Impossible? That’s what I thought, Lovelies, and why I kept putting off the task. Probably the rest of you know already, but its a discovery for me.
Yesterday I had a nothing-matches-these-trousers crisis.
“Oh, yeah,” I thought. “There’s that RTW tan 3/4-length sleeve tee that I never wear (face of shame) because I hate the sleeve length.”
Immediate crisis averted by my orange renfrew, I decided to let down those sleeves. Not a pleasant prospect. Grimly, I went for it.
Collecting my seam ripper & short nippers (see reference at end), and after downloading a recent BBC Women’s Hour podcast to sweeten the task, the ripping began.
After inserting the ripper on the right side of the double stitches I saw how much the pressure to cut the threads tightened the threads on either side, making it more difficult to get the ripper into the next stitches. Hm.
As I had my thread nippers I tried them. Perfect. I was quickly round the first sleeve, nipping every other set of stitches.
On the criss-crossed (bobbin) side, remembering a recent, seemingly endless battle with a seam ripper, I decided to keep going with the nippers.
Again, they worked beautifully. I cut down the centre of the criss-crossed bobbin threads.
Then the fun part: Pulling out all those short threads. Apart from static cling, everything went quickly.
Success and one sleeve done!
A quick break for a cuppa, and the second sleeve was done before the podcast ended.
As this is an old tee I don’t mind the un-hemmed look, and am chuffed to have it done.
PS/Did I mention that Vogue’s having a sale? Maybe I shouldn’t… forget I mentioned it.
😄 😄 😄
Hm. Might have to rest up a bit before taking on that challenge.
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Now that you’ve learned how to rip a twin-needle seam, you might be ready to rip a serged seam, do you think? Nothing is as pleasurable (not)!
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“A stash doesn’t need to make you a bad person; it can make you a planner.” Karen Ball, Did You Make That.
😉
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“A stash doesn’t need to make you a bad person; it can make you a planner.” Karen Ball, Did You Make That?
I rest my case. 😘
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Please don’t tell. I think I have to hide my purse for now 😂
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Despite my best(ish) efforts, more still comes in that goes out 😦
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Sounds typical of someone who might not know what calico is… (uncertain face)
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Haha. Thank you!
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I know when I want patterns I have to go in to the store… (Sure wish we could order them at that price!) OH, and JoAnns has the worst Customer Service. Last time I was in I asked the girl if the calicos were on sale and she said, “I don’t really know.” What kind of answer is that??
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Thank you! Yes, it can be quite challenging to get things properly placed! You do a marvellous job!
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Good luck with your Vogue list!
Their sale items are somewhat limited unless you can get to the store.
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Isn’t there a percentage of patchwork leaving your atelier, albeit in different forms, as sale items in support of humane endeavours? Seems fairly logical that a whopping 70% off might be wisdom… as long as delivery can be accomplished without a fork lift. . .
😉
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Fabric?
Sale?
No-o-o-o!
😉
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Please don’y mention fabric sales, I do not need fabric, maybe I could be hypnotised on the subject!
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Very brave! Luckily, having already succumbed to a local fabric sale having said that I wouldn’t buy any more fabric – well, there was 70, yes 70%, off all his patchwork fabric – your Vogue site is in the U.S. so I’m safe.
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I already have my Vogue list! Although I should refrain but I just can’t help myself! … Sometimes those seam ripping tasks are the worst only because we keep putting them off. Then we finally do it and realize it wasn’t so bad after all!
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I am impressed! I don’t know if I would have had the courage! Don’t you sometimes wish you had three arms? I juggle and balance my sewing my sewing tool and my camera quite often – that’s a challenge!
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