Altered

Some of you know that I am working to reverse my diabetes.  A nice side effect from the process is weight loss.  So far I have lost between 18-20 pounds.  But that creates a problem.  My clothes don't fit so much anymore.  I have been slowly working on my blue jeans to adjust/resize the waistlines.  Here is how I am  doing it. 

First I get a few pair of jeans.  Today I pulled out three pair of comfy, lived in jeans. 

These just nearly fall off when I put them on until I get my belt on.   Note: I almost always wear a belt. For this method the belt hides the spots where I have adjusted the size.  

The three center back belt loops are key to making this easy. 

The pair below has a label right where I need to sew.

Off it comes!

I tore this one, but if you are careful you could sew it back on. 

I really don't care for it being there so I trashed it. 

Then I fold one of those three loops in to match the center loop. 
I don't pin or typically use this clip - it is there so I could get a good photo. 

For these I am sewing a simple dart at about half an inch. 

Notice that I sew back and forth about three times to add strength.  

Then it is repeated for the other side. 

Here are both sides sewn. 

Outside

And Inside. 

I didn't worry about thread color as it should never show, but you 

could match the blue or the thread color used to sew the seams on your jeans. 

I did the first pair one day when I was going to put them on.  

When I saw how well it worked, I decided I would do them all eventually. 

If I lose 10 more pounds, I will buy NEW clothes.  For the 

transitional period, this works. 

FYI  I have noticed that the seat is a bit baggy.  But I can live with that.  

Taking in that back center seam would make the pockets a bit too close. 

At least for now, my jeans fit nicely in the waist again. 

That is my Alteration "tutorial"  Ha ha. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Manly Sewing OR Sewing for your Man

For myself and the male readers of my blog -Yes there are some! I call this "Manly sewing" For the ladies, it is Sewing for your Man.

So what do you do when a shirt collar frays? Like this:

Or worse- like this:

I hate it when that happens!  And honestly, I wear them to that point!  (Bad Gene, BAD!) 

But at some point, I just can't put it on anymore looking that ratty.  This shirt was at the "too ratty" point. 

And it was ONLY the collar.  The rest of the shirt is like new!  

What to do?

You could cut them up and use them as quilt scraps.  

But wait! 

Can't I get some more wear out of it first?  Especially since I like this shirt a lot and it is very comfortable.  (And I hate to have to shop for clothes!) 

So, I take my trusty seam ripper.  

I carefully separate the collar from the collar band  BEING CAREFUL to not cut into the band. 

Then once the collar is off, I shorten my stitch length to 1.8 or 1.6 and sew the pieces of the collar band back together MINUS the collar. 

Why?  

I get a NEW collarless shirt.  

No shopping, no extra cost.  AND I don't have to wear a tie with it.  Actually I CAN'T wear a tie with it. Ahhh!!! 

So, you say "My husband always wears a tie to work"  

How about casual days? 

How about with a nice pair of khakis or jeans on the weekend?

If he refuses, fine, cut it up and make a scrap quilt!  

But remember I tried to save his favorite dress shirt!