When it comes to the clothes we wear day to day, there are a few pieces in particular that wear out in similar ways no matter who is wearing them. Whether it’s unavoidable damage from moth holes or snags, wearing thin on the crotch and thighs of jeans and leggings or elbows wearing through on our favourite knits, here are my go to repair techniques to keep your clothing in action for longer.
Note: when you have garments that really are beyond repair, cut them up and keep them for future repair projects! A few of these techniques rely on using patch fabrics to reinforce the repairs and those past it clothes are perfect for this.
Wearing thin at the crotch and thighs of Jeans:
The addition of elastane to denim over the years for either a tight fitting or more comfortable fit has meant that denim seems to wear out more quickly than its 100% denim predecessors. The thighs and crotch areas are especially vulnerable and the damage can be tricky to repair to create a strong and comfortable mend that retains the original stretch of the jeans.
Whilst most of my repair work focuses around hand sewing techniques, this is the one area of damage where I think that using a sewing machine for machine darning is the best option. It’s much quicker and allows you to reinforce the surrounding area of the damage as well to make sure that the repair holds up to daily wear. Dropping the feed dogs on your sewing machine, working in a series of long zig zag stitches and
following the stretch of the fabric will allow you to repair the damage and these stitches will also soften with wear over time. You can also add a patch of fabric in a similar stretch and weight of fabric to the inside of the jeans depending on whether you’re just reinforcing a worn thin area or fixing up a hole.
Moth holes and snags in T-shirts / stretch fabrics:
T-shirts (and other stretch fabrics) are very prone to teeny tiny moth holes and zips and buttons of jeans and trousers can often get caught on the bottom hem of your t-shirt leaving snags. You can darn or patch over these, but I’ve found that the simplest way to repair these kinds of holes also happens to be the most effective.
By using a small piece of fabric of a similar stretch placed underneath the hole, you can then sew this into place on the front using an open back stitch. You can use a matching colour for the fabric and thread for a subtle mend or go visible with contrasting fabric and thread to add a pop of colour to the garment. I love using this technique when there are several areas of damage as the organic nature of the holes can look really effective when repaired with colour.
Worn out elbows in knitwear:
You might notice on your knitwear that only one elbow seems to wear out - depending on the way you sit / type / rest your hands as you work! Some people are happy to just mend that one elbow whilst others prefer to apply the same repair to both elbows for symmetry.
Whichever you decide, there are lots of options for repairing this kind of damage in a strong and creative way. Honeycomb and scotch darns are some of my favourite techniques here. Honeycomb darning is worked in a circular shape and has a beautiful organic quality to it whereas scotch darning is a super strong technique that gives an almost crochet like finish.
If you’d like to know more about any of these techniques, they can all be found in my book Well Worn. I specifically wrote the book with garment led chapters for ease of use; a nod to an old fashioned compendium that allows you to pick the book up and find the right technique for the garment and damage you need to mend.