Repairing Clothing without Sewing

Would you like to save money on clothes without actually sewing? Although I sew a lot, here are three of the things I do without sewing. 

 

1. I recently discovered a new-to-me trick: Using Pellon Fusible Knit Interfacing to mend a tear or a small hole. No sewing required. You just work on the underside, bring the edges together the way you want them, put a press cloth on it, and iron according to the instructions which come with the interfacing, just a matter of seconds. In the case of my husband's flannel shirt, the tear was not small, and the repair was not completely invisible, but it also is not very noticeable. Here's how it looks on the right side. Can you find the repaired tear? 

2. Do you or your family ever get oily stains on clothing, say a Chapstick went through the dryer in a pocket, or you spilled some cooking oil?  What I've often found works for this is soaking the item in  hot water (or the warmest water that is safe for the particular fabric) with Oxi-Clean powdered stain remover. Then I wash it normally and check it before putting in the dryer. If the stain is less but still there, I might want to try soaking it again. The dryer tends to set stains, so whenever possible, it's best to catch stains before they can go in the dryer.

3. Another way to keep clothing usable without sewing is to pay someone else to sew. Even though I love to sew, there are things I would rather have someone else do. I have found it quite reasonable to pay someone to replace a zipper on a jacket or replace a button on a more formal dress coat. I just go to our mom-and-pop-type neighborhood dry cleaners, and they are happy to help. I have used these services in different neighborhoods in different eras of my life. 

You can save a lot of money on keeping clothing usable and presentable without even threading a needle. 

Patching Jeans in Style

I love making things last as long as possible. Here's a pair of jeans which were past their prime. In other words, they had holes in them. Ripped jeans are not my style, so I went to work. 

First I patched them on the inside of the legs. Then I darned, thinking that would do the trick. But even with the inside patches to add some fabric to darn to, the darning didn't last. So...I cut out these brown and black patches which I had leftover from fabric quarters from when I was making masks several years ago. 

I cut out the patches and hemmed the edges of each patch, using the sewing machine. Then I sewed the patches on by hand, using a piece of cardboard inside the pants leg so I wouldn't sew the leg shut. 

This was a lot of work for something that is wearing thin in other places. But I did most of the work while talking on the phone or watching TV with hubby. So there wasn't much opportunity cost. 

Six Frugal Mending Tips

Would you like to save a lot of money on clothes? Here are some of the ways I do this with a little frugal prepping and mending. See if any of these might be helpful for you.  

One: When a shirt or a pair of pants is no longer in wearable condition, you can remove any buttons and set them aside. If you have a matched set of buttons, put them in a small container or baggie. Then look for fabric in the shirt or pants which isn’t worn out which you might want to use for patches or other projects in the future. For example, the back of a shirt might have lots of good life, while a sleeve might be worn thin. Fabric which is worn out can often be used as rags.

Two: If you lose one button from a shirt - not just that it comes off, but you actually don't have it - the first thing you might want to do is consider whether you can move one button from somewhere else on the shirt. Is there an extra sewn on in a hidden place? Is there a bottom or top button which you never use? Moving one button is easier than replacing a whole set. But if you need to replace all the buttons, even if you have to buy them, it might sometimes be cheaper than replacing the garment. If you have sets of buttons in your stash, you can first look through those. In either case, you will want to make sure the buttons are the same size as the originals before you begin your project.

Three: When you replace a whole set of buttons on a wearable shirt, if you have an extra button, you might want to sew it to the back of the bottom of the button placket. There are two reasons for this: It will be there if you need it. And also, a shirt will usually wear out before the buttons do, and when that time comes, you will have all these matched buttons together in one place which you can set aside for yet another item or project.

Four: If you make patches for your clothing, choose a fabric that is either the same weight as the garment you are mending or a slightly lighter weight than the garment. You might use scraps leftover from sewing projects or you might use recycled fabric from your old garments. If using recycled fabric from previously worn items, check the integrity of the cloth. Cut the patches a little bigger than what you need to cover. Then hem the edges, either by hand or using a sewing machine.

Five: When you’re darning or patching a pant leg or sleeve, put a piece of cardboard inside the leg or sleeve where you are working, and check periodically that it’s still where you need it so you won’t sew the leg or sleeve shut. You can cut a piece of cardboard to the size you need from something like a cereal box or a pasta box. Or you can even use an old, small gift bag.

Six: If you must do your hand sewing with black on black, unless you have a special sewing light, you might want to schedule it for a time when you can have sun over your shoulder, or at least work in daylight.

Save money, save resources, and most of all, have fun!