Monday, January 31, 2011

Suit Shirt

My son is tall and has long arms so most shirt sleeves are too short for him. He's attending a funeral next weekend and when he was home last weekend he tried on the only plain white shirt he has. The sleeves were quite short and he would have liked them showing out of the suit sleeve. So I suggested that I just add some material on to each sleeve. He wouldn't be taking his suit jacket off and no one would know.


I remembered that I had cut a sleeve off of another white shirt to make it into a short-sleeved shirt. I never finished it but I thought that I could use the sleeve material for the extension piece. Unfortunately the sleeves are different widths so I had to cut the suit shirt just above the sleeve placket to get the same width. Then came the problem of how to attach the lower edge to the new piece because they were different widths too. I decided to try the upper edge first to see if it worked before figuring out the lower one. I put the cuff piece inside the sleeve so I could sew the wrong sides together as I wanted to make a flat-felled seam. Then I pulled the cuff piece out so I could iron the new seam to have it easier to trim one of the edges before turning the other one over it.

I was trimming away when it hit me. Duh! Why not just use the the other cuff piece as the cuff piece for the suit shirt and I wouldn't have to fuss with getting the lower edges to match. I'll have to wait to see what my son says but other than switching the buttons if he wants, I don't see that it will matter. (Ok the shirt is flat-felled seamed and the cuff piece serged but who's going to peek in his jacket sleeve?) The sleeve is now 9 cm longer.

Next is trying to narrow the shirt. Sigh.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog for OWOH! You seem to have a lot of patience with sewing, and you are very inventive! I would've ran to the nearest store! LOL! I'm sure your son will be happy.

    xoEsther

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  2. That is awesome work on that shirt. My problem is that I'm so short I have to hem everything. Oh well.

    Thanks from me too for stopping by my blog during OWOH. I really appreciate it. Please stop by again.

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  3. This is a pretty good blog, Shirley. I like the variety and you somehow manage to make your photos of food look good! What's your secret?
    When I come to the main page of a blog I like, I'm looking for some info about the person, like their location and maybe a head shot. Please consider adding these (or if you already have, adding them somewhere that half-blind dunderheads like me can spot them easily).
    And posting at least once a week, as you planned. I'd definitely visit regularly if I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by not finding anything new ....

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  4. Thank you so much for visitng my blog earlier on OWOH. Your sewing skills are very impressive! Wish I had that much ability with clothes.
    Jules#492

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  5. thank you for visiting my OWOH blog post, this is my return visit

    Fab job on the shirt sleeves

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  6. It is so handy to have a mom that sews. Thanks for stopping by OWOH.

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  7. You are a fabulous seamstress!
    Thanks for visiting my OWOH blog entry!
    Smiles, cyndi

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