Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Patience is a key in this case

I sat down last evening and started working on a lined jacket that needed the sleeves shorten. This jacket has three faux buttonholes and buttons on each sleeve. The only way to shorten the sleeves is to rip out the faux buttonholes. Here is one of the sleeves after I ripped out one buttonhole and have the button removed off the middle buttonhole. The fabric is slick and not tightly woven. One false move with the seam ripper and I am going to put a hole in this!

I managed to get all three buttonholes ripped out of one sleeve and one out of the other sleeve. It took me about 2 hours. Here is the sleeve with all taken apart. I think after I press it the buttonhole marks will dimish. I will sew the buttons back on the jacket after I hem the sleeve and that will disguise any remaining marks.

The only other thing I could have done would be to take the sleeves out of the jacket and shorten the sleeves from the cap (which I have done on other jackets for this lady), but since this fabric is delicate I didn't want to go that route. Tonight I work at the art museum so my seam ripper will get a rest tonight.

2 comments:

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

My grandmother would use a mist of water and vinegar to get the lines out of a garment she was altering. I wonder if that would help you here. But test it first, I have never used it and would feel awful if you ruined something!! LOL.

I received my package and have been fondling my FQs all night and morning. They are gorgeous! I can't thank you enough.

I think I will add them to the stack I have been dyeing for a vegetable quilt. TRhe colors are like beets and turnips. And maybe some purple hulled peas!

glen: thanks!

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I have a sewing friend who wants me to help her figure out how to shorten sleeves on a suede leather jacket and she said it has buttons and buttonholes too. I haven't seen it yet but hope we can do it. I used to do men's suit jackets but that was years ago.