Greg had a pair of BDU pants that were starting to show signs of wear. Since Greg likes his uniforms to be sharp (oh yeah; he irons, he starches, he presses, he creases, he shines, he polishes: sharp, I tell you), frayed corners and small holes made them unserviceable. Rather than just getting rid of them, though, he told me that he had a friend that made shorts out of an old set, and claimed that they were really comfortable. Could I, he asked, do the same for him?
Well, you know me. Can I craft something? Of course! I measured the inseam of a pair of his most favored shorts, then cut off enough leg to have them that length after the hem. A double turn under, zip around each leg with the sewing machine, and done. Well, almost. I also had to replace a button that he had popped off (funny how he was less concerned about a missing button than a frayed corner…still, I suppose the button isn’t really visible, and he’s required to wear a belt anyway…) and tear open the seams holding the pockets closed. BDUs are meant for battle performance, but when they’re worn in an office environment more emphasis is placed on how neat you can make them look than on how functional they are. If you’ve ever had a pair of cargo pants, you know how sloppy those big side pockets can look – Greg had the buttons removed and the flaps and pockets all sewn into place, flat against the pants. But, since no one really cares how sharp their grungy, repurposed cargo shorts look, I knew he would want his pocket space back. I presented his fresh new shorts to him when Greg got home from work. His response?
“Oh, wow! I thought you were just gonna cut the legs off.”
On a quasi-related note, the Honor Guard Coaster has been moved over to Inner Child Crochet! Greg saw me working on it earlier and told me that he still has that coaster on his desk at work, nearly two years after I made it for him. Awww.
