My Nana always told me there was only way, the right way, to hem your trousers.
She was right. No short cuts, no easy ways, just the one way that makes certain that both legs end up the same length.
She demonstrated the Nana method several times with me, and once supervised an alteration: a slow and tedious procedure involving measuring, pinning, chalking, pinning again, cutting, pinning, stitching, folding, stiching, ironing and possibly even washing and pressing again to get it RIGHT.
But, bless her, she was only trying to save me pain. Because on Sunday night I took up the hemline on my new tweed trousers (yep, I'm only about 18 months behind the fashion times for this fashion item), and I managed to watch Wicker Park from start to finish by the time those legs 11 were shortened. I even had to unpick my first attempt at the right leg. This was all to save $10, the going price for an in-house alteration at the shop where I bought them.
"Would it be quicker on your sewing machine? asked my Flatmate. No, I insisted, hand stitching is better for the all important invisible look.
Soon I was panicking. I'd cut off the excess length but could no longer see the chalk marks indicating my new hem length. So that was why Nana told me to put pins in indicating the hem. What if I hadn't cut straight? How was I going to know how far up I should hem? Anyhoo, I made do, and there is about a quarter inch difference between legs, but I don't think it's noticeable as both legs almost skim the floor, and now I am a PRO.
I can make all my trousers FIT ME. This is part of my new resolution to be a well groomed accessorised adult, one who has read and observed what not to wear and learnt from it. What not to wear? Clothes that don't fit you. Basic really.
Here is the link to Duckworth's favourite blog of October. He is busy with NaNoWri month now.http://www.smashoffandcry.blogspot.com
She demonstrated the Nana method several times with me, and once supervised an alteration: a slow and tedious procedure involving measuring, pinning, chalking, pinning again, cutting, pinning, stitching, folding, stiching, ironing and possibly even washing and pressing again to get it RIGHT.
But, bless her, she was only trying to save me pain. Because on Sunday night I took up the hemline on my new tweed trousers (yep, I'm only about 18 months behind the fashion times for this fashion item), and I managed to watch Wicker Park from start to finish by the time those legs 11 were shortened. I even had to unpick my first attempt at the right leg. This was all to save $10, the going price for an in-house alteration at the shop where I bought them.
"Would it be quicker on your sewing machine? asked my Flatmate. No, I insisted, hand stitching is better for the all important invisible look.
Soon I was panicking. I'd cut off the excess length but could no longer see the chalk marks indicating my new hem length. So that was why Nana told me to put pins in indicating the hem. What if I hadn't cut straight? How was I going to know how far up I should hem? Anyhoo, I made do, and there is about a quarter inch difference between legs, but I don't think it's noticeable as both legs almost skim the floor, and now I am a PRO.
I can make all my trousers FIT ME. This is part of my new resolution to be a well groomed accessorised adult, one who has read and observed what not to wear and learnt from it. What not to wear? Clothes that don't fit you. Basic really.
Here is the link to Duckworth's favourite blog of October. He is busy with NaNoWri month now.http://www.smashoffandcry.blogspot.com
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