Mitchells, (almost done!); mending, rain pants

 These past two weeks I retrofitted the recently-made rainpants, then focused on getting the Mitchells done. Almost made it.

And what is the verdict? What were the trials and tribulations? Stay tuned!

First, the rainpants

I first talked about the rainpants in this post. Subsequently I used them on the sea-kayak trip, and found that they were too short-waisted (the original PJs seemed to be okay when tried on, but in this stiffer fabric they were less comfortable. 

just a bit too much fabric

So I removed the waistband, cut out a new piece using the waistband piece, and attached it (without folding in half) between the top of the pant and the waistband. This works much better.

perfectly functional

I had some trouble topstitching the waistband - it puckered, even though it seemed to fit when pinned. The fabric is a bit tricky!

improvised yoke

Reflective tape along the side

fits fine over jeans

   

Mitchells Verdict

The outcome is okay. I had some trouble making the back welt pocket as nice as I would like, and am having some trouble with the fit. That lovely pleat is not looking lovely! I let out a bit of the side seam allowance, and this seemed to make the left pleat better, but the right pleat is still wonky AND there is too much space at the hip...

I am still working on it. I have taken out the entire pleat (and bartack) for the right side to try and adjust it... not doing much.

So just a couple of photos showing the problems, and I am hoping to have it done by next week.

left side looks okay

right side falls funny

right side again

right side

left side looks better

Another pair of Carolyn PJ shorts
These are for a friend. Made with the rest of the Japanese crinkly cotton (gauze!) and some upcycled cotton for contrast. This stuff is funny to work with. I think it is easily 'stretched' (the wrinkles flatten a bit) so I had to fudge it a bit to get the waist band and cuffs to fit flat! I know that it will 'shrink' (crinkly) when it is washed, though!

   

  

Mending

Another zipper! OMG this one was hard! The zip on the resident entomologist's parka was not fucntioning properly. I said I could fix it. And I could and did... but not an easy job!

First of all, that zipper was VERY securely sewn into that parka. It was hard to get in there to unstitch it! The parka has been well used, and signs of wear and tear are visible in certain spots on the outside, but on the inners it was amazing. The waterproofing is kind of falling apart, and there were piles of dust and debris to dispose of! He agreed to go with a black zipper (so that I did not have to order a zip online). It went in okay, but so many layers! This has turned me off of any thoughts of sewing a winter parka!

It was hard to get photos. I am including one. It reveals some flaws, but the coat has become functional once again, and should get him through at least one more winter!

So satisfying!