Don't you love it when you get dressed and pressed for an event and have a wardrobe malfunction? About two or three weeks ago I had to attend an event out of town and was asked to wear my dress uniform (Class A). My uniform jacket is the double breasted type, with six brass buttons. I got to the hotel where they were having the first part of the event about 15 minutes prior to the start time. When I put my jacket on, prior to buttoning it up, one of the brass buttons fell off. It did not break where it is sewn on, it broke where the button attached to the metal loop that is sewn into the jacket. I happened across a maintenance person and asked for some pliers, figuring I could pop it back on. He whips out a leather an and I go to work. After 5 minutes of fussing with it, no luck. The button would not pop back on. With resignation, I returned the multi-tool marketed as a fixer of everything. I stood in front of a mirror and decided my only option was to remove the companion button so I would look somewhat uniform in appearance. Prior to this decision, I gave it one more try. Alas, the button popped on. However, if it moved it would fall right off. Being very careful, I made it through that event without it falling off.
I left the event to check in at my hotel. Realizing that I had to attend the banquet in uniform later that night, I had no choice but to try and fix it in some fashion so it would stay in place. I had a eureka moment. Superglue would do the job. It makes everything stick together! I found a dollar store and bought the gel type. I figured this would be safe and not run all over the jacket. I carefully applied it and after 15 minutes had a bond that two elephants could not pull apart! Having my problem fixed, I proceeded to the banquet. I had earned the right to call myself the MacGuyver of modern tailoring!
Funny thing about firefighters. All of our uniforms and gear is not only heavy, but hot. The banquet was being held at a museum. They didn't have the A/C on because it could damage the art pieces. So obviously, being decked out in dress uniform for several hours started to get uncomfortable. After the presentations, two of the folks who brought me up there told me to take of my jacket if I wanted. I declined, as I wanted to remain professional looking. After about 45 more minutes, and no end in sight, I decided that the jacket needed to come off.
As I started to unbutton the jacket, I discovered I had a problem. That button I had repaired was apparently no completely dry. It had bonded with the metal. And it had bonded with the jacket material. Where were those two elephants when you needed them?
With dismay and a feeling that I was going to die from heat stroke, I gave up trying to unbutton it and waited for the inevitable. My two companions once again told me to go ahead and take my jacket off, because a this point they realized I was very uncomfortable. I told them that I couldn't do that. They told me that it would be fine if I took the jacket off and it would not offend anyone. I told them again that I couldn't take the jacket off. One of them assuming that I wanted to remain professional asked if it was against policy to take it off told me that they wouldn't tell anyone if I took it off. My stoic demeanor and not wanting to admit the truth wasn't holding up anymore. I let them know that I had managed to superglue myself into the jacket. Needless to say, I provided the comic relief of the evening.
For future reference, don't use superglue for tailoring. Your lucky if all you do is manage to glue your fingers together.
I left the event to check in at my hotel. Realizing that I had to attend the banquet in uniform later that night, I had no choice but to try and fix it in some fashion so it would stay in place. I had a eureka moment. Superglue would do the job. It makes everything stick together! I found a dollar store and bought the gel type. I figured this would be safe and not run all over the jacket. I carefully applied it and after 15 minutes had a bond that two elephants could not pull apart! Having my problem fixed, I proceeded to the banquet. I had earned the right to call myself the MacGuyver of modern tailoring!
Funny thing about firefighters. All of our uniforms and gear is not only heavy, but hot. The banquet was being held at a museum. They didn't have the A/C on because it could damage the art pieces. So obviously, being decked out in dress uniform for several hours started to get uncomfortable. After the presentations, two of the folks who brought me up there told me to take of my jacket if I wanted. I declined, as I wanted to remain professional looking. After about 45 more minutes, and no end in sight, I decided that the jacket needed to come off.
As I started to unbutton the jacket, I discovered I had a problem. That button I had repaired was apparently no completely dry. It had bonded with the metal. And it had bonded with the jacket material. Where were those two elephants when you needed them?
With dismay and a feeling that I was going to die from heat stroke, I gave up trying to unbutton it and waited for the inevitable. My two companions once again told me to go ahead and take my jacket off, because a this point they realized I was very uncomfortable. I told them that I couldn't do that. They told me that it would be fine if I took the jacket off and it would not offend anyone. I told them again that I couldn't take the jacket off. One of them assuming that I wanted to remain professional asked if it was against policy to take it off told me that they wouldn't tell anyone if I took it off. My stoic demeanor and not wanting to admit the truth wasn't holding up anymore. I let them know that I had managed to superglue myself into the jacket. Needless to say, I provided the comic relief of the evening.
For future reference, don't use superglue for tailoring. Your lucky if all you do is manage to glue your fingers together.
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