, but I have redone pockets in items to reflect the knowledge I have now about how to hang a pocket, or to totally change out an altered pocket that hasn't aged well.

Stitching down loose facing in shirt that has made it not as easy to grab and wear.  There's been a lot of this in my closet, so much I haven't bothered to photograph it. The shirt will still need a press, but it won't need a hour of pressing.

All of these take a lot more time and unpicking than they used to. Sometimes it's helpful that I saved fabric leftovers so that I can use new pieces rather than trying to find extra fabric in the garment itself. One of my projects for last summer was going to be making the wooden ruler sundress fit me again. I do have extra pieces, all cut into a long role of bias tape. I just lost heart.

I have not tossed it out though.

Better not mess this up; sweater alteration

You know; there's a couple of them waiting in your WIP stack.

It's an alteration to a precious jacket.

Yardage from a special trip that cost a lot (money or time or family effort)

 The unfinished family quilt

https://erniekdesigns.blogspot.com/2016/02/quilting-someone-elses-family-treasure.html

It turned out great; I get to see it every week on the friend group zoom call as it hangs behind her couch. It's just abstract and friendly enough for work calls (she's a therapist and a doctor now!)

Today however, I cut into a knit shirt that is four inches too long. I

I gave a lot of thought to giving it away, or selling it.

It's from Sleepy Peach, and I love all their things but to get a wide enough thing I end up with a thing that is too long. Most of the time this is fine.

This one, no.

https://sleepypeach.clothing/products/the-celestial-knit-button-up

So I tortured myself for a few months and did the deed this evening.

 I pinned it up the whole way around. I fiddled with it. I stitched it with a zig zag. 

I cut it

I went over the cut edges with a fat long zig zag (it's a perfect two color knit, so I don't think it will unravel)

Lots of blocking it back into place. I may catch stitch the edge to the body.  Still have some work to do on the placket binding.

This is hanging up where I can see it in my bedroom. I am debating shortening the sleeves for my arms. It's not an expensive western shirt, but I try to subscribe to the idea that when you alter something, you try to leave the extra fabric in it. And to get the cuffs to work, I would have to either undo some snaps or cut the fabric.

Inside it would be an easy redo except for the snaps.

I'm still just staring at this one, but I really want to wear it to work this winter to show off in front of the bolo tie crew.

ReNecking

 I have a fat neck. I don't have a problem with that, I'm turning 65.

I do have a problem with collars pinching me, so there's been some renecking.

For the Uniqlo sweater (the one with the squirrels), the turtle neck was a size small on an extra large knit sweater. A style choice I am sure, but I removed the original neck (it was knit on after the sweater was constructed) picked up stitches with some reasonably similar yarn and did a single knit roll edge. 

Not entirely perfect, but acceptable for the moment. It will get redone, with a proper count of stitches to be picked up.

The uniqlo turtle neck had same issues. I cut off the turtle just above the seam (to keep the neckline from stretching out a million miles, I want it to be a turtle, not a cowl)

Then I take that tall turtle piece and slice it up and sew it to be a longer shorter one.

I hope this makes sense

And then I took the bit I trimmed off the bottom and added it to the sleeves (after I cut off the ribbing cuffs - those pieces were too small to work with)

My arms are too short/these sleeves are too long

 

The sleeves are just tooooooo long on the left one (already altered on the right)

Folded the sleeve up inside - that's about the right length

Marked where I want the fold with that yellow pin on the right sleeve.

I folded the sleeve back in on itself

Made a temp tape distance marker to stitch to on the bed.

I really am paying attention to that painters tape on the machine. Sure, it doesn't look like it. 

Don't you be judging me.

And here are the sleeves turned out. Kinda funky. I can always take it out and do something else.

Sleeve demonstration photo. I am a trained professional, please do not attempt this without taking my six week sleeve demonstrator class.

Ah, so cute.

Voyage of the Mustard Sweatshirt Dress Top

 

Starts out like this

Gets a midsection removed (the part with the ugly side pockets)

Some top stitching

the length is definitely northern parka in a knit vibes

But the hood is just enormous and keeps dragging the front to the back and choking me

Cut off the hood

The collar was too tall and wide (but i did wear it to work in this version, was not pleaseed. No one looks at what I wear anyway, but turns out a coworker had bought the same dress and returned it becuase it was a sack. Still is, just snack sack)

Cleaned up the band I'd removed from the hem

Not bad, This could work.

Removing the hood remnants took a couple of hours of unpicking, but it beats trying to find something that will match or coordinate with what I have.

This was the best I could figure, and it just didn't work

Sewed it then checked it out on the dress form

Okay. Serged it after this

Getting there

Gave it the overnight heavy steam whammy (this is the best representation of the color of all the photos. My phone camera runs hot with colors and I need to find a new way to edit that down without washing out the colors)

I am doing my best to get to SewExpo on March 2nd. That's tomorrow.

I'll be wearing this. And of course a rain coat cause it's going to rain.