Repairs and shortening to summer clothes

My client wanted these cute summer outfits shortened and repaired.  I decided to put a better hem on when I did it. You can see the original hem did not have a clean finish on the edge. So I serged it before I sewed it in place.

Rip before

Rip after

Waiting to get hemmed

Hen before

Hem after

not just a blanket

This is a project that will soon be on display at the Henry Art Gallery for our client's MFA Exhibit.  Long story short, this was a measurement/cutting/sewing/planning situation for experts only and we did it. Thanks to Larnell's organization and measuring and my cutting, ironing, and turning - I am ready to sew today.

clown clothes muslins

Here are the muslins I made from the patterns my client had and one shirt pattern I had. This will be great because now I can make them good patterns that memorialize what they want and allow them to modify easily.
You can see why clowns (and everybody) does not wear muslin. Talk about boring to look at. But it is great to make prototypes for design.

Their original patterns

their patterns

my patterns

muslin cut and sorted

muslins sewn up

muslins 

clown clothes

Here are the "clown clothes" that I am making new patterns for. The patterns my client has are old and not really super helpful in sewing. So I am making new patterns so they can have more outfits made up quickly and accurately. Yesterday I copied the "patterns" they had. Today I am cutting and sewing muslins. Tomorrow we fit the muslins then I make real outfits. 
The previous outfits did not have interfacing or anything.  I am excited to make them better quality garments that will fit their needs and last longer

Prada in the house.

Fortunately, before I opened the seam on this coat to get to the "guts" to make alterations I looked at the tag. Prada!  I am always careful but this will be careful x100.

hard to see but it is a Prada

back pack zipper

My client got this nice backpack but the zipper busted.  Who wants to buy a new backpack for a zipper, but you need it! I managed to get the bottom of the zipper out, re-thread the pulls, get the pulls back on and sew it back together.
Take that zipper companies who try to screw clients!

ad for pack

during zipper surgery

after zipper surgery

Bike case zipper/tear

This is one of those things you don't know how to fix.  My client had a beautiful bike case that had ripped fabric near the zipper.  It was raveling like crazy and he did not know what to do.  It was really expensive and you hate to throw it away. So I looked it and figured out  way to fix it.

You can hardly even tell it was torn.

before

after unzipped

after zipped