Triple Stitched and Mass Produced

All fall and winter I have cringed when I look at my eldest son's clothes {that includes what he is wearing, what is in his closet, and what is in the laundry}, but I haven't had the time, energy, or money to do anything about it. Well I probably could have the money but my cheap {or as a sweet friend says, "frugal"} spirit won't let me.

Well, I am determined that this spring and summer are going to be different. Stephen has 10 pair of shorts stitched, labeled, washed, and ironed in his drawer. Not to mention two more pair that are made out of a thinner fabric and therefore lined that he can wear to church. Okay, I know 10 sounds a bit excessive, and I agree, but it is not uncommon for us to wear three pair in a day. He does great with his potty training on the two days he goes to school, but together we aren't great at it when he is at home or running errands with me. Fortunately, many of them were made with left-over scraps from previously created projects.

That's that for the mass produced portion of the post. If I could only get my monogram machine out to create some matching t-shirts he would be set for summer. Oh yeah, there are also a few smocked shirts I want to make. I'll let you know when I get those done.

Here is the one picture I found...one would think with as many pictures as I take and as many pair of shorts as there are I could have found a better one than that.

Now for triple stitched ~ There are few things more frustrating than spotting a hole in a garment you have painstakingly put together particularly when it is a lined garment. Well, I now triple stitch my crotch seams to try to prevent this from occurring. First, I stitch the seam with a normal seam. Then I go over the area that endures the most stress with the triple stitch on my machine. This is the #2 stitch in the picture below. Those are the first two stitches that I complete. The third is a zigzag over the edge to attempt to prevent fraying. I don't own a serger nor do I want one! For those of you out there who love your, I know I may eat those words one day, but there is no room in this 1700 square foot house filled with two adults and three children and all that comes with them.

Check your manual ~ I'm sure your machine has a comparable stitch. {It is also good for a simple decorative stitch on for example the edge of a baby blanket.}