They are a beautiful color and so glad you were able to repair them for many more wearings!
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My DH has a couple long sleeve cotton shirts from Old Navy that we have been ‘sharing’ for over twenty years. They’re perfect for sleeping or as undershirts, but one has been loved to tatters. The sleeve cuffs were falling off, stitched back on in places, but still holey and getting runs in the knit fabric. The neckline isn’t much better, but I’ll leave that alone unless there are actual holes. I cut the old cuffs off and used a ribbed knit fabric from my stash to make new ones. Quick fix and my favorite sleep shirt is cozy again.
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I usually do a slip one, knit one heel flap. That kind of heel flap usually felts and becomes indestructable after a few wears.
I’ve been getting so many holes in my socks lately. I’m sure it’s the tile floor, it wears out socks much faster than our old vinyl floors. Because we have underfloor heating now I wear slippers less often than I used to.
According to the internet, using a smaller size of needle might make socks more durable. Another option is to do a slip one, knit one pattern across the entire bottom half of the sock. I will probably try out both this winter.
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Good save! I like old cotton shirts. The fabric is nice and soft after all those years of use, and is it just me or are good quality basics much harder to find than they were 20 years ago? Simple 100% cotton fabric with a nice drape.
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I also do the slip one, knit one heel.
I remember you saying that the kind of floor can also make a difference.
I go barefoot most of the time, even in winter. I do have slippers but we have area rugs on most of our floors so it isn’t cold.
@tendstowardschaos Good save! I also wear comfy sleeping clothes and just can’t bear to throw out an old favorite. I swear my favorite nightgown looks like something that should go into the rag bag. My husband also wears his favorite t-shirts until they are so frayed but he won’t throw them out.
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I don’t think it’s your imagination at all. I struggle to find clothes that are 100% cotton (or other natural fibers) and not the flimsiest material you’ve ever seen. Everything is seemingly plastic or paper-thin, or both. It’s discouraging. But, it has been good motivation to get better at sewing clothes and repairing what I have that is quality. Luckily, good quality fabric is still available and at affordable prices.
@AIMR - Thanks! It feels brand new. My DH is the same way with clothes…and that reminds me that I should re-sew a few seams on t-shirts so he can enjoy them a little longer. He also has a pair of linen beach pants that are threadbare in too many places to patch and need to be replaced (I have enough black linen left over from DS2’s Halloween costume to make some). Just waiting on pattern tracing paper to be delivered so I can make linen and flannel jammies for all the boys.
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My husband loves linen pants only in a very limited palette.
I think buying quality fabrics means your time will be well spent, the fit will be better, and the clothes will last much longer. We have to get out of this “throw away” mindset. It is depressing to read how much clothing goes into landfills.
I love the boro way of mending clothes and hope more people are moving toward unique and sustainable clothing.
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Terry Pratchett wrote about how expensive it is to be poor using work boots as an example. It strikes me that that is exactly how most of society lives now. We buy lots of cheap goods that don’t last and need constant replacing, instead of investing in more expensive items of good quality that last longer and can be repaired/mended/salvaged. Planned obsolescence. What an awful concept. Had a stark reminder of that last week. Our TV went out, no repairs possible, straight to recycling. Had to replace it after just 2.5 years.
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The days of even the poorest saving to get nicer things are gone. Everything is NOW. I understand why and it is easy for me to say to wait until you have enough money, but it seems with so many cheaper options, people feel they don’t want to wait.
Even people with money are sucked into replacing things because things break faster and, like you said, with no repair opportunities. Our old dryer should be repaired but because of the age, our home warranty insurance will only let us buy a new one. They can’t even find anyone who will repair it.
Yes, it is an awful concept. When things cost more, people were also more apt to care for them better. I see a lot of people leaving things behind (forgetting a $3 scarf is easier than forgetting a $200 cashmere scarf.!) It will take a lot of work and a few generations to replace this consumerism and throw away mindset.
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That’s terrible that you can’t find anyone to repair it! My DH has been repairing our dryer every couple years when things wear out, and it’s almost as old as I am.
I know I’m trying hard to raise my kids outside of that disposable mindset. They get a lot of well-made basics, handmade items, and lectures about taking care of your things. My DS2 wanted the cheap Halloween costume this year, but I begged him to humor me and let me try and recreate it myself just to avoid spending money on plastic clothes and shoes that would be uncomfortable and only used once. It would have been a little cheaper to buy the ready-made costume, but now he has a nice pair of hiking boots and a couple garments that can be worn outside of cosplay/dress-up (and nothing ended up in the landfill).
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It is more about what the warranty company will pay. A repair might mean another one in a few months so they think they are cutting their future losses by getting me a new one! The new ones will probably stop working after a few years…and yes, my dryer was a wedding gift, so it is almost 45 years old!
I will probably take the cash they would have paid for a new one and see if I can find someone to repair it. It just needs a new timer. I have to shut it off manually or else it would run all the time!
Remember when people got really creative and scrounged around to make a costume? Old pants and a flannel shirt with a bandana made a scrarecrow; an old evening gown made a princess; green face paint made you an alien! Although I am whinging, I doubt it is going to make a come back.
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I’m actually optimistic. I see a lot of people pushing towards a more self-reliant mindset, a growing frustration with the poor quality of goods that are available and a demand for better, a willingness to DIY and to live simpler lives. A lot of young people are learning the ‘old’ skills of homesteading, cooking/baking, sewing and knitting… at least enough to keep that knowledge alive.
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The younger people here give me hope that a lot of crafting skills will live on! I also see a lot of younger people wanting a simpler, self-reliant way of living and they are not as “money” driven as in the past (like we yuppies were!). They want time to be with their children and friends and have experiences, not things…so yeah, in my deepest heart, I do feel hope!
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It is easier to say that when you have money, but I also felt that way when I had very little money, and applied that rule as much as possible. It always seemed common sense to me. These days the fashion cycle is so fast, you can’t even save up for things anymore even if you wanted to, because lots of shops have a new collection in every few weeks. It’s “buy now or never”.
Even if you have money to spend it’s getting harder to find quality items. A lot of expensive brands still sell low-quality mostly plastic stuff. Brands that still make quality goods often can’t be found in the big stores, you really need to spend time searching.
We had washing machines repaired in the past. All appliances we bought during the renovation were at least partially picked for their long warranties. Our washer and dryer (AEG brand) came with a 10 year warranty. I figured if the manufacturer is willing to take that chance they’ve probably tried to make a decent product.
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It’s so annoying when spending money is no guarantee for quality. I’m mending a hole that appeared after wearing and washing a pair of socks once. Granted, they were not super expensive. I believe someone snipped a thread to close to a seam or something and it started unravelling in the first wash.
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Sometimes the material is quality but the sewing or mfg is bad! I have seen really expensive clothes with horrible sewing. Glad you are able to mend it before it totally unravels!
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Ok, so one functional and kind of matching mend today:
Also a very silly mend just to get this one out of the mending pile:
Two holes fairly close together, so I trimmed away some frayed bits and went with a piece of fabric behind the holes and stitching over with split embroidery thread. I can’t see what I’m doing (black on black) but neither can anybody else so I’m calling it good.
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Looks like a great mend to me. Usually, I go for a functioning mend over an invisible one. Gets the item back into circulation quicker.
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I love the Space Invaders/chicken crossover!
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No pics, but I mended three nutcrackers over the weekend as I was decorating for Christmas. Two were TheMisterT’s when he was little: one the glue holding the body to the legs had failed, but it was also doweled, so it had been that way for the several years we’ve had it. The other, which my MIL passed along this year, had an arm come apart at the elbow. I noticed a few other places where glue had come off, so I will repair those before putting it away at the end of the year. The third was my Indomitable Snowman nutcracker whose cookie sheet had come unattached from his oven mitt. I’ve decided this is the year of fixing the holiday decorations and have two more sitting on my craft table to work on soon. And one tinsel tree waiting in situ for a new stand.
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