A-hem, Part 2--Final Success with Hemming Trousers!

I am glad to say that all worked out well in the saga of my attempt to hem trousers using HeatnBond. I promised an update, so here you go!

Because my husband is very handy and wanted to make sure that I did not ruin the iron (I did not take offense to this), he lead the iron cleaning task. As mentioned in my earlier “A-hem” post, we found instructions for cleaning the melted on adhesive off of the iron via the product website. (Thanks, Mom, for the fabric softener sheets that we needed! Mom to the rescue!) Take home point: if you have a problem, check the product website! (Such a simple step yet so easy to overlook.) The information we needed ( Q: How do I remove HeatnBond from my iron?) was the first thing listed in the “Product FAQs” section. This certainly helped. My husband did a little extra work on the iron due to my initial (unsuccessful) attempt at using a paste of baking soda and water to clean the iron. He used a toothpick and the steam setting on the iron to help clear the baking soda out of some of the little holes in the iron face. The iron was ready for action!

The tight bond between iron-on adhesive and the face of an iron.

Mess with baking soda. — My initial attempt at cleaning with a baking soda paste. Yes, it did get into the little holes.

My second attempt at bonding the iron-on adhesive was much better. It is amazing how much better things work when you use your tools correctly. When all was said and done, it appears as though I had my iron on the wrong setting. (Did I mention already that I don’t iron much? I am more of a “refluff in the dryer” kind of gal.)

I now have 3 pairs of trousers which are ready to be worn in public without worry of me tripping on them or getting the heels of my shoes caught on the bottom! (All of the pairs were shortened 2.5-3 inches in length.) Did I do a perfect job? No. Are them hems perfectly even? No. Do I think that anyone will notice? If someone notices, he or she is spending way too much time looking down (but, I admit, that I do have some shoes worth looking at).

Hemmed pair of pants — This is the first of several photos of just one of the pairs of pants in its shortened state. Not bad.

View #2 of the hem — 2nd view. I do love my red shoes!

3rd picture of the hem. — 3rd shot of the hem. Not perfect but acceptable.

Back view — You can more easily see the asymmetry from the back. I will just make a point of not standing like this. : )

I hope that my little “learning experience” can serve as a reminder that despite what may seem simple, it is easy to make mistakes and be imperfect. This is ok. In this day and age of social media, we are so accustomed to seeing what looks like perfection. (It used to be just magazines. Now we have the internet to add to this.) Although we probably know in our guts that it isn’t reality, sometimes we do want to feel as though we can live up to the fantasy we see portrayed in the media. This friendly little reminder, to you as well as myself, that not everything has to be perfect can be useful and allow us to maintain a better sense of sanity.