Alterations and repairs

Generally I would prefer to sew things from scratch, but one of the plus sides of being able to sew is that I can do some alterations and repairs. As I don't enjoy them I keep them to a VERY short list and then have to force myself to do them.

My maternal grandmother was an accomplished home dressmaker. Sadly she passed before I was born though my mum and aunties say we would have got on well. I had a wonderful evening a few years ago with her eldest daughter (my aunt who made the window quilt) going through old black and white photos as Auntie Joy remembered the colours of each outfit and could describe them to me which was wonderful. My grandmother was not one to wear elegant nuetrals she loved print and colour.

All 3 of her daughters sew though each in their own way. My mum sewed a lot for herself and my brother and me when we were children, but now is more into knitting with the occasional refashioning project or school costume for my brother's kids.
Auntie Joy is an artist, painting watercolours and making quilts.
The 3rd sister, my Auntie Audrey, sews clothing, lots of bags and cushions and also does mending for people in the village. She enjoys the challenge of finding a solution for the wearer and finds great satisfaction in the end result fitting better than the starting point.

So I need to channel the thrill of a good solution well implemented and get over my boredom when faced with the unpicker.

I have a few alterations backed up now so will just have to deal with the fact I need to keep changing thread!

- shorten DBFs old trousers into shorts
- mend slight rip in paisley shirt
- add mesh sections into too tight shirt sleeves (as per Medium alterations)
- add elastic into trousers waistbands - red and brown trousers

I thrift shop less these days as I have got limited time and am very fussy these days. However when I did go a lot I often found items which had been donated purely because a section of hem was down, a button loose or some other minor repair was needed. Being able to do those repairs is a useful skill.

I'll keep you posted on my progress on the alterations!

Have you got any alterations to do? Do you enjoy them or find you put them off? Sometimes I interleave them with other projects to reduce the boredom factor.