Odds and Ends - The Three Rs

While I've not been sewing any new makes, I did decide to increase my wardrobe numbers. There have been garments kept in my wardrobe through recent purges that I was still not wearing for various reasons. Every now and then, I would complete repairs on these unworn items; therefore, I've been mending and making alterations to garments in my closet instead of straight-out replacing or discarding them. So, new-to-me clothes!

Repair

Reinforced and repaired back seam on this skirt that split over the holidays when I leaned down to pick up something. (See recent post on weight gain.) It's fixed, but I still have to lose a few pounds to be sure it doesn't happen again.

Used fusible interfacing to mend torn areas on some favorite items and to reinforce seams and pivot points on older garments.

Refashion

Altered the unflattering neckline on my recent Simplicity 8529 from a too-large cowl to a wide jewel neck.

Removed, reshaped (by streamlining the shape), and replaced the straps (moved them closer to center front) on this Butterick 6424 top. Unfortunately, it did not work without underarm gaping, but I will try again later after the frustrated feelings fade.

A plaid flannel dress, McCall's 6885, became sleeveless after I finally removed the always-have-been-too-tight sleeves and bound the armhole edges. This top also received snaps placed between the gaping buttons over my currently more ample bust. Alas, it's still a little tight.

Replace

Replaced inadequate (too short) elastic in two knit skirt waistbands. I've now been wearing them more often since they're no longer uncomfortable when I'm sitting.

Swapped new fold-over elastic for old trim on some still-wearable knit tank tops. This is still in progress.

At the same time, the other thing I've been doing is deciding which handmade items are actually worthy of my personalized labels and the time it takes to stitch them in by hand. About half of the ones above got them, the others are in time-out to be reevaluated later.