Mending for a Professional

I do little mending jobs for various people who know me, who refer me by word of mouth.  I was particularly proud of this job: a beloved blazer for a dear friend who is an adjunct professor.  But she's a professor in a creative field, so a visible mend on her jacket seemed like an opportunity for art.

I went for the look of Japanese boro mending, with all handstitching because I couldn't fit the sleeve under my machine and didn't want to take apart a lined sleeve to do that.

The cuffs were fraying as well.  I put on black bias tape, handstitching it down to the inside to keep it looking tailored.  It looks good with the black piping already in the blazer.

I love how the patches turned out! Subtle, yet distinctive.  Even artsy.  Even more important, dear Kim loves her mended jacket, too.

Another Green Dress

When I made my first green dress, I told you I had a second green one planned from this pattern.  Here it is! It's been finished for weeks, but just not photographed.

This fabric is so delicious.  I got it at a rummage sale for a few dollars.  It's the soft green color of money, with an obvious weft of white thread running through it - looks like linen, but it's soft and light like cotton shirting. 

Also, that border print and striping is so pleasing to my eye, although it gave me fits to lay this dress out and plan and match the stripes.  I had to rip a few seams to get the stripes to line up, and even still, if you look closely, they don't match exactly.

I skipped the shoulder ties and allowed the border print to dictate a longer length.  So this dress feels a little dressier than my green calico.  I put on the scarf and jacket for the cool morning - I was pleased with the dash of red next to the green.  Christmas can't claim all the red and green!