Making Do

We came here to spend the cold winter months, so I was unprepared for temperatures soaring into the nineties. Desperate for something cool to wear, I remembered a mock turtleneck tee I had put into the charity box. My handy sewing scissors soon removed the neck just below the seam that attached it to the shirt. The first cut having been so successful, I went after the sleeves, making them three-quarter instead of long.

The results were so pleasing that I’ve kept wearing it, even though my summer wardrobe has been replenished. The shirt has been washed several times and still looks fine.

Emboldened by success, I finished altering an old tie-dye shirt that was cut too low for an old woman to be seen in. I had salvaged a lace panel from a worn out undershirt and Mimi had basted it in place for me. All I had to do was fire up the sewing machine. That project turned out nicely, too.

These alterations call to mind the old expression “making do.” It means, of course, that we do the best we can with what we have. Sometimes making do turns out something pleasing and comfortable. Making do is always worth a try.

Copyright 2017 by Shirley Domer