Fixing a Buttonhole That Is On the Wrong Side.

It's official. I'm done with both shirts. But after my last blog post I didn't go to bed. I sewed for another hour or more. Then I ended up staying up until 4 AM catching up on all the things I didn't get to  do because the sewing took so many more hours than planned.

On the second shirt I ever so carefully measured which side to put the buttonholes on and which side to put the buttons on.  Then I made the buttonholes. My boyfriend tries it on and comments on how perfect I got the buttonholes.  Then he said they were on the wrong side. *@&%

To do a fix on them, I used a wide zig-zag and closed up each button hole.  Then I cut off the buttons and sewed them over the sealed holes.  Then I sewed new buttonholes on the other end of the cuff.  I wouldn't have done that if the item was being sold to someone, but it's for my boyfriend and he has to dye it today and wear it tomorrow, so he's not picky.  He's thrilled to have them at all. Once the buttons are through the buttonholes, you can't see the old buttonholes at all,  As my calligraphy teacher says, "If it looks good from 10 feet away on a galloping horse, it's good enough."

Of course I could have ripped off both cuffs and replaced them and made fresh buttonholes, but at this point I just needed to be done.

I also shortened the sleeve on the first shirt so both sleeves are the same length now.  I had to cut off the old cuff and make a new one.

So out of 2 shirts, I ended up making 5 cuffs, and 7 buttonholes. I told my boyfriend I put in enough hours to have made 3 shirts, and he said probably four.

Repairing a Gypsy Skirt With a Ruffle

One of my favorite gypsy skirts has a severe rip in it. I thought it was a goner. But I just figured out a way to make it a skirt with a ruffled side slit. I'm going to cut around the tear in a hair pin shape, and fill it in with a vertical ruffle. And now I see I inadvertently made another tear with the safety pin. But I should be able to eliminate that in the same cut. I told my boyfriend my clever idea and he said it would be much easier to just patch it. First, I disagree, as the rip includes 3 seam lines that touch it, and second, it will be way sexier the way I have in mind. He said it would be a lot more work. Maybe. He said I could patch it from the back, but I hate the way that feels when there is a big heavy square of 'iron on stuff' on a light flowing fabric. We'll see.

At any rate I can't do it today. I have a custom hat order I need to finish first.