July 18, 2015

Alterations

A few weeks ago during a long weekend, I finally got a chance to pull out my sewing machine and do a little bit of sewing. It was the first time in over 2 years and it felt so good. I am not experienced in any way at the sewing machine - I think I sewed less than 10 times in my entire life - but I grew up around women who sewed, and have always had a deep desire to learn.


Since I only had about half a day free, I picked two clothing items that needed some very simple alterations. It felt so good to start and finish something in the same day, since I already have a few in-progress projects that have been waiting patiently for me.


The first item was an ill-fitting dress that was both too short and at the same time had a neckline that was hitting quite low - that is, when the straps actually stayed on. With a loose elastic neckline and armholes, even the slightest movement caused them to slip off my shoulders. This was a quick fix, even for me: I shortened the straps by about 2cm, and now I have a longer, tunic-style top (instead of a dress) that I can actually move in and that stays in place.

The second item was an eco-friendly dress that I bought online. As is the risk with online shopping, I couldn't see all the details clearly, and once it came in the post, I found the actual cut of the dress was a bit odd for me: the sides were extended about halfway through the length and ended with pockets that pointed out. This too was a pretty quick fix by cutting out the extra material.


It was so great to take a bit of time to sit and work at my sewing machine again. Even better, I managed to fix some items that I hadn't worn yet, so with just a couple of hours of work, I technically added two pieces to my closet. I hope to be doing more of the same this month while I'm on vacation from work because my mending and finishing pile alone is overflowing, not to mention that list of new projects I'd like to tackle.

I'd love to know, do you sew or would you like to learn? If yes, do you prefer to fix and re-imagine ill-fitting items or to work on new projects from scratch?

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