The luxury of saving an old shorts with cheap elastic..

"You sure this is what you want...?" the woman asked me hastily.

I wasn't sure what I wanted. There was narrow elastic and wide elastic.

"How much do you want? Is $46 a metre..."

I say one metre.. still not sure what I would do.

The shorts was in good condition. Material strong, stitching strong. The elastic for some reason had gone.

I could convert it into some floor cloth or something. But the material is still strong and the stitching strong.

I can't let go of it.

I have no sewing machine. It is not something to carry to a tailor.

There are more important things in life to sort out and fix.

I have not sorted out or been able to fix or save any of the important things.

Maybe I can save this old shorts.

I go online to see how to sew on elastic by hand.

Not much there. I get that I have to stretch the elastic around my waist and see.
There is a bit less than the one metre.

I wonder if I should stretch it more and fool myself that the waist is not as large as it is.

I find a rusty safety pin and put it on the elastic at the point and cut.

I stitch up the elastic ends.
I remember the needlework teacher, Ms Sealy.. I wonder where she is now.. her bangles used to jangle when she wrote on the blackboard.

A backstitch is better than a knot for holding down.

I put a knot. And try a backstitch to make sure.

I see somewhere that I have to fit the elastic like a ring around the waist of the old shorts.

I turn it inside out. The Material is strong. I don't bother with ripping out the old elastic.. it is too much work ..

I want a quick fix.

Most of the things I could not fix or save took longer.

I gather up a bit and use some more rusty safety pins.

I had thought of just using a safety pin on the shorts but had bad experience of the pin opening and boring me.

A woman starts chatting with me. I b ring the needle, thread, scissors close to the computer.

Stitching .  stop to type in the messenger window.

The woman does not know i am stitching.

The needle is going all over the place.

I know that this might not work. That I should do another kind of stitch which might take longer and require more focus.

I have time, I could do it better. I could do better things with the my life.

Like fixing and saving other things in life without thinking of those which were not fixed and are not saved.

I keep going. Stop. Read the message, type a reply.

The woman is experiencing difficulties at work, and in her community.
No easy solutions . No elastic.

I cut some thread. Re Thread the needle. Go again.
Three times.
I know this is not the stitch to use, but it works.

The elastic look like it would not survive more than one or two washes. I had used another elastic which was in another pants as a string through the waist and that has survived many years.

I eventually reach the end.

The old shorts feel as good as new. Fit nice and comfortable and it not falling down.

Time well spent.

Saved.