Sort of sewing

Alterations are not sewing. Mending is not sewing. I frequently tell my family these things, but they do not seem entirely convinced. Today I did some alterations, and when I gave the result to my younger daughter she said "Aren't you going to take photographs?" I guess blogging has become a big part of my hobby!
Here she is in an entirely daughter driven project.

 

 

Having just finished the SWAP, I did a little sorting in my wardrobe. I cut off the buttons from this coat, and was just about to throw it in the bin, as I considered it far too worn for Lifeline, when she stopped me. "You can't throw that out, I want it". I remonstrated with her - holes in the hem and cuffs, out-dated boxy style, at least 16 years old as I used to wear it when I lived in Sydney...nothing worked.
The fabric is not bad - pure wool, heavy knit, then semi-felted, so there is still a little stretch but the fabric is quite firm. It is unlined. I cut off the sleeves, then trimmed the side seams from a rectangular to A-line shape which allowed me to trim the shoulders and cut a higher armhole. I narrowed the sleeves, set them in again, turned up the hem, then turned my attention to the cuffs. These were the worst part. I cut them off completely, then faced the new sleeve edge with some tracksuit fleece of about the same weight. Fortunately I had a red scrap lying around. I did need to darn one small hole in the under sleeve. Then I sewed the buttons back on, maybe an hour of work.(Work, not sewing!)
She is very pleased with the jacket, and although I think it looks a bit odd with the pockets so low, I have given in. The peculiar thing to me, is that she is very fussy about her clothes. I cannot make anything she will wear unless she chooses every aspect of the pattern and fabric, and she refuses to wear most of her sister's out grown clothes. I would not have expected her to want my worn out coat!
My other alterations were my idea, but my older daughter is quite pleased. This is a completely unworn pair of trousers that I bought some time prior to my final decision in January 08 to make all my own pants as I was so tired of altering them. I bought them in order to alter them for myself, but it was much easier to alter them for my daughter. I chopped off the side seams, unpicked the waistband for 2cm on either side, sewed up the seams in a skinnier fashion, then reattached the waistband - Easy, but making her the BWOF pants was much more satisfying.