Repairing Ripped Chinos

Another day another repair, these chinos have been knocking about for a while now.  My son ripped them skateboarding and they were new, I was a bit put out because I tend to say if you are off doing that kind of activity or parkour (glad that has lost it's novelty!) then wear jogging bottoms, but no put on some new clothing first if you are a teenager.  So I just got around to this repair and this appears to be the theme this week while I am off work.

Here is the rip...

Now we have had this dilemma before as this is something that appears to be a common thing on young people's trousers.  I decided to do  what  I have in the past and that is put a fake seam across the knee.  Sounds strange but it does work and for this kind of trouser, a patch does not.

So pin across first and make sure you do it in exactly the same place on the other leg.

I taper it out at each side like you would a dart, if you are worried the trousers will be a funny shape you can do the same on the back as well.  I have found though that after a good press they are fine.   You sometimes buy chinos or jeans with this kind of detail on the front so it's not a problem.

I then turn  them the right way and topstitch close to the seam.

So now they can finally go back in the wardrobe, hopefully no more holes for a while.

I also had to take in a shirt for my husband this week and I have a top to straighten on the bottom for  my mum, it goes down to two triangles at each side and she doesn't like that (it is new).  There is also the fact that my mother in law needs her hair dyeing by me on Easter Sunday when they all come around for lunch, after that I may get to my own pile of put off jobs. 

This last few days has given me time to catch up on a few sewing blogs and to see what everyone else is up to.  I have seen some fantastic bra makes and this really is something I should get around to.  I am not keen on the idea of buying a kit though as they appear ridiculously expensive for what they are.  So if anyone has any tips on the best online shops to buy the notions at a reasonable price please let me know. 

Shirt Sleeve Refashion and Repair

Repairing  clothes is something I seem to do a lot of, not just for my family but for friends also.   If you can repair an item it not only saves you having to replace it, it also saves that item from landfill.  I think these days people are far too quick to throw things out that can be salvaged, even if they don't know how to do it themselves there are people out there who can repair items.  Sometimes people may even see it as an ideal excuse to buy new but when did our clothing become such a throw away item?

Anyway rant over, this post relates to a shirt belonging to my husband that he split a few days ago when he put it on.  The split is on the sleeve and he did say it was too tight so no longer any use to him.  At this point the options usually are; can I make it into something for me? Shall I deconstruct it for the fabric? Is it nice enough that oldest son might want it ? Shall I take it to the charity shop?  (Charity shops also take damaged items for rag weigh in, so don't be put off.)  It is a nice shirt and my son likes it so I said I would sort the sleeve and resize it for him.

Here is the offending ripped sleeve...

My son wanted the sleeve length just above the elbow, about where they would be if you rolled them up.  So I marked where he wanted it to finish.  Then I cut the sleeve off just below so there would be enough to fold back.

Then I repaired the bit of the sleeve that was ripped and zig zagged the edge. 

The cuffs were used to cut out a small rectangle that would become the tab on the sleeve.

I edged each side then folded a small hem to make the tabs, button hole is already there.

I made a small hem on the bottom of the sleeves then folded it back and put my tab in place to get an idea of where to stich it and where the button needed to go.  (The tab in this picture is not yet hemmed I was still getting my idea together at this point.)

Here it is finished.

I also had to take the shirt in to make it fit my son, he also wanted it a bit shorter in case he wanted to wear it out of his trousers.  It looks more of a casual shirt this way so more his style but it will still be smart enough to wear to work.  Being a young man he is more into gadgets than buying clothes so I'm sure it will be appreciated that it is one less item of work wear that needs to be bought.

Once it was all finished I gave it a good iron, it is still a bit crumpled in this picture, I have to take the photos while it is on my mind so I am trying to get into the habit of doing it straight away.  

I hope this has been useful if anyone has had a similar mishap with a shirt or if you just want to change the sleeves to this  style.

Grey Winter Skirt Finished and Sewing a Zip Pocket

Today I got on with the job of finishing my skirt and while I was doing so I thought I would include  few photographs of how I do a zip pocket.  They are not as difficult as you might think and as  with anything just practice on some scraps first if you have not done one before.
Here is the finished skirt, then I will go through what I did.

First of all in assembling the skirt I sewed the little pleat on the front and back pieces.

  I had pins in to keep it even and I repeated the process front and back.

I sewed it to a little v, then removed the pins.

Next I sewed the darts into the yoke panels, I had marked with a notch where I wanted them to go and then deciding how far down was easy as I used the lines in the fabric to keep the end points even.

I have also started adding a pin to the right sides of fabric especially now that it is darker as it can be sometimes difficult to tell the right side from the wrong side.

Next I notched the centre yoke, put right sides together with the bottom piece, stitched them together then top stitched.

For the pocket I decided on the angle and pinned a rectangle of fabric in place, I marked where the top and bottom of the zip would go and then sewed a thin rectangle just wider than the zipper teeth.

Next I cut along it making a little snip into each corner.

Fold it through the hole then straighten it all up, I used pins to keep it all straight.  You don't always need to do that but this wool will not hold the fold, a cotton fabric would.

Next sew your pocket fabric to the zip, I used the wool on one side and lining on the other to save on bulk.

Place it behind your pocket opening again you can pin it if it helps. Don't worry about the shape you will be trimming it neat once it is in place.

Sew on the inside close to the original stitch line.

The wool is pointing upwards when laid flat and the lining downwards.  Now fold the wool downwards so it lays behind the lining piece.

Then stitch around it, now trim away any excess and neaten.

Now I stich front and back together and add the waistband lining and zip.

I hand stitch the waistband on the inside catching in the lining as I go.

I also hand stitch the hem.

A little press and it's finished, sadly dark by the time we had finished our meal and I had chance to photograph it.

A side zip and a small button.

I am very happy with it, all in with the remnant, lining and side zip it cost me £4.50,  the chunky zip in the side pocket I already had in my sewing box.

Coat Pocket Repairs (Tutorial)

A bit of repair work was needed today on my raincoat.  I had washed it as after a school trip a couple of weeks ago it was a bit muddy but this must have been one wash too many and whatever was holding the fabric around the zip pockets has started to come away.

Now I know a lot of these coats say dry clean only but this has been washed a number of times and it is only just having issues.  So as going to the dry cleaners is expensive and inconvenient I will continue to wash my coats.

So the best way to tackle this is to go in on the inside by making a hole in the lining seam by unpicking it a bit.

 So the space you make in the side doesn't have to be very big, just big enough to get your hand inside and manipulate the fabric.  I chose to remove the labels at this point also.

Once you have your opening place the pocket to be repaired under

the machine making sure you can feel the gap is stretched open underneath so you are not catching it, I chose to just topstitch down the side that had come away.  When you get so far you will have to lift the zip and move it behind before continuing stitching.

Now when you have finished close the original side seam, I continued in pink cotton but you could change to an exact colour match if it would bother you.

A bit of pink stitching doesn't bother me, also I don't like wasting the thread on the bobbin.

Here it is finished, now I just need to get a can of that spray on waterproof as this jacket lost it's waterproof properties a while ago, it's ok unless it really rains heavy which it has done a few times.

If you are repairing a side seam you can go in exactly the same way but obviously it's easier to open the lining seam closest to the one that is damaged.  Then you would pull the side seam of the outer jacket through the hole and repair on the wrong side, then close the lining seam as above.

Taking in a Thin Cardigan or Sweater (Makeover)

In my wardrobe I had a charity shop cardigan that I bought because I liked the colours. It was £4 from the Bluebell Wood Hospice shop and originally from M&S (Peruna).  It is lovely and soft but  a bit shapeless, I also wasn't keen on the small pearl effect buttons.
So I decided to make it fit properly and change the buttons, here it is to begin with...

I already had a bag of buttons with lots in the right colour, I bought them from the works a while ago and have used some for card making. They are all different so it was just a case of going through the bag to find seven of a similar size.

The ones I chose are a bit more interesting than the existing ones and not bad to say the bag cast £1.99 last year and they keep coming in handy for all sorts.

(There are only six there, I did find number seven)

If you have any sweaters or cardigans that have gone a bit mis-shaped in the wash this is something you could do to extend the life of them.

I tried mine on my mannequin inside out and pinned it down both sides, I wouldn't do it too snug at first as you will want to try it.

Then you need to follow your pins as you sew down the sides, I started mine a little way into the sleeve under the arm and tapered it into the line of pins so that it would blend in.

        When you sew you should have your stitch on small and don't pull at the fabric as you go.

When you have done both sides try it on and check it fits the way you like, if not add more pins and reduce a little more.  Next you need to sew down each side with a small zig zag stitch close to the seam, then trim away the excess.

I think it looks much better now and I know I will wear that with jeans and a long sleeved t shirt under while it is cold.  I also think the odd buttons add a bit of interest.  If you had a cardigan in plain grey or black it might look good to have all your buttons different in bright colours.

We went into the city centre today as I had a gift card for John Lewis. It is not some where we would normally go to as I think it is expensive but the gift card was from Christmas.  I wanted to look at the fabric and lucky for me the ones I was looking at were on sale!

Two of them were reduced from £14 per metre to £3, the other two £7.  My gift card covered that, just as well really as I wouldn't have paid full price, or I would have only got one metre of one pattern then agonised over cutting into it. Does anyone else do that?

It is all very summery I know and I will have to get thinking what to make with it all.

Repairing Shirt Sleeves

Today  I tackled a ripped sleeve on one of my husband's favourite shirts, it was not a long job but one that had been put off.  Why is that always the way? You have these little jobs hanging around which are really quick to do but you put them off and keep moving them out of the way when really you should just get on with it.
So this rip in the sleeve is a common problem in men's shirts that get a lot of wear, pressure at the elbow and a gradual thinning of the cotton means eventually they just give out. Usually it is a neat rip in a straight line rather than the jagged tear you get from snagging it on something.

Now a lot of people would just throw the shirt in the bin (wasteful!) if the shirt was looking worn or damaged in other areas or was no-longer regular wear then maybe I would break the fabric down to be used as something else, failing that take it to the charity shop. They do get paid for the weight of rags they receive also so don't go thinking things are not good enough to take, just check with your local store.

The shirt is in very good condition every where else, it is still a favourite (Paul Smith shirt found on a sale rack a few years ago) and therefore worth the time.

So what I usually do is just add a fake seam going across the back of the sleeve to hide the frayed, torn bits. 

Turn the sleeve inside out and pull it flat...

Sew a straight line of stitching just on the back part of the sleeve tapering it as you start and finish just like you would if you were sewing a dart.  When you have done that set your machine on a small zig zag and sew across again to capture all the frayed bits.  Then repeat on the other sleeve making sure you sew in exactly the same place, this way your shirt will not look odd.

Now on the good side as you can see this shirt is checked so you lose a little pattern, however this is a close up shot and it is not noticeable when hung up or worn. I think someone would have to know and be having a really close up inspection of your elbow to see it. ( Who does that?) 

Another nagging little job done and it didn't take long at all. If you have more damage to shirt sleeves than this you could always consider making them short.

I have also used this similar method on my son's chino's when he fell and made a small hole to the knee (they were new!) I did the same seam across both knees and on that occasion I also top stitched it. It just looked like a design feature and so saved them from being ruined. 

How to Shorten Trousers Tutorial

I have had a pair of trousers in my wardrobe that have gone unworn because they are only the right length if I am wearing very high heels. Now I hardly ever wear heels now as I would rather be able to walk so this was the ideal opportunity to show how to shorten a pair of trousers.  You have to decide though if you are a woman what shoes you will be wearing your trousers with as this can make a lot of difference to how they look. Too short and you will not be able to wear with heels and too long and you can only wear with heels!  Men do not have this trouble ( well mostly they don't) so really you have to choose which type of heel size they will be worn with and then try them on.
If  you have other trousers that are the perfect length you can skip trying them on and work from that pair. If this is the case simply lay out the good fitting trousers, put the new ones on top (making sure everything is lined up) and mark the new finish line with a line of pins on the new trousers. Also be sure they fit correctly at the waist because if they are drooping due to being loose this will affect the hemline.
Now if you don't have a pair that are the exact right length or you have new shoes that you will be wearing these trousers with here is what you do.

Try on the trousers with the shoes and get a friend or family member to help you turn up one leg and pin. This may take a bit of trial and error but don't try to do it yourself because as you tip forward you are changing the hem length. You only really need to get one leg done then you can take them off.

Next lay them out on a flat surface and take up the other leg to match, once you are happy they are the same you are going to place a line of pins along the bottom of the fold, this is your finished length.
You can now take the other pins out ( the ones that are holding up the hem) and let the hem fall back down.

This is what it will look like now, as you can see mine are being shortened by quite a lot. The line of pins will be your finished length.

Next you want to cut away the excess, if it is a lot you can cut it straight off like I do here...

If it is only a small amount you will need to unpick the existing hem first and iron that down before cutting away the excess. I usually do a hem of about 1 1/2 -2inch.

You will want to finish this raw edge so either over lock or zig zag stitch, I used a zig zag on number 7.

Now you need to fold back your hem so that the pins are at the bottom of the fold...

If you need to add more pins once you have folded it to keep your fold in place but don't confuse them with your original line, this line ensures your hem is nice and straight as you hand stitch.

Yes, you are going to hand stitch the hem, some canvas trousers and of course jeans have a machine hem but dress trousers usually need an invisible hem.  There are fancy machines like the ones used in factories that give an invisible machine hem, but they can't be that good or why would hems on store bought trousers always be coming down?

Right make a good knot and hide it under the turned up fabric, do a few stitches there on top so it is secure. Now put your needle through only catching some of the fabric on the wrong side ( don't go right through) angle your needle to the left and come up through the hem as in the picture above. I am right handed so I work right to left, if you are left handed just reverse it. Pull the needle all the way through now and repeat all the way around the hem taking care not to pucker and keep the stitches even. Finish with a good knot, what I tend to do is push the needle through like in the picture above then wrap the cotton around the end of the needle a couple of times then pull it right through and that gives a good strong knot. 

When finished all your stitching will be invisible, they now just need pressing to make the hem crisp. Either do this on the wrong side or put a piece of cotton over the top to stop them going shiny.

I hope this has inspired a few people to have a go and was not too confusing, I often get asked by friends and family to shorten trousers so I know this is a common problem for many people. Don't be discouraged if your hand sewing is slow at first, just take your time, you will get quicker.