Lately I’ve been getting a lot of questions from readers and friends about wardrobe maintenance and how they can extend the life of their clothes and make them look better – split seams, missing buttons, holey socks, and hems all at the wrong length. And I’m a huge proponent of making friends with your tailor and letting the pros do what the pros are best at…but honestly? You can do a lot of this yourself with a teensy bit of practice and a couple of spare hours. So do it, folks. Read on!
Re-attaching a button is the most common repair my friends ask me to do for them—most likely because the buttons in factory-made garments aren’t securely attached, and as a result they drop off at the drop of a hat. And what’s more, most people reattach their buttons themselves in the most intuitive way possible, but in doing so, they unknowingly forget the most important step. [A bonus: if you learn to do this well, you can completely change the look of an entire garment just by replacing the buttons.]
The whipstitch is a stitch used for hemming, or for decorative edges. Your tailor can adjust the hems of long skirts or pants for you if you’re really disinclined to sew, but it’s so easy to do yourself, so why don’t you?
If you need to fix a torn machine-sewn garment without a sewing machine, the backstitch is your best bet. Do it up
Your socks and thick winter tights take a beating every time you wear them, and throwing them in the dryer isn’t doing them any favors. You’re going to end up with holes before you know it. But before you toss out any of your pretty legwear, get yourself a darning mushroom and fix ‘em.
Later this week I’m going to write a little bit more about altering garments so they fit better and last longer. Have a specific question you want to ask about it? Get in touch.
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28 comments
Emily Abigail says:
Dec 29, 2009
Such perfect timing that you’d post this now. I just brought my sewing box from my parents’ house & sorted through all my clothes that need a hole fixed and/or are missing buttons! :]
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Eyeliah says:
Jan 8, 2010
I just last week watched the same sock darning video! :)
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IdStyle says:
Jan 10, 2010
all these tips are helpful, good idea for a post!
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amy says:
Jan 13, 2010
a cheap and readily available alternative to a darning mushroom is an old lightbulb!
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Marina says:
Aug 3, 2010
Ah thank you, you reminded me to rifle through my mother’s sewing box today. I’ve always done small repairs (as shown above) and replaced buttons to individualise garments, but have recently decided to upgrade my sewing skills to extend the lives of my existing clothes rather than spend the little money I have left on new ones ;-)
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