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Aunt Norie’s sewing room

By Eleanor Mckee - | Jul 30, 2008

Back-to-school clothes: It’s that time again.

Many schools now have air conditioning. However, many do not, so in planning that wardrobe we have to start off with cool clothes, with cotton being a favorite. Cotton fibers breathe and keep us cooler.

I am and have always been a pocket person. Does that pattern have a pocket, or can I easily add pockets to it?

Who needs pockets more than kids on their busy school days?

Most schools now allow sensible shorts and such, and then some have gone to uniform or near-uniform garb. One young mother recently said her daughter has to wear skirts, short sleeved shirts or dresses and wanted help in making skirts that could be let out or lengthened.

Let’s start with a slightly flared or the A-line, a favorite that’s easy to run and get around in. As you cut the fabric, allow an extra two inches or so to its length when you are ready to turn up the hem. On the machine stitch, with its longest basting, stitch a line right on that seam allowance line. Now turn the hem up and pin it in place along the bottom edge. Now gently pull what was the bobbin thread to gather out its fullness, spacing out that fullness all the way around there to be turned under edge, placing a few pins vertically up and down as you go. Then with your steam iron, go gently up and down. You will shrink and flatten all the extra fullness away. Oh, when you later want to let the skirt out to be longer, it will still be there and come back for you.

After steaming and flattening that fullness, just turn on that stitching line and put in your hem in the usual way. You can also make the favorite tiered cotton skirts the same way. As I grew up, hems were always done in this manner. We knew clothes were going to be passed down, if not to a younger sibling then to a neighbor, cousin, etc.

I don’t think it’s fair to start school so early In August; those huge backpacks kids have to tote. Where are we rushing so head-long to anyway?

Be sure to get out and vote even if you skip a few, you don’t have to hit every box on that ballot. Each and every vote does count.

Bye and God bless. Aunt Norie, P.O. Box 265, Tonganoxie 66086, auntnorie@bdc.net.