Hem Jeans Like the Pros!

Get someone to mark the hem for you, or you can match the length of a pair of jeans that are already the right length for you. Once you've got your jeans turned up to the proper length, measure the portion that needs to  be hemmed, from the fold to the bottom of the existing hem.  This pair is six inches too long.

Make a fold and measure from the fold to the upper edge of the existing hem, exactly HALF the depth of the total amount of shortening needed.  For this pair, that means three inches.

Do the same thing at the other side seam. For flared and some bootcut jeans, you may also need to measure and mark/pin at the center front and back in addition to the side seams.

Begin at the side seam with the most rows of topstitiching.  Make sure you have the stitiching lined up (in this photo, I have lowered the presser foot on the existing hem only to hold it in place), and sew as close as possible to the upper edge of the existing hem without catching it in your stitch line.

Trim off the excess with pinking shears, by serging off, or cutting with regular scissors and applying seam binding.

In this photo you can just barely see the line of stitching that effectively moves the original hem up the leg of the jeans.

Turn the original hem down, and topstitich with either matching or invisible thread. Start on the side seam with the most rows of topstitching.

Booyah.  

Many thanks to a client with rather short legs who unknowingly allowed me to use her jeans for this post. :)

Back to Tech-Free Tuesdays

For a while there our attempts at staying unplugged on Tuesday evenings were pitiful to nonexistent. But without a lot of fanfare (so as to hopefully avoid weeping and wailing, gnashing of teeth, and casting into the outer darkness) we had a pretty tech-free Tuesday afternoon this week.

I had a political meeting in the evening, and took Lightning McQueen with me, and even if I'd said not to watch tv, Velvet and Birdman would have had it on, scurrying to the back door every so often to see if I'd come home yet so they could turn it off without me knowing.  And I let Lightning play with my phone at the meeting: two sound recordings, a video, multiple sessions of Angry Birds and at least one visit to my Facebook page that I saw out of the corner of my eye.  Sigh.

So the revised plan is this: to have one evening a week off the technological grid.  It'll still be called Tech-Free Tuesday, but depending on our schedule it might happen on Monday, or Thursday, or even Saturday. (It's my day and I can call it whatever I want. :-p) No tv, no computer games, no blogging or facebooking.  Radio permissible.

Now, in other unrelated news, remember I posted about some mom who came ranting to my doorstep about my kids terrorizing the neighborhood "for weeks"?  Well, a bunch of kids were roaming the streets around my house today and it turns out they are the kids whom that mom says my kids were so mean to. These are AWFUL, unruly kids.  Two of them were riding their bikes up our driveway, turning onto the walkway that goes from the driveway to the back door and then on to the side street!  Didn't their parents ever tell them that's trespassing? I know a lot of kids who seem to have no idea about how to respect other people's property; what are these kids' parents teaching them?  That it's ok to just go wherever you want because it looks interesting and you're having fun? Next thing you know they will be helping themselves to the produce from my garden; they were running through my yard outside the fence already. (For the record my kids were not outside playing with these kids, they were doing their chores and finishing up a bit of schoolwork). I don't care that these kids were riding their bikes around our street, but they need to STAY ON PUBLIC PROPERTY unless they are in their own yard.
Yes, it seems I am turning into a real grump. But from the way those kids' mom talked to me, I can just envision one of them falling off a bike and running home to say it happened on my driveway and there we are with a ginormous lawsuit.  So don't go where you're not invited, children, and if my kids aren't out, stay OFF my driveway, sidewalk and grass!

The second job goes well.  I think I will get my first paycheck next week.

A Tailor's LOLcat

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

The Fail of TFT week 3

So Tech-Free Tuesday was a total bust this week.  I worked late out of dire necessity again, and was practically brain dead by the time I did finish.  Seems like the harder I work the more work I have, which is good because I'd rather be busy and be able to pay the bills, but OY VEY I would like a slack day soon so I can see if I can find my knitting mojo!

Turned in paperwork for homeschooling today, which means that officially the 'new school year' starts tomorrow.  I have to sit down with the calendar and plan out the summer field trips - Kennywood, Johnstown, Fallingwater are the top three.  If there is time I'd also like to go to Hershey, PA and Gettysburg.

I have a new phone - HTC Merge.  I will be experimenting to see if I can get along with using the phone as a mobile hotspot (so I can cut the Comcast umbilical cord just like I cut off AT&T today, bwahahahaha).  And one bill is better than two any day.

And these bugs?  They are box elder beetles, actually juvenile ones.  They grow up to be mostly black with a reddish-orange stripe design on their backs.  They eat maple tree seeds, of which there are a bazillion in the flower bed where they are thick on the ground.  So I think I'm willing to coexist with them, as long as they stay OUTSIDE where they belong!

Anyone out there use their phone as a hotspot for internet service?  I'm going to try tomorrow using the hotspot instead of the Comcast wireless, and see how it goes.

Don't You Wish This Was Scratch -n- Sniff?

I have three varieties of lavender in my garden, and will be harvesting the flowers soon to dry them and make drawer sachets.  A couple of shops in town have said they would give me counter space for a percentage of sales!

Please,

pass the ibuprofen.

Work this week ran the gamut from extremely enjoyable to extremely headache-inducing.  Unfortunately for the way things worked out, the headache-inducing project was the last to be finished for the week, and I've been brain dead since turning off the steamer and hanging the dresses in the fitting room.

I do have photos of the enjoyable project, and will try to get a couple of it on the client tomorrow when she picks it up.

One of tomorrow's projects will be to carefully sort next week's work so that I can end the week on a happy note.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Next Thursday is New Phone Day!

Sweet potato fries are really good.

I'm pretty happy, considering.

When the Going Gets Tough.....

The tough put on the tiara!

From time to time I find myself stuck on a project for one reason or another.  Sometimes it's because the client has asked for something they think is easy-peasy, but due to poor garment construction, cheap materials, or their not realizing how time-consuming their request is, (or lots of other reasons) - I get the feeling that maybe it would be easier and better for all concerned if I just went and got a job at the local call center.

That's when I get out the tiara, pop it on my head, and proceed to lay waste to whatever has been the cause of my stress!

After all, nothing would dare cross a woman wearing a crown.

Anyone else have a tiara (real or imagined)?  How do you manage those moments at work or home when it seems that nothing is lining up the way it ought to?

A Day in My Springtime Life

 I just had a slice of the most delicious pineapple upside-down cake, made by Birdman with some help from his brother and sister.  Nomnomnom!

Last night I had to clear out my downstairs bathroom and fitting room, so the contractor could start work this morning on a tub-to-shower conversion. My dining room and living room are a disaster area (not they are not a disaster at other times, it's just way worse now, because the contents of those two rooms is now in there with all the stuff that actually belongs in there). The old tub and surround are gone, the new water lines and spigots are installed, and the drywall over the water lines has been replaced with greenboard (which is how it should have been to begin with, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the addition on my 150+/- year old house, which is about 35 years old, was built without plan or purpose by a few guys with a case of beer and some power tools and a Lowe's card.  Floors not level, corners out of square, walls not plumb, a complete jakeleg job).  He says he'll finish up tomorrow, so tomorrow night I get to put everything back!

I'm not any less busy than I was, and I'm running out of time before we leave for Indy on the 26th. Only one prom dress is still here, so that's a plus.  Trouble is, I have TWELVE wedding gowns, all of which have rather poofy skirts!  And that's not counting the career- and resortwear stuff, wedding party attire, and pageant dresses.

Oregano and Barbecue are growing, and by the time we get back from Indy they will be too big to get under the fence and will be able to be out all day like Crockpot and Drumstick.  I'll be very glad when they start laying; sometimes I think if we had a dozen hens we could sell all the eggs and then some!

I have another post in the works I had planned on posting tonight, but this will have to do.  The other one requires two particular photos that I haven't had time to slurp off my camera yet.  Meanwhile, I'm tired and need to get some sleep.  Much to do tomorrow!

I Crashed Blogger!

Not really, but it did get you to click through, didn't it?  ;)

I don't know what happened, except that the crash lasted a bit more than a day and a half......my tendency to post last thing before I go to bed may be the reason that (I think) I didn't lose anything.

I've had a RIDICULOUS week.  I was going to work in the garden/yard this weekend, but we had a torrential downpour this afternoon (so bad that I had to give two clients towels to dry off so they could try on their clothes), so the garden is a sea of mud right now (at least it's tilled and ready, yay!).

And the photo?  That's a mouse, in an Altoids Minis tin.  Isn't it cute?

What a Day it's Been

I got a LOT done at work today, in a relatively short amount of time!  Yay me!  I was also able to bake bread, work on the commissioned pair of Centennial socks I'm knitting (I dyed the yarn myself over the weekend) and got over halfway down the leg of sock #1, AND do a bit of straightening up (but not too much, lol).

I found this photo on my computer today; I'd forgotten about this project.  Each year the contestants in the Miss West Virginia (America) pageant take a quilt square to Orientation weekend.  The square has to reflect the young woman, the county or area of the state she represents, and her platform.  My client was Miss Tucker County, home of Dolly Sods recreation area, and her platform was Healthy Heart Living.  So I did a square that showed the mountains of Tucker County, the windwept trees at Dolly Sods, and a hiker (because walking is good for your heart).  I don't think it turned out half bad, and she LOVED it.

I put the "Devon" socks aside until I finish the Centennials, because I have to deliver the latter in Indianapolis at the end of the month and I need to have them done and blocked before we leave.  I am hoping to have time to knit another pair of them to have with me (just in case someone wants a pair already knit, you know).

I'm also working on a companion pattern to Centennial, a pair of baby socks.  When I get that done I will make a page for patterns and post it here, for free!

It's Friday.....isn't it?

I'm up to 10-hour work days now, and having to work on Saturdays.  This will last until the end of May.  I will do my best to keep posting, but sometimes I won't be organized enough.  Like this afternoon, we went to the store and I saw several things I could have blogged about but I thought I didn't have my camera (it was at the bottom of the Black Hole that is my purse, under my wallet, two receipts from Kroger and a weekly planner).

Birdman is off this weekend to CAP Leadership Training Camp at Camp Dawson.  It's quiet around here; when 1/3 of the kids are gone the bicker factor goes down by WAY more than a third.  Funny how that works.

My house (at least my fitting room) looks like someone exploded a formalwear warehouse.  It takes me 10 minutes to rearrange things hanging so I can close the bathroom door to take a shower.

Velvet is up to 2 lessons a day in math.  She was finishing in about 15 minutes and only missing 1 or 2 problems. I may do the same thing with Lightning McQueen next week, he's a speedy student too!

Did you see photos of Kate Middleton's wedding gown?  (Or should I call her Princess Katherine now).  Absolutely stunning.  Very elegant!

Offer it up.......

My current project is allowing me to pray a LOT as I work on it, because it's rather like asking Rembrandt to paint the Mona Lisa on the lid of a shoe box.

Just a Passing Thought......

Phone just rang, and on the other end was a person whose voice, once she asked her question (related to pricing of certain alterations on a bridesmaid dress), sounded a little familiar.  I gave her the same ballpark figures I give everyone (I can't quote over the phone, because obviously I can't see you in the garment from here).  After she hung up I checked the call log on my phone and yes, it was the same person.

Why am I mentioning this?  Because the first time she called, she scheduled a fitting appointment.

(The reason she called a second time is that my business had another name a few years ago, and depending on where you look for my number, you can come up with either name - but the phone number has been the same for 10 years.)

So, here's a tip:  if you need to check prices, call everyone you intend to ask for an estimate before you book an appointment. And be prepared to be told that the actual estimate, once you keep the appointment, is higher than what you were told over the phone; you may think one thing is the problem but the issue might really be something entirely different, and I charge according to what I have to do, not what the client tells me is needed.

'Scuse me while I whine.

I'm a professional tailor.  If it's made out of fabric I will tailor, alter or repair it with few exceptions. Sometimes I get minor complaints about the cost to do a project (sometimes to the point of the person not even picking up the finished work, but that's a subject for another day), because they paid less for the item than the cost to do what is required to make it usable.

But the time required, plus the cost of the thread, machine needle, wear & tear on the machine, electricity to heat up the iron to press it after I've done the requested work (or to run the steamer, in which case there's an amount for distilled water too), is the same whether your project is a pair of $300 Swiss voile sheers from Ethan Allen or a $20 pair of polyester ones from Target, or either one purchased for $6 at a thrift store.

I regret the outward 'unfairness' of that, but the way I see it the client has a choice:  either an item that is unusable in the state in which it was purchased, or an item that is usable for the purpose for which it was purchased.  If you didn't care whether you ever hung the curtains or wore the clothing, why would you bother to buy them in the first place?