View Full Version : What have you mended recently?
I have a lovely old quilt whose binding has simply worn out. I am in the process of re-binding the edges of the quilt.
What have you mended recently?
Replaced buttons, and rehemmed a curtain, hemmed a pair of yoga pants. Lots of projects to go though.
Does it have to be textiles? :)
Some of my clothes. A stool. A shoe.
I tore a little hole in the back of my favorite short sleeve demin jacket, so I added two darts to hide the hole. Also bought a skirt that was too big and too long. Shortened and redid the waist.
fidgiegirl
5-5-13, 10:41pm
In the process of replacing some velcro on some jacket sleeves, but the velcro is lost in my sewing room, so I am waiting until I find it to finish. :P
Fixed the hanger loop in one of DH's jackets a few weeks ago.
Does it have to be textiles? :) I wouldn't think so, I include any kind of 'fixing' in my mind. I have only fixed the clasp on a goodwill skirt, have not had much time to sew or mend. But recently I did darn some of my favorite socks and a pair of knit gloves, with a few cents of black thread while I was watching TV.
I need to repair the elastic in some pants which will shorten them and that was needed too. But my bag of elastic is lost in the sewing room along with my thumb guard and various other things.
I patch pants (in the knees) for DD at least once weekly, it seems.
I have gone on an alterations, ie re-purposing binge if that counts. I like to buy very good quality thrift store clothes and alter them to fit perfectly since ready-made clothes rarely fit anyone just right. So my most recent alteration was shortening the sleeves on a blouse.
iris lilies
5-6-13, 10:21am
I have gone on an alterations, ie re-purposing binge if that counts. I like to buy very good quality thrift store clothes and alter them to fit perfectly since ready-made clothes rarely fit anyone just right. So my most recent alteration was shortening the sleeves on a blouse.
This is very cool, I like this idea a lot. If one has the skills to do this, it is a win/win for so many reasons: good fit, it recycles and keeps quality things out of the landfill, it is inexpensive in base material.
DH has a collection of ancient but classic cashmere sweaters from his auntie who had a cashmere factory in Scotland. They were originally made for his father in the 1960s and 1970's. One has a few small moth holes. Can you believe that the last time we visited her in Arran, she gave us a small bit of cashmere thread to mend them. Now I cannot find the thread. I was not confident about my ability to darn the shirt anyway, and now I am just sad that I let this go.
A pair of moccasin-type shoes. I wore them for an airline journey because they were easy to slip off and on and so I continued to wear them on our long trip as they were so comfortable to walk in. Well one day I looked down and noticed that the stitching had come un-done. I was waiting until I could buy a similar pair about a week down the road and so I thought I had better try to fix them.Lo and behold the embroidery thread that I was using to make a hand-made birthday card, was just the right colour! A Goldilocks moment! So I fixed them and they are still going strong.
I made a new belt out of two belts. Loved the closure on a wide black leather belt I found at a thrift shop but it was for someone with a size 8 waist (I'm not) so I found another belt, cut the little one in the middle and added some of the other belt to lengthen it. Took it slow sewing through leather because I didn't have an extra heavy-duty needle for my machine. Now I have a fun new belt.
I had a pair of slacks that had lost elasticity in the waist and another that had split up the back, not on the seam. I cut the waistband plus about 3 inches off of the ones that split, cut the stretched out waistband off the other pair and sewed the good waistband on. I'm wearing them now, with a long shirt because they didn't go with each other at all.
treehugger
5-6-13, 11:22am
Nothing dramatic, but this weekend I did sew a torn pocket on DH's SFSU hoodie, mend a tiny hole in my lavender eye pillow (the flax seed filling was coming out, one seed at a time), and fix the elastic and nylon strap for my yoga mat (which I discovered is the perfect strap to transport my foam roller back and forth to Pilates class at work). My mending would never win awards for neatness, but it works.
Kara
pinkytoe--I want to learn to tailor clothes. I can never find clothes that fit me right. If I buy them so that they fit my chest and hips, they are huge everywhere else. Ugh!
I am not much of a seamstress--I am just learning--but today I mended one of DH's work shirts. It tore along the seam under the arm. I stitched the hole closed with a straight stitch and then zig-zagged over it to prevent fraying. Hope it stays! :-)
Does it have to be textiles? :)I wouldn't think so, I include any kind of 'fixing' in my mind.
Then I will nominate two window screens that I've patched.
Fixed a hole on an inside pocket of my purse. Why is that material always so darn flimsy anyway? My keys and/or my pen worked a hole big enough to let things slip inside, and it took me about a week to figure out why my stuff was missing!
early morning
5-6-13, 10:04pm
Lately it seems all I've mended has been socks. Darn darns!
Blackdog Lin
5-7-13, 8:32am
I sewed the button back on a sweater.
Sewing buttons and whip-stitching split seams, though, is the extent of my sewing abilities. Anything beyond that, it has to go to the seamstress.
Lainey: I've always had the same complaint, being another one that uses pockets a lot. If they're gonna go to the trouble to PUT a pocket in a piece of clothing, then make it as strong as the piece of clothing itself. Like you, I've mended many a pocket-hole in my days.....
Simpler at Fifty
5-7-13, 9:16am
I mainly mend socks with embroidery thread. When DH was working I was patching his jeans often. I also used to shorten the sleeves on his Tshirts. I miss some of that. I have been a long time sewer and enjoy mending as well as sewing for myself.
decemberlov
5-7-13, 11:21am
A pair of PJ pants that split up the side. My little one is working on a little bag that shes making from an old pillow case, she's having so much fun sewing it :)
Does it have to be textiles? :)
Heavens, No! It doesn't have to be textiles! Mending, fixing, repairing, whatever it takes to make something useful again.
I replaced the battery in a watch and the nose pads on my glasses. I was very nervous about the glasses repair--they are very expensive--but felt highly empowered when I was done. I know that an optical shop would have done the repair for very little but the nose pads always seem to come off at really inconvenient times (like Christmas Eve) and it is nice to know how to fix them!
DH will waste money on stuff, then keep an article of clothing that is in shreds and try to repair it.
He has a ratty old hooded sweatshirt with a broken zipper. He bought a replacement zipper for it. I think zippers can be hard, so I haven't attempted it yet.
I shouldn't complain about his sweatshirt.......I have some clothes that are even worse, and I keep wearing them (without repairing).
Fixed a hole on an inside pocket of my purse. Why is that material always so darn flimsy anyway? My keys and/or my pen worked a hole big enough to let things slip inside, and it took me about a week to figure out why my stuff was missing!
I just mended the inside of my purse, as well. Usually, the outside strap goes first.
Related to this, a while back I read of a teen's act of kindness. She wanted to volunteer at the homeless shelter but wasn't sure what she could do. By chance she ended up mending a torn jacket for someone, and then the others started bringing her their torn clothing too. So it became a regular volunteer gig for her to spend some time just quietly fixing their clothes for free and they were very grateful.
I repaired my around the house sweater! It is not wearable in public..but it is warm and convenient and most places are still good- just needed to fix some holes under the arm and along the sleeves. So, looks strange, but is mended!!! I also put a patch- again not beautiful or wearable in public- on my husband's mowing jeans. Thanks for this thread.
BarbieGirl
5-10-13, 12:00am
My kids wear sweatpants a lot! I like them because my two youngest can share them, whereas in jeans/khakis they wear different sizes. Anyhow, the seams come loose, the pockets get torn so I mend them. My kids clothing budget is minimal since I use a lot of hand me downs.
I also superglued my youngest sons sole of his sneaker back together. He still got a new pair, but I was able to glue it together until the weekend when I was able to buy him new ones. I had $30 dollars in Kohl bucks, plus a 15% off coupon. Was able to buy his shoes for around $30. One thing I always do is buy them nice sneakers. They usually get a new pair every six months.
Does sending things out to professionals for mending count? I don't sew (and probably never will learn), but I now live in a country where it's easy to find professional seamstresses who will mend and alter clothing at affordable prices. Over the past six months, I have sent out three blazers, one top, two jackets, and three pairs of pants for repairs. This enhanced my wardrobe considerably, since I'd been avoiding wearing those pieces the minute they needed repairing! One friend gave me a beautiful leather jacket that didn't fit her anymore, and it had hardly ever been worn. It didn't fit me well, either, but the seamstress took in the back and shortened the sleeves, and for spending about $30 on alterations, I now have a sharp black leather jacket that looks very high-end!
I also sent out two pairs of shoes and a purse to an excellent local cobbler (a seriously old-school craftsman from the Ukraine), and they're now like new.
I also had the batteries replaced on a bunch of "fashion" watches I had let run down. Now that I'm wearing them, people are oohing and ahhing, saying "oh, did you get a new watch?" Some of these watches are 15 years old!
Finally, I am getting a clock repaired. I had to special order the replacement part from America (for a German clock), but now the local clock/watch mender is taking care of it.
It feels great to take care of your things. It makes them last longer and look better, and you develop a real awareness of what you have, instead of just discarding your things with the seasons.
Selah. I hadn't thought about professional repairs but yes, let's include those too. I have a grandfather clock which I plan to have professionally repaired and a purse and pair of shoes that should be repaired but I don't know where to take them.
I mended an insulated Trader Joe's tote and a broken plastic drawer with white duct tape, and a glass bon bon with Crafter's Pick glue, which I highly recommend. Two other glues failed miserably at the task.
I patched on new elastic bands to the edges of my fitted bedsheet, which kept riding up as I slept on it. It became therapeutic to hand sew it. I will be splitting up a big linen pillow case to make 2 smaller ones.This mending is addictive. I think I'll tailor my clothes, some tops are loose in the waste since I lost some weight .I think it's wonderful that everyone sees the benefit of sewing /mending/ fixing. Keep up the good work!
fidgiegirl
5-18-13, 10:56pm
Florence, do you have shoe repair shops near you? They should be able to do the bag as well. Some dry cleaners do repairs too. My in-laws had someone come out to fix a grandfather clock. I am not sure how they found him though.
I mended two towels that were coming unsewn at the edge. They are pretty new towels - weird. So that's done!
My summer riding gloves are several years old and have holes in the same places every other pair of gloves I've owned has had holes. I'll sew them together and try to get another season or two out of them. It's not that they're expensive, but if I can make them last I will.
A few weeks ago I backed my car into a tall pickup truck; the bumper slid over my Forester's bumper and dented the hatch and smashed a section of a plastic strip that sits under the rear window. I get sick thinking about it, since my car looked pretty good for ten years old. Not sure what I can do to fix the smashed part. Some sort of glue might work but it broke in several pieces and I don't know if I could put it all back together again. Plus, the dent in the hatch has peeled and is beginning to rust : ( Right now the broken part is covered in duct tape and there are cracks beginning to grow underneath.
One kinda neat thing I did was to make a cover for my saddle's stirrup leathers so they don't scratch my saddle. I bought brown kneesocks, folded and sewed them and slid them onto the leathers. My poor saddle was getting rub marks and now, they're protected.
fidgiegirl
5-22-13, 4:55pm
Hey all! I love this thread. It has gotten me to mend up a bundle of stuff I wouldn't have. The other day I FINALLY found the black velcro I'd lost in the sewing room (it had fallen on the floor and was obscured but an object sticking out of a shelf) and so I fixed the jacket I was needing to fix and wore it twice already.
I have made a discovery about mending! If I keep the machine loaded up with invisible thread, I can fix anything when the desire strikes with no fussing with matching colors, and it looks better than if I had tried to color match, anyway, since there is never a 100% match. I am in loooooove with invisible thread!
BarbieGirl
5-22-13, 11:39pm
Socks! My eldest son has huge feet! I have tried big and tall stores and their socks, but to no avail. He needs extra wide socks at calf and foot.
I have to buy him special socks at $9.99 EACH pair! (Yes, for just plain white gym type socks) Just spent over $60 not including shipping for 6 pairs. He goes thru socks like nobody's business!
So I mend his socks until they are unable to be mended, or until they become a sensory issue where they are mended. (My son has sensory issues)
BarbieGirl
5-22-13, 11:40pm
Kelli,
love the invisible thread idea! I've used that for quilts, so I'm sure I have it somewhere!
barb
Don't know if this qualifies as "mending," but here goes. I recently backed into a concrete post and cracked the red plastic tail-light cover on my car (which until this happened was not a beater). Parts of the red plastic fell off. After getting a quote of $250 for parts & labor to replace it, I instead used a liberal application of clear packing tape, which is doing a fine job of keeping water out of the interior of the taillight assembly. It isn't even glaringly obvious until you're close to the car, when it becomes, uh, glaringly obvious.
Some paint was also scraped off the bumper, and I was concerned about rust until a friend pointed out that there is no metal component in a bumper anymore. I haven't even bothered to get an estimate for repainting the bumper. The car is beginning to acquire Character. ;)
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