How to tighten the ankles of trousers: dress of the day Blue Kurta and trousers outfit and post number 369

 

Angela Lansbury wearing a complete kurta outfit with matching trousers and scarf. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright.

Blue Outfit's  Trousers - Fine At First Sight

I loved the pale blue outfit, which you can see without the trousers in the previous post. I pulled on the blue trousers. They had wide legs. That would make a change. Hm - maybe I should wear another colour. 

Red & Beige Outfit - Tight Trousers!

I decided to wear a red and beige outfit, with the beige trousers. When I tried to pull on the beige trousers, I discovered the lower legs were tapered and too tight. Not only would they not pull over shoes, they would not pull over my feet. I lay them out on the bed to look at them carefully. 

Press Studs

I noticed a metal circle, what the Americans call a snap, and the English call a press stud. The two halves were a few centimeters apart. I pressed them together. Sure enough, they fitted. They brought the already tight trousers together even tighter at the ankle.

How To I now had the idea of tightening the ankles of the browny beige trousers. Either use a drawstring,, or elastic. Or a press stud!

I looked t the hems of the legs of the beige trousers. No spare fabric. I could slit them. Either leave them loose. At least the wearer's thighs would be covered under the split sides of the tunic. 

Of insert fabric, or ribbons, such as alternating contrasting ribbon, in the two colours of the fabric, brown or cream, and red.

The Blue Outfit's Loose Trousers

Meanwhile, what to wear today? The blue tunic from yesterday, but this time with the trousers. The trousers were fine in width. But they were too long. They looked wrong. Wrinkled. They would get dirty on the ground. They might trip me up. They would no show he shoes.

I want to look for the snaps in my sewing box, and took the box to my desk. Now I had to spend time hunting for the snaps and sewing on four halves, two on each trouser leg. My spirit sank.

My eyes fell on my paperclips. What about using paperclips? How to hide them? Would they hold?

The paperclips worked well. I added a second paper clip at the other end of the folded section for added security. 

I am sure nobody noticed. I wore the outfit to go shopping. The paperclips ere still in place when I go home.

The Kurta Outfit

This kurta outfit is in three pieces, the long tunic or kurta, the matching trousers, and the co-ordinating scarf.

The Matching Blue Bag

I was in the bedroom looking for a brooch or safety pin when I noticed a little blue bag, the same colour, almost, as my blue outfit. The little bag had a drawstring. 

One side said Vietnam. Underneath was the back view of a girl wearing a slit sided tunic, the traditional Vietnamese dress. 

The other side said Hanoitourist. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. It has the second largest population. Its name means inside the river.

I now know three ways of keeping together trouser cuffs, and shortening trousers. Either use a drawstring or threaded elastic in the hems of the legs. Or sew on press studs (known in the USA as snaps). Thirdly, temporarily and quickly, fix with safety pins or paperclips.

If you need he snaps in a hurry on holiday, they are in most of the sewing kits which you can get at hotels. In the old days you often got these free with the sets of free cosmetics in hotel bathrooms or bedrooms. If they were not supplied, you could ask housekeeping or the person who cleans your room and replenishes supplies.

On holiday this year in Spain I found that the sewing kits were usually kept at the hotel's ground floor reception desk instead. 

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