Tackling that Ever-Growing Mending Pile

Part II

Can you believe that this vest has already made it to the mending pile? It didn't take long at all, it actually made it to the mending pile before I had a chance to wear it out in public. Yes, it was part of my blooper-filled August sewing.   

The seam finish on this vest are French seams and being a silk fabric I was dealing with some fraying. I believe that I had cut a rather large hole in the side seam when I was trimming back some frayed threads that showed through my French seams. My bad.  

I used Fray Check to control the fraying and to allow for the narrowest seam allowance over the hole. It was near the bottom hemline at the side seam and I didn't want to have too much bulk at the hem allowance. Thankfully, the repair worked out without drawing attention to the repair.  

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This jacket also made it to the mending pile. I was wearing it out recently and the opening of the pocket seams were opening up.  

It was a quick fix that shouldn't had been in the mending pile at all. I wish I could blame it on waiting until I changed the thread colour on the sewing machine but nope I can't do that. There has been black thread in the sewing machine for some weeks now.  My bad. 

And of course, I could have avoided this mending pile visit if I only reinforced those decorative seams when I cut out the pocket as I refashioned the jacket. I know, I should have known better but in my defence I do believe I was in a T-3 induced state after knee surgery and sewing in short spurts while standing up in order to keep my leg straight.  

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These ski pants have been in my wardrobe for two years now and I'm almost embarrassed to tell you that it has been that long that these have been waiting to be shortened. I could have taken them into get altered but I would hate to think how much I would be charged with the inner elasticized and outer leg with metal snaps to be shortened. Besides, I could [umm] do this, if I would stop packing it away for the summer!  

With the inner leg alteration I didn't want to cut off the elastic and reinsert it. So instead, I tucked a section all around just above the elastic and then serged off the excess.

The outer leg was more difficult and it is not perfect. I had the challenge of the snaps on the lower section to work around and the fact that one leg is shorter than the other by half an inch. Here I shortened it while I kept the pant leg a little longer knowing that I can hook it up in the back with the loop and snap that was part of the design.

I didn't stress over finishing the hem, I just served the edge and left it. If I do decide on finishing it with a hem in a couple of years (okay, at least I'm honest about my readiness to do mending), I'll finish it with twill or bias tape. But for now, I'm okay with it.

Well, that is three items knocked off the mending and alteration pile and can you believe I have hardly put a dent into it? More to come...

Happy Sewing!