In addition to reusing and shopping second hand a major part of our sustainable lifestyle is mending and making do with what we already have.
As this refashionista has become a bit of an expert at repairing garments with items I already have on hand I thought I’d share a few of my fave mending methods with the second in my series Easy Refashions: How to fix rips and tears.
I’m not a fan of simply stitching a rip closed and leaving it at that, instead I much prefer to cover the mended seam with a coordinating bit from my stash. I can’t wait to get wearing that fab vintage playsuit again next summer!
Cotton jersey fabric is super comfy but it’s crazy easy to accidentally poke holes into, especially for active kiddos. My fave trick to close and conceal those little rips and tears is to handstitch a funky button or some washable deco over top of the mended hole.
quick tip: slip a drinking glass into the leg when sewing those pesky holes in leggings and shirt sleeves to avoid stitching the front to the back.
Large holes are a great starting point for a groovy refashion – cut out even more holes and then patch them with scraps for a fab new boho look!
Sashiko stitching is a fantastic technique for mending denim!
Speaking of patches, they truly are the easiest fix for a rip. That cozy pair of PJs had a blown out bottom but were quickly fixed up with a scrap of fleece blanket!
Bonus idea: patches are also magnificent at covering up stubborn stains!
The moth hole in this dress hem couldn’t be stitched together without causing it to bunch and wrinkle. Thankfully I had some vintage border in my stash that perfectly covered that bothersome hole and was the identical colours to the dress!
What are your fave mend and make do tips?
Just in case you missed it, here’s my first Easy Refashions post:
Thrift and charity shops (& the back of your Grandma’s closet) are chock full of fabulous dresses suffering from frumpy and just plain awkward lengths so let’s dive right in and fix them up with Easy refashions: How to shorten a dress!
Continue your passion for refashion with my Confessions of a Refashionista e-book series:
