you should be keeping your clothes for longer

Mending resources:
books -
wear, repair, repurpose by Lily Fulop
Loved clothes last by Orsola Castro
ig-
@oldflamemending
@mindful_mending
@thepeoplesmending

[sarahvandergeest]

I've started mending some clothes in the past year. Mainly fixing pants or holes in t-shirts. They're not always the prettiest fixes, but I get to continue wearing the clothes I love.

[davak]

I’ve been patching clothes since I was a kid, since even though my mom taught me what little I know about sewing, she thought I was better at it haha.

Then I fixed my own clothes (and electronics and appliances and cars, etc) to save money.

Now I fix clothing for my wife and myself, but not to save money but because I know how wasteful replacing things needlessly is, and how damaging it can be to the world and everyone in it

[ben]

Mending doesn't even require a spell slot

[luckysmokerings]

I started mending the worn out thighs of my jeans about a year ago and I have been amazed at how it extends the life of pants. I added an extra layer to the thighs of a pair of jeans that was wearing thin before they got holes. It has been around a year and they STILL DO NOT HAVE THIGH HOLES IN THEM. It's magic. Instead of throwing out pants (or rather converting them into rags for cleaning) every 6-8 months - I haven't bought a new pair of pants in over a year. And it's great - I've started mending everything. And when things are beyond the point of no return I generally cut them up into usable bits to patch future holes in my clothing.
I love mending things and my sewing skills are starting to get marginally better.

[SweeneySays]

One of the things that is so lovely about what you make here is that your tone & delivery always make me feel like your videos were made for me, personally. A GIFT. Anyway, the suggestion to practice on less-loved items first is SO SMART! BIG COSIGN.

[puckmunro]

Punk tip: if you don't have an iron to attach your iron on patch with, use a hair straightener

[oddsockable]

Since I get most of my clothes second hand anyway and they're tricky to replace, I've definitely got a lot better with basic sewing-holes-shut and sewing-buttons-back-on, though I'm still not very patient. Today I actually tried a brand new repair and sewed a little flower over a turmeric stain on some white trousers, and I love it!

[pippinhart]

I recently started mending clothes, and it's so liberating and fun! Whenever I wear a piece I've mended, I tell people I fixed it myself every time I get a compliment 😌

[happypirate]

I sleep with a knee pillow because I have some back problems. But I move around a lot at night and our fitted sheet wore out and ripped. I tried cutting some extra fabric and sewing it on like a patch. But I'm not great at sewing and the thread is a bit loose. Combine that with my tossing and turning at night and I need to re-sew it. I'm planning to use my embroidery hoop this time, so my stitches can be fine and tight. But its definitely a lot of work!

[Shameriwen]

This came out on the same day I hosted a mending party for my friends. We sat sewing and glueing in my front room, had a lovely time, and together saved 20 items. Highly recommended for mending motivation!

[evahanson]

A couple years ago I got lazy and put a beloved “hand wash only” wool shirt in the wash - and it promptly got eaten by the machine :( The holes are small, but too many to invisibly mend, so my plan was to do visible darning with some colorful thread. The issue being I didn’t know how to do that kind of mending! I’ve been practicing on socks here and there for a while now, but maybe it’s time I finally bite the bullet and get working on that shirt!

[vigilantcosmicpenguin]

The tip about iron-on patches on the inseams of pants might be life-changing advice for me. No more will I have to live with painfully abrasive inseams.

[tetsubo]

I buy new when needed. But I also buy everything I can used. I scour Craigslist for free things. I make items from literal scraps and salvage. Like a new smartphone stand for my shop last weekend. Made from the support arm of a satellite dish I got free. Thrifty is nifty.

[karora]

I put leather patches on the inside back of the heels of my walking shoes, which is always the first part to wear out on any shoes I own. This has meant that my current pair have now lasted about ten years, though the soles are starting to look very close to worn through, and until I glued them back on last week were starting to fall off. They really are very close to end-of-life now though, so I'm starting to shop around for the next pair that can last me through the next 4000km of walking...

[matthewwalker]

HERES MY TIME TO SHINE! I once got so fed up with my chinos breaking, one after the other - and then rebreaking after I took them to an event called the repair cafe, that in order to get revenge on the universe, I paid to have them turned into a jacket (THREE SETS OF BROKEN TROUSERS IN THE SAME MONTH)

[joeymason]

There are so many ways to mend! I learned to solder a few years ago, and I've fixed a shocking amount of electronics since then that would have been thrown out otherwise. A broken solder joint or frayed wire is often the cause when a piece of tech stops working.

It definitely takes some knowledge/practice to get right, but I've fixed all kinds of dead computer parts, old AV receivers and other audio gear, and revived a couple of phones with dead charging ports.

I've always meant to learn to sew and patch and start feeling the same way about clothes. I will take this as a sign!

[Elientjepientje.]

I have grown up with mending and altering and repairing things. My mom just really loves her things. She has a pink apron that matches all her tea towels and the curtains in the kitchen. She loves that specific colour but it has not been available for a long time. So she has been repairing them for years.
I need plus size clothes and finding stuff I like is really difficult and expensive so I repair them until I can't fix them anymore. And I like to take my shoes to a cobbler when they need some repairs. I like my stuff and I want to use it as much as I possibly can

[morganmartino]

I was so looking forward to this video and it did not disappoint! I’ve been learning to mend my clothes & electronics for the past few years, and it has really expanded how I relate to the world. Rather than a consumer, I try to think of myself as a custodian or caretaker if the objects in my life, trying to keep them in good shape for their next caretaker.

The biggest game changer for me has been using a darning loom to repair socks & other knitted materials—it’s so much easier and faster than freehand darning.

Another thing that has impacted how I relate to clothing specifically is the concept of fibresheds—creating a local geographical community that can be self sufficient in growing, weaving, designing and mending textiles

[untappedinkwell]

Every garment I've ever mended of mine becomes something I love more. I get to wear work that I did to keep a garment I cared about wearable. There's a green dress I've altered (fixed straps, added a snap closure, etc.), For other garments I've removed sleeves or changed arm hole sizes or fixed hems that were starting to unravel. They're all pretty special, at this point. I'm also working on crocheting my first article of clothing, and I'm so excited to be working on it. Basic mending skills are such a great thing to have, and it's awesome that you're on this journey (and sharing it)!

[silliepixie]

I have so many clothes in the "to be repaired" category. Thank you for the reminder!