It's that time of year again: piles of winter wear have been dragged out of the attic and dumped on the bedroom floor, garden produce in danger of freezing or rotting (or both) clogs my fridge, the storm windows need to be washed, closed and weather stripped. Tedious to-do lists combined with shorter, colder days invariably creates paralysis.
Yes, I have Seasonal Ineffective Disorder again.
Should I install 3M window insulation kits or fix some of the clothes I have dragged out of the attic? Which will keep me warmer? Sewing wins, again!
Maybe you have shirts with frayed collars that look like this?
Maybe they are nice wool shirts in great colors, but the nasty white interfacing is showing through the fray? If you want to wear them again, do like your (great?) grandma did and "turn" that collar!
1) First, rip out the old stitching on the top of the collar stand that holds in the collar.
2) Remove the old threads and collar.
3) Flip the collar over so the unworn side faces up.
4) Sandwich it inside the collar stand so that the fraying is hidden. Pin. Make sure that the bottomost level extends a tiny bit more toward the collar than the top.
5) Slowly topstitch along the old stitching line. Use your fingers to feel that the layers are not shifting as you remove pins and sew.
6) Trim threads. Lay out your handiwork and admire.
7) Watch your son grab the shirt, throw it on and wear it out the door.
8) "Forget" that it is not permissible to photograph ones male offspring if they are over the age of 10. Remember, upon pain of shunning, that a mom can never publicly post photos of male children on her blog.
9) Ease the pain, not by insulating windows, but by cutting out a new Ginger skirt.