{"id":45171,"date":"2010-10-17T08:41:24","date_gmt":"2010-10-17T13:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/?p=45171"},"modified":"2016-10-15T08:52:30","modified_gmt":"2016-10-15T13:52:30","slug":"a-spiritual-lesson-in-taking-the-new-shirt-apart-and-putting-it-back-together-a-new-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horizonsmagazine.com\/blog\/a-spiritual-lesson-in-taking-the-new-shirt-apart-and-putting-it-back-together-a-new-way\/","title":{"rendered":"A Spiritual Lesson in taking the new shirt apart and putting it back together a new way"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"shirt-plaid-flannel-dark\"<\/a>A couple of days ago, I managed to rip the sleeve of my favorite nightshirt. It\u2019s been on its last legs for several years but it\u2019s a favorite so I continue to wear it. It looks like a long buttondown shirt. At 38\u2033 long, it\u2019s a dark plaid flannel and it hits just above the knee.\u00a0 It has a shirt tail hem, which means it is curved higher on the sides and longer in front and back. I thought it\u2019d be as easy as looking online to find another one. Not so! Even the men\u2019s flannel shirts in an extra tall were only 35\u2033 long and most had a straight hem. That\u2019s a crucial 3\u2033 when I\u2019m wearing it out in the yard and bending over the garden. I began Googling \u201cnight shirts\u201d and \u201csleep shirts\u201d and came upon many that were nice and long, but not buttoned all the way down the front. Phooey.\u00a0 I had to look at mostly mens’ shirts or plus sizes due to bust size. I went to WalMart and even their longest men\u2019s flannel shirt was just 35\u2033, with a straight hem. Drat. I\u2019d have to go to a real store. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I went to the Big and Tall store across from the mall and they had three XLT plaid flannel shirts to choose from. I held the navy and green one up. It was a nice plaid, it had a shirt tail hem, and at size 2x it was wide but it looked long enough. It was on sale for $18.55 so I bought it.\u00a0 I could return it if I found the right shirt, but now I wouldn\u2019t go home empty handed.\u00a0 I headed across the street and into the mall.<\/span><\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t been to the mall for several years.\u00a0 The last time I was there, I was running errands with Ma Yoga Shakti<\/a> and she walked us through the mall.\u00a0 But to shop?\u00a0 The last time was in 1992, shopping with my husband.\u00a0 He was the big shopper.\u00a0 I shop when I need something.\u00a0 A fashionista I\u2019m not.<\/span><\/p>\n

I parked near one end and went strolling into Macy\u2019s.\u00a0 At the first mirror I wished I\u2019d worn better jeans.\u00a0 I quickly walked through the departments, and could see they did not have what I wanted.\u00a0 I walked out in the mall and began going in and out of the line of stores.\u00a0 I thought I\u2019d have a lot of choices, but no one had what I wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

I came home and began to assess the navy shirt I bought at the Big and Tall store.\u00a0 When I put it on, I saw it, too, was about 3\u2033 too short.\u00a0 But the sleeves were nice and long\u2026 and wide.\u00a0 I began formulating my plan.\u00a0 I like sewing and enjoy taking one garment and making entirely another out of it.\u00a0 And I knew not to begin cutting until I worked it out in my head first.<\/span><\/p>\n

I GET A SPIRITUAL LESSON IN THE TAKING APART OF THE SHIRT<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the meantime, I began using a seam ripper on the hem and sides.\u00a0 I took the cuffs off.\u00a0 I ironed all the seams flat.\u00a0 I knew if I just got into it, the ideas and intuition would begin to flow and I\u2019d be shown what the next step should be.\u00a0 No, I wouldn\u2019t be given the entire design all in one thought, rather (just like in life) I\u2019d be given the information one step at a time.\u00a0 I\u2019d have to reach Point B before I\u2019d be directed to Point C.<\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as the seams were flat, I cut off the arms just below the elbow.\u00a0 I ironed those pieces flat and measured them.\u00a0 I measured the width of the shirt in front and back.\u00a0 I lined up the plaid pattern and measured again. I saw I could create a net 4\u2033 extra to add to the length.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019d be easier if it was not my beloved shirt tail hem.\u00a0 Now I\u2019d have to design a triangular patch of sorts to add length to the sides, to make a straight hem to sew the additional 4\u2033\u00a0 length to.\u00a0\u00a0 I could take the patch from the cuffs, or I could take it from the sides.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since I had the side seams open, I was going to narrow the shirt so it wasn\u2019t so boxy.\u00a0 I like a big shirt but not a gigantic one.\u00a0 I\u2019d meditate on cutting the sides before I took the scissors to it.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to mess with how the shoulders fit.\u00a0 In sewing, same as in life, I have to remember that what I do here also affects there<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can make pockets and put the cuffs as the top band for the pocket as a design feature. Since that will alter the plaid pattern, I will skew the pockets at an angle so it doesn\u2019t look mismatched. I\u2019ll also add one more button and buttonhole.<\/span><\/p>\n

So that\u2019s going to be the project of the day.\u00a0 Thinking about how to make the pieces fit together so they most match up and give me my extra length.\u00a0 The hard part was taking the seams apart since it\u2019s a well made shirt.\u00a0 My seam ripper is 30 years old and after this I will buy a new one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t that the way it so often is?\u00a0 The hard part is not designing the new shirt or the new life, the hard part is getting unstuck from the previous pattern that\u2019s often so tightly sewn shut.\u00a0 Once you can unloosen the threads one by one, you can iron it all out and see what you\u2019re left with.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unloosening threads is so much easier than unloosening ourselves from people we\u2019ve allowed to become dependent upon us, isn\u2019t it? Easier than breaking old habits and routines with people we\u2019re used to being around.\u00a0 Putting the pieces back together in a new way takes time and patience.\u00a0 It takes conscious thought and planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

If I\u2019m working with just so much time and space, I want to make the most of it.\u00a0 And if that means unravelling some old favorites before the new next stage, so be it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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