Week 30 Project

Cy got me again.
Well, Cy and Valley Thrift.
Why do I go there with him?!?

We picked up this corduroy,flannel,button up shirt thing the last time we were there. I forgot to take a before picture, but the bottom had curves to it like a traditional tuck-it-in-men's-button-up. Cy wanted to use it more as a jacket. The hem job I didn't isn't the prettiest, but from the outside it looks pretty good.

I worked on the jacket while Cy sat at my dining room table painting. I sent him home later in the day to finish a couple of stitches himself. Later in the week I got a text from him in the middle of that day that read "I have gotten numerous compliments on my jacket today...Thanks for the help with it." He really is a kin- hearted, sweet kid!

 

Jacket Conversion, Done!

Week 26 Project

Yet another trip to Valley Thrift with Cy lead to the following conversation:

"Laura, I need some shorts"
"What kind of shorts?"
"Khaki, like dressy, but not like uniform shorts"
"Um, yeah, most of those that would fit you, will look like cargo shorts"
"Yeah or they'll be way too short on me"
"Suck. You know we could always buy a pair of pants that fit your waist and then adjust the length"
"Yeah, cool"

Wait, did I say "We"?!?,  what was I thinking?

So "We" bought some pants. I don't have a before shot of Cy wearing them. I soooo wish I did. They would have hit him maybe four inches above his ankle with a super awesome taper. Dang.

(Side Note: Cy is 6'4" and really skinny, I think he has like a 34" waist)

I cut them off.

I hemmed them up, and promptly delivered them two month later...in September...

Pants turned shorts, Done.

Week 15 Project

I watch a lot of YouTube videos. A Lot. Most of what I know is from the internet or TV.
I bragged on Facebook awhile back that I could hem a pair of jeans, without actually knowing that I could, you know, 'cause I saw it on YouTube.

Sooo, my first attempt was on my cousin/roommate Lia's jeans.

I folded them to what will hopefully be the correct length. We measured, but then I remembered that I needed to pre-wash them. When I got the energy to actually do the hemming in the middle of the night and I didn't want to wake her.... Fingers crossed.

I watched one video that showed that hammering the inseam will help it flatten out so that its easier for the machine to whiz over. I figured that it couldn't hurt. Sure, anyone driving past my porch at 2:00am seeing me hammer jeans, while wearing my pjs might wonder, but my question to them is where are you going at 2:00am on a Sunday night? Never mind, I don't wanna know.






 The seam before and after.

 I stitched right along the inside of the old hem. I'm pretty sure this is called a Euro hem. See, you can't even see my stitch. At the end of the process, the old hem will still be at the bottom of the pant and the new stitch will essentially be hidden. I like that the original, usually gold colored, thread is still at the bottom of the jeans.

Hem Lia's Jeans. Done.

Week 8 Project

       My youngest brother, Cy, is smart. He heard I was sewing more seriously and a light bulb went off in his head. Ah, free labor. My sister wouldn't charge me. I'm only 17. Around Christmas he asked me to turn his jeans, which were a standard boot cut (is that what normal dude jeans used to be?) into straight leg (almost skinny) which is sooo cool these days. He asked if that was something I could do. Trying to impress him with my mad skills, I said yes without thinking about it. Way harder than I thought but I did it and he liked them. I should have never started this.

     I went over to the house two Sunday's ago for dinner. We were watching TV and Cy casually sat down next to me, he waited a few mins and then "Hey Laura, do you think you can fix my jacket?" His basketball jacket, which I'm sure is worn a lot, needed the cuffs repaired. They were holding on for dear life.

Before

After

I fixed the jacket and wrapped it up for his birthday this past Sunday. I'm pretty sure I'm funny most of the time!

Now, my aunt Julie is the queen of garage sales and thrift stores. She has the patience and keen eye that make her a hawk in those places. I  keep telling her to quite her job and shop. Put the stuff on eBay or open a store or become a personal shopper for people. She found her granddaughter, Grace, white furry Gap boots at Vally Thrift for $3. She's really good at thrifting. The last time I was at her house, Liz showed me some shoes that were in new condition that her mom got her. They would have retailed for over $60 and Julie was a little shocked by a thrift price of $14! So she gave me a pair of $3.99 pants she got that she needed hemmed. She needed 2" taken off the bottom. I returned them to her without taking a picture (oops) They aren't perfectly even, but hopefully she won't be able to tell when she's wearing shoes.

A week of mending. Done.