Buttons and Seams

I'm participating in Lori's Tuesday Project Party.

Click her link above to see what it's all about.

Get inspired!  Get working!

The project I'm sharing with y'all today is still in progress--that is, if I consider it one project.  Here's my report:

I'm sure you're wondering what in the world that building is, and why it is in this post.  It is where I started this project.  Its location:  Joliet Junior College, where Jacob and Danny are taking classes for degree/transfer.

We worked out a car schedule prior to the start of school, and since Danny has classes in two different locations, I accompany him on Monday and Wednesday afternoons to the Romeoville campus, and on Wednesday morning to the Joliet campus.  Jacob, who has classes on Tuesdays/Thursdays, takes Danny the rest of the days, either to Joliet or to Romeoville.  The reason--Danny has his driver's permit and can't drive alone.  Jacob was willing to take him everywhere, but also has classes to complete.  And Danny can't drive with Jacob in the car, since Jacob is not quite 21.  So on three different days, at three different times, I accompany Danny.

So there you go--a crazy car schedule until Danny gets his license.  But that's not my project (it should've been!)...

Back to Joliet Junior College, in the new A Building (in the photo above), in the cafeteria/lounge area, which is where I ended up last Wednesday morning with this:

Yep--another blouse which this non-seamstress thought she could make fit.  The problem--the sleeves are too tight on my arms.  The solution--widen the sleeve.

The original sleeve, buttoned:

I removed the button and widened the armhole opening by sewing the edge of the buttonhole to the edge of the other side.  Then, I sewed the button over the top of it to hide my amateur stitching.

The after:

Another blouse needed to be taken in at the sides, since it fit in my shoulders but "swam" on my waist.  I do have a shape, even if it is almost straight on the sides!

The before:

A lovely Christopher & Banks blouse, whose buttons don't gap!!  Found at Goodwill for about $4.00.

I marked the desired edge (I had already pinned it where I wanted it):

Then I hand-sewed along the line with a loopy through-one-side-and-out-the-other kind of stitch (I'm sure there's a name for it...):

A few days later, at the Romeoville campus, I finished taking in this blouse:

Also, Fernando had a doctor's appointment last week, and since I had to accompany him (his pupils were dilated and examined), I brought more blouses and completed a pretty white one.  I have two summer blouses left, which I am working on this week.  They'll be done just in time for the end of summer, lol.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  But they're getting done, which makes me happy.


Back to life,
Christine

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