Make It Last: Chambray Shirt
I've had this wonderful chambray shirt for about 6 years and recently it developed two holes at stress points and lost a button in a very conspicuous place making it totally inappropriate for professional wear.
At the pleat detail in the back and along the back of the arm scye, you can see the fabric is frayed all the way through. I didn't want to take out the entire yoke in order to rebuild the pleat, so I pulled as little stitching as I could get away with.
Then I pressed out all the creases and used a three step zig zag to machine darn a square of "healthy" cotton behind the hole. I wanted to use something lightweight so I could stitch up the pleat easily.
To mend the arm scye, I had to open up the seam in order to get access on my sewing machine. I used the same technique to sew "healthy" fabric behind the shredded portion and then closed and re-serged the seam.
I used color matching thread so the mending is nearly invisible on the outside of the shirt.
The last thing I did was find replacement buttons in my Grandmother's old stash. I didn't bother replacing the sleeve buttons, but at least the three on the front of the shirt will match.
And it's all fixed and ready for work again!
