As I mentioned in my Summer Prep post I have been strongly considering adding a short sleeve button front shirt to my summer wardrobe. As I was sifting through my closet my PRL madras fun shirt jumped out to me. I rarely ever wear this shirt and it has something to do with the sleeves. I hate the way they look unless they are rolled up and then it clicked, this shirt will be my first short sleeve button front shirt.
The shirt to be altered.
My alteration skills are almost non-existent. My list of accomplishments consists of altering one surcingle belt. However, I knew that I could rely on the tutelage of my mom. Plus, this is a skill that will be very handy to have as it can be applied to hemming almost anything and it is always good to learn new things.
Concentrating
The process was easier than I had imagined*. The most important thing to remember is to leave enough cloth to for the double-turn hem which is an additional 1 ½”. This does not take into consideration for cuffs which may be part of my next on project.
*Remember, while I say it was easy my mom was there to answer any question and to help me operate the sewing machine which is still very foreign to me.
Concentrating harder
I did make one error. While nervously sewing I attached the sleeves together. This mistake is directly correlated with my lack of foot control on the pedal. I think that I will get the hang of this with practice. For now I will just slow down.
I sewed the sleeves together, oops!
The shirt project went so fast that I got to tackle a second project. I brought a pair of chambray shorts along with me that are just too long. I took off 2 inches and I think that they look much better.
Before (shirt has full length sleeves and short are longer)
After (removed half the sleeve, cut 2″ off the shorts, and added sunglasses in celebration of my accompishment)
This was a really productive Sunday (Yep, I did all this today.). I knocked an item off my summer wish list (short sleeve shirt), checked an item off my summer chore list (hem shorts), and gained the confidence to try some more projects in the future. I also got to spend time with my family which is something that gets more fun the older that you get.