Make Do and Mend!

Make Do and Mend!:  Project #1

Item:  Jones New York sateen shirt, circa 2008.

Problem:  I can't breathe when I wear it.

Tools of the Trade:  Seam ripper and sewing machine.  

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My mending pile has been getting out of hand. I've admitted my desire to sew something from scratch rather than mend. But I don't think I can avoid it anymore. This is my journey to work through my mending pile.   

I was looking through my wardrobe, or more specifically the clothes that I didn't have the heart to give away. There are clothes there that I would like to one day wear again. 

Back-in-the-day when it did fit.  

Like my black and white polka dot shirt. It has a side zipper and a drape that twists at the bodice front. 

This shirt was a favourite but for far too long has hung in my closet because it feels a wee bit snug. Okay, a lot snug. Yesterday, I tried it on and it is finally a wee bit snug. I might be able to rescue this one.

It is a RTW item, I can't take credit for making this shirt, but I would like to get it back into rotation. It is sized petite and I'm please with the length of the shirt and the sleeves. I just have to add to the width.

Like most contemporary RTW clothing there is not much of a seam allowance so I won't be able to add ease from the side seam. Plus there is that side zipper that also adds a challenge. I've decided to undo the back darts. This is a trick that Mama R taught me. She would do this to her own clothes that felt snug around the mid-section. As long as the fabric hasn't be punctured with an awe during production, it works out fine. 

Lucky for me there are no holes made in the fabric to mark the darts. Just some top-stitching to undo. I'm going to need my seam ripper for this job. Oh and my reading glasses, black thread on black fabric, oh boy! Then off to the sewing machine to restitch the hemline where the dart was opened.  

Perfect. Well, almost perfect. I do miss the shape that the darts gave the garment in the back. I can forget breathing, I think I could do jumping jacks in this now. But I won't go that far, there's more mending to do.    

Happy Sewing!