I tend to buy a lot of secondhand clothes. Why not! They’re reasonably priced, they’re recycled and thus saved from the trash, and they’re often still wonderfully wearing items. Even so, sometimes a piece or two has a small flaw. Maybe just a tiny hole or a missing button, but they’re still perfectly workable pieces. Even I cause the damage sometimes, pulling out the staples that the ARC uses to attach their tags. Here are the simple steps I take to repair and make great secondhand clothes wearable again.
Lots of times I find tiny holes in knits, or I don’t want to sew a stitch in a really obvious place. For this application, I like to make my own patches. Using a bit of matching (or close to matching) fabric and a little fusible webbing like Wonder Under, I create a tiny iron on patch. This iron on patch goes not on the outside, but on the INSIDE, where it won’t be seen. But it will keep your garment together a little longer.
Sometimes collars and sleeves are coming loose as well, and this is a good place for regular stitching. I also make use of my serger, especially the rolled hem setting. That way any hem is a minimal width but still has a significant structure. No serger? Try a blanket edge stitch with smaller spaces in between.
What are your most useful everyday repairs?
No comments:
Post a Comment