I’ve been thinking about this with the “Economy Quilt” thing from the fabric scrapalong thread… There’s a line in the original description about how this sort of quilt is “always welcome for those with expanding families & not-so-expanding purse-strings” or something similar, which is probably not true in the US at present. Or at least, the crazy amount of time that goes into something like that makes it frivolous compared to a $3-5 thrift store blanket.
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You are so right…I often see crochet afghans at thrift stores for $5 or less…I know how much time and effort went into making them so it makes me sad that even at $5, they sit there.
In the US, we are taught time is money and buy services and goods to save us time…what they forgot to tell us is that often time spent on simpler things is better for ourselves, our community and our planet.
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I know it is not a big project, but I took the spare buttons that came with my new PJ tops and sewed them inside. That way, if I lose a button, the spare will be there. I used to just throw all of these in a tin and never find the right one. This will help me down the road…I just did one or two double thread stitches so I can cut if off easily.
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Forgot about this 
Mended my sons coat before he went away with school. Some of the seams had come unstitched.
I have a pile of other mending to do - it’s on the to do list, but other stuff tends to get put to the top, like college homework.
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I stitched my son’s bedtime tiger’s tail back on, after an unfortunate bedtime tug of war incident. I gave a bunch of other toys to do, but this one is his fave so I did right away.
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what a simple but brilliant idea.
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My favorite pair of jeans is about to explode along several seams & the knees and I am trying to decide whether to do extensive patching (leaving the fabric stiffer & less comfy than before) or wear them to bits & then toss them into the scrap denim pile. 
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I saw a girl at the sporting goods store with lots of rips down the front of her jeans…and while they looked cool on that young girl, I really wanted to offer to boro her jeans for her! ha ha
I had three pairs in the scrap pile that I pulled out last week…they are comfy and I am going to patch them on the outside only…I will just wear leggings under if the holes are too big
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The traditional rule for oiling furniture or other woodenware is: “one a day for a week; once a week for a month; once a month for a year; and once a year for the rest of your life.”
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The thing about the ripped jeans is that you can tell when it’s just ripped versus when the fabric is just about to disintegrate; the reason I can tell my jeans are going is that I can see light through a bunch of bits when I take them off. Fortunately the thrift store has provided a similar but still in good shape pair, so I can take my time deciding what to do about the old ones.
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That’s why worn out jeans are so hard to mend. There is no ‘good’ fabric to sew the patch onto. And because the tightest part of trousers tend to get worn out, patches on the inside can get uncomfortable too. I haven’t found a perfect solution yet. Usually I repurpose them. I think I promised to take some pics of my jeans projects a while back, I’ll do that tomorrow.
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ugh…nothing is worse than when you try to repair the inner thighs…feels terrible and uncomfortable…that is when I also repurpose them…I will repair knees, pockets, zippers, butt and upper thigh, but inner thigh…NO
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Exactly; this pair actually survived a couple inner thigh patches, but the edges of those are going. That’s why any sort of fixing is going to require extensive patching & reinforcement; I’m vaguely thinking about cutting open the legs & attacking them with scrap fabric & my embroidery machine, but haven’t decided if it’s worth it or not.
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I’ve always mended and repaired, or upcycled, things.
I have a hard time throwing away things that can still be used, either for their original purpose or for an entirely new purpose.
If clothes can not be mended, they often still make nice pieces of fabric and end up in my Room of Possibilities (craft supplies warehouse).
Also, store bought clothes often need adjustments to be a perfect fit, I find.
When I find jeans that fit (hooray, I’m two sizes down!), I almost always need to shorten the legs. I have a method where I keep the often characteristic hem and take out a piece of the fabric above it.
Also: men’s handkerchiefs are perfect material for making new insides for jeans pockets with holes in them.
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My mom used to wash her old and torn nylon stockings and give them to me. I would cut them up in strips and use them to stuff my handmade pillows.
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I came across this article yesterday about a lady who is a total wizard at mending (darning) denim. I am in awe. 
Also, I really want to try this technique.
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That is incredible…to think she does it by machine…
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Omg I clicked on that and it’s my childhood best friend’s little cousin Heather. She designed the Bombshell Bathing Suit Pattern, I posted it on Cster years ago. She is great!
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I’ve just gone down the rabbit hole of her patterns. There’s some great ones 
love the swimsuits and some of the other. Just need to decide that I do do sewing clothes 
I have a favourite pair of Cabela’s pants that I thought would last forever. I hoped so, anyway, as I bought them in Calgary and they don’t seem to be sold anymore even if there was a store near me. And they were good for two years of hard wearing, but then the cuffs started to fray. When they got too bad, I finally did this:
I like them even more now! Now I see a spot on the thigh that’s starting to go; I should patch it now before it wears through.
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