In a world increasingly aware of its environmental impact, the practice of mending clothes emerges as a powerful solution. Not only does it help reduce waste, but it also promotes a sustainable lifestyle while saving you money. By learning to repair your garments, you can significantly lessen your carbon footprint and breathe new life into your wardrobe. Also read how to care for your clothes, naturally.
Clothing Alterations & Repairs is the ultimate guide to learn how to alter and repair clothes you already own, whether to extend their life or to achieve the perfect. Whether you’ve always wanted to know how to darn a sock, mend a hole or take up a hem, this book can show you how. Ideal for anyone interested in mending their own clothes, this is also a good manual for anyone considering a home business in sewing. The book features illustrated projects. Keep sewing materials away from young children and pets.
You’ll learn how to:
- Hem clothes
- Take in or let out seams
- Repair broken zippers
- Fix tears & holes
There is also a detailed section on more complex techniques like:
- Adjusting suit jacket sleeves
- Reshaping necklines
- Fixing backpacks, tents & bags
Chesley Byrd Lewallen is a lecturer in apparel, textile and design in Idaho, USA. She is also a sewist, artist and teacher who loves making clothes fit beautifully, while keeping textiles out of landfills.
Essential Tools for Quick Repairs
Start with some essentials:
- Needles: Different sizes for various fabrics.
- Threads: A mix of colours to match your wardrobe.
- Scissors: Sharp and small.
- Pins: To hold fabrics in place.
- Measuring Tape: For accuracy.
Repair What You Wear has free online guides to help mend tears, replace zippers, darn holes in socks, patch elbows on jumpers and sew on missing buttons. Steamery Sewing Kit is sold in a roll case and contains scissors, a seam ripper, fabric pen and threads, sewing pins and needles, safety pins, a metal thimble, measuring tape, quick patches, buttons and a needle threader.
Common Clothing Issues and Fixes
Torn Seams
- Turn the garment inside out. Lay it flat.
- Line up the torn seam.
- Pin the seam together. Ensure the fabric lies flat.
- Sew along the original seam line. Use a matching thread.
- Tie a knot at the end to secure the thread.
Missing Buttons
- Find a matching button. If it’s not available, choose a similar one.
- Thread your needle and knot the end.
- Place the button on the garment, aligning it with the corresponding buttonhole.
- Sew through each hole in a cross pattern, securing the button firmly.
- Finish with a knot to ensure it stays put.
Hem Adjustments
- For shortening, mark the desired length, fold, and pin the fabric.
- Sew a straight line along your marked line.
- For lengthening, you can often let down the existing hem. Iron it flat for a neat finish.
Spools of Organic Cotton Sewing Thread
These spools of organic cotton sewing thread are in natural colours and also in an array of colours. Choose from white, ecru, hessian or silver grey. Made from certified organic long-staple fibres, these ring-spun and combed threads are strong and soft, and suitable for both hand and machine sewing. There are 100m on each spool, each spool is made from reclaimed wood and parallel precision wound.
- Black & white
- Blue (ice, midnight, royal, slate, Prussian)
- Brown (dark, light, chestnut, gold)
- Pinks (salmon, marshmallow, scarlet, cerise, burgundy)
- Green (bottle, emerald, khaki, mint, olive)
- Grey (dark, silver)
- Purple (indigo, lilac)
- Orange (ochre, orange, yellow)
