Auntie Karen Is Happy

i am happy to report that my niece really wears these jeans. all the time. mending is love. but sometimes mending is lots of work and little of thanks. finding them in the laundry basket all the time surely confirms a job well done.

i found a few more pics which show some detail on the sewing.i took one step at a time. unpicked the side seams. tore two pieces longer than the length you need. as shown here. this Amy Butler fabric is strong. i would not pick a lightweight fabric as loved jeans get washed & dried so much. i chose a width of 2 in. for extension plus 1 in. for seams. (come back to see example of how i sewed extension seam).these jeans had that very smart buttonhole elastic to accommodate growth. not more difficult. but just one more step to consider. it would have been too easy to cut that out. i would recommend cutting the waistband in a different spot than the side seam. this avoids bulk all coming together at the same spot.the waistband extension was tricky. you always have to unpick enough stitches so that you can open it wide enough to get into with sewing machine. (translation: you always have to unpick more than you want to). i cut it longer than i knew i needed. then stitched one side. ironed it. pretended i was done. then carefully tried to mark how much i needed. then cut it. sewed the other side. ironed & tucked seam under. when satisfied it was the proper amount. sewed the waistband seam to body. for these i had to make sure the elastic went thru as before. & when sewing had to make sure elastic did not get caught in stitching.
do you think my summer pants would be this cute if i added a piece to make them longer. i like these fashionably incorrect pants when it's warm to get air on my ankles. but as soon as the frost comes. they look silly.o.k. you're right. they look silly all the time. but i complete the look with my silly shoes.

& while i'm on the subject. the subject of jeans and cutting them up. i can't wait to see the jean apron tutorial that Des is going to make Karebear put together. see here for those cute aprons i am talking about. & i sure hope that tutorial doesn't have any Mamma Mia music in it. hehe. tutorial posted here.