Make Do & Mend...



Never worn because of the

tie waist which made the
bottom flare out too much.

Item #2: Blue check tie shirt

 Next up is a shirt that needs even more doing to it to make it a valuable part of my wardrobe. You see, I'm working my way from the easiest to the most difficult. I'm sticking to my plan, without getting distracted....oooh, Escape to the Country's on TV...



This is a shirt bought for me, and I loved the fabric, but the tie waist and pin tucks just flared out the bottom hem, and as a pear shape I need volume on the bust, not the hips! It is a great addition, or could be, to my work wardrobe, but it needs some minor adjustments.



 



Pin tucks which helped to
flare out the bottom hem.




The buttons had metal bits on which
I think looked too harsh and cheap.



So, I intend to remove the ties, replace the buttons, and make the pin tucks into full on darts for more structure and shape, which is essential for wee ones like me. Here goes...

Step one: Remove ties. Here I used my quick unpick to remove 3 lines of stitching on the bodice where the ties where positioned. It was really easy and obviously the existing stitching lines and creases remained, allowing me to secure the hole with just one line of very small stitches.

Step 2: Replace the buttons. An easy job, and I've chosen very simple pale blue buttons which have a much softer and more feminine appeal to them.



Step 3: Pin Tucks into Darts. This took a little more time as I had to ensure they were all the same length, but once I got into the rhythm of it, I tacked all 4 quite quickly.

And finally: here's the shirt on....much better:

 Yippeeee!

I heart Manchester

Just showing my support for my wonderful home City. When Manchester was bombed everyone got straight up and carried on, so selfish thugs won't stop us. It is a truly great city, full of the best individual shops, cheap but fab nights out, and most importantly....amazing people. This has been proven by the way we have come together against an ignorant and self-indulgent minority. The broad variety of those charged prove this has little to do with money or background or race, and to suggest this would be patronising to people with little money, or of a different ethnicity, or from a deprived or difficult background. We will never be beaten.

Finally....Make Do & Mend

This is my bag full of clothes I need to mend, adjust, restyle, etc etc. Well, now it's the summer hols, and I have done the holiday and the move, it is time to tackle the BAG. As a side note, it was completely unintentional to put all of these items in a 'use me, re-use me' bag.

And so it begins.

I have decided not to try and do everything in the bag, but focus on the small jobs first, which will motivate me to tackle the bigger jobs, and also to prioritise (rather than get idly distracted by anything and everything as per usual) the items I actually need the most during the winter.

Item 1: Red Polka Dot Blouse
Problem: missing buttons

This is a lovely top that looks very pretty, French and chic when worn and I tend to wear it as part of my work wardrobe. However, big name brands being what they are, the covered buttons were sewn on appallingly, and so after 4 wears and 2 washes, I was down 2 buttons. They only provide 1 spare. Hmmm.

Several months later, I have finally got some replacements. They aren't covered, but to be honest the fabric has such a large polka print that the buttons just ended up looking plain white. I chose simple red classics would maintain the chic, classic style.


Shoddy workmanship



Much better

And so here's one of my favourite tops I can wear again. Yippee!!




Vintage hair

So, everyone thought I was mental when I told them I was getting a perm....well here's the results!

I wanted a soft wavy perm that looked natural and I could wear as I used to have my straight hair, in a graduated bob. I had a violin teacher when I was in primary school, and she was tall, slender with a blonde wavy bob; I always thought she looked so elegant in a classical slightly 1920s way. Just gutted I couldn't have this done before my Holiday, but nevermind.

Chuffed to bits with waking up wavy - straight hair bores me now, perm's are the future!